I love this movie and I have always wondered since I saw that 2nd movie "Beyond The Poseidon Adventure" where that guy knew what was on board and was there straight away to get it....

Makes me wonder if they somehow created that title wave to cause the Poseidon to sink so they could grab the cargo.......

They didnt ever hint to any of this but its just something I have wondered...

What do you think guys??

It wouldnt be hard to cause a title wave in the path of that ship........ (A bomb going off far below for example)

Its interesting to think about........

Re: The Poseidon Adventure - 1972
 

Well … the sequel was made because the first film was a success. There is nothing in the first film, or the original novel on which it is (loosely) based that set up any plot twists, or anything else for that matter, which they intended to reveal later. So anything that happens in the second film is entirely due to the production priorities at the time, and not some grand storytelling plan. Sorry to disappoint you but it just wasn’t that well written. If you want to invent your own in-universe explanations for why things happened, I’d say go right ahead. But if you’re hoping the original producers of the films had some clever explanations in mind you’re in for a disappointment.

Personally I think the original film is most interesting because it is a good example of the early days of film-schooled directors making films (as opposed to theatre-trained ones) as well as the super-pessimistic ‘these great big things we’ve built are going to be the death of us!!!’ approach that Hollywood took to disaster movies in the 1970s (see also: The Towering Inferno).

The costumes, characterisation and direction of Poseidon are not subtle in any way shape or form.

Re: The Poseidon Adventure - 1972
 

Reminds me of the Lew Grade quote about a similar (failed) ocean liner film "Raise the Titanic":

:)

Re: The Poseidon Adventure - 1972
 

There was no master plan for the sequel, the studio just decided they want one. Interesting bit about the producers inital plot idea. It's from Wikipedia.

Wow thats interesting thank you!!

Ya I havent seen the towering inferno. Steve is in that isnt he?

Is that a good film also Chris? (I hear its quite long)

Might be a good one to see Steve..

Re: The Poseidon Adventure - 1972
 

The Towering Inferno is one of my fav films. It's a really good production.

Re: The Poseidon Adventure - 1972
 

It’s an adaptation of 2 novels, The Glass Tower and Inferno, which deal with similar themes. On screen the overarching theme is typical of its time and genre - we are at the mercy of forces that are too powerful for us, and which even the most advanced systems we can design cannot save us from. While films like Andromeda Strain explore this from the point of view of the natural world - it’s an alien pathogen in that case, which (spoiler alert) mutates itself out of harm’s way, without human intervention - films like Poseidon ‘72 and The Towering Inferno blame profit-chasing, unaccountable mega-corporations for blighting the built environment with enormous man-made structures and systems that are inevitably still at the mercy of natural forces that are even greater (an ocean wave, or a fire).

I do like Inferno and I recommend it because if you are in any way interested in the language of film (how it’s lit, directed, staged, costumed, scored) it’s a good one to learn from. A feature film isn’t a documentary and the people in it aren’t random real-life people who dress and act in random ordinary ways. Everything you see and hear is crafted in service of the overall thesis. 1970s disaster films sit in the early days of this modern approach to film-making so they are a good introduction to it because, by more recent standards, they can be unsubtle, so the techniques may be easier to spot.

But yes, if you like a good disaster film on your TV on a Sunday afternoon, it fits the bill on that level alone. :D

Sounds like a good one,along with that 1996 one Steve Mentioned :)

I just found the first 1979 release of Towering Inferno and I ordered it :) (Magnetic Video)

I like movies to look,etc exactly as they did when they came out so getting one as close to its release date is important.. (Major (BIG) US companies really ruined movies.. They flattend the movies out like pancakes,etc)

Do they do that on DVD also guys? Do you watch movies and notice they are flat and look disgusting??

Thanx Chris for the recommendation for TTI!!

My dad said he saw it in the theater.. He said the theater next door was showing EARTHQUAKE and it was vibrating,etc...

Re: The Poseidon Adventure - 1972
 

Not at all. DVDs, Blu Rays and 4K are usually mastered from an original 35mm and digitally restored.

That is the only way to properly see it as intended and the best best quality.
Watching on a VHS that has been copied many times and then played hundreds of times itself will be the worst looking fuzzy bland picture.

It will be missing many fine details and colour accuracy will be way off.

Even if know from watching Laserdiscs that old formats cannot hold up at all compared to remastered modern formats. VHS and rape in general being the worst as over time the tape degrades and wears out, it's the nature of the formats.

Re: The Poseidon Adventure - 1972
 

The only way to see a film as the director intended it is in a cinema. ;) If it’s not going to be on a cinema screen then the nearest you will get to it is the Blu Ray release, which seems to get good reviews in terms of its faithful reproduction from the original Panavision film print. Then get the biggest, widest TV you can lay your hands on.

I know you’re a fan of 80s consumer tech but no piece of kit made in the 80s or 90s reproduces anything the way it looked when it originally came out. Especially not if you’re in the States and relying on standard definition videotape with NTSC colour, which is inferior to the PAL and SECAM systems used elsewhere in the world.

But, you be you, at least it will look somewhat similar to the way it would have had it been screened on a Sunday afternoon some time in the mid 80s, and that will have a nostalgic charm of its own.

Re: The Poseidon Adventure - 1972
 

Some old films are so bad that they are good and have acquired a cult following like, "Plan 9 from Outer Space".


the sets where so bad when they shut the space ship door the walls rocked.

Re: The Poseidon Adventure - 1972
 

This thread could move to discuss older films/TV that are still watchable other than the real classics (Star Wars, Ben Hur - Heston, etc).


I'm thinking about stuff from the BBC (Blake's 7) and movies that prove "Hollywood can make movies that would insult the intelligence of a four year old.", Night of the Lepus and the like.


Even the old Batman series would fit here. Some terribly made, you can hear the footsteps on wood even when obviously visually stone.

Re: The Poseidon Adventure - 1972
 

Sounds like most old episodes of Doctor Who :D

I got my VHS tapes (2) of The towering inferno yesterday and I watched it today.. Excallent movie!!!

Its the same master they used in the movie theater as at the end,it shows a PG slide...

Thank you again Chris,def a good movie!! (I didnt recognise OJ at all)

Re: The Poseidon Adventure - 1972
 

The cinemas usually put the ratings first. All films started from the same master originally!. I doubt at the films age and when VHS got popular that it's copied from the same tape.

Re: The Poseidon Adventure - 1972
 

If your VHS copy plays back in 4:3 TV screen ratio rather than widescreen (black bars at top and bottom) then your VHS tape was manufactured from a TV broadcast cut of the film rather than the original theatrical release. I’ve not delved into it so I can’t say for certain, but TV cuts of feature films often have scenes curtailed or dialogue over-dubbed to allow for the less permissive environment of broadcast TV.

I don’t know whether American cinemas show the age rating at the end as well as the beginning. They certainly don’t here in the UK.

I’m glad you enjoyed it, it is a great film - but as I said, if you really want to experience these things as originally made, then find an enthusiast screening in a cinema, or if you can’t, then get the blu ray and watch it on the biggest TV screen you can get hold of!

Re: The Poseidon Adventure - 1972
 

Don't get crazy ideas Chris:D dude would never ever buy a Blu Ray:erm: never mind a massive TV.

Hmmm I think almost all movies I have seen in a theater put the slide at the end..... (In the 80s)

I do have 1 or 2 VHS tapes that have the slide at the start

1) First 1980 release of Smokey and the bandit (I had a later release at first and the slide was at the end)

I have some newer movies on VHS (90s+) Steve that have the slide at the start..

Chris was mentioning TV prints. Those usuually come with a RED GUARD on the tape so you know its gonna be censored. But some do not.... The explorers movie I have (1985) is the TV edit but it didnt say that so I didnt know it but it was nice seeing,I like the differences between that and the official release.... (I hadnt seen the TV one since the 90s I think and always wondered about it)

Re: The Poseidon Adventure - 1972
 

I've seen previous TV versions of Ghostbusters and Back to the Future they have some sweaty words replaced and occasionally different takes of scenes or some scenes cut completely. The 4k version of Ghostbusters is have includes the TV edit as a bonus feature.

I think there was even a Superman TV cut.

In most cases they would put the rating before the film so you know what you are watching. I remember even trailers used to have the MPAA rating cards. Green or red.

Re: The Poseidon Adventure - 1972
 

‘We came, we saw, we kicked its ass’ (which was a Bill Murray ad-lib, but made it into the theatrical cut) was replaced in the TV version of Ghostbusters with ‘what a knockabout of pure fun that was’, which IIRC was what was actually scripted.

And in the mayor’s office, this exchange:

Stantz: Everything was fine until dickless here shut off the containment grid.
Mayor: Is that true?
Venkman: Yes it's true---that man has no dick.

Becomes a claim that Peck is ‘some kind of rodent’.

And unless you saw Robin Hood Prince of Thieves in the cinema you probably never heard the line “I never saw the breasts of a noblewoman before!” - the line has been restored to streaming versions of the film but to this day if it appears on broadcast TV that entire 2-3 seconds of film is rather awkwardly chopped out.

:D

Re: The Poseidon Adventure - 1972
 

I have the directors cut on DVD. Can't remember if it was in that version.

Ghostbusters had a lot of changes, mainly because Bill ad-libed nearly every scene. The 4K boxset also contained the work print cut, which was the version initially shown to preview audiences and had no completed vfx or music. And so many different versions of scenes. Though it's a tough watch without all the spit and Polish.

Some scenes also never made it to the final cut either. There must be about 10-15 versions of Venkman arriving at possessed Dana's apartment where he thrws out a random response everytime. Surprised Sigourney could keepba straight face.