WEEK ELEVEN
1972
Director:Ronald Neame is famous for a number of films including Meteor (1979) which we showed this term.
BEFORE THE FILM
Remember that this film predates Towering Inferno, so some parallels like the singer singing in the ball room on the ship and the club in the building are reversed in time rather than the order seen.
It is not uncommon for films for marketing purposes to try to have a "hit song" as the title song. This is the case even for disaster movies and as far back and The High and the Mighty (1952), the films "theme song" was an immensely popular hit.
Also be aware that a tidal wave in the middle of the ocean is about a foot or two high, so the idea that a luxury liner could be overturned by a tidal wave mid ocean is ridiculous.
This is the first of the big disaster movies. Although it is often contrasted with Airport (which we have discussed as to just how much of a disaster movie is it?), it is often compared to that film.
The disaster strikes early in the film, and much of the film deals with the attempt of a small number of people to escape from the ship. Unlike, Airport in which a relatively few number of people are actually endangered on the Golden Argosy flight, the Poseidon holds a far larger number of people. The number who actually die is much greater than the number of people potentially killed by the bomber on the flight.
Like Airport, Titanic and some of the other films, this film deals with people on an isolated journey. In Airport, however the focus of the film is on the airport itself - virtually a small city vaguely cut off by the snow storm. None the less all the trappings of "civilization" are there. Here civilization seems further away. In Towering Inferno there is still a strong connection with the surrounding city. The Poseidon Adventure has a truly isolated group of people.
Themes:
Isolated journey
Ship of Fools - group of people basically unknown to one another
Religious Imagery
The film has been held to have the most "religous" subtext of any of the disaster films of the 1970's. although earlier films like War of the Worlds certainly contain religious elements and The Last Wave is overtly religious, although not Christian.
"Tag line" "Hell, turned upside down"
Two sea stories are well known for their religious allegory - The Flying Dutchman: A captain swears that he will sail around the Cape of Good Hope if it takes forever. God hears him and soys "OK. it will" and it does. The second is Herman Melville's classic novel Moby Dick or The White Whale: A story of a ship: The Pequod (stabber of God? - also the name of a tribe of Indians virtually exterminated by colonists). Highly symbolic with incredibly religious theme.
Poseidon - the name of the ship is also the name of a god from classical mythology not only of the sea, bt of storms and earthquakes - a kind of change where the easrt sea and sky can go from being friendly to being inimical.
Perhaps the expanse of the ocean is easily likened to the expanse of the sky.
Leadership
It has also been argued that the film deals with a question of leadership. What can you say about the nature of leadership in the film?
Photogrpahy
In what ways are the themes or ideas of the film handled? What variables are manipulated?
camera placement, editing, sounds, music. Compare for example with Kamaradschaft shown this past Saturday with its documentary style, black and white photography.
AFTER THE FILM
Religious references:
2 Ministers - with different attitudes towards religion.
Christmas tree
Boy knows way out. "And a child shall lead them" Isaiah 11:6
Defying and cursing God
Compare Flying Dutchman, Moby Dick
Do you think you are God?
Pagan vs. Christian
Poseidon (pagan god)
Greece as destination (ancient? place of Poseidon) Also Crete is site of earthquake.
Israel and Moses
Visual Imagery
Appearance of "saviour" from above (Red Buttons)
Rescuers seen above
Helicopter take people into sky at end of film
Fires and water below.
Minister's self sacrifice immolation
Conservative or Subversive?
Conservative or subversive film? What does Keane say?
Does film demand "order" or does it "turn order on its head?"
Many disaster films are conservative. This one seems to argue positively for religion as guiding principle, but don't challenge or ciriticize God. Film is willing to allow for a "detached" divinity and taking action on one's own through the "God within", but criticism is dangerous. Scott's downfall begins when he says "Not this woman" and then attacks God for allowing them to come "that close" and then letting Mrs. Rogo die. He then dies (Moses-like) without getting saved or to the promised land.
Nature of leadership?
Do we follow or go it on our own?Should we follow orders? When? Under what circumstances?
Whom do we follow? Is there a question here about following false messiahs?
"Find God within ourselves"
Ship's officers give wrong directions (stay in ball room)
Captain give order against his will for full steam ahead
Medical crew is wrong (go to bow)
Police officer and minister are two main characters, but other "forces of authority" (ship's officers are wrong and should not be followed).
Who lives? Who dies:
STARS
Gene Hackman .... Rev. Frank Scott DIES
Ernest Borgnine .... Det. Lt. Mike Rogo LIVES
Red Buttons .... James Martin LIVES
Carol Lynley .... Nonnie Parry LIVES
Roddy McDowall .... Acres DIES
Stella Stevens .... Linda Rogo DIES
Shelley Winters .... Belle Rosen DIES
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CO-STARS
Jack Albertson .... Manny Rosen LIVES
Pamela Sue Martin .... Susan Shelby LIVES
Eric Shea .... Robin Shelby LIVES
| People | # who live | # who die |
| Number of women = 4; Mrs. Rogo, Mrs. Rosen, Nonnie Parry, Susan Shelby | 2 (50%) | 2 (50%) |
| Number of men= 6; Rev. Scott, Mr. Rogo, James Martin, Acres, Mr. Rosen, Robin Shelby | 4 (66.6%) | 2 (33.3%) |
| Total People=10 | 6 (60%) | 4 (40%) |
| Number of women - girls=3 | 1 (33.3%) | 2 (66.6%) |
| Number of men - boys=5 | 3 (60%) | 2 (40%) |
| Number of girls=1 | 1 (100%) | 0 (0%) |
| Number of boys=1 | 1 (100%) | 0 (0%) |
In the film, one can organize people from strongest to weakest and by sex:
MEN
Minister Scott
Det. Lt. Rogo
Mr. Martin
Mr. Rosen
Acres (injured)
WOMEN
Mrs. Rosen
Susan Shelby
Nonnie Parry
Mrs. Rogo (ill when first seen)
Both the strongest and weakest of each category dies.
Liminality
There are many points of transition in the film:
(a) movement across ocean (ship is in neither continent)
(b) New Year's midnight (not in either year)
(c) Mrs. Rosen in present relives past
(d) Mrs. Rogo in present relives past
(e) pagan to Judeo-Christian (Poseidon is pagan; Christmas tree is pagan)
(f) ship is on last voyage and will be junked (between active and inactive)
Transition moments are dangerous