At the Earth's Core (1976)

Country of Origin: UK
Year of Production: 1976
Running Times: 90 mins
Length: 8144 ft
Format: Technicolor     35mm
Ratio:
Sound: stereo

PRODUCTION
Production Companies: Amicus Productions/American International Pictures
Executive For Edgar Rice Burroughs Inc: Robert M. Hodes
Executive Producer: Harry N. Blum
Producers: Samuel Z. Arkoff, Max Rosenberg, John Dark
Production Manager: Graham Easton

SCRIPT
Script: Milton Subotsky
Novel: Edgar Rice Burroughs

DIRECTION
Director: Kevin Connor
Assistant Director: Jack Causey

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Alan Hume
2nd Unit Focus Puller: John Golding

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Editors: John Ireland, Barry Peters

MUSIC
Music: Michael Vickers

SOUND
Sound Mixer: George Stephenson
Sound Editor: Jim Atkinson
Dubbing Mixer: Ken Parker

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Make Up: Robin Grantham, Neville Smallwood
Hair: Joan Carpenter
Wardrobe Supervisor: Rosemary Burrows

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects: Ian Wingrove
Process Photography: Charles Staffell

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Production Designer: Maurice Carter
Art Director: Bert Davey
Set Decorator: Michael White
Scenic Artists: Frank Graves, Bob Spencer, Bill Beavis

MISCELLANEOUS
Continuity: Doreen Sloan
Production Accountant: Arthur Cleaver
Producer's Secretary: Diane Furnberg
Production Assistant: Jean Hall
Publicity: Mike Russell, Davidson Dalling Associates

STUNTS
Stunt Arranger: Joe Powell

CAST
Peter Cushing (Dr Abner Perry)
Doug McClure (David Innes)
Caroline Munro (Princess Dia)
Cy Grant (Ra)
Godfrey James (Ghak)
Sean Lynch (Hoojah the Sly One)
Bobby Parr (Sagoth Chief)
Michael Crane (Jubal the Ugly One)
Keith Barron (Dowsett)
Anthony Verner (Gadsby)
Helen Gill (Maisie)
Andee Cromarty (girl slave)
Robert Gillespie (photographer)
Laurie Davis (riot rouser)

Scientist Abner Perry and his young financier David Innes build a machine that can burrow into the ground. On their maiden voyage, supposedly through a Welsh mountain, they lose control of the machine and end up in a strange world at the Earth's core where primitive humans are ruled over by a race of telepathic, bird-like monsters.

Terrible special effects, a corny script and the least convincing cavemen ever seen on screen should have marked this cheap and cheerful prehistoric epic as unwatchable. But it has Peter Cushing in playful mood, Caroline Munro looking wonderful and the silliest monsters you could ever hope to see, so there's plenty to enjoy. Without Cushing it would be nothing - with him, it's a featherweight action movie that holds the attention almost in spite of itself.

UK
Theatrical Distributor: British Lion
Video Distributor: Thorn-EMI/Warner Brothers

USA
Theatrical Distributor: American International Pictures

Australia
Rating: PG

Finland
Rating: K-16

UK
Rating: PG

USA
Rating: PG

1976
January
Day Unknown: UK - filming begins

June
15: USA - press screening at the AIP Screening Room, Beverly Hills, California

August
22: UK - theatrical release

1977
January
14: Finland - theatrical release

1980
December
14: UK - television broadcast (on BBC1)

1987
August
4: UK - television broadcast (on ITV (Thames Television))

1991
July
7: UK - television broadcast (on ITV (Thames Television))

1998
November
8: UK - television broadcast (on Channel 4)

2000
May
1: UK - television broadcast (on Channel 4)

Edgar Rice Burroughs' At the Earth's Core
Angriff der Dinosaurier - German title
Centre terre 7eme continent - French title
Der Sechste Kontinent - German title
En el corazón de la tierra - Venezuelan title
Taistelu maan syvyyksissä - Finnish title
Centre terre, septième continent - French title
Centro della terra: continente sconosciuto - Italian title

SEE ALSO
The Land That Time Forgot (1975)
The People That Time Forgot (1977)
Warlords of Atlantis (1978)

Black Oracle no.10 (Spring 1977) p.30 (USA)
review (by John E. Parnum)

Boxoffice vol.109 (26 April 1976) p.18 (USA)
article (AIP's Earth's Core is now in post-production)

Boxoffice vol.109 (6 September 1976) p.6 (USA)
article (AIP Cave girl plugs Earth's Core premieres)

Cinema 77 no.219 (March 1977) p.101 (France)
review (by J. Farren)

Cinefantastique vol.5 no.2 (1976) pp.30-31 (USA)
review (by Bill Kelley)

Films Illustrated vol.5 no.58 (5 June 1976) pp.396-397 (UK)
illustrated preview (Burroughing deep: At the Earth's Core)

Gore Creatures no.25 (September 1976) p.52 (USA)
review (Gary J. Svehla)

Hollywood Reporter vol.241 no.48 (17 June 1976) p.2 (USA)
review (by Jeff Freedman)

Independent Film Journal no.78 (17 September 1976) p.8 (USA)
review (by Edward Perchaluk)

Monthly Film Bulletin vol.43 (July 1976) p.144 (UK)
credits, synopsis, review (by John Pym)

Movieline 4 May 1993 pp.42-46 (USA)
illustrated article (When dinosaurs walked the soundstages by Brian Hirsch)

Photoplay vol.27 no.6 (June 1976) pp.18-19 (UK)
illustrated interviews with Peter Cushing (Cushing has fun with monsters); Maurice Carter (The 'monster' designer); Doug McClure (McClure confesses: "I'm a clown. I have a sense of the ridiculous"); Caroline Munro (Caroline - I have a lot of trouble with monsters) - all by Sue Clarke

Positif no.191 (March 1977) p.57 (France)
review (by A. Garsault)

Radio Times 8 - 14 June 1985 p.23 (UK)
credits

Revue du Cinema no.316 (April 1977) p.112 (France)
review (by G. Gauthier)

Revue du Cinema no.320/321 (October 1977) pp.55-56 (France)
credits, review (by G. Gauthier)

Screen International no.21 (31 January 1976) p.8 (UK)
credits

Variety 23 June 1976 p.16 (USA)
credits, review (by Mack (real name: Joseph McBride))

BOOKS

Elliot's Guide to Films on Video p.40
credits, review

Hoffman's Guide to SF, Horror and Fantasy Movies 1991 - 1992 p.28
credits, review

The Illustrated Dinosaur Movie Guide p.92
credits, review

KEYWORDS

book into film, centre of the earth, machines, scientists, monsters, telepathy

Last Updated: 15 October, 2008