Happy Cruise Year: “The Poseidon Adventure.”

By Michael Lyons

During the era of ‘70’s-all-star-disaster-movies, there were few movies more ‘70’s, more all-star and more disaster-y than 1972’s “The Poseidon Adventure.”

Considered by many to be the movie that ushered in films like “Earthquake” and “The Towering Inferno” (both 1974), “The Poseidon Adventure” centered on a cruise ship, on which passengers are reveling in a New Year’s Eve celebration when an enormous tidal wave capsizes the ship, forcing a small group of survivors to make their way through the sinking vessel to the bottom of the ship...now the top.

“The Poseidon Adventure” checks all of the boxes that would become standards of the disaster movie genre: scenes of chaos and mayhem in the face of nature’s fury (with special effects that won an Oscar), characters meeting their demise one-by-one,  a love ballad theme song (“The Morning After,” also an Oscar winner) and, of course, a Cast of who’s-who actors of the time.

Gene Hackman is the minister who serves as the leader of the survivors, Ernest Borgnine is the tough cop on vacation, Shelly Winters and Jack Albertson are lovable grandparents, Red Buttons is the earnest, mysterious stranger, Roddy McDowall is a ship’s waiter and Leslie Nielsen (when he was serious) is the captain.

In a standard marketing tactic of the time, all of the actors faces were splashed across the bottom of “The Poseidon Adventure’s” movie poster, with dynamic artwork of the disastrous havoc along with splashy text: “Hell, Upside Down.  At midnight on New Year’s Eve, the S.S. Poseidon was struck by a 90 foot tidal wave and capsized.”

Released on December 9, 1972, “The Poseidon Adventure” was anything but a disaster, ranking as the second highest grossing film of the year (behind “The Godfather”).  Producer Irwin Allen, who would become synonymous with the disaster genre, knew how to build a tense, audience pleasing movie.  To this day, even though its fashions have gone out of style, “The Poseidon Adventure” still works as a great movie thrill ride and the perfect product of a seemingly-innocent time gone by.

With its New Year’s Eve setting, along with its 45th anniversary this month, “The Poseidon Adventure” would make the perfectly-themed viewing experience for this New Year’s Weekend.  Pop in the DVD and pop in the Dramamine, because “There’s got to be a Morning After!”

Sources: Wikipedia