Poseidon Adventure, The (1972)

Before Titanic (1997), there was Shelley Winters, who was the largest of the notable names on the manifest of the luxury liner SS Poseidon that is capsized by a freak tidal wave caused by an undersea earthquake in this surprisingly well-directed disaster flick.

The captain (Leslie Nielsen) and his bridge officers are killed instantly. Nearly all of the passengers whooping it up in the ship’s ballroom at a New Year’s Eve party are also killed.

Led by two-fisted liberal, the Reverend Frank Scott (Gene Hackman), ten survivors climb a giant Christmas tree to escape the flooding ballroom.

Leaving with the reverend are young Susan Shelby (Pamela Sue Martin) and her little brother, Robin (Eric Shea), and an older Jewish couple, the Rosens, Belle (Shelley Winters) and Manny (Jack Albertson).

Also going with Scott’s group are argumentative police officer, Rogo (Ernest Borgnine) and his wife, former prostitute Linda (Stella Stevens), as well as a single man, Mr Martin (Red Buttons) and traumatised singer Nonnie (Carol Lynley, with her singing voice dubbed by Maureen McGovern).

The group thread their way through the upside-down world of the liner – from top to bottom – in search of a way out (worthwhile simply to see Shelley Winters squeezing through airshafts).

The intriguing inverted sets designed by William Creber camouflage most of the movie’s dramatic implausibilities, while the steadily rising water injects a healthy measure of tension.

At Fox Studios, where the film was shot, more than three million gallons of water were used during filming. There was also a 63,000-gallon tank where filming took place.

The sets were mounted on slanted tracks, which were gradually lowered into the water tank while Ms Winters, Red Buttons and Ernest Borgnine emoted furiously.

The camera heated the water so much that a clear picture could no longer be captured, so 3,000 kilograms of ice were thrown into the tank.

125 stuntmen were deployed, and three water howitzers were used, which could expel 300 gallons of water using compressed air.

Produced by legendary producer Irwin Allen, The Poseidon Adventure was the first major “disaster movie” success, putting a weird conglomeration of humanity at peril.

The studio was unsure whether the film would find an audience. However, the initial test screenings were excellent. The film opened in the US on 13 December 1972 and was a box-office success. In the US alone, it grossed over $93 million and was nominated for 13 Oscars. It won for “Best Original Song” and “Best Visual Effects.”

It spawned a terrible sequel, Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979), and the genre soon gathered momentum with basically the same story taking place on crashing planes, in burning skyscrapers and during major earthquakes.

Reverend Frank Scott
Gene Hackman
Mike Rogo
Ernest Borgnine
James Martin
Red Buttons
Nonnie Parry
Carol Lynley
Acres
Roddy McDowall
Linda Rogo
Stella Stevens
Belle Rosen
Shelley Winters
Manny Rosen
Jack Albertson
Ship’s captain
Leslie Nielsen
Susan Shelby
Pamela Sue Martin
Ship’s chaplain
Arthur O’Connell
Robin Shelby
Eric Shea
Linarcos
Fred Sadoff

Director
Ronald Neame