The Poseidon Adventure (1972)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Ronald Neame

Writers:

Paul Gallico (novel)
Stirling Silliphant (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

13 December 1972 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Hell, Upside Down

Plot:

A group of passengers struggle to survive and escape, when their ocean liner completely capsizes at sea.

Plot Keywords:

Survivor | Tidal Wave | Passenger | Haberdasher | Ocean Liner

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 4 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

Gene Hackman	...	Reverend Scott
Ernest Borgnine	...	Mike Rogo
Red Buttons	...	James Martin
Carol Lynley	...	Nonnie Parry
Roddy McDowall	...	Acres
Stella Stevens	...	Linda Rogo
Shelley Winters	...	Belle Rosen
Jack Albertson	...	Manny Rosen
Pamela Sue Martin	...	Susan Shelby
Arthur O'Connell	...	Chaplain
Eric Shea	...	Robin Shelby
Fred Sadoff	...	Linarcos
Sheila Allen	...	Nurse (as Sheila Mathews)
Jan Arvan	...	Doctor
Byron Webster	...	Purser

Runtime:

117 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Hebrew

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (35 mm magnetic prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) (Westrex Recording System) | Mono (35 mm optical prints)

Certification:

Australia:PG | UK:PG (video rating) | Iceland:16 | Canada:PG (Ontario) | South Korea:12 | Brazil:Livre | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 (re-rating) | Norway:16 (original rating) | Sweden:15 | USA:PG (PCA #23341) | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PG | UK:A (original rating)

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Irwin Allen Productions

Trivia:

Some of the pre-capsize sequences were shot aboard the Queen Mary, including the opening storm sequence, the pre-disaster scenes in the staterooms and hallways, the scenes above decks, and an early scene in the engine room.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Martin is placing all his pills out before New Years, there is no green pill. But when Mrs. Rosen asks him about it, it's there.

Quotes:

Reverend Frank Scott: I said I was gonna get everybody out of here and goddamit I'm gonna do it!
Linda Rogo: Well, what do you want us to do?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Anjelica Huston and Billy Martin/George Clinton & Parliament-Funkadelic (#11.18)" (1986)

Soundtrack:

For He's a Jolly Good Fellow

Twice as good, half as long

If you have three and a half hours to kill, do NOT watch Titanic. Take the three and a half hours and watch the Poseidon Adventure twice. Okay, it's campy and it's the consummate 70s disaster flick, complete with ensemble cast.

But when you put them up against each other, Poseidon Adventure is just leagues better than Titanic. Titanic is over three hours, and centers around two characters. In that time, the two characters are hardly developed at all, they're terribly one dimensional and probably could be summed up in about a sentence each.

Compare this to Poseidon Adventure. Stars off with a dozen main characters, and in half as much time, they all have their own personalities, quirks, and are real identifiable people. And far from the Titanic tendency of stamping "I'm gonna die" on people's foreheads, in the Poseidon Adventure you don't know initially who's going to die- or at least not how or when anyway.

The Poseidon Adventure is just a more interesting movie. It may not be as glossy or as pretty, but it's got it where it counts... it's just a better film.