MovieChat Forums > The Devil at 4 O'Clock (1961) Discussion > Why couldn't the hospital evacuate itsel...

Why couldn't the hospital evacuate itself 24 hours sooner?

posted 9 years ago by Cinemaskype
5 replies | jump to latest

Before the bridge was nearly destroyed, the main road was more passable and they weren't cut off at several points by the world's fastest lava flows?

What point was there in having more adults to carry the kids? Three kids were carried. One died, the other sunk his carrier in quicksand. The fat nurse, apparently, was impossible to kill. There'd have been a smaller body count had the doctor headed up the rope and the old French whore supervised the back with the blind girl.

What made the priest a better terrain guide than the doctor?

Seems like the French invented democracy AND misogyny. "Let's put it to a vote. There are five of us." Meaning five MEN - a priest, a doctor and three convicts. The merciful whore, the nurse and the blind candystriper apparently weren't qualified to vote.

[–] Anthony-23 9 years ago

Totally agree.

[–] xerses13 8 years ago

Anthony-23; It would not matter anyway. If that had been a real Krakatoa style eruption the Tsunami would have swamped the rescue ship.

[–] Woody739 8 years ago

Regarding a tsunami: Probably not. They had left the island and were heading out to sea. In deep water, a tsunami is only a swell that flows under boats. The giant crashing waves only form as the tsunami approaches shore. This is what happened in the Indian Ocean after the Indonesian Day after Christmas earthquake/tsunami in 2004.

[–] xerses13 8 years ago

Woody739; True but not that close to a caldera collapse like in Krakatoa. The Christmas Day was a Earthquake NOT a Caldera collapse which would also release a pyroclastic flows that floated by superheated-steam over the water and they would have been toast. The blast effect alone would have been equivalent to 100 Megatons.

[–] Woody739 8 years ago

True. A schooner trying to sail out on the tide and minimal wind. How far would it have gotten in (I'll be generous) 1 hour, maybe 2 hours? You are correct, the atmospheric blast would have destroyed the schooner. Plus as you point out, this was a caldera blast, so the tsunami at the beginning from the explosion in the water, let alone the debris raining down on them, would have destroyed the ship.