At the Earth's Core (1976)

Director:

Kevin Connor

Writers:

Edgar Rice Burroughs (novel)
Milton Subotsky (screenplay)

Release Date:

July 1976 (USA)

Genre:

Sci-Fi | Adventure | Fantasy

Tagline:

They're in it DEEP now!

Plot:

A Victorian scientist and his young American backer set off in their new earth-boring machine with a short test on a Welsh mountain...

Plot Keywords:

Monster | Eccentric | Giant Monster | Beautiful Woman | Lizard Monster

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Doug McClure	...	David Innes
Peter Cushing	...	Dr. Abner Perry
Caroline Munro	...	Dia
Cy Grant	...	Ra
Godfrey James	...	Ghak
Sean Lynch	...	Hoojah
Keith Barron	...	Dowsett
Helen Gill	...	Maisie
Anthony Verner	...	Gadsby
Robert Gillespie	...	Photographer
Michael Crane	...	Jubal
Bobby Parr	...	Sagoth Chief
Andee Cromarty	...	Girl Slave

Directed by
Kevin Connor

Writing credits
Edgar Rice Burroughs		(novel)
Milton Subotsky		(screenplay)

Produced by
Harry N. Blum	....	executive producer
John Dark	....	producer
Max Rosenberg	....	producer (as Max J. Rosenberg)
Milton Subotsky	....	producer

Original Music by
Michael Vickers		(as Mike Vickers)

Cinematography by
Alan Hume		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
John Ireland
Barry Peters

Production Design by
Maurice Carter

Art Direction by
Bert Davey

Makeup Department
Joan Carpenter	....	hairdresser
Robin Grantham	....	makeup artist
Neville Smallwood	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Graham Easton	....	production manager
Robert M. Hodes	....	executive in charge of production: Edgar Rice Burroughs Inc.

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jack Causey	....	first assistant director
Guy Travers	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Vic Simpson	....	construction manager
Michael White	....	set dresser
Bill Beavis	....	scenic artist (uncredited)

Sound Department
Jim Atkinson	....	sound editor
Gordon K. McCallum	....	dubbing mixer
George Stephenson	....	sound mixer
Ken Barker	....	dubbing mixer (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Ian Wingrove	....	special effects supervisor

Visual Effects by
Charles Staffell	....	process photography

Stunts
Joe Powell	....	stunt arranger (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Derek V. Browne	....	camera operator (as Derek Browne)
Mike Frift	....	camera focus
John Golding	....	focus puller: second unit (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Rosemary Burrows	....	wardrobe supervisor

Editorial Department
Rita Burgess	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Michael Vickers	....	music player (as Mike Vickers)

Other crew
Samuel Z. Arkoff	....	presenter
Arthur Cleaver	....	production administrator
Doreen Soan	....	continuity
David Sheldon	....	production executive (uncredited)

Production Companies

• American International Pictures (AIP)
• Amicus Productions
• Burroughs Productions Inc.

Distributors

• British Lion Film Corporation (1976) (UK) (theatrical)
• American International Pictures (AIP) (1976) (USA) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1978) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Warner Home Video (1987) (UK) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1986) (USA) (VHS)
• CMV Laservision (2002) (Germany) (DVD)
• Cinema Club (2005) (UK) (DVD)
• Manga Films (2006) (Spain) (DVD)
• Ambassador Film Distributors (????) (Canada) (theatrical)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2005) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Midcore Ltd.  services

Also Known As:

Edgar Rice Burroughs' At the Earth's Core (UK) (complete title)
En el corazón de la tierra (Spain) (Venezuela) [es]
Angriff der Dinosaurier (West Germany) (video title) [de]
Centre terre, septième continent (France) [fr]
Centro della terra: continente sconosciuto (Italy) [it]
Der 6. Kontinent (Germany) (DVD box title) [de]
Der sechste Kontinent (West Germany) [de]
Epidromi sta egata tis gis (Greece) [el]
I jordens indre (Denmark) [da]
No Coração da Terra (Brazil) [pt]
Taistelu maan syvyyksissä (Finland) [fi]

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M (TV rating) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Iceland:12 | Spain:T | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) (1987) | USA:PG | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

American International Pictures (AIP)

Trivia:

Actor/stuntman Bobby Parr lost a finger during a fight sequence with Doug McClure that went wrong.

Quotes:

Dr. Abner Perry: You cannot mesmerise me! I'm British!

Movie Connections:

Edited into Fantastic Dinosaurs of the Movies (1990) (V)

Last and greatest of the "scientist-discovers-prehistoric-world" films

If one ignores the fake-looking giant bird creature at the very beginning, the rest of the movie is much more thoughtful and very well done. Scientists tunnel deep within the Earth and discover a whole prehistoric world. But in this movie, it seems the flying reptiles are super-intelligent and have telepathic dominion over Man, using some for servants but others for food. The original was much bloodier than the tv version. This movie was the last of it's kind, and the end of an era.