The Poseidon Adventure (1972)

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

Director:

Ronald Neame

Writers:

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

Stars:

Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Red Buttons

Won 1 Oscar. Another 4 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

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

Storyline

A passenger ship, on her way to the scrap yard is pushed to her limits by the new owners to save on the dismantling fees. A tidal wave hits her, flipping her over so that all the internal rooms are upside down. A priest takes a mixed band of survivors on a journey through the bowels of the ship in an attempt to survive.

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Plot Keywords:

survivor | passenger | tidal wave | water | priest | 

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Taglines:

Combining the talents of fifteen Academy Award Winners

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Genres:

Action | Adventure

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Hebrew

Release Date:

13 December 1972 (USA)

Also Known As:

La aventura del Poseidón

Filming Locations:

RMS Queen Mary - 1126 Queens Highway, Long Beach, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$93,300,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Kent Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

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

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

125 stunt people were used during the filming. No one was killed or injured.

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Goofs

Mrs. Rogo's screams during the first explosion

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Quotes

Linda Rogo: So that's the cat this ship is named after, huh?
Captain Harrison: That's right, Mrs Rogo. The Greek God Poseidon. God of storms, tempests, earthquakes and other miscellaneous natural disasters. Quite an ill-tempered fellow.

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Crazy Credits

There is no 20th Century Fox logo animation displayed, beginning or end. An in-credit text-only notice for that company replaced the usual logo animation.

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Connections

Spoofed in Quest for Glory II: Trial by Fire (1990)

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Soundtracks

"For He's a Jolly Good Fellow"
(uncredited)
Traditional
Played by the band on New Year's Eve

User Reviews

Excellent disaster epic

Despite some questions about the plausability of the physics behind the disaster, I greatly enjoyed this film thanks mostly to the fine ensemble cast headed by the great Gene Hackman. I actually bought into the illusion that this diverse group of people was living this unreal harrowing experience. I remember my theater instructor said this film makes a statement about which people deserve to survive and thereby reproduce. Without being politically incorrect here, he said to analyze the different criteria we use to classify people and see which of these criteria can be applied to the survivors. Even without any social analysis, this is a fine disaster film, 8/10.