The Poseidon Adventure

Tags

1970's, Carol Lynley, Disaster Film, Eric Shea, Ernest Borgnine, Gene Hackman, Irwin Allen, Jack Albertson, Leslie Nielsen, Pamela Sue Martin, Red Buttons, Roddy McDowall, Ronald Neame, Shelley Winters, Stella Stevens, The Poseidon Adventure

Film Title

The Poseidon Adventure

Director

Ronald Neame

Starring

• Gene Hackman as Reverend Frank Scott
• Ernest Borgnine as Mike Rogo
• Red Buttons as James
• Stella Stevens as Linda Rogo
• Shelley Winters as Belle Rosen
• Jack Albertson as Manny Rosen
• Roddy McDowall as Acres
• Eric Shea as Robin Shelby
• Pamela Sue Martin as Susan Shelby
• Carol Lynley as Nonnie
• Leslie Nielsen as The Captain

A memorable example of the 70’s disaster movie, The Poseidon Adventure retains its suspense and danger with an all-star cast as the survivors of an overturned ocean liner   attempt to reach safety.

The S.S. Poseidon is a large ship that is making its way from New York to Athens, on what is believed to be its final voyage. The Captain of the ship is concerned about the fact that it’s carrying to heavy a load and knows that if anything where to go wrong while at sea, the ship would turn into a disaster. The new owners however don’t want to hear this and through blackmail forces the ship onward, heading towards a damaging fate. We are then introduced to the principal characters of the piece. Impassioned but unorthodox Reverend Frank Scott is being sent to a different parish for his views, which are mainly that he believes actions are how best to serve God, as opposed to prayer. Growling Detective Mike Rogo and his younger wife Linda, who he rescued from a life of prostitution. Lonely bachelor James Martin, who needs someone to take care of and fill the void of solitude. Middle aged Jewish and long married couple Belle and Manny Rosen, who are travelling to see their young Grandson for the first time. The observant waiter Acres who frequents the resident dining room. Teenager Susan Shelby and her younger, inquisitive brother Robin are travelling back to see their parents. And rounding out things is vulnerable lounge singer Nonnie. The spirit of New Year is in full swing for everyone, in an ironic twist of fate, disaster will soon be at hand. Just as everyone is welcoming in the New Year, a massive tidal wave strikes the ship causing it to capsize. With the Captain and main crew dead, panic sets in as the ship is now upside down. Scott has the right idea and persuades the aforementioned main characters to follow him to what he hopes is safety. Others stay behind believing they will be rescued in time, but Scott is not one to sit around and takes it upon himself to be leader of this band that agree to follow him. The mismatched group of survivors, lead by firebrand Reverend Scott, must now navigate their way through a labyrinth of hazardous corridors, flooded compartments and dangerous events if they are to have any hope of making it out of there alive.

Ronald Neame is in the director’s chair and his flair for drama is evident by how he gets some emotional chapters in among the action, with the characters you sympathise with more than others. Neame is the director and a very astute choice, but the biggest vision comes from the ambitious Irwin Allen, who became something of a pioneering producer with the cycle of well designed obstacle course that is as unpredictable as it is dangerous. The sets, specifically considering that everything is turned on its head, are crafted with immense skill and passion. And if you’re talking about set pieces that stuck in the memory, The Poseidon Adventure is fit to bursting. The first is when the tidal wave hits, which definitely sets the ball rolling and is followed by the survivors using a large Christmas tree on the first step to hopeful safety. Another memorable set piece is when the group must swim for a long period of time through a multitude of chambers to reach the next destination, which involves each holding their breath for longer than expected. There is genuine tension here and seeing when Scott becomes stuck and tenacious(despite her advancing years) swims to rescue him is pretty exhilarating to watch. While some of it creaks in the beginning, the main thing you go into movies like this for is the effects and excitement of it all. And while yes some of the characters aren’t that interesting, there are some parts and various characters that give off a real poignancy. There are some lulls in the action and the opening is a little slow, but once that wave hits, it’s a thrill a minute spectacle. With the production design, the direction of and the grandeur vision of producer Irwin Allen, The Poseidon Adventure definitely delivers on its title in terms of what it presents and the often tense but always engaging struggle for survival from the ragtag group. And as it isn’t an overly CGI fest, because that kind of technology wasn’t even around much at the time, the dangers and perils of the journey are rendered with a bit more grit than the average disaster epic. You can feel the arduous task that lies ahead of them as they attempted to reach the bottom of the hip, which is now ironically the top. Visual effects like explosions and if course the destructive tidal wave are used, but it’s the way that they are employed that ensure it doesn’t feel fake or patchy in the long run. Instead, full on adventure and excitement are the name of the game here and the effects that are used seamlessly give life to the perilous fight for survival. John Williams, one of my favourite film composers, gives a stirring sweep to the adventure at hand, while also pausing for some very moving moments.

A pretty talented ensemble cast play the remaining survivors of the disaster, with many game for the adventure and drama. Heading the cast is the ever excellent Gene Hackman as the passionate Reverend Scott; all unorthodox and unbridled determination and sense of leadership once the tragedy occurs. His ideas are dangerous but necessary as a man of action, as he figures out getting out alive is not going to be a piece of cake. Yet at the same time, Hackman imbues Scott with a potent care for the other survivors and how he really does think with faith, they can pull through instead of sitting around to die. It’s safe to say Hackman gives it his all as a religious man with different ideas, who keeps pushing on for the sake of others, even when faced with a seemingly impossible task. Ernest Borgnine is on typically imposing and bull-dog like form as the oppositional police detective, with a sense of authority that he feels threatened by Scott. A bruised sense of optimism comes courtesy of the delightful Red Buttons, who somehow tries to make the best of this dire situations with his sympathetic care. Stella Stevens has a lot of brassy and brash behaviour on show, playing the former good time girl making her way in a new lifestyle. Shelley Winters nicely plays the older Belle, whose gutsy gumption, sense of humour in crisis and selfless personality are balanced beautifully. The part requires Winters to show off considerable endurance, especially during the famous swimming rescue scene, a challenge the veteran actress rises to admirably as well as emotionally. Jack Albertson plays classily off Winters as her husband; there’s a simplicity and quiet certainty shared between them that is very special and sensitively handled. Roddy McDowall lends his talents to the proceedings well, while young Eric Shea is clearly having fun as the little boy whose interest in ships comes to be invaluable in the situations everyone is caught up in. The only two flaws in the cast are Pamela Sue Martin and Carol Lynley, who both come off as irritatingly whiny in the long run. There is a good cameo from Leslie Nielsen as the ill-fated captain of the vessel.

Thrilling and exciting, and not forgetting huge in terms of sheer spectacle, The Poseidon Adventure is the go to movie for an exhilarating example of a disaster flick that helped kick-start the boom in the genre.

Twister

Tags

1990's, Action, Adventure, Bill Paxton, Cary Elwes, Disaster Film, Helen Hunt, Jami Gertz, Jan de Bont, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Twister

Film Title

Twister

Director

Jan de Bont

Starring

• Bill Paxton as Bill Harding
• Helen Hunt as Jo Harding
• Jami Gertz as Melissa Reeves
• Cary Elwes as Dr. Jonas Miller
• Philip Seymour Hoffman as Dusty

A tense, special effects laden disaster flick, Twister is big on the thrills that never let up and make it an extremely entertaining wild and windy flick. Simple in plot and characterizations it may be, but no one is going to watch this film for outstanding characters so just surrender to the white knuckle ride.

Bill Harding is a former storm chaser and weather researcher who has decided to settle down as he plans to marry his girlfriend Melissa and has recently become a television weather man. The problem is Bill’s estranged wife Jo(herself a meteorologist and fellow storm chaser) hasn’t signed the divorce papers yet after they separated some time before. Travelling with Melissa, he seeks out Jo, who is with a group of scientists in Oklahoma. The exceedingly driven Jo has managed to perfect a series of devices by the name of DOROTHY, which Bill had worked on when they were together. The devices function by releasing thousands of sensors into a tornado and getting important information( the catch being that you have to be very close to a tornado to enable it). With this knowledge they could glean from the device, they may be able to help create a more advanced storm warning system, resulting in less damage if people are informed much earlier. Yet his timing is just as a series of very destructive tornadoes are headed their way which Jo plans to tackle so that she can put the creation to good use. Soon, Bill’s wild desire to be a storm chaser again returns and he joins Jo on her mission to execute DOROTHY, much to the opposition of Melissa. The group also has to contend with and race against Dr. Jonas Miller, a slimy guy who ripped off their ideas and has created a similar device, though he’s had all the corporate sponsors and funding and is only in it for the money. Yet with each tornado becoming more destructive than the last, just how far are Jo and Bill willing to venture in the name of both science and adventure?

Jan de Bont is an exceptional director of action and his skill set can be viewed in various exciting ways during Twister. Utilizing swirling cameras and a lightning pace, de Bont never stops for breath once the tornadoes getting going. We are quite literally thrust into the terrifying but exhilarating path of the destructive tornadoes and what a blast it is. Through the use of special effects that still hold up remarkably well, the spectacle of each intense twister is marvellously executed. Standout scenes abound, especially the big finale tornado that finds Jo and Bill ducking for cover in a barn as it is ripped from around them until there’s nothing left. As I previously stated, character development and seriousness is not the order of the day here. Yet this doesn’t do detriment to Twister’s impact as it never sets up to be character driven or literate, instead opting for an extravaganza of action and danger. Sound design and effects are equally as excellent when it comes to simulating the intensity of Mother Nature and the destructive forces she can conjure up on an unsuspecting people. By far the biggest stars of this film are the tornadoes themselves, as they make for very memorable visions of destruction and terror. A rousing musical score from Mark Mancina mixed in with rock songs from Van Halen is very effective and furthers the feeling of action and tension that the team encounters along the dangerous journey.

While the characters are somewhat thinly drawn, the cast is mostly impressive. Playing the estranged couple and fellow storm chasers, Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt are very good; bringing out more character than was probably written on the page. Both get across the collective desires and obsession to put their device into use and how these aspirations are what leads them both into the harmful path of near death in the cross-hairs of oncoming storms. A weak spot in the generally good acting is Jami Gertz as Bill’s terrified and annoying fiancée. She is only required in the film to berate and shriek as loud as she can and the sole purpose of her is so that Bill will visit Jo. Cary Elwes does the slime ball shtick very well as the villainous opposition who wants to use the storms as a way to make money. The rest of the science team have roles that generally all blend together, which lets the excellent Philip Seymour Hoffman stand out as the hyperactive Dusty, who lives for the thrill like no other.

So while character development is clearly on the back burner, Twister is all about the danger and destruction and in both aspects it succeeds with sensational results. Don’t look for any logic here, just sit back, fetch some popcorn and enjoy this roller coaster of a film.