While The Day the Earth Caught Fire was filmed and released in 1961, the idea first came to director Val Guest in 1954, two years after England detonated its first nuclear device.

He wrote an initial screenplay, which, in spite of Guest’s established reputation thanks to films such as The Quatermass Xperiment (1955) and The Abominable Snowman (1957), was turned down by several studios before finally being accepted by British Lion.

It is therefore within a context of 50’s and early 60’s cold war and nuclear paranoia that The Day the Earth Caught Fire must be appreciated.

Recipient of a British Academy Award for best screenplay in 1961, the film is in fact a very serious treatise not only on the foolishness of nuclear activity by scientists and governments, but also on the potential impact such activities could have on the climate and on social structures.

Despite a suspicious premise (nuclear explosions throw the planet off its orbit and send it hurtling towards the sun), the message is nevertheless conveyed effectively through a mix of sharp and witty dialogues delivered in rapid-fire fashion, a solid narrative and reasonably good special effects.

Guest, who had been a freelance journalist and the British editor of The Hollywood Reporter before turning to film writing and directing, astutely recreates the loud and buzzing atmosphere of a newspaper office (certain scenes were shot in the actual offices of the Daily Express on Fleet street and Guest claimed that he was aiming for a Cinema Verite style) as the reporters frantically search for the next newsworthy piece of information. The camera moves effortlessly between the desks and corridors, picking up voices, movements and grabbing on to potentially interesting bits of information, at times leading us with the journalists after false leads.

All three main actors give very solid and effective performances, and these provide the necessary foundation for what is in fact a character-driven piece. The effects, led by Les Bowie, are effective in their scarcity and simplicity and convey just enough to remain plausible. They are often smoothly intercut with real footage of floods, fires and hurricanes and the result, which is most convincing, gives the film a documentary feel at times.

The message about climate change is more relevant today than it was then and, along with the overall strong quality of the script, direction and acting, ensures that the film can continue to be appreciated by modern audiences.

Synopsis. Attention: spoilers ahead!

It has been 30 minutes since the detonation and reporter Peter Stenning is walking through the empty and blazing hot streets of London, heading for the offices of the Daily Express. Once inside, he starts to dictate the content of his next piece. The topic: will mankind be saved or doomed?

Flashback 90 days. The offices of the Daily Express are buzzing with activity. We are introduced to Peter Stenning, a reporter whose alcohol and divorce problems have gotten in the way of his career. Often at a loss to find an interesting and relevant story, he is regularly bailed out by his friend and colleague Bill Maguire. Bill encourages Stenning to get his life together and to find a new woman.

Journalists at the Daily Express are investigating reports of unusual sunspot activity as well as of strange climatic events throughout the world. Their findings lead them to the discovery that both America and Russia have simultaneously detonated nuclear bombs at each pole. Stenning is sent to cover a demonstration by anti-nuclear activists in Piccadilly Circus. At that moment, an eclipse of the sun occurs, 10 days before it is due. The president of England (prime minister?) goes on air to reassure the public that there is nothing to be feared from the nuclear explosions and that scientists are adamant that these are not linked to the changes in the climate.

Meanwhile, temperatures are rising considerably in London and across the globe. While at a fair where he is spending time with his son, Stenning notices Jeannie Craig, a young woman from the offices of the Met Center. As they become acquainted, a thick mist starts to envelop the city, making visibility difficult and bringing chaos to the streets. After dropping his son at his ex-wife’s, Stenning heads with Jeannie to her apartment where he tries to kiss her. While clearly interested, she rebukes him, preferring to make him wait.

Stenning returns to the Daily Express where his colleagues are frantically trying to find out the exact causes of the climatic changes. Bill suggests that a shift in the axis of the planet could be behind the melting of the polar caps. Stenning pays another visit to Jeannie, now his ‘contact’ due to her connections at the Met Office. Just as they start to kiss, Stenning is called back to the office.

The weather patterns across the globe are becoming increasingly erratic. Cyclones are reported in France, England, Italy and Greece. Floods and heavy thunderstorms are wreaking havoc in several parts of the world. Jeannie rings Stenning and asks him to meet her right away. She tells him that she overheard at the Met Office that the nuclear explosions have tilted the axis of the earth by 11 degrees. Stenning, having promised Jeannie to keep the information quiet, still passes on the scoop to his editor. The news breaks out and panic spreads. Temperatures are now reaching 139 degrees in Rome and other cities. Rivers are evaporating. Water is becoming scarce and cities start to implement emergency measures, including the rationing of water. The President of England again calls for the population to remain calm and announces that the four major international powers have agreed to stop all testing and manufacturing of nuclear weapons.

Through a contact in Moscow, the editor of the Daily Express finds out that Earth, now out of its orbit, is hurtling towards the sun. By their calculations, they have 40 days until it hits the sun. Everywhere across the globe, people are reacting to the news, each in their own way. The governments have decided to try to detonate four nuclear bombs, in the hope that it will set the planet back in its orbit. This is Earth’s last chance. Bill, Jeannie and Peter wait for the detonation in a bar where they drink a toast, hoping for its success. Peter then runs to the now empty offices of the Daily Express to write his column on the events. He prepares two versions: one stating that the world is saved and one stating that the planet is doomed.

In the distance, the bells of St Paul’s ring.