Technical data
- Title: JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH
- Year: 1976
- Production: Almena Films.
- Country: España.
- Direccion: Juan Piquer Simón.
- Cast: Kenneth More, Pep Munné, Ivonne Sentis, Frank Braña, Jack Taylor.
Description and synopsis
After the filming of The Mysterious Island in 1972, this was the second film shot in Lanzarote to feature a story written by the great Jules Verne, a truly universal master of fantasy literature. In this case, this version was a Spanish production led by director, screenwriter and producer Juan Piquer Simón.
The unique geological landscape of Lanzarote, an island with the categories of Geopark and Biosphere Reserve awarded by UNESCO, is especially suited to filming adventure films with spectacular locations. With a story that takes the characters on a journey to the centre of our planet, it is logical that the film had several scenes shot in the Cueva de los Verdes, a giant volcanic cave in the north of the island that is one of the great jewels of the island’s heritage, as it treasures outstanding natural and historical values. In the early 1960s, work was carried out on this large hollow to make it aesthetically and structurally suitable for visits by residents and tourists alike. The intervention was very delicate and poetic, especially the lighting.
Another of the island’s geological landmarks featured in this work is the Risco de Famara, a long, sheer coastal cliff located to the north of Lanzarote, facing the islets of the Chinijo Archipelago Natural Park of which it forms part. 41.5% of the island’s surface area is protected under some legal status due to its environmental value, and in order to film in these areas it is necessary to obtain permits, which the Lanzarote Film Commission, an institutional office dedicated to facilitating film, television and advertising shoots on the island, can help with.
The Guenia rofera, where scenes from later films have also been filmed, is a particularly unique spot on an island characterised by its highly evocative spaces. A rofera is a quarry or mining area used to extract “rofe“, which is the name given in Lanzarote to volcanic ash or lapilli, a very small, light porous stone used mainly for agricultural purposes. The extraction of the material has turned this area of the Guenia mountain, located next to the village of Teseguite, into a visually striking place, due to the colours and shapes that the territory acquires. The Guenia rock is full of monoliths, caves and nooks and crannies riddled with black, grey and ochre tones that give it a unique beauty.
