Earthquake: Earthquake and Portugal History Earthquake Essay

Submitted By tonganator
Words: 1522
Pages: 7

“Earthquake” was directed and produced by Mark Robson’s in 1974. The Film gives viewers a look upon a catastrophic earthquake that occurs in the metropolis, Los Angeles, California from before and after the earthquakes.
Through out the film there are three main themes that would I will discuss. I will look upon analyzing it in a disaster and emergency approach and not as movie critics. These themes consist of emergency management and how it is portrayed then ill be addressing how people are portrayed during and after the disaster events, second is the physical science in term of hazards are presented which I will notified as social science.

In the film I picked my physical scene when the main earthquake occur and the reading on Richter reaches the scale of 7. While the earthquake is occurring, Robson’s provided the city of Los Angeles, California collapsing a nine minutes window scene with camera shaking violently, big to small building tumbling to the grown likes Jenga. The myth or fact I noticed here was the length of the main earthquake bringing the whole city down and how many people were squashed like pancakes during the earthquake. I believe this was done to show the effects on all the principals in the story, strong shaking during a real earthquake of a similar magnitude. However it would not likely last more than several minutes. A study by Bisztricsany, E. A., (1958) conclude that a duration of a earthquake will occur for about ten to twenty second but the affect will determine by the depth and the size of the plates colliding. Which Robson’s dramatically extend the scene with tangling effects to engage viewers in the film. Moreover the whole city building falling down and flatten people is obviously not wholly accurate but one can scapulae from consequence 7.8 Richter scale. A Richter scale earthquake can do a similar affect to the city and building. According to the Portugal history earthquake, “in November (1775) Lisbon Kingdom of Portugal nearly destroy the city, killing thousands people” which it was 8.5 to 9 on the Richter scale. Which I find that a lower Richter scale of 7.8 showed that 98% of the building is misleading and only small amount died on a lower scale. However California has one of the most seismically active parts of the world and estimated to be 30000 tremors a year. Most are too little for people to feel it. A Specialist Dennis C.K from Thornton Tomesetti Inc., analyzed that between 30,000 to 35,000 of cement structural buildings were erected before a building policies were reinforce in the 70’s. The scene of the earthquake is endorsed to be true based on the magnitude of the earthquake as well and the unavailability of pre earthquake policies, for that now exists for construction of buildings.
I believe that the idea of Robson in creating this scene were viciously in the fact of realism that very well an earthquake will occur at any day, any time to the city of Los Angeles. Furthermore, there is not many dramatic disaster film around that time frame that were broadcast as has the effect of dominant American city crushed down to grown. Robson use this as advantage tactic, not only to frighten viewers as pleasure but also rightful theory of what earthquake at the present time could do to a city that is cluster with non-earthquake proof.

For my emergency management theme, I picked the scene where a junior seismologist from the Institute of California Seismologist, analysis and calculated that a huge earthquake will occur within twenty-four to forty-eights hours and Los Angels will suffer from it. He presented the empirical data to his supervisor. However his advisor whom is not in contact with for clarification is buried in a attempting for more evidences. The scientist then argues about weather or not to go public with their prediction of huge earthquake after the first little shock. The myth or fact that I detected was the ability to foretell a huge earthquake within timeframe of couple