disaster film
Information about disaster film
A disaster film is a movie genre that has an impending or ongoing disaster (damaged airliner, fire, shipwreck or an asteroid collision) as its subject. These films typically feature large casts of actors and multiple plotlines, focusing on the characters' attempts to avert, escape or cope with the disaster and its aftermath. The genre had its greatest box office success during the 1970s with the release of Airport (1970), followed by The Poseidon Adventure (1972), Earthquake (1974) and The Towering Inferno (1974).[1]
John Ford's The Hurricane (1937) concluded with the striking sequence of a tropical cyclone ripping through a fictional South Pacific island. The drama San Francisco (1936) depicted the historic 1906 San Francisco earthquake, while In Old Chicago (1937) recreated The Great Chicago Fire which burned through the city in 1871.[4] Carol Reed's 1939 film, The Stars Look Down, examines a catastrophe at a coal mine in North-East England.
Inspired by the end of World War II and the beginning of the Atomic Age, Science fiction films of the 1950s, including When Worlds Collide (1953), The War of the Worlds (1953) and Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956), routinely used world disasters as plot elements. This trend would continue with The Deadly Mantis (1957), The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961) and Crack in the World (1965).[5]
As in the silent film era, the sinking of the Titanic would continue to be a popular disaster with filmmakers and audiences alike. Clifton Webb and Barbara Stanwyck starred in the 1953 20th Century Fox production Titanic, followed by the highly-regarded United Kingdom film A Night to Remember in 1958. The British action/adventure film The Last Voyage (1960), while not about the Titanic disaster but a predecessor to The Poseidon Adventure, starred Robert Stack as a man desperately attempting to save his wife (Dorothy Malone) and child trapped in a sinking ocean liner. The film, concluding with the dramatic sinking of the ship, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.[6][7]
Additional precursors to the popular Disaster films of the 1970s include The High and the Mighty (1954), starring John Wayne and Robert Stack as pilots of a crippled airplane attempting to cross the ocean; Zero Hour! (1957), written by Arthur Hailey (who also penned the 1968 novel Airport) about an airplane crew that succumbs to food poisoning; and The Doomsday Flight (1966), written by Rod Serling and starring Edmond O'Brien as an airplane passenger with a bomb wired to explode.[8][9][10]
With the 1972 release of The Poseidon Adventure, another huge financial success notching an impressive $42 million in rentals, the Disaster film officially became a movie-going craze. Directed by Ronald Neame and starring Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Shelley Winters and Red Buttons, the film detailed survivors' attempts at escaping a sinking ocean liner destroyed by a tidal wave. The Poseidon Adventure was nominated for eight Academy Awards, winning for Best Music, Original Song and receiving a Special Achievement Award for visual effects.[13]
The trend reached its zenith in 1974 with the release of The Towering Inferno, Earthquake and Airport 1975 (the first Airport sequel). The competing films enjoyed staggering success at the box office, with The Towering Inferno earning $55 million, Earthquake $36 million and Airport 1975 $25 million.[14]
Arguably the greatest of the 1970s Disaster films, The Towering Inferno was a joint venture of 20th Century Fox and Warner Brothers and was produced by Irwin Allen (eventually known as "The Master of Disaster," as he had previously helmed The Poseidon Adventure and later produced The Swarm, Beyond the Poseidon Adventure and When Time Ran Out...). Directed by John Guillermin and starring Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, William Holden and Faye Dunaway, the film depicts a huge fire engulfing the tallest building in the world and firefighters' attempts at rescuing occupants trapped on the top floor. The film was nominated for eight Academy Awards including Best Picture, winning for Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing and Best Music, Original Song.[15]
Earthquake was also honored with four Academy Award nominations for its impressive special effects of a massive earthquake leveling the city of Los Angeles, winning for Best Sound and receiving a Special Achievement Award for visual effects. The film was directed by Mark Robson and starred Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner, George Kennedy and Lorne Greene. It was noted as the first film to utilize Sensurround, where heavy bass speakers were installed in theaters to recreate the sounds of an earthquake.[16]
Airport 1975, directed by Jack Smight and starring Charlton Heston, George Kennedy, Karen Black and Gloria Swanson (in her final film role), essentially discarded the multiple plotlines of Airport in favor of focusing almost exclusively on the disaster itself as a Boeing 747 is crippled by a small plane crashing into the cockpit.[17]
By 1976, the Disaster film cycle had left its mark on the list of all-time box office champions, with The Towering Inferno ranked 8th, Airport 14th, The Poseidon Adventure 16th and Earthquake 20th.[18] Such success spawned a flood of similar films throughout the decade.
Roger Corman purchased the 1973 Japanese film Nippon chinbotsu, filmed some additional scenes with actor Lorne Greene, and released it to American theaters in 1975 as Tidal Wave.[19] The British film Juggernaut, a suspense thriller about the hijacking of an ocean liner, was promoted as a Disaster film when released in 1974.[20] The 1969 film Krakatoa, East of Java, revolving around a volcanic eruption, was renamed Volcano and re-released to theaters in Europe while playing in America on prime time television.[21] Several made-for-TV movies also capitalized on the craze including Heat Wave! (1974), The Day the Earth Moved (1974), Hurricane (1974), Flood! (1976) and Fire! (1977).[22][23][24][25][26]
The trend continued on a larger scale with The Hindenburg (1975) starring George C. Scott; The Cassandra Crossing (1976) starring Burt Lancaster; Two-Minute Warning (1976) starring Charlton Heston; Black Sunday (1977) starring Robert Shaw; Rollercoaster in Sensurround (1977) starring George Segal; Damnation Alley (1977) starring Jan-Michael Vincent; Avalanche (1978) starring Rock Hudson; Gray Lady Down (1978) also starring Charlton Heston; Hurricane (a 1979 remake of John Ford's 1937 film) starring Jason Robards; and City on Fire (1979) starring Henry Fonda.
Skyjacked (1972) was a lessor entry into the Disaster film canon, following on the heels of Airport, though preceding its sequel Airport 1975. The Airport series would continue with Airport '77 (1977) and (1979), with George Kennedy portraying the character Joe Patroni in each sequel. The Poseidon Adventure was followed by the sequel Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979).
The genre began to burn out by the late-1970s when the big-budget films The Swarm (1978), Meteor (1979) and When Time Ran Out... (1980) performed poorly at the box office signaling declining interest in the Disaster film product.[27][28][29]
The end of the trend was marked by the 1980 comedy Airplane! which fondly spoofed the clichés of the genre to surprising box office success, producing a sequel of its own, , in 1982.[30]
With the rise of Computer-generated imagery (CGI), the genre revived during the mid-1990s. Applying 3D computer graphics to special effects in films, producers and directors had the ability to create increasingly spectacular disasters in less time. The new digital trend was popularized by James Cameron's Science fiction films The Abyss (1989) and (1991). Combined with the breathtaking sequences in the 1993 films The Fugitive (train wreck) and Jurassic Park (dinosaur attacks), the motion picture industry was inspired to return to the Disaster film genre.
The revival began in 1996 with the release of Executive Decision, an action thriller about the hijacking of an airliner and a team (led by Kurt Russell) attempting to take control of the plane before an onboard bomb can explode over the U.S. This was followed by the Michael Crichton-penned Twister, the Science fiction/doomsday thriller Independence Day, and the Sylvester Stallone vehicle Daylight. In 1997, two films about volcanic eruptions debuted, Volcano and Dante's Peak.
Also in 1997, inspired by not only Hollywood's continued fascination with the Titanic disaster but the recent discovery of the ship's remains by Dr. Robert Ballard, James Cameron produced, wrote and directed the most recent (and most successful) version of the epic story Titanic. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane and Kathy Bates, the film skillfully combined romance with dazzling special effects to become the greatest box office success in motion picture history earning $1,845,034,188 worldwide.[31] The film won 11 Academy Awards (tied with Ben-Hur and for the most in history), including Best Picture and Best Director.[32]
The revival continued in 1998 with the summer releases of the comet/asteroid-impact films Deep Impact and Armageddon. The Perfect Storm achieved surprising success in 2000, followed by The Core in 2003. The Day After Tomorrow did strong business in 2004, building upon fears of global warming and climate change with a varied assortment of disasters. In 2005, the genre went back to the well with Steven Spielberg's successful remake of War of the Worlds. Poseidon, a 2006 remake of The Poseidon Adventure, proved to be a failure with both audiences and critics alike.
Coal mining is the extraction or removing of coal from the earth for use as fuel. A coal mine and its accompanying structures are collectively known as a colliery. For the world history see History of coal mining.
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Origins
Disaster themes are almost as old as the film medium itself. One of the earliest was Fire! (1901) made by James Williamson of England. The silent film portrayed a burning house and the firemen who arrive to quench the flames and rescue the inhabitants.[2] Origins of the genre can also be found in Night and Ice (1912), about the sinking of the Titanic; Atlantis (1913), also about the Titanic; Noah's Ark (1928), the Biblical story of the great flood; Deluge (1933), about tidal waves devastating New York City; King Kong (1933), with a gigantic gorilla rampaging through New York City; and The Last Days of Pompeii (1935), dealing with the Mount Vesuvius volcanic eruption in 79 A.D.[3])
John Ford's The Hurricane (1937) concluded with the striking sequence of a tropical cyclone ripping through a fictional South Pacific island. The drama San Francisco (1936) depicted the historic 1906 San Francisco earthquake, while In Old Chicago (1937) recreated The Great Chicago Fire which burned through the city in 1871.[4] Carol Reed's 1939 film, The Stars Look Down, examines a catastrophe at a coal mine in North-East England.
Inspired by the end of World War II and the beginning of the Atomic Age, Science fiction films of the 1950s, including When Worlds Collide (1953), The War of the Worlds (1953) and Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956), routinely used world disasters as plot elements. This trend would continue with The Deadly Mantis (1957), The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961) and Crack in the World (1965).[5]
As in the silent film era, the sinking of the Titanic would continue to be a popular disaster with filmmakers and audiences alike. Clifton Webb and Barbara Stanwyck starred in the 1953 20th Century Fox production Titanic, followed by the highly-regarded United Kingdom film A Night to Remember in 1958. The British action/adventure film The Last Voyage (1960), while not about the Titanic disaster but a predecessor to The Poseidon Adventure, starred Robert Stack as a man desperately attempting to save his wife (Dorothy Malone) and child trapped in a sinking ocean liner. The film, concluding with the dramatic sinking of the ship, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.[6][7]
Additional precursors to the popular Disaster films of the 1970s include The High and the Mighty (1954), starring John Wayne and Robert Stack as pilots of a crippled airplane attempting to cross the ocean; Zero Hour! (1957), written by Arthur Hailey (who also penned the 1968 novel Airport) about an airplane crew that succumbs to food poisoning; and The Doomsday Flight (1966), written by Rod Serling and starring Edmond O'Brien as an airplane passenger with a bomb wired to explode.[8][9][10]
1970s
The Golden Age of the Disaster film began in 1970 with the release of Airport.[11] A huge financial success earning more than $45 million at the box office, the film was directed by George Seaton and starred Burt Lancaster, Dean Martin, George Kennedy and Jacqueline Bisset. While not exclusively focused on a disaster, in this case, an airplane crippled by the explosion of a bomb, the film established the blueprint of multiple plotlines acted out by an all-star cast. Airport was nominated for 10 Academy Awards including Best Picture, winning Best Supporting Actress for Helen Hayes.[12])
With the 1972 release of The Poseidon Adventure, another huge financial success notching an impressive $42 million in rentals, the Disaster film officially became a movie-going craze. Directed by Ronald Neame and starring Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Shelley Winters and Red Buttons, the film detailed survivors' attempts at escaping a sinking ocean liner destroyed by a tidal wave. The Poseidon Adventure was nominated for eight Academy Awards, winning for Best Music, Original Song and receiving a Special Achievement Award for visual effects.[13]
The trend reached its zenith in 1974 with the release of The Towering Inferno, Earthquake and Airport 1975 (the first Airport sequel). The competing films enjoyed staggering success at the box office, with The Towering Inferno earning $55 million, Earthquake $36 million and Airport 1975 $25 million.[14]
Arguably the greatest of the 1970s Disaster films, The Towering Inferno was a joint venture of 20th Century Fox and Warner Brothers and was produced by Irwin Allen (eventually known as "The Master of Disaster," as he had previously helmed The Poseidon Adventure and later produced The Swarm, Beyond the Poseidon Adventure and When Time Ran Out...). Directed by John Guillermin and starring Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, William Holden and Faye Dunaway, the film depicts a huge fire engulfing the tallest building in the world and firefighters' attempts at rescuing occupants trapped on the top floor. The film was nominated for eight Academy Awards including Best Picture, winning for Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing and Best Music, Original Song.[15]
)
Earthquake was also honored with four Academy Award nominations for its impressive special effects of a massive earthquake leveling the city of Los Angeles, winning for Best Sound and receiving a Special Achievement Award for visual effects. The film was directed by Mark Robson and starred Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner, George Kennedy and Lorne Greene. It was noted as the first film to utilize Sensurround, where heavy bass speakers were installed in theaters to recreate the sounds of an earthquake.[16]
Airport 1975, directed by Jack Smight and starring Charlton Heston, George Kennedy, Karen Black and Gloria Swanson (in her final film role), essentially discarded the multiple plotlines of Airport in favor of focusing almost exclusively on the disaster itself as a Boeing 747 is crippled by a small plane crashing into the cockpit.[17]
By 1976, the Disaster film cycle had left its mark on the list of all-time box office champions, with The Towering Inferno ranked 8th, Airport 14th, The Poseidon Adventure 16th and Earthquake 20th.[18] Such success spawned a flood of similar films throughout the decade.
Roger Corman purchased the 1973 Japanese film Nippon chinbotsu, filmed some additional scenes with actor Lorne Greene, and released it to American theaters in 1975 as Tidal Wave.[19] The British film Juggernaut, a suspense thriller about the hijacking of an ocean liner, was promoted as a Disaster film when released in 1974.[20] The 1969 film Krakatoa, East of Java, revolving around a volcanic eruption, was renamed Volcano and re-released to theaters in Europe while playing in America on prime time television.[21] Several made-for-TV movies also capitalized on the craze including Heat Wave! (1974), The Day the Earth Moved (1974), Hurricane (1974), Flood! (1976) and Fire! (1977).[22][23][24][25][26]
The trend continued on a larger scale with The Hindenburg (1975) starring George C. Scott; The Cassandra Crossing (1976) starring Burt Lancaster; Two-Minute Warning (1976) starring Charlton Heston; Black Sunday (1977) starring Robert Shaw; Rollercoaster in Sensurround (1977) starring George Segal; Damnation Alley (1977) starring Jan-Michael Vincent; Avalanche (1978) starring Rock Hudson; Gray Lady Down (1978) also starring Charlton Heston; Hurricane (a 1979 remake of John Ford's 1937 film) starring Jason Robards; and City on Fire (1979) starring Henry Fonda.
Skyjacked (1972) was a lessor entry into the Disaster film canon, following on the heels of Airport, though preceding its sequel Airport 1975. The Airport series would continue with Airport '77 (1977) and (1979), with George Kennedy portraying the character Joe Patroni in each sequel. The Poseidon Adventure was followed by the sequel Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979).
The genre began to burn out by the late-1970s when the big-budget films The Swarm (1978), Meteor (1979) and When Time Ran Out... (1980) performed poorly at the box office signaling declining interest in the Disaster film product.[27][28][29]
The end of the trend was marked by the 1980 comedy Airplane! which fondly spoofed the clichés of the genre to surprising box office success, producing a sequel of its own, , in 1982.[30]
Genre Revival
)
With the rise of Computer-generated imagery (CGI), the genre revived during the mid-1990s. Applying 3D computer graphics to special effects in films, producers and directors had the ability to create increasingly spectacular disasters in less time. The new digital trend was popularized by James Cameron's Science fiction films The Abyss (1989) and (1991). Combined with the breathtaking sequences in the 1993 films The Fugitive (train wreck) and Jurassic Park (dinosaur attacks), the motion picture industry was inspired to return to the Disaster film genre.
The revival began in 1996 with the release of Executive Decision, an action thriller about the hijacking of an airliner and a team (led by Kurt Russell) attempting to take control of the plane before an onboard bomb can explode over the U.S. This was followed by the Michael Crichton-penned Twister, the Science fiction/doomsday thriller Independence Day, and the Sylvester Stallone vehicle Daylight. In 1997, two films about volcanic eruptions debuted, Volcano and Dante's Peak.
Also in 1997, inspired by not only Hollywood's continued fascination with the Titanic disaster but the recent discovery of the ship's remains by Dr. Robert Ballard, James Cameron produced, wrote and directed the most recent (and most successful) version of the epic story Titanic. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane and Kathy Bates, the film skillfully combined romance with dazzling special effects to become the greatest box office success in motion picture history earning $1,845,034,188 worldwide.[31] The film won 11 Academy Awards (tied with Ben-Hur and for the most in history), including Best Picture and Best Director.[32]
The revival continued in 1998 with the summer releases of the comet/asteroid-impact films Deep Impact and Armageddon. The Perfect Storm achieved surprising success in 2000, followed by The Core in 2003. The Day After Tomorrow did strong business in 2004, building upon fears of global warming and climate change with a varied assortment of disasters. In 2005, the genre went back to the well with Steven Spielberg's successful remake of War of the Worlds. Poseidon, a 2006 remake of The Poseidon Adventure, proved to be a failure with both audiences and critics alike.
Literary Sources
Movies from the Disaster film genre are often based on novels. In many cases, the novels were bestsellers or critically-acclaimed works. Three of the genre-defining Disaster films of the 1970s were based on best-selling novels: Airport (based on the novel by Arthur Hailey), The Poseidon Adventure (based on the novel by Paul Gallico), and The Towering Inferno (from the novels The Tower by Richard Martin Stern and The Glass Inferno by Thomas N. Scortia and Frank M. Robinson). Some critically-acclaimed novels that were turned into Disaster films include On the Beach (by Neville Shute), War of the Worlds (by H. G. Wells), Failsafe (by Eugene Burdick and Harvey Wheeler) and A Night to Remember (non-fiction by Walter Lord).See also
References
1. ^ BookRags, Disaster Movies. bookrags.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
2. ^ Internet Movie Database, Fire!. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-09.
3. ^ Filmsite, Greatest Disaster Film Scenes. filmsite.org. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
4. ^ Filmsite, Greatest Disaster Film Scenes. filmsite.org. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
5. ^ Filmsite, Greatest Disaster Film Scenes. filmsite.org. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
6. ^ Internet Movie Database, Awards for The Last Voyage. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
7. ^ Filmsite, Greatest Disaster Film Scenes. filmsite.org. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
8. ^ Filmsite, Greatest Disaster Film Scenes. filmsite.org. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
9. ^ CultMovies, Disaster Epics. cultmovies.info. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
10. ^ Internet Movie Database, The Doomsday Flight. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
11. ^ BookRags, Disaster Movies. bookrags.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
12. ^ Internet Movie Database, Airport. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
13. ^ Internet Movie Database, The Poseidon Adventure. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
14. ^ Wallechinsky, David (1977). The Book of Lists. Bantam Books, 197. ISBN 0-553-12400-5.
15. ^ Internet Movie Database, The Towering Inferno. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
16. ^ Internet Movie Database, Earthquake. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
17. ^ Internet Movie Database, Airport 1975. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
18. ^ Wallechinsky, David (1977). The Book of Lists. Bantam Books, 197. ISBN 0-553-12400-5.
19. ^ Internet Movie Database, Nippon chinbotsu. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
20. ^ Internet Movie Database, Juggernaut. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
21. ^ Internet Movie Database, Trivia for Krakatoa, East of Java. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
22. ^ Internet Movie Database, Heat Wave!. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
23. ^ Internet Movie Database, The Day the Earth Moved. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
24. ^ Internet Movie Database, Hurricane. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
25. ^ Internet Movie Database, Flood!. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
26. ^ Internet Movie Database, Fire!. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
27. ^ Internet Movie Database, Box office/business for The Swarm. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
28. ^ Internet Movie Database, Box office/business for Meteor. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
29. ^ Internet Movie Database, Box office/business for When Time Ran Out.... imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
30. ^ Internet Movie Database, Box office/business for Airplane. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
31. ^ Box Office Mojo, Worldwide Grosses. boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-18.
32. ^ Filmsite, Most Oscar Wins By Film. filmsite.org. Retrieved on 2007-08-18.
2. ^ Internet Movie Database, Fire!. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-09.
3. ^ Filmsite, Greatest Disaster Film Scenes. filmsite.org. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
4. ^ Filmsite, Greatest Disaster Film Scenes. filmsite.org. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
5. ^ Filmsite, Greatest Disaster Film Scenes. filmsite.org. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
6. ^ Internet Movie Database, Awards for The Last Voyage. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
7. ^ Filmsite, Greatest Disaster Film Scenes. filmsite.org. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
8. ^ Filmsite, Greatest Disaster Film Scenes. filmsite.org. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
9. ^ CultMovies, Disaster Epics. cultmovies.info. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
10. ^ Internet Movie Database, The Doomsday Flight. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
11. ^ BookRags, Disaster Movies. bookrags.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
12. ^ Internet Movie Database, Airport. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
13. ^ Internet Movie Database, The Poseidon Adventure. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
14. ^ Wallechinsky, David (1977). The Book of Lists. Bantam Books, 197. ISBN 0-553-12400-5.
15. ^ Internet Movie Database, The Towering Inferno. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
16. ^ Internet Movie Database, Earthquake. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
17. ^ Internet Movie Database, Airport 1975. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
18. ^ Wallechinsky, David (1977). The Book of Lists. Bantam Books, 197. ISBN 0-553-12400-5.
19. ^ Internet Movie Database, Nippon chinbotsu. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
20. ^ Internet Movie Database, Juggernaut. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
21. ^ Internet Movie Database, Trivia for Krakatoa, East of Java. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
22. ^ Internet Movie Database, Heat Wave!. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
23. ^ Internet Movie Database, The Day the Earth Moved. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
24. ^ Internet Movie Database, Hurricane. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
25. ^ Internet Movie Database, Flood!. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
26. ^ Internet Movie Database, Fire!. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
27. ^ Internet Movie Database, Box office/business for The Swarm. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
28. ^ Internet Movie Database, Box office/business for Meteor. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
29. ^ Internet Movie Database, Box office/business for When Time Ran Out.... imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
30. ^ Internet Movie Database, Box office/business for Airplane. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
31. ^ Box Office Mojo, Worldwide Grosses. boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-18.
32. ^ Filmsite, Most Oscar Wins By Film. filmsite.org. Retrieved on 2007-08-18.
External links
- Catastrophe in the Movies
- Disaster Films
- The Towering Inferno Website
- The Poseidon Adventure Fansite
- Irwin Allen at the Internet Movie Database
- Roger Ebert Review, Airport 1975
- The New York Times Review, Earthquake
A disaster (from Middle French désastre, from Old Italian disastro, from the Greek pejorative prefix dis- bad + aster star) is the impact of a natural or man-made hazards that negatively affects society or environment.
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airliner is a large fixed-wing aircraft with the primary function of transporting paying passengers. Such aircraft are usually operated by an airline which owns or leases the aircraft.
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Fire is an oxidation process that releases energy in varying intensities in the form of light (with wavelengths also outside the visual spectrum) and heat and often creates smoke. It is commonly used to describe either a fuel in a state of combustion (e.g.
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shipwreck or sunken ship can refer to the remains of a wrecked ship or to the event that caused the wreck, such as the striking of something that causes the ship to sink, the stranding of the ship on rocks, land or shoal, or the destruction of the ship at sea by violent
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Impact events are caused by the collision of large meteoroids, asteroids or comets (generically: bolides) with Earth and may sometimes be followed by mass extinctions of life. For discussion of impacts in general, not just on Earth, see impact crater.
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Airport is a 1970 film based on the 1968 Arthur Hailey novel of the same name. This film, which earned over $100,000,000[1]
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IMDb profile
Airport is a 1970 film based on the 1968 Arthur Hailey novel of the same name. This film, which earned over $100,000,000[1]
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All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile
The Poseidon Adventure is a 1972 action adventure/disaster/thriller film based on a novel by Paul Gallico.
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IMDb profile
The Poseidon Adventure is a 1972 action adventure/disaster/thriller film based on a novel by Paul Gallico.
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Earthquake is a 1974 disaster film that was among several box-office successful disaster films of the 1970s that places a recognizable all-star cast in life and death situations.
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Earthquake is a 1974 disaster film that was among several box-office successful disaster films of the 1970s that places a recognizable all-star cast in life and death situations.
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Novel
Richard Martin Stern
Thomas N. Scortia
Frank M. Robinson
Screenplay:
Stirling Silliphant
Starring Steve McQueen
Paul Newman
William Holden
Faye Dunaway
Music by John Williams
Cinematography Fred J.
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Richard Martin Stern
Thomas N. Scortia
Frank M. Robinson
Screenplay:
Stirling Silliphant
Starring Steve McQueen
Paul Newman
William Holden
Faye Dunaway
Music by John Williams
Cinematography Fred J.
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Motto
Dieu et mon droit (French)
"God and my right"
Anthem
No official anthem specific to England — the anthem of the United Kingdom is "God Save the Queen".
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Dieu et mon droit (French)
"God and my right"
Anthem
No official anthem specific to England — the anthem of the United Kingdom is "God Save the Queen".
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silent film is a motion picture with no synchronized recorded sound, especially spoken dialogue.
The idea of combining motion pictures with recorded sound is nearly as old as the motion picture itself, but because of the technical challenges involved, most films were silent
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The idea of combining motion pictures with recorded sound is nearly as old as the motion picture itself, but because of the technical challenges involved, most films were silent
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RMS Titanic, a British Olympic-class ocean liner, became famous as the largest ocean liner built in her day and also for sinking on her maiden voyage in 1912 with a huge loss of life.
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Noah’s Ark is a 1929 American early romantic Melodrama disaster film directed by Michael Curtiz and written by Darryl F. Zanuck. The film starred George O’Brien and Dolores Costello.
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Noah’s Ark is a 1929 American early romantic Melodrama disaster film directed by Michael Curtiz and written by Darryl F. Zanuck. The film starred George O’Brien and Dolores Costello.
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This article is about American science fiction film. For the Polish historical film, see The Deluge (film)
Deluge
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This article is about American science fiction film. For the Polish historical film, see The Deluge (film)
Deluge
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tsunami (IPA: /(t)sʊˈnɑːmi/) is a series of waves created when a body of water, such as an ocean, is rapidly displaced.
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City of New York
New York City at sunset
Flag
Seal
Nickname: The Big Apple, Gotham, The City that Never Sleeps
Location in the state of New York
Coordinates:
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New York City at sunset
Flag
Seal
Nickname: The Big Apple, Gotham, The City that Never Sleeps
Location in the state of New York
Coordinates:
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King Kong
Directed by Merian C.
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This article has been tagged since September 2007.
This article has been tagged since September 2007.
King Kong
Directed by Merian C.
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Gorillini
Genus: Gorilla
I. Geoffroy, 1852
Type species
Troglodytes gorilla
Savage, 1847
Species
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Genus: Gorilla
I. Geoffroy, 1852
Type species
Troglodytes gorilla
Savage, 1847
distribution of Gorilla
Species
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Mount Vesuvius (Italian: Monte Vesuvio, Latin: Mons Vesuvius) is a volcano east of Naples, Italy. It is the only volcano on the European mainland to have erupted within the last hundred years, although it is not currently erupting.
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John Ford
This image has an uncertain copyright status and is pending deletion. You can comment on the removal.
Birth name John Martin Feeney
Born January 1 1894
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This image has an uncertain copyright status and is pending deletion. You can comment on the removal.
Birth name John Martin Feeney
Born January 1 1894
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All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile
The Hurricane (1937) is a film, directed by John Ford and produced by Samuel Goldwyn, about a tropical cyclone in the Pacific Ocean. It stars Dorothy Lamour and also Jon Hall, with Mary Astor, C.
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IMDb profile
The Hurricane (1937) is a film, directed by John Ford and produced by Samuel Goldwyn, about a tropical cyclone in the Pacific Ocean. It stars Dorothy Lamour and also Jon Hall, with Mary Astor, C.
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tropical cyclone is a meteorological term for a storm system characterized by a low pressure system center and thunderstorms that produces strong wind and flooding rain. A tropical cyclone feeds on the heat released when moist air rises and the water vapor it contains condenses.
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IMDb profile
The April 18, 1906 San Francisco earthquake is the historical background for San Francisco, a 1936 movie romance film starring Clark Gable, Jeannette MacDonald, and Spencer Tracy.
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The April 18, 1906 San Francisco earthquake is the historical background for San Francisco, a 1936 movie romance film starring Clark Gable, Jeannette MacDonald, and Spencer Tracy.
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San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was a major earthquake that struck San Francisco and the coast of northern California at 5:12 A.M. on Wednesday, April 18 1906.[1] The most widely accepted estimate for the magnitude of the earthquake is a moment magnitude (Mw) of 7.
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IMDb profile
In Old Chicago is a 1937 Oscar-winning dramatic film. It tells the story of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, with a fictionalized plot, the story of the two sons of Mrs.
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In Old Chicago is a 1937 Oscar-winning dramatic film. It tells the story of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, with a fictionalized plot, the story of the two sons of Mrs.
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Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned from Sunday October 8 to early Tuesday October 10, 1871, killing hundreds and destroying about four square miles in Chicago, Illinois. Though the fire was one of the largest U.S.
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Carol Reed
Born December 30, 1906
Putney, London, England
Died March 25 1976 (aged 71)
Chelsea, London, England
Spouse(s) Diana Wynyard
(1943-1947)
Penelope Dudley-Ward
(1948-1976)
Awards
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Born December 30, 1906
Putney, London, England
Died March 25 1976 (aged 71)
Chelsea, London, England
Spouse(s) Diana Wynyard
(1943-1947)
Penelope Dudley-Ward
(1948-1976)
Awards
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IMDb profile
The Stars Look Down is a novel by A. J. Cronin, initially published in 1935. It was his fourth novel, and one of his most popular. A film version was produced in 1939, and television adaptations include both Italian (1971) and British (1974) versions.
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The Stars Look Down is a novel by A. J. Cronin, initially published in 1935. It was his fourth novel, and one of his most popular. A film version was produced in 1939, and television adaptations include both Italian (1971) and British (1974) versions.
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worldwide view.
Coal mining is the extraction or removing of coal from the earth for use as fuel. A coal mine and its accompanying structures are collectively known as a colliery. For the world history see History of coal mining.
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North-East England is one of the nine official regions of England and comprises the combined area of Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear and a small part of North Yorkshire.
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