The "secret" pattern behind the classic 1970s disaster movies

[ckd]

The biggest 1970s disaster movies correspond directly to the four classical elements.

• Airport (1970): air
• The Poseidon Adventure (1972): water
• The Towering Inferno (1974): fire
• Earthquake (1974): earth

Perhaps Irwin Allen was actually the reincarnation of Empedocles? (Leaving aside the fact that he only made two of the four.)

Comments

[anne]

Too bad it doesn't work for the Asian elements, because I really want to put in Airplane! for metal...

[calimac]

Heard of: 3.

Seen: 1. (Airport. I also read the book.)

[gingicat]

Heh.

Nice to see you!

[hudebnik]

Does "Jaws" (1975, again with the water) count as a disaster movie?

And "Hurricane" (1974, presumably air and water) seems to have been a dud, so not "biggest".

[ckd]

I think of Jaws as more of a monster/horror movie than a disaster movie, since it lacks the scale, "trapped in a situation", and all-star cast aspects that I consider part of the "disaster movie" genre. "Screw this, I'm gonna skip swimming and go have ice cream" is a simple way to stay out of danger in that scenario.

[selki]

Ha, my siblings and I were talking about *The Poseidon Adventure* and *The Towering Inferno* just yesterday afternoon! I've seen parts of 1, 2, and 3; one of my sisters has watched TPA multiple times and loves it. We were trying to think of other disaster movies of the time, but didn't think of the elements angle.

[minoanmiss]

bwee

[athenais]

How did I never think of this? I saw all those movies and thought about them a lot for my Film as Literature class in 1975. Wow!