The Poseidon Adventure [Blu-ray] [1972]

The dvd played great

I like to watch movies and compare them with special effects today. This arrived very quickly.

Can't go wrong with this classic.

Hands down one of my beloved favorites! This movie was released the year I was born (1972) and to this day, the story, this motion picture never gets old. One of my oldest sisters and I watched this one Saturday afternoon (late 70’s or 80’s?) on TV (way before streaming services lol) and little did we know how much we would treasure this flic. Today, watching this flic, I can see even more brilliance about it. The casting was incredible! Doesn’t get much better than that. What I enjoy about this movie, is how it challenges you to question your own survival had you been on the ship that very NYE and what choice(s) would you make? Would you keep going? Or, would you to succumb to defeat and give up in the face of adversity? This movie displays many sides of morality. I know that sounds deep, but guess I didn’t realize that theme was prevalent throughout when I have seen this movie many times before. Just never gets old. Overall, this movie, the ORIGINAL is such a favorite. I highly recommend.

The reviewer who wrote that this set is no longer available as shown with booklet and picture cards is right. What THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE SPECIAL EDITION DVD does come with is two DVDs and plenty of extras!The Irwin Allen movie itself is an exciting adventure and features an all-star cast as they try and work their way from the top of the ship to the bottom, after it gets knocked over by a huge tidal wave on New Year's Eve, and is floating upside down. This movie is credited to starting the "disaster" genre and it really is amazing to watch considering the limitations of special effects during that time. There is not a moment where the viewer does not believe that these people are in fact on a ship and that it is under water. Amazing!THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE is presented in wide-screen and looks fantastic! The movie with optional commentary by director Ronald Neame, and stars Pamela Sue Martin, Stella Stevens and Carol Lynley. The second DVD gives you lots of extras:****** DVD 2 EXTRAS ******"AMC Backstory" - 24:55-minutesBehind-the-scenes special on how the story got off the ground and how it almost got shelved. There are interviews with cast like Stella Stevens, Ernest Borgnine, Red Buttons, Roddy McDowall (1995) and others and shows behind-the-scenes footage."Cast Looks Back" - 05:35-minutesCast members Buttons, Stevens, Lynley, Martin (I believe these were done in 2005), and McDowall (1995) provide memories of the shooting and how they knew the movie was going to be a hit."Falling Up With Ernie" - 04:08-minutesEntertaining interview with actor Ernie Orsatti who played "Terry" and is the actor/stuntman who took the iconic fall from the table and crashed through the sky lamp."Writer Stirling Silliphant" - 09:14-minutesOther screen writers discuss Silliphant's work as the Poseidon Adventure's screen writer and his work on other disaster films like  The Towering Inferno (Special Edition) ."Heroes Of Poseidon" - 09:47-minutesWriters discuss the movie's storyline and the allegory to the bible. It's an interesting take on the storyline and viewers will have a new way of looking at the movie."The Morning After" - 08:53-minutesSong writer Al Kasha, vocalist Maureen McGovern, cast member Carol Lynley, and session vocalist Renee Armand, whose voice is heard in the movie as Lynley's singing voice, talk about the Oscar winning song."RMS Queen Mary" - 06:22-minutesLackluster narration of the ship and how author Gallico was on the Queen Mary years before and got the idea for the book, "The Poseidon Adventure." Although interesting, the monotone narration makes this the least thrilling of all the featurettes."Conversations With Director Ronald Neame" - collection of three interviews with the director:-- "Sinking The Ship" 03:19-minutes - how the director made it appear that the ship was sinking and the actors being covered with water.-- "Generation Of Fans" 03:12-minutes - how the movie is garnering new fans with each generation.-- "Turning Over The Ship" 02:17-minutes - how the filmmakers made the passengers seem as though they were falling and tumbling inside the ship."Vintage Promo Material"-- "1972 Featurette" 09:51-minutes - Vintage featurettes showing behind-the-scenes and interviews, back then, with cast members.-- 2 Trailers and 1 for "The Towering Inferno.""America Cinematographer" 43-page reprint of the magazine article on the making of.GalleriesStory Board ComparisonI highly recommend this set even though you don't get the postcards or the booklet. The movie is great and the cast is fantastic, so definitely pick up a copy!

Classic Irwin Allen Disaster filmi massive Tidal wave crashes into a Luxurious oceanliner on New years eveand flips over the Huge Oceanliner, so the top of the crusier is now the bottomand the rest of the survivors have to try make their way to the bottom of the boat which is on the surface of the oceanwithout being killedlots of suspense & terror Brilliantly Directed by Ronald neame, Produced by Irwin Allen of course who also directed some scenesbut the credit goes to Ronald neamealso Brilliant acting performances by an all star cast for sureGene Hackman, Ernest borgnine, Carol Lynley, Roddy McDowall, Stella stevens, shelley winters & the list goes onscrap the very old 2 Disc DVD set of this film20th century fox have released this classic Disaster film on blu-ray with a new HD transfer in 2:35:1 widescreenand the picture quality does look excellent, very nice sharp & clear picture better quality than the old dvd versionso 20th century fox really made the effort for this film no Doubt about iti cannot say the same for the sound quality thou, only a 4.0 Master audio mix has been addedwhich does sound Good but not excellent the Audio sounds similar to Dolby digital mix actually, which is insultinga 5.1 or 6.1 master audio mix could easily been added for sure but century fox did not bother, tragicso it looks like century fox only made the effort with the picture quality20th Century fox did however make an effort with the special featuresamazingly century fox carried over all the extras from the old 2 Disc dvd setmany featurettes have been carried over, sometimes century fox don't bother carrying over the extras from the dvd versionswhich i think is very insulting to fans for sureso think yourself very lucky that they did with the Poseidon adventureTHE CAST LOOKS BACK retrospective interviews from 2005 with only some of the cast memberscause some of them have passed away now, only goes for 5.40secRed Buttons, stella stevens, Pamela sue martin, Roddy McDowall & sheila Martin who was Irwin Allen's wifefor some reason Gene Hackman was not interviewedHOLLYWOOD BACKSTORY-THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE 25mins TV broadcast on the making of the filmFALLING UP WITH ERNIE, 4mins interview with Ernie orsatti who performed the most famous stunt in the filmTHE WRITER-STIRLING SILLIPHANT-9minsTHE HEROES OF THE POSEIDON-9minsTHE MORNING AFTER STORY 9mins which is a featurette about the films premiere, legacy & reaction by the PublicR.M.S QUEEN MARY a brief overview of the ocean liner that had inspired the filmTHE ORIGINAL 1972 TV VINTAGE FEATURETTE goes for 10minsDVD AUDIO COMMENTARY by Director Ronald neame, stella stevens, carol LynleySTILLS PHOTO GALLERY, Publicity, marketing, behind the scenes Photosand other stuff aswell all on 1 Blu-ray Disc, incredible!Definitetly time to upgrade buy this new blu-ray version5 stars for this new blu-ray based a new HD transfer which does look excellent qualityplus all the special features have been carried over from the 2 Disc dvd

I saw this film in its original release at the theater - how can you go wrong with this incredible cast? The novel and the film track very closely, but it's essentially the first big summer blockbuster disaster movie.Set on New Year's Eve just as the clock strikes midnight, you've not seen anything until you see them flip the sound stage upside down and send the band of intrepid survivors on their mission to escape the doomed ocean liner.I watch it EVERY New Year's Eve. With champagne, of course.

A classic movie which i originally saw at the movies in 1972. Hasn't aged at all after all those years. Still a riveting movie to watch.

THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE [1972 / 2013] [Blu-ray] Who Will Survive – In One of the Greatest Escape Adventures Ever! Hell, Upside Down!One of the most gripping disaster films of all time follows ten survivors as they struggle to escape from an ocean liner capsized by a tidal wave. Suspenseful terror and combined with the victims' intimate and personal stories - results in compelling and heart-stopping drama. Nine ACADEMY AWARD® Nominations and a win for Best Visual Effects make this film a true classic.FILM FACT: Awards and Nominations: Academy Awards®: Won: Best Original Song "The Morning After” for Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn. Nominated: Best Supporting Actress for Shelley Winters. Nominated: Best Production Design for Raphael Bretton and William J. Creber. Nominated: Best Original Score for John Williams. Nominated: Best Costume Design for Paul Zastupnevich. Best Sound for Herman Lewis and Theodore Soderberg. Nominated: Best Cinematography for Harold E. Stine. Nominated: Best Film Editing for Harold F. Kress. BAFTA® Awards: Won: Best Actor for Gene Hackman. Nominated: Best Supporting Actress for Shelley Winters. Golden Globe® Awards: Nominated: Best Original Score for John Williams. Nominated: Best Original Song "The Morning After” for Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn. Nominated: Best Motion Picture for a Drama for Irwin Allen. Motion Picture Sound Editors Award: Nominated: Best Sound Editing.Cast: Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Red Buttons, Carol Lynley, Roddy McDowall, Stella Stevens, Shelley Winters, Jack Albertson, Pamela Sue Martin, Arthur O'Connell, Eric Shea, Fred Sadoff, Sheila Allen, Jan Arvan, Byron Webster, John Crawford, Bob Hastings, Erik L. Nelson, Leslie Nielsen, Phil Adams (uncredited), Charles Bateman (uncredited), Craig Chudy (uncredited), Ronn Cragg (uncredited), Jimmy Cross (uncredited), Jim Galante (uncredited), Bob Golden (uncredited), Maurice Marsac (uncredited), Ernie F. Orsatti (uncredited), Victor Paul (uncredited), Frieda Rentie (uncredited), George Sawaya (uncredited), Paul Stader (uncredited), Mark Tulin (uncredited) and Waddy Wachtel (uncredited)Directors: Ronald Neame and Irwin Allen (uncredited)Producer: Irwin Allen, Sherrill C. Corwin, Sidney Marshall and Steve BroidyScreenplay: Stirling Silliphant, Wendell Mayes and Paul Gallico (novel)Composer: John WilliamsCinematography: Harold E. StineVideo Resolution: 1080p [Color By Deluxe]Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 [Panavision]Audio: English: 4.0 HD-DTS Master Audio, Spanish: Dolby Digital Mono, French: Dolby Digital Mono, Castilian: Dolby Digital Mono, German: Dolby Digital Mono, Italian: Dolby Digital Mono and Polish: 5.1 Dolby DigitalSubtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Italian, Bulgarian, Cantonese, Danish, Dutch, Filipino (Tagalog), Finnish, Greek, Hebrew, Icelandic, Indonesian, Korean, Mandarin (Simplified), Mandarin (Traditional), Norwegian, Polish, Russian and Swedish SDHRunning Time: 117 minutesRegion: All RegionsNumber of discs: 1Studio: 20th Century Fox Home EntertainmentAndrew's Blu-ray Review: An opening title card informs us that the ship Poseidon was lost at sea on a voyage from New York to Athens; "only a handful" survived. Now, instead of just being introduced to the main characters, the viewer begins to wonder which ones will be alive at the end. Mr. Rogo [Ernest Borgnine] is a New York cop taking his first real vacation with his wife, Linda (Stella Stevens), who's self-conscious because she's a former hooker and thinks she spotted a former client among the ship's crew. Belle and Manny Rosen [Shelley Winters and Jack Albertson] used to run a hardware store, but now they're retiring to Israel where a two-year-old grandson awaits their doting attention. Another shopkeeper, a haberdasher named Martin [Red Buttons], is obsessed with staying healthy and living a long life, but has never found the time for a relationship. A teenaged girl named Susan [Pamela Sue Martin] is traveling with her younger brother, Robin [Eric Shea], to join their parents; the kid is a nautical enthusiast who keeps bugging the crew for tours, thereby picking up information that will shortly prove useful. A ship's steward, Acres [Roddy McDowall], is taken with a singer, Nonnie [Carol Lynley], who will be performing at the New Year's Eve bash later that night, where Acres will be on duty.The rest of the film is nothing more than the struggle to reach their destination past increasingly hazardous obstacles, as tempers flare, the doomed ship continues to break apart and the onrushing sea pursues them like a predator. Without ever reaching Africa, Rev. Scott has found his calling. "I've seen it!" he exclaims to the others, after he's returned from a scouting mission to locate the engine room, and Hackman delivers the line with messianic fervour. Hackman's performance is a key ingredient in Poseidon, because Rev. Scott could easily have been a caricature. Ultimately, though, Poseidon works because of the simplicity of its nightmarish scenario. There are no conspiratorial subplots about building codes, cost-cutting, greed or other human elements in the disaster. Even the brief argument between the ship's captain and the owner's representative about safety measures is a red herring, because nothing could have secured the ship against the wall of water that capsized it. The film inflicts an unimaginable, unforeseeable disaster on a random group of individuals, and then we watch how the survivors react. Forty years later, it's still scary stuff.Blu-ray Video Quality – 20th Century Fox's 1080p encoded image quality of `The Poseidon Adventure' looks absolutely terrific. The source materials are in excellent shape and faithfully restored, and the image is beautifully detailed with rich, saturated colours, deep and solid blacks, and a sense of depth that is essential to conveying the sheer scale of the production. Compression artefacts, banding, artificial sharpening and other defects that would militate against a recommendation were nowhere to be seen. Fox has been on the front lines of experimenting with ways to make the appearance of older films acceptable to a generation used to contemporary "cleanliness" in their video experience, and the results have often been controversial. Overall it has stood the test of time and Fox has done a brilliant job and any youngsters viewing this Blu-ray will think it has been made in 2014.Blu-ray Audio Quality – The 4.0 DTS-HD Master Audio track appears to contain the film's original "four-track stereo" mix, which predates Dolby Surround and its variations (which wouldn't be available until the following decades). Almost all of the sound occurs in the front three speakers with only occasional effects or reinforcement from the mono rear channel. The discrete centre channel aids in preserving the clarity of dialogue, especially as the noise of the ship's deterioration increases, and the stereo separation between the front mains contributes a welcome sense of dimensionality as the survivor's work their way through the various spaces and past increasingly challenging obstacles. The dynamic range is respectable but limited at both the bottom and the top; so that explosions that routinely rock the capsized vessel won't do much for your subwoofer and the high notes of John Williams' memorable score. Still, given the vintage of the production, the track sounds quite good.Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:Audio Commentary: Commentary by Director Ronald Neame: Ronald Neame was in his early 60s when he directed The Poseidon Adventure and his early 90s when he recorded this commentary and sadly passed away in 2010 at age 99. Still, you'd never guess his age from the quality of this presentation, which is sharp, insightful and full of interesting detail. Ronald Neame's memory was no doubt kept fresh through invitations to address biennial conventions of the Poseidon fan club that met aboard the Queen Mary, where he and his wife would be put up in the Royal Suite, but his critical faculties are equally sharp, as he routinely points out lines of dialogue he wishes he'd changed, edits he would do differently today and directorial choices about which he's had second thoughts (notably, he'd like to tone down the intensity of the conflict between Gene Hackman's Scott and Ernest Borgnine's Rogo). Ronald Neame's observations on the relation between producer and director and on the changing role of the camera's "eye" in 20th Century cinema are invaluable.Audio Commentary: Commentary by Actors Pamela Sue Martin, Stella Stevens and Carol Lynley: As is often the case with group commentaries, the three actresses have too much fun reminiscing and talking over each other to provide an informative commentary. In the latter half of the movie, pauses become frequent.Special Feature: Hollywood Backstories: The Poseidon Adventure [2000] [25:09] The AMC series produced some excellent features on classic films, and this particular episode on `The Poseidon Adventure' is a fine example. Using both contemporary footage and new interviews from 1995, it describes how the Poseidon was green lit, nearly cancelled, rescued at the last minute and went on to become a classic.Special Features: The Cast Looks Back [2006] [5:42] The interviewees include Sheila Allen (Irwin Allen's widow, who played the ship's nurse), Red Buttons, Carol Lynley, Pamela Sue Martin, Roddy McDowall, Stella Stevens and James Radford (consultant).Special Feature: Falling Up with Ernie [2006] [4:10] Ernie Orsatti recalls how he was hired on Poseidon as an actor, but was suddenly plucked from the crowd by director Ronald Neame to perform the film's most famous stunt: the fall into a huge pane of glass.Special Feature: The Writer: Stirling Silliphant [9:16] Recollections of, and tributes to, Poseidon's screenwriters by assorted friends and colleagues.Special Feature: The Heroes of the Poseidon [2006] [9:53] A quasi-allegorical interpretation of the film that pushes every possible Christian element in the story to the breaking point and beyond. Contributors of this special feature included Christopher Heard, Stella Stevens and John Vogel.Special Feature: The Morning After Story [9:00] Co-writer Al Kasha with Joel Hirschhorn describes writing the film's Oscar-winning theme song. Additional observations are supplied by Maureen McGovern, whose recording became the standard edition, Carol Lynley who performed the song in the film, and Renée Armand who recorded the demo and ended up dubbing Carol Lynley in the finished film.Special Feature: R.M.S. Queen Mary [2006] [6:25] A brief overview of the majestic ocean liner, which both inspired Gallico's original novel and provided a template and locations for the film.Special Feature: Conversations with Ronald Neame [2006] [8:51] Sinking Corridor: How the shot of Reverend Scott and Robin running along the flooding corridor was done, and how the negative ended up submerged in water and was nearly ruined. Also included is Generations of Fans: Fan mail. Turning Over the Ship: Combining hydraulics with camera angles.Special Feature: Galleries: Marketing Posters and other assorted ads, Publicity: Publicity stills, Behind-the-Scenes: On-set photos and many featuring director Ronald Neames, plus concept sketches for costumes.Special Feature: Storyboard Comparisons [6:53] Ship Capsises, The Vertical Shaft and Saving Reverend Scott.Special Feature: Vintage Promotional Material: Original 1972 Feature [10:01] Teaser Trailer [1:38] Short and to the point. Original Trailer [3:17] Over twice the length of the teaser but less effective.Finally, `The Poseidon Adventure' has definitely aged well both in its technical attributes and its storytelling perspective. Its admirable screenplay, direction, and acting performances allow its long list of potential survivors to really grow as significant characters in a disaster tale that is straightforward but challenging to assemble. Its human elements and action-packed presentation justify both its box office success and critical acclaim and that is why I am so glad I have now added this classic blockbuster movie disaster to my Blu-ray Collection and of course they could not be able to make this type of film today, especially without all the CGI effects, as it would cost double the amount of money to make today and if you have not seen this film, then you will be missing something that is totally unique and you will be stunned by what you view and you will be a nervous wreck by the end of the film. Highly Recommended!Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film AficionadoLe Cinema ParadisoUnited Kingdom

" Gott liebt den Wagemutigen, denn er kann sich nicht um jeden kümmern . Entschliesst euch also für euch selbst zu kämpfen , dann wird das Göttliche in euch immer an eurer Seite stehen."Der charismatische Priester an der Schiffsreeling reckt die Faust bei diesen Worten in den Himmel während die Passagiere andächtig seinen flammenden Worten lauschen. " Habt den Mut alles durch euch selbst zu tun und wenn ihr auch nicht gewinnen könnt, versucht wenigstens zu gewinnen".Es ist der letzte Tag des alten Jahres . Reverend Scott( Gene Hackman in einer seiner besten Rollen) hält seine Mittagsmesse unter sonnigem Himmel auf dem altgedienten Kreuzfahrtschiff S.S.Poseidon vor hunderten Passagieren auf der Überfahrt von New York nach Athen. Azurblau und glitzernd die See , das schmucke Schiff auf ruhigem Kurs und keiner an Bord ahnt, wie unvermittelt die Worte des Priester für jeden einzelnen zum letzten Hoffnungsanker noch in der Silvesternacht werden sollen.Höllenfahrt der Poseidon, Havarie auf dem offenen Meer in eisiger Nacht, qualvoller Tod im stählernen Rumpf .Jetzt zur Mittagszeit laufen noch die Jahreswechselvorbereitungen, wird der prachtvolle Festsaal des Schiffes geschmückt , eine Band probt ihre Songs, der riesige Weihnachtsbaum strahlt und funkelt und bringt alle Kinderaugen zum leuchten. Ein fröhliches, glückliches neues Jahr soll es werden. Niemand ahnt , dass die Poseidon in einem spektakulären Desaster noch in dieser Nacht ihr nasses Grab findet und bis auf wenige Überlebende alle Seelen an Bord mit in die Tiefe reisst." Volle Kraft voraus" wird dem Steuermann befohlen. Man will schließlich im Zeitplan in New York eintreffen. Die Kessel im Maschinenraum rattern auf Höchstleistung . Die Poseidon hat zu wenig Ballast an Bord , aber was soll schon Unvorhergesehenes passieren ?!Minuten nach Mitternacht während sich unten im grossen Saal alle feiernd in den Armen liegen und das neue Jahr begießen, nimmt die Katastrophe ihren Lauf. Bald werden Chaos, Blut, Schreien , Sterben uns bis ins Mark erschüttern ." Seebeben bei Kreta und massive Einbrüche des Meeresbodens", meldet um kurz nach Mitternacht die Wetterstation der Kommandobrücke."Grundgütiger, ich habe so etwas noch nie gesehen..." Wie ein Gottesgericht walzt eine gigantische Flutwelle auf das Schiff zu , trifft die Poseidon mit biblischer Urwucht und dreht das gesamte Schiff um 180 Grad , sodaß Schornsteine, Aufbauten, alle Decks unter Wasser und der Rumpf oben schwimmt.Was für ein unvergesslich traumatisches Kino - Erleben , das uns Zuschauern den Atem stocken , im Sitz verkrampfen und schwindelig werden lässt. Im Festsaal gerät jeder kleinste Gegenstand ins Rutschen, ein Festhalten an Geländern, Kreischen, Brüllen , Todesangst , übereinanderstürzen, ersticken, zerquetschen. Die am Parkettboden festgemachten Tische und und Stühle hängen nun kopfüber 15 Meter in der Höhe von der Decke herunter. Menschen klammern sich daran verzweifelt , verlieren den Halt, rudern mit den Armen in der Luft , fallen im Todeskampf hinunter in die Glasdecke. Treppen, Aufgänge, Türen alles steht auf dem Kopf , oben ist unten und die Poseidon wird zum grausigen Sarkophag und grotesk verdrehten Schreckenslabyrinth .Nur allein beim Rückerinnern an die Alptraumbilder dieses Höllenszenarios , rast schon mein Puls , tritt vor Aufregung der Schweiß auf die Stirn.Wie unglaublich packend und an die Nieren gehend in allen filmischen Bereichen ist dieser Herzschlagfilm. " Poseidon Inferno"- mit die eindrücklichste dramatischste und unmittelbarste Filmerfahrung überhaupt für mich . Denn dieses Katastrophen Abenteuer von 1972 ist bis heute unsagbar aufwühlend und schier unerträglich fesselnd . Die Königsklasse dieses Adrenalin Genres." Wenn ihr nicht gewinnen könnt, versucht wenigstens zu gewinnen..".Durch das kieloben dahintreibende Stahlmonster kämpft sich nun eine kleine Schar Unverletzter , die noch nicht der Gewalt des Aufpralls zum Opfer fiel . Die Hoffnung : Im nun oberhalb liegenden Maschinenraum gibt es eine kleine Luke in der Aussenhaut des Schiffes, durch die ein Entkommen nach aussen möglich wäre , würde man sie nur finden.Reverend Scott führt das traumatisierte Häuflein an. Überflutete Tunnelkonstruktionen, Klaustrophobie und ständige Panik , Flammen , verbrannte oder im Wasser schwimmende Leichen , tauchen, klettern ,kriechen durchzwängen , nach Luft ringen bis zum fast den Verstand in all dem Grauen verlieren. Ohrenbetäubend detonieren in immer kürzeren Abständen die unter Wasser liegenden Schornsteine . Das Wasser steigt, die Zeit wird knapp und jeden Moment kann das Schiff explodieren...Angstschübe , Mitfiebern, und unermessliches Bangen , authentischer Horror , der unter die Haut kriecht und mit jeder Faser in die unfassbare Situation involviert sein lässt. So derart suggestiv die Spannungsschraube anzuziehen, das ist von Dramaturgie, Kameraführung, Dialogen, Ausstattung und intensiven Schauspielleistungen schon beispiellos beeindruckend. Regisseur Ronald Neame erschuf damit die geniale Blaupause für eine ganze Reihe von Katastrophenfilmen der siebziger von denen keiner, auch nicht " Flammendes Inferno" ," Erdbeben" etc. , diese überwältigend nervenaufreibende , klare Strukturierung , diese Empathie für die Charaktere, die Durchschlagskraft handgemachter Special Effects, die den Boden unter den Füssen wegziehen und schreien lassen und die aufwühlende Intensität und Fokussierung auf ein Horroszenario, wieder ähnlich faszinierend entwickeln konnte.Ronald Neame legte besonderen Wert darauf, (das unterscheidet den Klassiker auch von heutigen ähnlichen Werken, die viel zu sehr auf sterile CGI Hektik setzen mit hingeschlunzten Figuren), die um das Überleben Kämpfenden nicht austauschbar wirken zu lassen . Das knappe Dutzend Personen sind empathierzeugende , unverwechselbare Charaktere, jeder mit seiner eigenen berührenden Geschichte , mit Stärken, Schwächen und Fehlern .Das ermöglicht uns mitzuleiden, angefasst, berührt zu sein in Sorge um jeden einzelnen. Nicht alle werden gerettet, doch Selbstlosigkeit und Mut im Kollektiv sind es, die überhaupt erst eine Chance auf Überleben ermöglichen.Grosse damalige Stars konnte Ronald Neame gewinnen. Neben Shelley Winters, Roddy McDowall, Pamela Sue Martin ist es der wunderbare Ernest Borgnine , der als aufbrausender Polizist Rogo unvergesslich den Kontrahenten von Gene Hackman spielt. Die verbalen Auseinandersetzungen der beiden Sturköpfe sind allein schon an knisternd aufgeladener Spannung kaum zu überbieten . Konflikte aus Angst, Verzweifelung, Selbstzweifel contra Aufbäumen gegen das Schicksal und plötzlich über sich hinaus wachsen .In der grössten Hölle und Ausweglosigkeit formuliert " Poseidon Inferno" und auch das macht den Film so einmalig , ein Bekenntnis zu Hoffnung, zu unerschütterlichem Glauben an die individuellen Stärken, zu Mitmenschlichkeit und Solidarität . Diese lebensweisen Tugenden sind in Reverend Scotts Überzeugungen auch verbunden mit einem Gottesbild bei dem sogar Atheisten zustimmen dürften und das in dieser Form wohl für jeden ein Stück Mut und Zuversicht bereithält . Das ist immer wieder Gänsehaut erzeugend, bestürzend, anrührend , sorgt für den ein oder anderen Kloß im Hals , ist aber nie kitschig , pathetisch und aufgesetzt sondern in dieser Tragödie einfach nur wahrhaftig.Dieser Meilenstein des Spannungskinos ist hier nun mit interessanten Extras , zwei aufschlussreichen Audiokommentaren ( leider nicht untertitelt) auf schöner BluRay erhältlich, die in Punko Schärfe und Kontrastreichtum noch einmal eine merkliche Verbesserung zur älteren ( auch schon sehr guten) DVD Ausgabe darstellt." Poseidon Inferno" ist eine brillante unvergessliche Filmerfahrung, anders als das völlig schrottige Petersen Remake, das getrost im Meer versenkt werden kann.Kreuzfahrten sind danach auf Lebenszeit zwar aus der Ferienplanung gestrichen, aber dieser Adrenalinfetzer ist es wert.

I first saw this on TV as a child in 1982 and it scared the pants off me, but loved it. Really memorable characters and top cast. In my opinion a superior production to The Towering Inferno by the same director. Good effects for the era, loads of atmosphere despite the surprisingly infrequent incidental music. Provided by John Williams, some of the theme reminds me of parts of the Star Wars soundtrack a few years later. Leslie Nielson was also a few years from his comedy roles lampooning this type of film but I managed to take him seriously. I'd also seen Superman for the first time in the early eighties, and it was interesting to see Gene Hackman, the bad guy from that playing the good guy (but slightly maverick priest) in this and very well. Great job from all in the cast and production.

I have see this film like others a million times but it's still one of the best film from the 70s