As his debut motion picture, director Bernard Kowalski has done a great job by filming and editing this movie. This movie still holds water and attracts audience to a spell binding show of volcanic eruption, terrific tsunami and the human gall and fighting spirit in the face of death and disaster. Taking into consideration, the time when it was filmed i.e. in late sixties, when filming techniques were not as refined and advanced as now and the special effects department lacked the present cutting edge computer graphic technology, it is, by far a great effort and thrilling experience that re-creates and re livens the colossal natural calamity of the late nineteenth century.

If only for its Oscar-nominated special effects simulating the fireworks caused by a very active Krakatoa, the film has enough eye appeal to be worth a look. But it's a pity that with a cast of talented actors aboard ship, the script and characters are so one-dimensional that after awhile one's mind wanders to watching for the next special effects sequence--and there are plenty of them to watch.KRAKATOA, EAST OF JAVA almost looks as if it was designed for the 3D camera, with objects being tossed at the camera from above or below and must have looked even more spectacular on the big theater screen. The studio certainly has spared no expense in handsomely photographing this story of a salvage expedition that turns into a search for buried pearls on a shipwreck at the bottom of the sea. It includes a bevy of convicts aboard ship (a plot device that really makes no sense), while Captain MAXIMILIAN SCHELL stays at the helm of his ship steering it into one perilous situation after another and comforting his distraught passengers, including DIANE BAKER as a worried mother whose son is at a convent school near Krakatoa.BRIAN KEITH, ROSSANO BRAZZI and SAL MINEO have cardboard supporting roles but go through their paces with conviction, never seeming to mind the one-dimensional aspect of their characters. Brazzi makes an ill-fated decision to leave the ship for shore when a tidal wave is about to approach and leaves his son (Mineo) aboard ship with the other characters who survive the storm.There's virtually no plot to really hook the viewer into caring about the fate of these wooden characters. Even Schell seems much too calm to be amidst such dire situations involving the safety of his ship but manages to look ruggedly handsome in torn shirt as he watches the fireworks that seem to bombard the ship at various intervals throughout.If the fireworks alone are enough to capture your interest, this is escapist adventure at best--but don't expect a plot that makes much sense. The characters all speak in modern phrases akin to 1969 rather than the late 19th century, an anachronism that gets lost in all the fiery explosions and fireworks of a raging volcano.

I saw this movie when I was a kid. I remembered more dramatic scenes of the eruption and tidal wave then seemed to appear in the movie version of the film. It was the beginning of my interest in earth sciences and natural wonders.I was truly disappointed with the film when I finally received it. I'd put the movie on order and waited a year for it, regretfully so. While waiting for the film to arrive, PBS viewed a documentary on Krakatoa that held my interest for hours and became irritated that I'd not received my movie. I tried looking for special scenes that would contain what I felt was missing, but to no avail. Vote 1 because you don't have a zero.

This is one I didn't see when it first came out. With its title what it was, I figured that anyone who couldn't understand East from West, probably wouldn't be able to produce a legitimate adventure film.Decades later, I saw a videotape of the film on sale, so I picked it up (it was cheaper than renting it). I'd learned in the meantime that the actual Krakatoa explosion was in the megaton range, so I was wondering how it would be treated in the film.Probable spoilers follow.IMHO, not very well. That close to the island, the ship wouldn't have survived an explosion that intense. But the fireworks were okay.After having seen a number of disaster films, I was surprised that this early one had a musical number in it. At least The Poseidon Adventure had the excuse that the singer was a performer.Entertaining, but not that credible.