![]() He strives to make the movie deserve his performance.įifty years later, The Poseidon Adventure remains an irresistible relic of the pre-blockbuster era, before Steven Spielberg came along and proved that productions of this scale didn’t have to feel so ungainly. He was a pro’s pro: in a cast full of hams and gams, Hackman creates a character whose will to live – and to save other’s lives in the process – is a matter of religious devotion, a Job-like burden against a spiteful or indifferent God. For actors that prolific – he would appear in over 100 movies in his career – there’s usually a temptation to “phone it in” on the junkier projects, but as a troubled preacher who leads 10 passengers up to the bottom of the ship, Hackman commits himself so fully to the role that you’d never imagine he’d ever shrug it off. It’s a lumbering ensemble piece, with Ernest Borgnine screaming at the top of his lungs, Shelley Winters swan-diving into floodwaters and an annoying little boy who happens to know that the engine room on a capsized ocean liner has a steel hull that’s only one-inch thick.Īnd yet Hackman is legitimately extraordinary. In the grand arc of Hackman’s career, The Poseidon Adventure is not a work of art like The French Connection or The Conversation, but a tacky Irwin Allen production, to be followed later by another enormous disaster movie, The Towering Inferno. Poseidon, “The Poseidon Adventure” (1972,) “Beyond The Poseidon Adventure” (1979), a TV film, “The Poseidon Adventure” (2005), and “Poseidon” (2006) with Richard Dreyfus and Kurt Russell.Both men have a point. – There’s been four films featuring a luxury liner called The S.S. – The Queen Mary was used for a few exterior shots of the deck and early interior shots of the staterooms. ![]() Shelley Winters did receive a nomination but lost to Eileen Heckart. – After reading the script, Stella Stevens, the actress that played Linda Rogo, said the woman that plays the “fat lady” Belle Rosen will get an Oscar nomination. At the time, it was the highest amount ever paid. – When the film’s theatrical release ended, ABC paid $1 million for the broadcast rights. Scott and Burt Lancaster both turned down the role of Reverend Scott Gene Wilder turned down the role of haberdasher James Martin. At the time the film was made, Winters was only 51. – Shelley Winters’ character, Belle, was an older, retired woman with grandchildren. – Irwin Allen’s wife Sheila had a bit part playing the ship’s nurse. She was never able to lose the extra weight. ![]() – To play the role of older and out-of-shape Belle Rosen, Shelley Winters gained 35 pounds. – Jack Albertson was one of a few performers to receive all three top awards for acting. ![]() – “The Poseidon Adventure” was the second highest-grossing film of 1972, with $93 million in ticket sales. The film is also considered the most harrowing and suspenseful film in the disaster genre. Since the film is basically an action flick, “Poseidon” isn’t known for its eloquent and moving dialog, even though the cast includes five Academy Award-winning performers: Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Red Buttons, Jack Albertson, and Shelley Winters.Įven though the 1971 film “Airport” was the first of the big block-buster disaster films, “The Poseidon Adventure” is considered the film that started the morbid race to escape film craze that folks in the 1970s loved. That’s if they can stay ahead of the seawater pouring into the crippled ship. Their goal is the engine room and their only slim chance of being rescued. The film follows ten passengers from varied backgrounds haphazardly, making their way through this upside-down hell. On New Year’s Eve, the ship is hit by a massive wave and turns upside down. Poseidon, is making its final voyage before heading to a scrap yard in Greece. In case you have a phobia of watching films with water, here’s a blueprint of the 1972 disaster flick.Īn aging luxury liner, The S.S. So begins a harrowing race to the bottom that is now the top - What a disaster! -And movie fans couldn’t get enough.Ģ022 marks the 50th anniversary of “The Poseidon Adventure” sailing into theaters. And those desperate measures include Winter’s ample fanny. Gene Hackman is midway up a towering metal Christmas tree with his hands pressed firmly on Shelley Winters’ derriere.ĭesperate times call for desperate measures.
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