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''Avalanche'' is a 1978
disaster film 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, offensive (military), military/terrorism, terrorist att ...
directed by Corey Allen, featuring Rock Hudson,
Mia Farrow Maria de Lourdes Villiers "Mia" Farrow ( ; born February 9, 1945) is an American actress. She first gained notice for her role as Allison MacKenzie in the television soap opera ''Peyton Place (TV series), Peyton Place'' and gained further recogn ...
,
Robert Forster Robert Wallace Foster Jr. (July 13, 1941 – October 11, 2019), known professionally as Robert Forster, was an American actor. He made his screen debut as Private L.G. Williams in John Huston's '' Reflections in a Golden Eye'' (1967), followed ...
, and
Jeanette Nolan Jeanette Nolan (December 30, 1911 – June 5, 1998) was an American actress. Nominated for four Emmy Awards, she had roles in the television series '' The Virginian'' (1962–1971) and '' Dirty Sally'' (1974) and in films such as ''Macbeth'' ...
. The plot revolves around David Shelby, who owns a
ski resort A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area–a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In North Am ...
in an
avalanche An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a Grade (slope), slope, such as a hill or mountain. Avalanches can be triggered spontaneously, by factors such as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, othe ...
-prone area. As the resort opens with a grand event, tensions arise between David and his ex-wife, Caroline, who is drawn to an environmental photographer named Nick. A tragic avalanche occurs during the festivities, causing significant destruction and loss of life. The film explores the rescue efforts and aftermath, depicting the impact on the characters' lives. ''Avalanche'' was one of the most expensive films made by
New World Pictures New World Pictures (also known as New World Entertainment, New World Communications Group, Inc., and New World International) was an American independent production, distribution, and (in its final years as an autonomous entity) multimedia com ...
, and despite featuring notable stars, it was not a box office success.


Plot

David Shelby, a prosperous owner of a newly established ski resort nestled beneath a snow-laden mountain, extends an invitation to his ex-wife, Caroline Brace, for the grand opening. This event marks the commencement of both a ski tournament and a figure skating competition. Among the diverse array of guests are David's spirited mother, Florence; Bruce Scott, a globally renowned ski champion; and two rival figure skaters. Caroline, a magazine reporter, ended her marriage with David due to his controlling nature. Despite the divorce, David invites her to the resort with the hope of rekindling their relationship. His aspiration is to be the "King of the Mountain," and he boldly chose to open the resort in an area deemed uninhabitable due to frequent avalanches. McDade, a timid bookkeeper, discloses to Florence the challenges David faced, negotiating with land developers and investing his own funds in constructing the resort. While guiding her through the grounds, McDade encounters Nick Thorne, an environmental photographer, who asserts that the resort is environmentally unsafe because of the impending heavy snowfall. However, Nick's warnings are disregarded. Caroline finds herself drawn to Nick, provoking David's ire and revealing his controlling tendencies. Due to bureaucratic hurdles in the resort's construction, David urges a business partner to fly in and resolve matters despite the snow. A lavish party is hosted on the opening night, with dancing and revelry. Following a confrontation about David's controlling behavior, Caroline meets Nick, and they retreat to Nick's cabin. As the night progresses, the snowfall intensifies, adding more weight to the mountain. The next morning, the ski and figure skating events commence, and Nick leaves Caroline in the cabin to mitigate the risk of an avalanche using a snow gun. Tragically, the plane carrying David's business partner crashes into the mountain in low visibility, triggering an avalanche. Massive amounts of snow cascade down, obliterating the ski ramp, skating rink, and the resort, causing significant loss of life. David becomes trapped at the skating rink but manages to free himself. Upon reaching the resort, he discovers McDade and Florence trapped under a staircase in the dining room. A gas leak results in an explosion, causing further injuries and cutting off communication. The town's fire department arrives for rescue, accompanied by a camera crew documenting the destruction. Bruce narrowly escapes the avalanche but is buried alive. The ski ramp collapses, burying everyone except a boy named Jason and Mark Elliott, a television host, dangling from a partly collapsed ski ramp chair. Caroline witnesses the avalanche from the cabin and rushes to the resort, meeting David. After using dynamite and digging through the snow, they rescue McDade and Florence, the latter on the brink of death due to hypothermia. Caroline revives her with mouth-to-mouth and accompanies her to the hospital. Bruce, still alive, is found by a search and rescue team in critical condition. David, along with the fire department, goes to the ski ramp to save Jason and Mark. Despite instructions to fall onto a safety trampoline, an electrical shock occurs, electrocuting Mark. As another ambulance arrives, David and Nick load body bags into a truck. The bridge to the hospital is deemed unsafe due to snow, prompting Nick and David to intercept Caroline and Florence. However, the ambulance skids on ice, crashing into a gorge under the bridge, resulting in the death of the driver and Florence. Arriving moments later, David and Nick rescue Caroline from the edge of the collapsed bridge. Caroline bids farewell to David at the ruined resort. Encountering Nick, they part on good terms, with Nick expressing his appreciation for her as she is. Caroline shares a final moment with David, who confesses the incident is his fault. Expressing her love, she departs, leaving David to confront the aftermath of his shattered achievements.


Cast

* Rock Hudson — David Shelby *
Mia Farrow Maria de Lourdes Villiers "Mia" Farrow ( ; born February 9, 1945) is an American actress. She first gained notice for her role as Allison MacKenzie in the television soap opera ''Peyton Place (TV series), Peyton Place'' and gained further recogn ...
— Caroline Brace *
Robert Forster Robert Wallace Foster Jr. (July 13, 1941 – October 11, 2019), known professionally as Robert Forster, was an American actor. He made his screen debut as Private L.G. Williams in John Huston's '' Reflections in a Golden Eye'' (1967), followed ...
— Nick Thorne *
Jeanette Nolan Jeanette Nolan (December 30, 1911 – June 5, 1998) was an American actress. Nominated for four Emmy Awards, she had roles in the television series '' The Virginian'' (1962–1971) and '' Dirty Sally'' (1974) and in films such as ''Macbeth'' ...
— Florence Shelby * Rick Moses — Bruce Scott * Steve Franken — Henry McDade *
Barry Primus Barry Primus (born February 16, 1938) is an American television and film actor, director, and writer. Career While Primus is primarily an actor, he has also worked as a writer and director in films in which he has acted. For the first decade ...
— Mark Elliott *Cathey Paine — Tina Elliott *
Jerry Douglas Gerald Calvin Douglas (born May 28, 1956) is an American Dobro and lap steel guitar player and record producer. He is widely regarded as "perhaps the finest Dobro player in contemporary acoustic music, and certainly the most celebrated and prol ...
— Phil Prentiss * Antony Carbone – Leo the Coach *
X Brands X Brands (July 24, 1927 – May 8, 2000), sometimes credited as "Jay X. Brands", was an American actor of German ancestry known for his roles on various television series and in some films between 1956 and the late 1970s. His best-known recurring ...
– Marty Brenner


Production

Roger Corman decided to make the film after enjoying success with another disaster movie, ''Tidal Wave'' where he added new footage to a Japanese film. ''Avalanche'' was originally budgeted at $2 million and Gavin Lambert, who wrote '' I Never Promised You a Rose Garden'' for Corman, was hired to do the script. The project spent several years in development. It was eventually directed by Corey Allen, who had previously made the film '' Thunder and Lightning'' for Corman. Allen's appointment was announced in January 1978. Allen himself rewrote Gavin Lambert's script extensively and received a script credit. (Lambert later claimed Allen "dewrote" the script.) Rock Hudson signed to star, saying "I've never done a disaster movie." " "I don’t mind calling it a disaster movie," said Corman, "since disaster movies have never failed to make money." The budget increased to $4 million and was announced at $6.5 million, but Roger Corman cut that amount before production began. Allen was unhappy with the budget cuts and stated that "I don't feel the aims of the film were fulfilled . . . there were heavy pressures on Paul app, the line producer,to bring the film in ahead of schedule, and these I feel were detrimental to the film." The film was shot at the Purgatory Resort north of
Durango, Colorado Durango is the home rule city that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of La Plata County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 19,071 at the 2020 United States census. Durango is the home of Fort Lewis College ...
over an eight-week period. The ski scenes were at Purgatory Ski Resort. The avalanche scenes, in which the people are indoors, were filmed at The Lodge at Tamarron, south of Purgatory. At least one scene was filmed in Durango with the Gaslight Movie Theater in the background, at which one of the premier showings of the film was held. Lewis Teague was second unit director.


Reception

''Avalanche'' was one of the most expensive films ever made by
New World Pictures New World Pictures (also known as New World Entertainment, New World Communications Group, Inc., and New World International) was an American independent production, distribution, and (in its final years as an autonomous entity) multimedia com ...
and was not a success at the box office. The film came out at the same time as New World's ''
Piranha A piranha (, or ; ) is any of a number of freshwater fish species in the subfamily Serrasalminae, of the family Serrasalmidae, in the order Characiformes. These fish inhabit South American rivers, floodplains, lakes and reservoirs. Although ...
''. Corman says that New World thought ''Avalanche'' would be more of a success because "it was more mainstream" and had bigger stars; however, ''Piranha'' was the bigger hit. In hindsight, Corman says this was because ''Piranha'' was "funny and very well directed".


Critical

The ''Los Angeles Times'' called it "a formula disaster picture" but "its well drawn credible people and swift pacing combine to make it a satisfying diversion" although it "plays more like a TV movie than a theatrical release." ''Variety'' said it "combines all the familiar ingredients into a rolling, rushing thriller that will quickly capture its intended audience."


Legacy

John Wilson, founder of the
Golden Raspberry Awards The Golden Raspberry Awards (also known as the Razzies and Razzie Awards) is a parody award show honoring the worst of cinematic failures. Co-founded by UCLA film graduates and film industry veterans John J. B. Wilson and Mo Murphy, the Razzi ...
, included ''Avalanche'' among the 100 Most Enjoyably Bad Movies Ever Made in '' The Official Razzie Movie Guide''. The film was riffed in the 2017 revival of ''
Mystery Science Theater 3000 ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (abbreviated as ''MST3K'') is an American science fiction comedy television series created by Joel Hodgson. The show premiered on WUCW, KTMA-TV (now WUCW) in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on November 24, 1988. It then ...
''.Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return Review - IGN
/ref>
Neil Patrick Harris Neil Patrick Harris (born June 15, 1973) is an American actor, singer, writer, producer, and television host. Primarily known for his comedic television roles and dramatic and musical stage roles, he has received List of awards and nominations ...
guest-starred as Kinga's online boyfriend and magician. Some footage was reused in 1979's
Meteor A meteor, known colloquially as a shooting star, is a glowing streak of a small body (usually meteoroid) going through Earth's atmosphere, after being heated to incandescence by collisions with air molecules in the upper atmosphere, creating a ...
.


References


External links

* *
Said MST3K episode on IMDb
{{Authority control 1978 films 1970s disaster films American disaster films 1970s English-language films 1978 action films New World Pictures films Avalanches in film Films directed by Corey Allen Films produced by Roger Corman Films set at ski resorts 1970s American films English-language action films Mystery Science Theater 3000