2. Noah's Ark (1928)
One of the first disaster films to be produced in Hollywood, its not surprising that the narrative is based on the familiar Biblical tale of
Noahs Ark. Relating the Old Testament take to the First World War, Noahs Ark purports that riches are the root of all evil throughout history and even more so in contemporary times. Following the lives of various characters in the war, a profound minister remarks upon the parallels between the current events and those of ancient times. Noahs Ark is a remarkable film for its obvious, but nonetheless profound, moral message. However, despite its weighty narrative the film is equally noteworthy for its immense special effects. Outstanding for its time, the film employed the use of double exposure photography, miniature models and the rampant flooding of full size sets during the Noahs Ark sequence! Legend has it that there was a complete disregard for the extras safety, when three were drowned and many more were badly injured when the water tanks released the flood water on to them unsuspectingly. However, despite this rather grizzly tale, the sequence is quite simply breathtaking on screen an incredible feat for 1928. With obvious inspiration from the epic stylings of renowned directors Cecil B DeMille and D W Griffith, Michael Curtiz (who was later responsible for such classics as Casablanca and Mildred Pierce ) created a masterpiece of notoriety. In 1957 the film was re-released with a 75minute runtime, excluding all of the modern day sequences. The original 135minute release is thought to be lost, but the UCLA Film and Television archive managed to restore it to a heftier 100minute runtime in the early 1990s. Whether the full feature will ever be viewable again, make sure you seek out UCLAs version to see some incredible effects that will leave you amazed!