Review of The Poseidon Adventure (1972) by Aaron C — 09 Mar 2011

Probably my favorite all-time movie, pretty much considered the grand-daddy of the 70's disaster film genre, & definitely the best. I was 11 at the time & saw it 17 times in the theatre upon its initial release & subsequent re-releases.

(A little overkill, maybe!) A luxury liner is struck by an enormous tidal wave generated by an undersea earthquake and a handful of survivors struggle for their lives as they make their way upwards to the Engine Room where they hope to be rescued.

With unparallelled acting by some of the decade's top-notch actors, many of them previous Oscar winners. Featuring great special effects which still hold up today (Particularly the capsizing of the ship-) & well-delineated, involving, and believable characters, this is a film I have seen literally hundreds of times and of which I have never tired.

Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Red Buttons, Stella Stevens, Jack Albertson, Leslie Nielsen (In his dramatic days, WAAAYYY before "Naked Gun", "Airplane", & "Mr. Magoo"-) as the ship's Captain, & especially the buoyant & always memorable Shelley Winters really give it their all, & for some, these were the performances of their careers.

Hackman gives a scorchingly-intense and acrobatic performance as the firebrand Reverend Scott, self-appointed leader of the small group of survivors. Borgnine & Stevens, as a hard-boiled cop & his gutsy ex-prostitute wife are standouts, & Winters, most notably, as the warmly self-sacrificing Earth-Mother Belle Rosen, is unforgettably fine, & received her fourth Oscar nomination for her work.

Also notable are Red Buttons as a formerly timid haberdasher who becomes the take-charge guy by film's end, Albertson as Belle's mild-mannered & loving husband, Manny, and a young Pamela Sue Martin (In her pre- "Dynasty/Fallon Carrington" days-) in an early performance, nobly keeping up with the rest of the cast of well-seasoned scenery-chomping veterans.

The lovely Carol Lynley as sweet-natured Nonnie, the ship's entertainer, while no great actress, is very easy on the eyes. Unfortunately, two very adept actors, Roddy McDowall & Arthur O'Connell, are given small, thankless roles & are dispatched of very early on.

What I have always felt has made the film so compelling are the relationships that are established among the characters as they struggle for their survival, each learning to rely on the other, as well as watching several of the formerly weaker members slowly develop into the truly strong and life-saving champions of the ragtag band .

If you can get past the VERY 70's feel & sensibilities of the film (Some hokey dialogue, dated fashions (Lots of hot-pants-wearing-hotties featured in glorious close-ups as they scale catwalks and climb inverted ladders-))-- I feel you will find this a vastly rewarding experience worthy of many subsequent repeat viewings.

While the recent TV miniseries is worthwhile, & pretty close to both the original film & source novel, steer clear of the theatrical remake,"Poseidon" with Kurt Russell & Fergie! A truly torturous waste-of-time, mind-numbingly poor, & hilarious in its ineptness.