The Poseidon Adventure (1972)

Nine people explore a cruise ship at sea in a manner that turns their whole lives upside down.

Director:

Ronald Neame

Writers:

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

Stars:

Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Shelley Winters

Won 1 Oscar. Another 4 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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
Fred Sadoff	...	Linarcos
Sheila Allen	...	Nurse (as Sheila Mathews)
Jan Arvan	...	Doctor Caravello
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:

new year's eve | swimming underwater | tidal wave | ocean liner | 1970s | 

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Taglines:

Combining the talents of fifteen Academy Award Winners

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Shelley Winters gained 35 pounds for the part of Belle Rosen. Afterward, she complained that she was never able to get back to her original weight, no matter how hard she tried.

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Goofs

In the opening storm sequence, the point of view forward over the bow from the bridge shows the horizon canting off-level as the ship rolls, which would not have happened in reality. The horizon would remain level. The error occurred during filming with the miniature ship, when the camera was canted left and right above the model to accentuate the rolls of the ship in the storm, when it should have been attached to the model itself. This would have shown the correct perspective of the ship rolling in the storm, with no movement of the horizon ahead. The film's director acknowledged the goof in a chapter about the film in his autobiography.

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Quotes

James Martin: Nonnie, you will go on. We do, you know. We have to. At first we don't think it's possible, but in time, believe me, in time you'll find other things, other people. Someone else to care for. You'll see.

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits prologue: At midnight on New Year's Eve, the S. S. POSEIDON, enroute from New York to Athens, met with disaster and was lost. There were only a handful of survivors. This is their story. . .

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Connections

Referenced in De slimste mens ter wereld: Episode #6.10 (2015)

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Soundtracks

Give Me the Simple Life
(1946) (uncredited)
Music by Rube Bloom
Played softly offscreen by the band aboard ship

User Reviews

Poseidon IS King of the Sea

This movie is my ultimate disaster flick and even though I really liked Titanic. This one, as others have said IS better and I'll tell you why. In Titanic we have just one story going, where as in this one we have several. The subtle budding romance between Nonnie and Mr. Martin was very interesting to watch. I thought they were a rather odd pairing at first, but it worked seeing how they both needed each other. Linda Rogo was my favorite character. She knew what to say and how to say it. She even told her pompus husband off a few times. The fact that she's an ex-prostitute and her husband being the cop that arrested her made their story rather interesting. Mr. Rogo and the Preacher's quarrels were amusing and heated. I liked the Rosens, they were the strong ones and you could truly see the love they had for one another. The kid was annoying, but useful and I really enjoyed the sexual tension between Susan and the Preacher. Their scenes were my favorite. This movie has a cast of truly rich characters that were more entertaining to watch than the actual effects. Ah! The good old days where character development and an actual plot outweigh the special effects and the disaster itself. 9 out of 10.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Hebrew

Release Date:

13 December 1972 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Poseidon Adventure

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$264,850, 17 December 1972

Gross USA:

$84,563,118

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$84,563,118

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox, Irwin Allen Productions, A Ronald Neame Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1