The Poseidon Adventure and The Towering Inferno on DVD
Irwin Allen's most famous disaster movies are now released
in special, two disc DVD collections that do both films justice. Both movies
feature excellent picture quality overall, with about as good sound quality
as you can expect from the old analog days.
There's also an abundance of extra to sweeten the deal.
Just in time to cash in on the new version of The Poseidon
Adventure….
Poseidon is arguably the movie that started the disaster
movie trend that was so popular in the 1970's, though others argue it was really
the original Airport. We'd argue that
Allen himself was more responsible for the genesis of the disaster movie through
his own 1961 movie Voyage to the Bottom of
the Sea, which saw the entire world
put in jeopardy thanks to a fire in the upper atmosphere.
But the Poseidon adventure definitely put the disaster movie
genre on the map, and watching it more than 30 years later you can even see
bits of James Cameron's Titanic in it, in its portrayal of a ship with problems
whose captain fought corporate interference in vain, the heroism of some of
the passengers and crew, and more.
Gene Hackman leads an all star cast, playing a confused
priest who leads a collection of survivors to safety after the luxury liner
on which they're traveling is capsized by a tsunami at the height of the passengers'
New Year's celebrations. He's joined by Ernest Borgnine as a cop with a bad
attitude, Roddy McDowell, Red Buttons, Carol Lynley, Stella Stevens, Shelley
Winters, Pamela Sue Martin and many others as crew and passengers who try to
cope first with the aftermath of the spectacular "ship tipping" and
then with the horrible realization that the capsizing was only the beginning
of their danger: the ship is now sinking slowly, flooding deck by deck and
the only way out is to head toward the engine room (which is now at the top)
and try to get through the hull at its thinnest part.
The upside down sets are terrific, and even though the dialog
at times borders on "camp," the performances from this cast of pros
are all very believable. In fact, it could be argued that both of these
films, despite their terrific production values, are ultimately saved by the
power of their casts – who are not only all stars picking up a paycheque
but who are also good actors.
Homage must be paid to the special effects, which are quite
spectacular considering this was before today's digital technology made such
things as matte lines a thing from the past. The flipping of the ship looks
good, as do the shots afterward of it hanging upside down on the ocean surface.
And the effects inside the ship, of people and things in the process of going
topsy turvy and afterward, are also very well done.
Except that we were disappointed that at the end we don't
get a shot of the whole Poseidon floating upside down as the survivors leave.
Oh, well.
Needless to say, The Poseidon Adventure was a huge hit,
so it seems only logical that Irwin Allen would want to do it again, and even
bigger and better, for his follow up.
That,
of course, is The Towering Inferno, a tale of a fire
breaking out in the world's tallest building on the night of its dedication.
This movie is not only bigger than Poseidon, we think it's also better, if
for no other reason than we found it easier to identify with a skyscraper,
in which we've spent many an hour, than an ocean liner, the closest to which
we've gotten was a tour of the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California (which,
apparently and coincidentally, was used as a stand in for the Poseidon in some
shots).
Paul Newman and Steve McQueen lead this all star cast, which
also includes William Holden, Faye Dunaway, Fred Astaire, Susan Blakely, Richard
Chamberlain, Jennifer Jones, O.J. Simpson, Robert Vaughn and Robert Wagner
(who makes a surprising quick exit). Again, for the most part these aren't
just stars, they're seasoned pros and that comes in handy.
The script, by Stirling Silliphant, is better than Poseidon, though in both
movies the real villain isn't fire or water but corporate greed (gee, you'd
think the movie studio heads wouldn't want people to think about that in their
pursuit of mega profits, would you?), in this case via cost cutting in building
materials. At least the builder (Holden) comes off as not a bad guy, with most
of the blame going to his unscrupulous son in law (Chamberlain).
The movie opens with Doug Roberts, Architect extraordinaire
(Newman), returning to San Francisco for the premier of his skyscraper, the
Glass Tower. It's basically his swan song in Frisco, 'cause he's about to chuck
it all in favor of some rural gig, much to the chagrin of his girlfriend (Dunaway).
But much to his chagrin, he discovers that his wiring specifications have been
messed around with and he begins to freak out at the potential disaster in
the making (he must have read the script).
Naturally, fire breaks out (otherwise it would be a darn
short film), and the rest of the movie is a roller coaster ride of danger and
derring do that ends up being a paean to the fire fighters of the world, chief
spokesman for whom is Steve McQueen as the chief on duty when the alarm comes
in – from
a building far too tall for them to have a decent chance of saving it.
It's neat stuff, with great stunts and action sequences
and special effects that, save for a few obvious blue screen shots, are spectacular
and breathtaking. The worst plot hole concerns a deaf woman saved from the
blaze who from that point onward seems to disappear from the rest of the film,
though her kids keep right on getting into harm's way with bigger stars (Jones
and Newman) at their side. And O.J. Simpson disappears partway through the
movie, after he rescues a sweet little pussycat, only to reappear at the end
safe and sound, pussy in tow.
And the movie packs a post-September 11, 2001 punch when
people plummet from the burning tower in a way that seems eerily prescient
considering the manner in which some desperate people met their deaths on that
infamous day.
Both movies are presented in anamorphic widescreen, 16x9
TV compatible, and as mentioned at the top the picture quality for the most
part is very good indeed. There are some hints of graininess in some shots,
but overall we're very pleased with the presentation.
The audio isn't particularly remarkable; Poseidon's box
says it's in Dolby Digital Stereo and Inferno says it's DD 5.1 surround. Both
sounded pretty much like mono for the most part, but the quality
is pretty good.
Then there's the array of extras.
Poseidon includes two commentaries and an interactive "follow
the escape" featurette on disc one. Disc two comes with 9 new featurettes,
an AMC Backstory episode about the film, storyboard to film comparisons, an
interactive article from American Cinematographer, photo galleries and more.
Inferno comes with commentaries on disc one and a plethora
of programs on disc two. They include another AMC Backstory and a bunch of
interesting featurettes (well, most are interesting). There's also a selection
of extended and/or deleted scenes, storyboard to film comparisons, a NATO presentation
reel, three American Cinematographer interactive articles, an old interview
with Irwin Allen, stills, and more.
A bit of trivia: both films feature excellent John Williams
scores (though Inferno's is better).
In all, 20th Century Fox has done a very nice
job with these collector's editions.
The Poseidon Adventure, from 20th Century Fox
Home Entertainment
117 min. anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1, 16x9 TV compatible), Dolby Digital
stereo
Starring Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Red Buttons, Carol Lynley, Roddy McDowell,
Shelley Winters
Produced by Irwin Allen
Written by Stirling Silliphant and Wendell Mayes, Directed by Ronald Neame
The Towering Inferno, from 20th Century Fox Home
Entertainment
164 min. anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1, 16x9 TV compatible), Dolby Digital
5.1
Starring Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, William Holden, Fay Dunaway
Produced by Irwin Allen
Written by Stirling Silliphant, Directed by John Guillerman
