A disaster film or disaster movie is a film genre that has an impending or ongoing disaster as its subject and primary plot device. Such disasters may include natural disasters, accidents,

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

/ terrorist attacks or global catastrophes such as a pandemic. A subgenre of

action films Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include life ...

, these films usually feature some degree of build-up, the disaster itself, and sometimes the aftermath, usually from the point of view of specific individual characters or their families or portraying the survival tactics of different people. These films often feature large casts of actors and multiple plot lines, focusing on the characters' attempts to avert, escape or cope with the disaster and its aftermath. The genre came to particular prominence during the 1970s with the release of high-profile films such as ''

Airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surfa ...

'' (1970), followed in quick succession by '' The Poseidon Adventure'' (1972), ''

Earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, fr ...

'' (1974) and '' The Towering Inferno'' (1974). The casts are generally made up of familiar character actors. Once the disaster begins in the film, the characters are usually confronted with human weaknesses, often falling in love and almost always finding a villain to blame. The films usually feature a persevering hero or heroine ( Charlton Heston, Steve McQueen, etc.) called upon to lead the struggle against the threat. In many cases, the "evil" or "selfish" individuals are the first to succumb to the conflagration. The genre experienced a renewal in the 1990s boosted by computer-generated imagery (CGI) and large studio budgets which allowed for greater spectacle, culminating in the cinematic phenomenon that was James Cameron's ''

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, Unite ...

'' in 1997.

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 A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

portrayed a burning house and the firemen who arrive to quench the flames and rescue the inhabitants. Origins of the genre can also be found in ''

In Nacht und Eis ''In Nacht und Eis'' (English: "In Night and Ice"), also called ''Der Untergang der Titanic'' ("The Sinking of the ''Titanic''") and ''Shipwrecked in Icebergs'' in the US, is a 1912 German adventure-disaster drama film about the sinking of RMS ...

'' (1912), about the sinking of the ''

''; ''Atlantis'' (1913), also about the ''Titanic''; the Danish '' The End of the World'' (1916), (about a comet); ''

Noah's Ark Noah's Ark ( he, תיבת נח; Biblical Hebrew: ''Tevat Noaḥ'')The word "ark" in modern English comes from Old English ''aerca'', meaning a chest or box. (See Cresswell 2010, p.22) The Hebrew word for the vessel, ''teva'', occurs twice in ...

'' (1928), the Biblical story from Genesis about the great flood; '' Deluge'' (1933), about tidal waves devastating

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

; '' King Kong'' (1933), with a gigantic

gorilla Gorillas are herbivorous, predominantly ground-dwelling great apes that inhabit the tropical forests of equatorial Africa. The genus ''Gorilla'' is divided into two species: the eastern gorilla and the western gorilla, and either four ...

rampaging through New York City; and '' The Last Days of Pompeii'' (1935), dealing with the Mount Vesuvius volcanic eruption in 79 AD.

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), known professionally as John Ford, was an American film director and naval officer. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of his generation. He ...

's '' The Hurricane'' (1937) concluded with the striking sequence of a

tropical cyclone A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Dep ...

ripping through a fictional South Pacific island. The drama ''

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...

'' (1936) depicted the historic 1906 San Francisco earthquake, while ''

In Old Chicago ''In Old Chicago'' is a 1938 American disaster musical drama film directed by Henry King. The screenplay by Sonya Levien and Lamar Trotti was based on the Niven Busch story, "We the O'Learys". The film is a fictionalized account about the G ...

'' (1937) recreated

The Great Chicago Fire The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned in the American city of Chicago during October 8–10, 1871. The fire killed approximately 300 people, destroyed roughly of the city including over 17,000 structures, and left more than 10 ...

which burned through the city in 1871. Carol Reed's 1939 film, ''

The Stars Look Down ''The Stars Look Down'' is a 1935 novel by A. J. Cronin which chronicles various injustices in an English coal mining community. A film version was released in 1940, and television adaptations include both Italian (1971) and British (1975) v ...

'', examines a catastrophe at a coal mine in North-East England. Inspired by the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

and the beginning of the Atomic Age,

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

films of the 1950s, including '' When Worlds Collide'' (1951), '' The War of the Worlds'' (1953) and ''

Godzilla, King of the Monsters! is a 1956 ''kaiju'' film directed by Terry O. Morse and Ishirō Honda. It is a heavily re-edited American localization, commonly referred to as an "Americanization", of the 1954 Japanese film '' Godzilla''. The film was a Japanese-American c ...

'' (1956), routinely used world disasters as plot elements. This trend would continue with ''

The Deadly Mantis ''The Deadly Mantis'' is a 1957 American science fiction monster film produced by William Alland for Universal-International. The film was directed by Nathan Juran from a screenplay by Martin Berkeley based on a story by producer William Alland ...

'' (1957), '' The Day the Earth Caught Fire'' (1961) and ''

Crack in the World ''Crack in the World '' is a 1965 American science-fiction doomsday disaster movie filmed in Spain. It is about scientists who launch a nuclear missile into the Earth's crust, to release the geothermal energy of the magma below; but accidentally ...

'' (1965). Volcanic disasters would also feature in films such as '' The Devil at 4 O'Clock'' (1961) starring

Spencer Tracy Spencer Bonaventure Tracy (April 5, 1900 – June 10, 1967) was an American actor. He was known for his natural performing style and versatility. One of the major stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, Tracy was the first actor to win two cons ...

and Frank Sinatra, and the 1969 epic ''

Krakatoa, East of Java ''Krakatoa, East of Java'' is a 1968 American disaster film starring Maximilian Schell and Brian Keith. During the 1970s, the film was re-released under the title ''Volcano''. The story is loosely based on events surrounding the 1883 eruption o ...

'' starring Maximilian Schell. As in the silent film era, the sinking of the ''

'' would continue to be a popular disaster with filmmakers and audiences alike.

Werner Klingler Karl Adolf Kurt Werner Klingler (23 October 1903 – 23 June 1972) was a German film director and actor. He directed 29 films between 1936 and 1968. He was born in Stuttgart and died in Berlin, Germany. Early life Klingler acquired his f ...

and Herbert Selpin released the epic film ''

'' in 1943. The film was soon banned in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

and its director, Selpin, was allegedly executed. The film was a staple for all Titanic films, and scenes became stock footage for the British version.

Clifton Webb Webb Parmelee Hollenbeck (November 19, 1889 – October 13, 1966), known professionally as Clifton Webb, was an American actor, singer, and dancer. He worked extensively and was known for his stage appearances in the plays of Noël Coward, i ...

and Barbara Stanwyck starred in the 1953

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Disn ...

production ''

'', followed by the highly regarded British 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 Oscar for Best Visual Effects. 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! ''Zero Hour!'' is a 1957 drama film directed by Hall Bartlett from a screenplay by Bartlett, Arthur Hailey, and John Champion. It stars Dana Andrews, Linda Darnell, and Sterling Hayden and features Peggy King, Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch, Ge ...

'' (1957), written by

Arthur Hailey Arthur Frederick Hailey, AE (5 April 1920 – 24 November 2004) was a British-Canadian novelist whose plot-driven storylines were set against the backdrops of various industries. His books, which include such best sellers as ''Hotel'' (1965), ...

(who also penned the 1968 novel ''

'') about an airplane crew that succumbs to food poisoning; ''

Jet Storm ''Jet Storm'' (also known as ''Jet Stream'' or ''Killing Urge'') is a 1959 British thriller film directed and co-written by Cy Endfield. Richard Attenborough stars with Stanley Baker, Hermione Baddeley and Diane Cilento. The film is a precurso ...

'' and '' Jet Over the Atlantic'', two 1959 films both featuring attempts to blow up an airplane in mid-flight; ''

The Crowded Sky ''The Crowded Sky'' is a 1960 Technicolor drama film distributed by Warner Bros., produced by Michael Garrison, directed by Joseph PevneyThe Doomsday Flight ''The Doomsday Flight'' is a 1966 television- thriller film written by Rod Serling and directed by William Graham. The cast includes Jack Lord, Edmond O'Brien, Van Johnson, Katherine Crawford, John Saxon, Richard Carlson and Ed Asner.

'' (1966), written by Rod Serling and starring Edmond O'Brien as a disgruntled aerospace engineer who plants a barometric pressure bomb on an airliner built by his former employer set to explode when the airliner descends for landing.

1970s peak

The golden age of the disaster film began in 1970 with the release of ''

''. A huge financial success, earning more than $100 million ($713 million in 2022-adjusted dollars) at the box office, the film was directed by George Seaton and starred Burt Lancaster, Dean Martin, George Kennedy, Jacqueline Bisset and Helen Hayes. 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 Hayes. The 1972 release of '' The Poseidon Adventure'' was another huge financial success, notching an impressive $84 million in US/Canada gross rental theatrical rentals ($592 Million in 2022-adjusted dollars); 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 overturned by a giant wave triggered by an earthquake. ''The Poseidon Adventure'' was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Supporting Actress for Shelley Winters, and winning for Original Song and receiving a Special Achievement Award for visual effects. The trend reached its zenith in 1974 with the release of '' The Towering Inferno'', ''

,'' and '' Airport 1975'' (the first ''Airport'' sequel). The competing films enjoyed staggering success at the box office, with ''The Towering Inferno'' earning $116 million ($697 million in 2022-adjusted dollars), ''Earthquake'' earning $79 million ($475 million in 2022-adjusted dollars), and ''Airport 1975'' earning $47 million ($282 million in 2022-adjusted dollars) in theatrical rentals. Arguably the greatest of the 1970s disaster films, ''The Towering Inferno'' was a joint venture of

and Warner Bros. 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 ''Beyond the Poseidon Adventure'' is a 1979 American action-adventure disaster film and a sequel to '' The Poseidon Adventure'' (1972) directed by Irwin Allen and starring Michael Caine and Sally Field. It was a critical and commercial box office ...

'' and ''

When Time Ran Out ''When Time Ran Out...'' is a 1980 American disaster film directed by James Goldstone and starring Paul Newman, Jacqueline Bisset and William Holden. The supporting cast features James Franciscus, Ernest Borgnine, Red Buttons, Burgess Meredith, ...

...''). 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 Original Song. ''Earthquake'' was also honored with four Academy Award nominations for its impressive special effects of a massive earthquake leveling the city of

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

, 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, Geneviève Bujold, George Kennedy and Lorne Greene. It was noted as the first film to utilize

Sensurround Sensurround is the brand name for a process developed by Cerwin-Vega in conjunction with Universal Studios to enhance the audio experience during film screenings, specifically for the 1974 film ''Earthquake''. The process was intended for subsequent ...

, where massive subwoofer speakers were installed in theaters to recreate the vibrating sensation of an earthquake. Several made-for-TV movies also capitalized on the craze, including ''

Heatwave! ''Heatwave!'' is an American disaster movie that was broadcast on the ABC television network on January 26, 1974. It was an ABC Movie of the Week. Its running time was 90 minutes. The film was directed by Jerry Jameson, produced by Herbert F ...

'' (1974), ''The Day the Earth Moved'' (1974), ''

Hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Dep ...

'' (1974), '' Flood!'' (1976) and '' Fire!'' (1977). 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 In most levels of professional American football, the two-minute warning is a suspension of play that occurs when two minutes remain on the game clock in each half of a game, i.e., near the end of the second and fourth quarters, and overtime. It ...

'' (1976), starring Charlton Heston; '' Black Sunday'' (1977), starring Robert Shaw; ''

Rollercoaster A roller coaster, or rollercoaster, is a type of amusement ride that employs a form of elevated railroad track designed with tight turns, steep slopes, and sometimes inversions. Passengers ride along the track in open cars, and the rides are ...

'' in Sensurround (1977), starring George Segal; ''

Damnation Alley ''Damnation Alley'' is a 1969 science fiction novel by American writer Roger Zelazny, based on a novella published in 1967. A film adaptation of the novel was released in 1977. Plot introduction The story opens in a post-apocalyptic Southern ...

'' (1977), starring Jan-Michael Vincent; ''

Avalanche An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a slope, such as a hill or mountain. Avalanches can be set off spontaneously, by such factors as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, animals, and ea ...

'' (1978), starring

Rock Hudson Rock Hudson (born Roy Harold Scherer Jr.; November 17, 1925 – October 2, 1985) was an American actor. One of the most popular movie stars of his time, he had a screen career spanning more than three decades. A prominent heartthrob in the Gold ...

; ''

Gray Lady Down ''Gray Lady Down'' is a 1978 American submarine disaster film directed by David Greene and starring Charlton Heston, David Carradine, Stacy Keach, Ned Beatty, Ronny Cox and Rosemary Forsyth, and includes the feature film debut of Christop ...

'' (1978), also starring Charlton Heston; ''

'' (a 1979 remake of John Ford's 1937 film), starring Jason Robards; and '' City on Fire'' (1979), starring Barry Newman. '' Skyjacked'' (1972) was a less-successful entry into the disaster film canon, following on the heels of ''Airport'' but preceding its sequel ''Airport 1975''. The ''Airport'' series would continue with ''

Airport '77 ''Airport '77'' is a 1977 American air disaster film, and the third installment of the ''Airport'' film series. The film stars a number of veteran actors including Jack Lemmon, James Stewart, Joseph Cotten, Olivia de Havilland, and Brenda Vac ...

'' (1977) and '' The Concorde ... Airport '79'' (1979), with George Kennedy portraying the character Joe Patroni in each sequel. ''The Poseidon Adventure'' was followed by the sequel ''

'' (1979). The genre began to burn out by the late-1970s when the big-budget films '' The Swarm'' (1978), '' Meteor'' (1979), ''Hurricane'' (1979), ''The Concorde ... Airport '79'' (1979), ''Beyond the Poseidon Adventure'' (1979) and ''

...'' (1980) performed poorly at the box office, signaling declining interest in the disaster film product. Although '' The Big Bus'' (1976), an earlier disaster film spoof, had failed to be a hit, 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, '' Airplane II: The Sequel'', in 1982.

1990s revival

The resurgence of big-budget productions of the genre—aided by advancements in CGI technology during the 1990s—include such films as '' Twister'', '' Independence Day'', '' Daylight'', ''

Dante's Peak ''Dante's Peak'' is a 1997 American disaster thriller film directed by Roger Donaldson, written by Leslie Bohem, and starring Pierce Brosnan, Linda Hamilton, and Charles Hallahan. The film is set in the fictional town of Dante's Peak where the in ...

'', ''

Volcano A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates ...

'', '' Hard Rain'', '' Deep Impact'', and '' Armageddon''. In 1997, James Cameron produced, wrote and directed a version of the epic story of the ''

''. The film combined romance with intricate special effects and was a massive success, becoming the highest-grossing film of all time (which it remained for twelve years) with over $2.1 billion worldwide; it won 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.

References

External links

Disaster Movie Bibliography (via UC Berkeley)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Disaster Film Film genres Thriller genres Thrillers

Origins

1970s peak

1990s revival

See also

References

Further reading

External links