Review of Poseidon Adventure, The (Special Edition)

Introduction

To a certain extent, Region Two has once again drawn the short straw when comparing like releases on either side of the Atlantic. While the two-disc sets of The Poseidon Adventure are identical from a pure disc-based standpoint, the UK and European edition has an uninspiring blue artwork while the US version sports the theatrical poster art (curiously tinted in shades of orange). We also don`t get the eight Lobby Card reproductions. And don`t get me started on the companion set of The Towering Inferno (which isn`t going to happen because that movie is a Warner Bros. release in R2).

Whinge over. On to the movie.

In 1937, author Paul Gallico was crossing the Atlantic aboard the RMS Queen Mary when the ship was hit by three enormous waves. The ship rolled almost right over, but righted herself. For a few anxious moments, the entire complement of the ship had wondered if the ship would right itself and the incident later inspired Gallico to write a best-selling thriller called The Poseidon Adventure.

In 1972, television-fantasy producer Irwin Allen turned his back on the likes of Lost In Space, Time Tunnel, Land Of The Giants and Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea to make his first theatrical feature film in ten years.

The Poseidon Adventure is a much underrated classic of 1970s Hollywood. It spawned the short-lived disaster movie genre that brought us The Towering Inferno, Earthquake, The Swarm and a mixed bag of theatrical and TV movie disaster pics that ranged from the incredible to the goreblimey. It`s the story of a handful of survivors from the capsize of a luxury liner on its swansong voyage. Led by a hell-fire preacher who`s lost his faith, the group faces a perilous voyage through the bowels of the ship to the hull and the hope of rescue.

The cast list is sublime, led by Gene Hackman, fresh from the success of The French Connection. Hackman does not list Poseidon as one of his happier work experiences and was not available for the extras on the disc set, but he is seen briefly out of character in the vintage promotional material on disc two. He plays the classic doubting preacher in the form of Rev. Scott, a hell-fire type man of the cloth who believes that God helps those who help themselves. His frustration with the mainstream Church (represented by character actor Arthur O`Connell) of spirituality rather than action leads him to a crisis of faith. He comes into conflict with fellow survivor, police Lt. Rogo, played by Ernest Borgnine in possibly his best role other than Marty (1955). Rogo, like Scott, is a man of action rather than words and neither likes the other perhaps recognising similarities between them. Rogo is a career cop, risen to Lieutenant and married to a lippy ex-hooker he arrested once too often (the glorious Stella Stevens who frequently steals the picture.) Shelley Winters, who was nominated for an Academy Award®, and Jack Albertson play the Rosens, an elderly couple who prove to have more of a survival instinct than many of the passengers. Eric Shea and Pamela Sue Martin play Robin and Susan Shelby, the obligatory youngsters who get caught up in the disaster. Typically, Robin is the only person aboard with a plan for getting out of their predicament and all the adults will do is nit-pick. Coming up the rear are Red Buttons and Carol Lynley. Buttons is an uptight haberdasher (think an un-camp Mr Humphries) who links up with singer Nonnie (Lynley) after the disaster. Lynley describes her character in the yak-track as a borderline hysteric. Roddy McDowall plays Acres, the only crewmember of the ship to join the quest.


Other commentators have noted that the characters of Sterling Silliphant and Wendell Mayes` screenplays aren`t one-dimensional stereotypes, they`re archetypes and that`s a heck of a difference. However, it is largely the appeal of the actors rather than the characters which makes you care for Reverend Scott and his flock.

Throughout the movie, the characters are pursued by a relentless foe - the rising water as the ship slowly goes down by the bow. If there`s one valid nit-pick you can make about the story, it`s why the hell nobody thinks to close a water-tight door behind them. The nightmarish feel of the whole thing is heightened by the inverted sets (notably a Gents` khasi visited by young Robin Shelby) and the weird from-below lighting which makes nobody look good.

Video

The movie is presented in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio as anamorphic widescreen. The image is colourful, well detailed and well-contrasted, showing no discernable digital artefacts.

Audio

The sound is in Dolby Digital 2.0 which is how the movie would have been made.

Features

The two-disc set is fully loaded. On the movie disc there are two audio commentary tracks which can be played with hard of hearing subtitles. You can in fact pick and mix and listen to one audio commentary while reading the other as subtitle trivia notes. The first track is by director Ronald Neame, who might be 92 but is in full possession of his faculties and would probably have done the remake if Wolfgang Petersen hadn`t got there first. His track is subtle, often self-effacing but always informative. The second track is a cast-track consisting of the surviving ladies of the Poseidon - Stella Stevens, Pamela Sue Martin and Carol Lynley. As with most cast commentaries this is the more raucous track with the women frequently cracking up at Leslie Nielsen`s perfectly straight performance as the Captain.

The movie disc also includes an interactive "Follow The Escape" feature which plays the movie and after key moments offers up a schematic of the Poseidon (based on the Queen Mary which provided the desk scenes for the movie). Some users have reported this feature has the usual "White Rabbit" functionality problems, so don`t be surprised if the feature doesn`t work. If it does, it`s a hoot.

Disc Two contains all the featurettes. Nine in all. Six are set up as featurettes - "The Cast Looks Back" has reminiscences from the surviving cast members (Gene Hackman is conspicuous by his absence); "Falling Up With Ernie" isn`t about Ernest Borgnine, but Ernie Orsatti, a young actor who did his first stunt job on the movie - the high fall from a table into one of the dining room skylights - and laid the foundations for a career in stuntwork; "The Writer: Stirling Silliphant" is a retrospective of the career of one of Hollywood`s unsung writer heroes; "The Heroes Of The Poseidon" looks into the underlying themes and morals of the screenplay (it`s more interesting than it sounds); "The Morning After Story" follows the writing of the movie`s love theme song (performed at the fateful New Year party just before the capsize); and "The RMS Queen Mary" is a potted history of the great ocean liner that played the Poseidon in the movie and inspired novelist Paul Gallico to write the original novel.

Three more "featurettes" are video interviews with director Ronald Neame about the sinking corridor sequence, the turning over of the ship and the movie`s legacy to "generations of fans".

A bigger featurette is the AMC Backstory segment (produced for movie channel AMC). Twenty-five minutes of interviews and vintage footage, it makes for very satisfying viewing. Not least for seeing Ernest Borgnine, Red Buttons, Roddy McDowall and Stella Stevens (who at one point does a creditable impression of Borgnine) reminiscing.

The Original teaser trailer and theatrical trailer are accompanied by a 1972 featurette about the making of the movie. Even more fun are three storyboard-to-screen breakdowns of key scenes. You may want to watch these a couple of times using your slow motion control.

Finally there is an interactive article on the film from the influential professional magazine American Cinematographer and still photo galleries of marketing, publicity and behind-the-scenes materials.

Phew! (And that`s what`s taken the time writing this review.)

Conclusion

The Poseidon Adventure is one of those classic movies that sort of sneaks up on you. At the time it`s made, you just look on it as another movie but as time goes on, you remember it with growing fondness. Other people tell you what an effect it had on them and before long you realise it was a more special movie than you thought. The Poseidon Adventure launched the disaster genre and has been remade (or re-imagined) twice - as a tv mini-series and as Wolfgang Petersen`s new blockbuster. Neither remake really can hold a candle to the original. The tv remake bore little resemblance, and the Petersen film has a nasty streak lacking in the original.

Give it a spin. You won`t regret it.