The Poseidon Adventure is the most loved disaster film in history. It has inspired a sequel, a forthcoming remake, a musical, a quarterly magazine and a fan club as devoted as any Trekkie group. One fanatical member has amassed 2,200 items of Poseidon memorabilia.
The film’s premise of a capsized ocean liner required only a three-word tagline — “Hell. Upside down” — but an academic study would probably be needed to do justice to the camp appeal it holds among gay men. The affection for TPA is not remotely unkind or lofty even though the film is what Susan Sontag would call “pure” or unintentional camp, ie, a piece of kitsch that takes itself so seriously that the audience comes to see it as hilarious.
It is certainly one of the squarest movies ever made, starting with Gene Hackman as a gung-ho defrocked priest, blatantly designed to appeal to the counter-culture demographic. He is quickly followed by a string of stereotypes — doting Jewish grandparents, retired hooker with a heart of gold, tough but tender New York cop, guileless ingenue obligingly clad in hot pants, and of course Leslie Nielsen as the captain.
The cosy cross-section of society is a staple for disaster films because there is obviously more impact when the disaster disrupts an appealing world. The Poseidon set the bar pretty high by putting its passengers in evening dress on New Year’s Eve. The world can’t be too appealing, though, otherwise the story would be tragic and disaster movies are strangely cosy entertainments.
Yes, there is the car-crash fascination of watching ageing Oscar-winners get killed off one by one, but the distinctly American approach means that the disaster also wipes out any class system and replaces it with a deeper meritocracy. In this elemental struggle for survival, the winners are the most resourceful and adaptable. Moneyed snobs and corrupt builders take an early plunge, while ageing conmen, ex-hookers and even outright cowards all get a chance at redemption.
Advertisement
This reconfiguration is highlighted by the changes made to Paul Gallico’s 1969 novel. In the book, nobody dies. The plucky band who slog their way up to the propeller shaft emerge covered in grime and oil only to watch the champagne-sipping passengers who stayed behind get rescued without much trouble.
This ironically indifferent universe is replaced in the film with a vengefully punctual higher power that picks off one of the all-star cast every ten minutes or so.
Disaster films since have mostly shed the overtly biblical aspects, but they often still have an admonitory quality to them. There was a spate of disaster films and action-disaster films, such as Deep Impact and Armageddon, that flourished in the late Nineties. The disasters functioned as opportunities for personal growth and healing family rifts.
The reason the devoted fans of The Poseidon Adventure treat it like a religious experience is because it is a religious experience — with shiny red hot pants.
The Poseidon Adventure will be shown on Channel 4 on Saturday at 7pm
Advertisement
SEAN MACAULAY