Disasters to die for

>> The Poseidon Adventure--on the big screen!

by MATTHEW HAYS

 One of my primal filmgoing experiences was the Disaster Movie. Though it may sound twisted, disasters make up some of my fondest childhood memories (and memories of my love life--but that's another article). Mom and Dad would pack me and my four siblings into our rather ugly station wagon--sometimes grandma would even tag along--and off we'd go to see people trapped in burning buildings, upside-down ships or just trying to recover from an earthquake. A good time was had by all.

 The Poseidon Adventure, released in 1971, was the brainchild of Irwin Allen, dubbed the master of disaster for his penchant for all things catastrophic. The film, which involved the plight of a group of passengers trapped in an upside-down luxury cruise liner, set the standard for what is considered the only genre born in the '70s. There were lavish special effects, a star-studded cast appearing in a sprawling series of melodramatic subplots, and a disaster hero (Gene Hackman) who seemed vaguely reminiscent of a hero in a Western. Though Allen had trouble securing backing for Poseidon, the film went on to earn five times its cost, establishing the genre and prompting one critic to call it a "good dumb movie."

 Looking back on the Disaster Movies, it's easy to wax theoretical about what their tremendous--if short-lived--popularity meant. While Hollywood studios didn't dare touch the subject of Vietnam, the carnage of "the war fought in America's living rooms" (brought home to America via TV) was messing with the national psyche. With its diverse cast, the Poseidon represented a cross-section of Americans trying desperately to readjust in a ship turned upside-down--a solid point of identification for American audiences, who felt their social and political world turning on its head. Tellingly, while horrid things happened throughout the films, their endings always offered hope for the future for the remaining survivors--undoubtedly closure very appealing to audiences sweating over a war that was tearing their nation apart.

 Aside from my wacky sociological take on these movies, they were just plain fun. The dialogue was often unendingly hokey, the characters were more often than not one-dimensional and the last-minute romances were kitschy. To this day, I find Allen's films maintain tremendous appeal.

 Predictably, the Disaster Movie cycle burned out pretty quickly. Basically, they ran out of disasters (the ultimate Disaster, nuclear apocalypse, was portrayed in 1983's The Day After). When Hollywood has tried to kick start a Disaster Renaissance, they usually fuck up (witness Armageddon or Deep Impact). Much of my disappointment surrounding Titanic was that Allen's mass-protagonist treatment of disaster was replaced with a dime-store romance. Look for me at the Parc this month, waxing nostalgic over Allen, appreciating disasters when they were done right. :

 

The Poseidon Adventure screens at the Cinema du Parc this month. See repertory listings for showtimes. Other picks: The Towering Inferno is available on video; Earthquake (not an Allen film, but still a good one) is available at Movieland (Parc)