The Poseidon Adventure [Blu-ray] [1972]

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-minutes Behind-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-minutes Cast 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-minutes Entertaining 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-minutes Other 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-minutes Writers 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-minutes Song 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-minutes Lackluster 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. Galleries Story Board Comparison I 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!

As someone who's just seen the new "Poseidon", and having just seen the original after a long "hiatus", I felt compelled to put my two cents in. While the new "Poseidon" was taut with non-stop action and special effects, I found it severely lacking in the character-development department. Which brings me to the original. Although the dialogue is somewhat dated and the special effects do not match anything by today's standards, "The Poseidon Adventure" works far better in that it is a fine piece of cinematic story-telling. You get to know and care about these people, not witness two-dimensional characters taking a backseat to computer graphics technology. The people and the story of their escape and survival remain the primary focus of the movie, while the special effects enhance and supplement this goal; not the other way around. For its time, "TPA" was brilliantly conceived and its effects, amazing. I was reminded, as I sat and watched the original, of just how real everything seemed. Never did I get the feeling that I was looking at a set. What also makes this film even more horrific and intense, imo, is that much of what happens is left to your imagination. There isn't this constant need to repeatedly display death and carnage for shock value or in order to prove that it exists. In fact, one of the most horrowing scenes is when parts of the ship explode, thereby putting those who have chosen to stay with the ship's Purser in peril. Thereafter, you witness these very same people frantically clammoring up the Christmas tree as they try to escape certain death. Heartbreakingly, the tree falls over from the passengers' weight, and all Reverend Scott can do is sorrowfully close a door to the screams and agony of those left behind. To me, that is one of the more powerful scenes in this film because of what you DON'T see. As for the acting, the performances in this film really stand out and make up for any "cheesiness" in the dialogue. Gene Hackman and Ernest Borgnine are "over-the-top" as two of the main characters, and Shelly Winters more than holds her own as a Grandma yearning to make a difference. All of the actors do a splendid job in making you believe in their dilemma and in taking you along for the ride. You won't be disappointed. Lastly, I had forgotten how "diverse" the dialogue was for its time, given the few curse words and light comedic moments. Stella Stevens' character declaring that she wanted to go first up the Christmas tree because she didn't "want to get stuck behind fat-*ss" took some edge off of the horror of their situation and made their characterizations even more real. Whether or not you believe anyone can survive such a disaster, the story and performances in "The Poseidon Adventure" will make you think that it is possible, and herein is why the picture works and remains one of the greatest disaster films of all time.

Classic movie. Great acting.

This movie is a classic! Superb acting, a great cast, and a lot of action. In my opinion, this is one of the best performances by Gene Hackman, and Shelley Winters' performance is unforgettable! I saw this movie as a kid and loved it then. It's withstood the test of time and still ranks near the top of my own personal list of disaster movies. It's definitely worth watching!

Poseidon Adventure is an entertaining "escape from disaster" movie. Movie is meant to entertain audiences. Movie has some unrealistic escape scenes. Typical pauses in action for typical movie hero dialogue - especially Gene Hackman's character. Still an entertaining movie. Special effects were good for 1971-72 available technology. Controlled fires. Controlled flooding. 21 foot model for the cruise ship. Pamela Sue Martin graduated high school in 1971 in Connecticut. No formal training to be an actor. She was in only one movie prior to the Poseidon Adventure. Her character wore bright red shorts and bright red high heel platform shoes. Her character was 1 of 6 survivors in the movie.

Finally, TCF releases a DVD version of the film we can all live with, with extras!! Having seen the film during it's initial run, and seeing it an additional 12 times in the theaters, i was obviously awestruck by the film's special effects, and the superb acting involved. By now, many people since have seen the film, and with luck, hopefully a new generation will see the original, as those will no doubt see the remake that is in the theaters. As a child, the first viewing of the film was an experience, as effects of that magnitude has never really been shown on the screen. The theater was packed and i had to sit with strangers as there were not 3 seats in a row for myself and my parents. I was 11, so it made no difference where i sat, as long as i didn't sit next to a smoker (smoking was allowed in the movies then). What opened up my eyes was the acting, and the actors involved. Last time i saw Stella Stevens and Shelley Winters in a film together was 'The Mad Room', an adult horror/melodrama. Seeing them together again was cool, but Shelley, boy did she gain some weight. Even in 1971's 'What's The Matter With Helen?" she must have started to gain even then. Stella still looks great! One thing that i remember while seeing the film in the theater was the audience's reactions. The special effects were a delight to see, as many in the audience, including myself, has never been seen before. All in the audience cried twice. Shelley's death scene, and Hackman's. Rarely at the end of a film has this occured. A standing ovation. Happened every time i saw it, and just goes to show how effective a film can be. This 2-DVD set deserves a standing ovation on many counts. I won't bore you with the specifics, as Amazon.com has already listed them, but will be rather frank in letting you know that the extras are worth the price alone, aside from the great film. If anyone reading this article has not seen the original, please, do not base an opinion on it if seeing the new version. Very rare are remakes more superior than the originals. In many cases, only the special effects makes a difference (like Titanic). We all know what happens, and the eventual outcome at the climax. Despite the special effects, superb acting, glorious sets and the chance to see Carol Lynly lip-synch 'The Morning After', the original version also has a type of humor that is so 70's, but it has to be seen to be appreciated. I again applaud TCF for making things right and releasing the film with extras that gives us more insight and information on a film that is a classic tale of adventure.

Excellent movie!

Love this movie

Comme au cinéma,comme si ça avait filmé le mois dernier!

Die Höllenfahrt der Poseidon aus dem Jahr 1972 ist für mich ein großartiger Katastrophenfilm, der auch heute noch hervorragend unterhält. Die dramatische Geschichte rund um das gekenterte Passagierschiff Poseidon sorgt für Spannung und zeigt eindrucksvoll den Überlebenskampf der Menschen. Mit Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Shelley Winters und weiteren bekannten Schauspielern ist der Film hervorragend besetzt. Wer klassische Katastrophenfilme liebt, sollte sich diesen Klassiker unbedingt ansehen. Auch die Blu-ray kann sich sehen lassen: Die Bildqualität bewerte ich mit 4 bis 4,5 von 5 Punkten, und auch der Ton ist für einen Film dieser Zeit gelungen. Natürlich darf man keine moderne Hochglanzproduktion erwarten, aber die technische Qualität überzeugt mich. Mein Fazit: Ein spannender, zeitloser Klassiker, der in keiner Sammlung von Katastrophenfilmen fehlen sollte. Ich empfehle ausdrücklich die Blu-ray, denn dieser Film verdient es, in guter Qualität in der eigenen Sammlung zu stehen. Für mich eine klare Kaufempfehlung!

jw

Love the movie but it will only play on my laptop not in any of my DVD players.

Très content