The Poseidon Adventure (1972 film)
Updated: 12/11/2025, 2:56:20 PM Wikipedia source
The Poseidon Adventure is a 1972 American disaster film directed by Ronald Neame, produced by Irwin Allen, and based on Paul Gallico's 1969 novel of the same name. It has an ensemble cast including five Oscar winners: Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Jack Albertson, Shelley Winters, and Red Buttons. The plot centers on the fictional SS Poseidon, an aging luxury liner on its final voyage from New York City to Athens, before it is scrapped. On New Year's Day, it is overturned by a tsunami. Passengers and crew are trapped inside, and a preacher attempts to lead a small group of survivors to safety. The film is in the vein of other all-star disaster films of the early- through mid-1970s, such as Airport (1970), Earthquake (1974), and The Towering Inferno (1974). It was released in December 1972 and became the second highest-grossing film of the year, earning over $125 million worldwide. It was nominated for eight Academy Awards, and went on to win two Oscars, a Golden Globe Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Motion Picture Sound Editors Award. A sequel, Beyond the Poseidon Adventure, also based on a novel by Gallico, was released in 1979.
Infobox
Directed by
Ronald Neame
Screenplay by
mw- Stirling Silliphant Wendell Mayes
Based on
The Poseidon Adventureby Paul Gallico
Produced by
Irwin Allen
Starring
Gene Hackman Ernest Borgnine Red Buttons Carol Lynley Roddy McDowall Stella Stevens Shelley Winters Jack Albertson Pamela Sue Martin Arthur O'Connell Eric Shea Leslie Nielsen
Cinematography
Harold E. Stine
Edited by
Harold F. Kress
Music by
John Williams
Productioncompanies
Kent Productions, Ltd.
Distributed by
20th Century Fox
Release date
December 12, 1972 (1972-12-12)
Running time
117 minutes
Country
United States
Language
English
Budget
$4.7 million
Box office
$125 million
Tables
· Reception › Awards and nominations
Academy Awards
Academy Awards
Award
Academy Awards
Category
Best Supporting Actress
Nominee(s)
Shelley Winters
Result
Nominated
Best Art Direction
Best Art Direction
Award
Best Art Direction
Category
Art Direction: William J. Creber; Set Decoration: Raphaël Bretton
Nominee(s)
Nominated
Best Cinematography
Best Cinematography
Award
Best Cinematography
Category
Harold E. Stine
Nominee(s)
Nominated
Best Costume Design
Best Costume Design
Award
Best Costume Design
Category
Paul Zastupnevich
Nominee(s)
Nominated
Best Film Editing
Best Film Editing
Award
Best Film Editing
Category
Harold F. Kress
Nominee(s)
Nominated
Best Original Dramatic Score
Best Original Dramatic Score
Award
Best Original Dramatic Score
Category
John Williams
Nominee(s)
Nominated
Best Song – Original for the Picture
Best Song – Original for the Picture
Award
Best Song – Original for the Picture
Category
"The Morning After" Music and Lyrics by Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn
Nominee(s)
Won
Best Sound
Best Sound
Award
Best Sound
Category
Theodore Soderberg and Herman Lewis
Nominee(s)
Nominated
Best Visual Effects (Special Achievement Award)
Best Visual Effects (Special Achievement Award)
Award
Best Visual Effects (Special Achievement Award)
Category
L. B. Abbott and A. D. Flowers
Nominee(s)
Won
American Cinema Editors Awards
American Cinema Editors Awards
Award
American Cinema Editors Awards
Category
Best Edited Feature Film
Nominee(s)
Harold F. Kress
Result
Nominated
British Academy Film Awards
British Academy Film Awards
Award
British Academy Film Awards
Category
Best Actor in a Leading Role
Nominee(s)
Gene Hackman (also for The French Connection)
Result
Won
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Award
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Category
Shelley Winters
Nominee(s)
Nominated
Golden Globe Awards
Golden Globe Awards
Award
Golden Globe Awards
Category
Best Motion Picture – Drama
Nominee(s)
Nominated
Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture
Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture
Award
Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture
Category
Shelley Winters
Nominee(s)
Won
Best Original Score – Motion Picture
Best Original Score – Motion Picture
Award
Best Original Score – Motion Picture
Category
John Williams
Nominee(s)
Nominated
Best Original Song – Motion Picture
Best Original Song – Motion Picture
Award
Best Original Song – Motion Picture
Category
"The Morning After" Music and Lyrics by Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn
Nominee(s)
Nominated
Golden Reel Awards
Golden Reel Awards
Award
Golden Reel Awards
Category
Best Sound Editing – Dialogue
Nominee(s)
Won
Satellite Awards
Satellite Awards
Award
Satellite Awards
Category
Best DVD Extras
Nominee(s)
Nominated
| Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
| Academy Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Shelley Winters | Nominated | |
| Best Art Direction | Art Direction: William J. Creber; Set Decoration: Raphaël Bretton | Nominated | ||
| Best Cinematography | Harold E. Stine | Nominated | ||
| Best Costume Design | Paul Zastupnevich | Nominated | ||
| Best Film Editing | Harold F. Kress | Nominated | ||
| Best Original Dramatic Score | John Williams | Nominated | ||
| Best Song – Original for the Picture | "The Morning After" Music and Lyrics by Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn | Won | ||
| Best Sound | Theodore Soderberg and Herman Lewis | Nominated | ||
| Best Visual Effects (Special Achievement Award) | L. B. Abbott and A. D. Flowers | Won | ||
| American Cinema Editors Awards | Best Edited Feature Film | Harold F. Kress | Nominated | |
| British Academy Film Awards | Best Actor in a Leading Role | Gene Hackman (also for The French Connection) | Won | |
| Best Actress in a Supporting Role | Shelley Winters | Nominated | ||
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Motion Picture – Drama | Nominated | ||
| Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture | Shelley Winters | Won | ||
| Best Original Score – Motion Picture | John Williams | Nominated | ||
| Best Original Song – Motion Picture | "The Morning After" Music and Lyrics by Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn | Nominated | ||
| Golden Reel Awards | Best Sound Editing – Dialogue | Won | ||
| Satellite Awards | Best DVD Extras | Nominated | ||
References
- Solomon, Aubrey. Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History (The Scarecrow Filmmakers Series). Lanham, Mar
- Variety
- oscars.orghttps://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1973
- The New York Timeshttps://web.archive.org/web/20121018202923/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/38807/The-Poseidon-Adventure/awards
- "The Poseidon Adventure - AFI CATALOG OF FEATURE FILMS THE FIRST 100 YEARS 1893–1993"https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/53859
- The Poseidon Adventure at the AFI Catalog of Feature Filmshttps://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/53859
- "Burt Lancaster - Trivia"https://www.notstarring.com/actors/lancaster-burt
- Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History
- Hell Upside Down: The Making of The Poseidon Adventurehttps://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=8479
- www.filmscoremonthly.comhttps://www.filmscoremonthly.com/cds/detail.cfm/CDID/26/Poseidon-Adventure-The-Paper-Chase-The/
- irwinallenblog.comhttp://irwinallenblog.com/2010/04/the-poseidon-adventure-stereo-limited-edition/
- Variety
- Leonard Maltin's 2015 Movie Guide
- High-Def Digesthttps://bluray.highdefdigest.com/1515/poseidonadventure2005.html
- The Poseidon Adventure at Rotten Tomatoeshttps://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1016584-poseidon_adventure
- Metacritichttps://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-poseidon-adventure
- RogerEbert.comhttps://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-poseidon-adventure-1972
- Weiler, A. H. (December 13, 1972). "Screen: 'Poseidon Adventure' Arrives Archived 2019-12-07 at the Wayback Machine". Thhttps://www.nytimes.com/1972/12/13/archives/screen-poseidon-adventure-arrivesliner-disaster-opens-the-national.html
- "Film Reviews: The Poseidon Adventure Archived 2020-08-09 at the Wayback Machine". Variety. December 13, 1972. 15.https://variety.com/1971/film/reviews/the-poseidon-adventure-1200422664/
- Siskel, Gene (December 22, 1972). "Escapism is in season over on State Street". Chicago Tribune. Section 2, p. 1.
- Champlin, Charles (December 14, 1972). "Survival Struggle on the Poseidon Archived 2020-08-09 at the Wayback Machine". Lhttps://www.newspapers.com/clip/24142557/dec-17-1972-poseidon-latimes/
- Arnold, Gary (December 27, 1972). "'Poseidon Adventure' Diverting". The Washington Post. B1.
- Varietyhttps://archive.org/details/sim_variety_1972-12-20_269_6/page/n9/mode/2up?view=theater
- Varietyhttps://archive.org/details/sim_variety_1973-01-10_269_9/page/9
- Variety
- Variety
- Variety
- "The 45th Academy Awards (1973) Nominees and Winners"http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1973
- "Nominees/Winners"https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000017/1973/1?ref_=ttawd_ev_3
- "BAFTA Awards: Film in 1973"http://awards.bafta.org/award/1973/film
- "The Poseidon Adventure"https://www.goldenglobes.com/film/poseidon-adventure
- "Nominees/Winners"https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000452/1973/1?ref_=ttawd_ev_5
- "2006 Satellite Awards"https://www.pressacademy.com/award_cat/2006/
- Variety
- The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present
- The New York Timeshttps://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/07/fashion/sundaystyles/07poseidon.html
- The Official Razzie Movie Guide: Enjoying the Best of Hollywood's Worst
- Tributes, Parodies & Satires > MAD Magazine and Its Imitators (Archived 2016-08-05 at the Wayback Machine)http://www.poseidonadventure.com/gangway/Tributes,044_Parodies_,038_Satires/MAD_Magazine_and_Its_Imitators/