The Day the Earth Caught Fire (Blu-ray)

The definitive version of the classic British science fiction thriller

This title is no longer available. 

Newly remastered by the BFI National Archive and available in High Definition for the very first time, this is the definitive version of the classic British science fiction thriller.

When the USA and Russia simultaneously test atomic bombs, the earth is knocked off its axis and set on a collision course with the sun. As the planet inexorably heats up and society slowly breaks down, Peter Stenning (Edward Judd), a washed-up Daily Express reporter, breaks the story and sets about investigating the government cover-up.

Made at a time when the nuclear threat of the Cold War loomed large, The Day the Earth Caught Fire is an expertly crafted sci-fi film that boasts a BAFTA winning screenplay, gritty characters and a vision of end-of-days London that really burns. Also Starring Leo McKern (Rumpole of the Bailey) and Janet Munro, and directed by veteran filmmaker Val Guest (The Quatermass Xperiment).

Extras

• Newly filmed 'Making of' featurette (25 mins)
• Trailer (3 mins)
• TV Spots x4 (3 mins)
• Radio Spots (audio only) (3 mins)
• Interview with Leo Mackern (SD) (9 mins)
• Audio Commentary with Val Guest (audio only)
• The Day the Earth Caught Fire: An Audio Appreciation by Graeme Hobbs (audio only) (9 mins)
• Stills Gallery
• The Guardian Lecture: Val Guest and Yolande Dolan interviewed by David Keeker at the NFT in 1998 (SD) (blu-ray only) (62 mins)
• Think Bike (1 min, 1978): Edward Judd urges car drivers to be aware of motorbikes. Think once.......think twice.......think bike!
• The H-bomb (David Villiers, 1956, 21 mins): civil defence information film demonstrating the damage that might be expected from a ten megaton bomb
• Operation Hurricane (Ronald Stark, 1952, 33 mins): a documentary exploring the work involved in, and the research behind Britain's first atomic bomb tests
• The Hole in the Ground (David Cobham, 1962, 30 mins): a dramatization of a nuclear attack demonstrating the operation of Britain's warning system for atomic war