the fresh films reviews

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The Poseidon Adventure (1972)

Director:
Ronald Neame

COUNTRY
USA

Genre
Disaster/Thriller
NORWEGIAN TITLE
SOS Poseidon

RUNNING TIME
117 minutes

Producer:
Irwin Allen
Screenwriter (based on the novel by Paul Gallico):
Stirling Silliphant
Wendell Mayes


Cast includes:

CHARACTER ACTOR/ACTRESS RATING
Reverend Scott Gene Hackman
Rogo Ernest Borgnine
Martin Red Buttons
Nonnie Carol Lynley
Acres Roddy McDowall ½
Linda Rogo Stella Stevens ½
Belle Rosen Shelley Winters ½
Manny Rosen Jack Albertson ½
Susan Pamela Sue Martin
Robin Eric Shea ½
The Captain Leslie Nielsen -

 

Review

This engaging film is among the most successful and remains one of the best of the many all-star disaster movies of the 1970s. It was producer Irwin Allen's first of five in this genre during the said decade, and here in 1972 there is still no sign of the weariness and platitudinousness which would haunt the genre later on. The Poseidon Adventure combines impressive visuals (interiors great, exteriors not so good) with a great drive; director Ronald Neame propels the script forward in a steadfast, effective manner. And there are interesting character relations and power-struggles along the way, even if they are only there to intensify the real point of the film: our chosen group of people's fight against the clock and the water on their escape to safety. There's solid, mostly believable acting, with Ernest Borgnine's performance somehow being the finest among them, in all his mid-20th century bruteness. His Mike Rogo is like a middle-aged version of Stanley Kowalski. There's no doubt that all these characters are a product of their time, but then again, aren't we all?

Re-reviewed: Copyright © 21.10.2020 Fredrik Gunerius Fevang
Original review:
Copyright © 18.04.1996 Fredrik Gunerius Fevang

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