“I don’t want that. I want a Bloody Mary.”

Drake’s rating: Whether it’s alligators or avalanches, always listen to Robert Forster

Drake’s review: In the 1970s, Roger Corman was dipping this toes into films that veered away somewhat from the more exploitative fare that his movie company, New World Pictures, was known for. From releasing movies from directors such as Ingmar Bergman and Akira Kurosawa, to producing their own attempt at an Oscar winner with I Never promised You a Rose Garden,* New World was attempting to expand their horizons. But it was Toho’s Nihon Chinbotsu, which Corman re-edited and re-titled as Tidal Wave, that got the legendary producer into the disaster film market. And, much like ‘80s action pics and the more recent superhero films, the ‘70s disaster movies were looked at as sure-fire moneymakers.

So it was that Corman dove headfirst into the world of capsized cruise ships and towering infernos, grabbing a late-career Rock Hudson to play corrupt businessman David Shelby, a man who is finally opening his dream ski resort high up in the snowy mountains of an undisclosed state (but really Colorado). And sure, the area he’s built the resort in is considered high risk, due to the threat of avalanches, but David’s a businessman, darn it! No one’s going to tell him no! He’s greased too many palms and cut too many corners to stop now, and he’s going to open that resort with a bang no matter what.

And because David’s such a self-proclaimed big deal, he’s going to invite everyone to the big shindig that is the resort’s grand opening, and that includes his mother Florence (Jeanette Nolan, Macbeth) and his ex-wife Caroline (Mia Farrow, Rosemary’s Baby). And also some championship skiers and figure skaters so that the second-unit director has something to point the camera at.

But it can’t all be happiness and joy, so Alligator’s Robert Forster waltzes into Avalanche as nature photographer Nick Thorne, the sole voice of reason who keeps questioning the logic of sticking a ski resort in a potential avalanche zone. Which, sure, the man has a point. But then again, if anyone had listened to him then Avalanche would have been a fairly tepid disaster flick, which it definitely is not.

In fact, as far as disaster movies go, Avalanche is a pretty mean one. No one is safe here, even when they think they are. Nameless kitchen workers survive the initial wave of snow and ice that rushes down the mountain only to die in an explosion resulting from a broken gas main and a still-lit pilot light. A skier tries to outrace the avalanche and is buried alive in the snow, only to slowly asphyxiate. And then there’s Florence, who survives all sorts of nonsense only to get loaded into an ambulance with a driver who lacks anything in the way of winter driving skills. Man, Florence gets it worst of all.

The actual avalanche scenes range from “not bad” to “oh, those superimposed shots are physically painful.” Actors and stunt people are assaulted by styrofoam boulders and covered in potato flakes, and that actually works pretty well, especially since those scenes are edited with a deft touch. But the widescreen outdoor disaster scenes are often less convincing. Which is understandable as, especially in 1978, those shots were just plain difficult to pull off.

That’s not the extent of the problems in Avalanche, though. Disaster movies are not only reliant on the catastrophes themselves, but also the plight of any survivors, who must then somehow overcome the odds and attempt to make it through the final reel. Here, most of the victims are given quick exits and there’s not much tension built up around the fates of any survivors. There’s no journey here, nor any real attempt to escape from the predicament that the avalanche has caused, so the story just kind of goes for the big action in the third act, but never builds any real tension.

Avalanche is still a pretty fun watch, though, thanks largely to the cast. Although there are no standout performances, it’s still a solid bunch of veteran actors and they elevate the material enough to keep even the soapy bits entertaining. And it is fun to see the generally likable Hudson take on an abrasive personality and happily grate against the other characters, even as he and Forster’s Nick vie for the affections of Caroline.

Avalanche was not a success for New World, despite it being one of their biggest budgeted movies, and accusatory fingers were pointed as Corman and director Corey Allen each blamed the other. To further put the kibosh on the notion of any future Corman-produced disaster epics, Piranha hit theaters the same summer and was a considerably bigger success for New World on a fraction of Avalanche’s budget. The disaster movie was on the way out, and Corman wisely spent the next few years successfully capitalizing off the success of such well-known films such as Alien and Star Wars before selling New World in 1983.

Although it has its problems, Avalanche still has enough going on that it’s an entertaining watch if you’re in the mood for a disaster flick and you’ve already exhausted all the Irwin Allen classics. And if you’re like Justin and just can’t get enough of ‘70s fashions and music,** then Avalanche has you covered there as well.

Just keep your distance from Bruce the skeevy skier. I think that guy’s bad news.

*The film was nominated for best adapted screenplay, but lost to Oliver Stone’s Midnight Express.

**This may be an over exaggeration. It might also be an outright falsehood.

Intermission!

• Avalanche director Corey Allen was originally an actor, and is probably best known for his role as the doomed Buzz Gunderson in Rebel Without a Cause.
• Director Lewis Teague, of Alligator fame, also worked on this film, directing the avalanche sequences.
• The ice skating sequences were doubled by Cindy Perpich, who had won a silver medal in the junior division of the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in 1977. The skating and skiing segments are both well done here, even though the characters involved amount to little more than brief sketches.
• There’s also a truly bonkers snowmobile race that should have had its own movie. Seriously, it looks like a cross between Mad Max and The Hunger Games.