We returned to Loyd Park’s Loop G in an attempt to shake off the weight of the week’s political chaos. We needed a distraction – something to pull us out of the churn and give us space to breathe. As the fire crackled and the lake shimmered nearby, we found ourselves talking not just about the present, but about our past and the experiences that have helped us make sense of our anxieties and aspirations.

It was also the weekend of the Corn Moon or Harvest Moon, names given by Native Americans to the full moon in September because it coincides with the harvesting of corn and other crops such as squash and pumpkins. After a Saturday evening walk under its bright glow, we settled into Cloud 9 for our weekend movie, The Poseidon Adventure. The epic disaster film from 53 years ago seemed like a perfect antidote to our trying times. After all, it seems like the ship of state is not only sinking, but it’s doing so while also being capsized!

When The Poseidon Adventure premiered in 1972, it made an immediate impact – not just at the box office, but on the trajectory of Hollywood filmmaking. Produced by Irwin Allen, the film told the harrowing story of an aging luxury ocean liner on its last voyage that was capsized by a tsunami, and the desperate struggle of a small group of survivors trying to escape the overturned vessel. What could have been a simple action thriller became a cultural touchstone, helping to define and popularize the disaster film genre that would dominate much of the 1970s.

Critically, The Poseidon Adventure received a mixed but generally positive reception. While some reviewers found the dialogue melodramatic and the character development thin, many praised the film’s relentless pacing, visual effects, and sheer spectacle. The performances were key to the film’s appeal. Gene Hackman, fresh off his Oscar win for The French Connection, brought gravitas and intensity to the role of Reverend Frank Scott, a fiery, unorthodox minister who becomes the group’s reluctant leader. Shelley Winters earned an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe for her role as Belle Rosen, a former swimming champion whose physical sacrifice becomes one of the film’s most emotional moments. The ensemble cast, including Ernest Borgnine (whom Jon met when he worked on his one-man show while in college – “Please, call me Ernie,” he said), Leslie Neilson, Jack Albertson, Red Buttons, Stella Stevens, and Roddy McDowall.

Technically, the film set a new standard for spectacle and demonstrated that audiences were hungry for large-scale cinematic experiences. The production team constructed massive, rotating sets to simulate the ship’s inversion, creating a disorienting and claustrophobic environment that heightened the tension. The practical effects, including raging fires, flooding corridors, and collapsing structures, were executed with a realism that was rare for the time.

Perhaps most significantly, The Poseidon Adventure helped establish the disaster film as a major Hollywood genre. Its success paved the way for a string of similarly structured blockbusters, including The Towering Inferno (also produced by Irwin Allen), Earthquake, and Airport 1975. These films (all of which are now on our watch list) followed a familiar formula: an ensemble cast of recognizable stars, a looming catastrophe, and a blend of human drama and technical wizardry. While the genre would eventually fade by the early 1980s, its influence can still be felt in modern blockbusters that rely on spectacle and ensemble storytelling.

In retrospect, The Poseidon Adventure was more than just a thrilling survival story – it was a landmark in cinematic history. It proved that disaster, when done right, could be both entertaining and emotionally resonant. The film grossed over $100 million worldwide (or about $700 million in today’s dollars) on a relatively modest budget and went on to become one of the highest-grossing films of the decade.

It reminds us that even in the most disorienting and chaotic circumstances, resilience and hope can emerge from unexpected places. Much like the survivors who climbed toward an uncertain future through an upside-down world, we find strength through our shared experiences.