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S E A R C H    D V D B e a v e r

(aka "Cave-In" )

 

directed by Georg Fenady
USA 1983

A handful of citizens (travelers, government officials, a park ranger) are trapped after the sudden collapse of the popular Five Mile Caverns. Also with them is a desperate fugitive eager to claim a hostage after the group works its way to daylight.

***

At Yellowstone’s Five Mile Caverns, the north fork of the grounds undergoes a smidge of a rock collapse. Rather than close the tourist destination until the situation is fixed, the rangers on duty decide just to keep the tour groups away from that part. After all, a couple of bigwigs are on their way: a state senator (Susan Sullivan, TV’s Castle) and a crotchety professor (Ray Milland, Frogs). Ranger Gene (Dennis Cole, Death House) even was supposed to marry one of them; you guess whom. Among the few others along for the stroll are a sad-sack cop (Leslie Nielsen, just before Airplane! sent his career soaring in a different direction) and a short-fused fugitive (James Olson, Amityville II: The Possession). Wouldn’t you know it, that group gets trapped when boulders fall all around them and block off the obvious paths.

Excerpt from FlickAttackLocatedHERE

***

Ships go belly up, high-rise towers burn, Mother Nature blows her volcanic top - all perfect settings for Irwin Allen to unleash his gift for putting star-studded casts in peril and audiences on the edges of their seats. Now the prolific producer plunges deep below terra firma into the rocky perils of Cave In! A handful of citizens (travelers, government officials, a park ranger) are trapped after the sudden collapse of the popular Five Mile Caverns. Someone else is with them: a desperate fugitive eager to claim a hostage after the group works its way to daylight. Slippery inclines, an underwater passage, a geothermal pit, a rickety bridge and more dangers stand between the group and blue skies. Hang on for adventure!

***

Shot in 1979, but not released until 1983, Cave In! clearly feels a lot more seventies than eighties. Produced by Irwin Allen, this TV-movie with a disaster theme was one of several he produced for Warner and now, thru Warner Archive, they’re finally out on DVD. For me, as an Irwin Allen-o-holic this is fantastic, even if I read mostly negative opinions about these made for TV-disasters. But I know what I want, and I’m not disappointed…

Excerpt from NinjaDixon LocatedHERE

Television Premiere: June 19th, 1983

 

Reviews                                                               More Reviews                                                       DVD Reviews

 

DVD Review: Warner Home Video (Warner Archive Collection) - Region 0 - NTSC

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Distribution

Warner Home Video

Region 0 - NTSC

Runtime 1:37:48
Video

1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 5.44 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Bitrate

Audio Dolby Digital 1.0 (English)
Subtitles None
Features Release Information:
Studio: Warner Home Video

Aspect Ratio:
Original - 1.33:1

Edition Details:
• None

DVD Release Date: July 7th, 2010
Keep Case

Chapters 10

 

 

 

Comments

Cave In! has the standard formula for the disaster popcorn'er. There is the cast - a few recognizable names, the circumstance - a localized cave-in, and a journey to safety with one dimensional characters - hurdling various natural obstacles along the way. Negatives include a puny-level disaster but the cast is comforting and nostalgia appeal on the rise.

It's standard single-layered MoD (Made-on-Demand) disc but progressive in the original 1.33:1 aspect ratio and looks slightly horizontally stretched. This is labeled under the Warner's "Archive Collection" marquee and the image is watchable, if far from stellar, transfer. Colors lean to the drab and contrast weak with some 'jaggies' artifacts noticeable in spots.  Overall, the visuals are, obviously, not a premium levels. It's clear and there are few speckles and no damage.

The, lossy, mono sound is decent supporting the effects and score by Richard LaSalle (Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number!, The Night the Bridge Fell Down, Twice-Told Tales, Ambush Bay) and there are no subtitles offered. No supplements at all. One generic menu screen.

Many 'regulars are here; Leslie Nielsen, Julie Sommars, James Olson, Ray Milland, Susan Sullivan... help the nostalgia and the thing about these TV films is, like a McDonald's hamburger - you know what you are going to get... mediocrity, but you often may want that. Cave In! is not totally mindless - there is drama and suspense. Irwin Allen fans may be the most appreciative. The rest? Hmm... Meh.  

  - Gary Tooze

 



 

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DVD Box Cover

CLICK to order from:

  

Distribution

Warner Home Video

Region 0 - NTSC

 




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