People have pointe dout the similarity between this film and the run of disaster movies that came in the next decade. But they didn't mention the most obvious parallel: The Poseidon Adventure, which also has a clergyman who has lost his faith as the hero. In fact, I wonder if Paul Gallico saw this before he wrote that story.
This film seems fully as good as that one. One wonders why it didn't have the same level of success.
Considering the talent and name of the two leads, it is surprising that The Devil at 4 O'Clock wasn't a bigger hit. It's not a great film, though, certainly not among the best disaster films, but nowhere near the nadir of the genre. All involved are good, it's just not quite as thrilling as it should have been. I can see feint similarities with The Poseidon Adventure, and certaintly the all-star cast disaster movie really took hold during the '70s, even if we can trace films of this sort back to the '30s... Pity Sinatra didn't take a role in something like The Towering Inferno or The Poseidon Adventure. He was too rarely on screen post 1970, although his small run of acting roles between 1977 and 1987 were just fine.
NOW TARZAN MAKE WAR!
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