Krakatoa, East of Java

A ship adventure with an erupting volcano

On a shipwreck salvage mission in the Dutch East Indies in 1883 (aka western Indonesia), a ship captain (Maximilian Schell) is forced by the government to transport a chain gang while the unexpected eruption of Krakatoa and the corresponding tsunami present more natural challenges. Diane Baker plays his romantic interest, Brian Keith an over-the-hill diver and Barbara Werle the diver’s babe. Sal Mineo and J.D. Cannon are also on hand.

“Krakatoa: East of Java” (1968) is a ship-confined adventure and disaster movie, like “The Poseidon Adventure” (1972) and “Titanic” (1997), but the human interest just isn’t as compelling. The story is pedestrian and tediously paced, but there are some good things to glean.

As for the title, Krakatoa is actually west of Java (and east of Sumatra). Producers decided to keep the geographical error no doubt because it was more exotic-sounding than "Krakatoa, West of Java." Meanwhile, the title helped popularize the spelling ‘Krakatoa’ as opposed to the Indonesian spelling ‘Krakatau.’

The film runs 1 hour, 46 minutes and was shot on a remodeled passenger-cargo ship constructed in England around 1880, with additional footage done in studios in Spain and Italy.

GRADE: C+