A British fan of The Italian Job has just solved the 1969 cult’s film’s memorable cliffhanger ending.

This is the one where a getaway coach loaded with gold bullion and a gang of robbers got left literally suspended over a cliff in the Italian Alps with the last words of Michael Caine’s dodgy character, Charlie Croker, “Hang on a minute, lads. I’ve got a great idea…”

The solution to this world famous problem of how to save the crook’s lives (and the gold they stole) has been rewarded with the first prize in a Royal Society of Chemistry competition given to the problem-solving fan, Mr Godwin, a father of two from Godalming. His reward: a three day trip to the Italian city of Turin where the original film’s heist took place.

Which got me and a fellow fan of 1970s disaster movies to thinking that maybe somebody could come up with a solution to another movie puzzle: how to flip over the upturned liner in the original 1972 version of The Poseidon Adventure.

You remember the film: a luxury liner is struck on New Year’s Eve by a 90 foot tidal wave and capsized Nine surviving passengers are then led by a disillusioned priest, Gene Hackman, through the inverted ship, narrowly avoiding fires, flooded corridors and explosions to be rescued via a hole cut into what was described as the thinnest part of the ship’s hull.

In 1979 a sequel, Beyond the Poseidon Adventure, showed two rival groups of adventurers arriving at the ship looking for money, gold and plutonium.

These days, the chances of a freak wave large and powerful enough to flip over a ship that weighs thousands of tons actually arriving without any warning is unlikely, for the ship’s radar would provide enough time to both turn the ship and send a May Day message.

Rescuers would then get to the stricken ship as quickly as possible but would be limited by weather conditions.

If such a disaster happened the ship’s emergency lighting would probably get switched on – so survivors could find their way around – hopefully to safety. One way of escaping from the upturned ship would be to look for scuba gear and swim out from under the ship to the surface – preferably after releasing an inflatable lifeboat.

Personally I don’t think you can turn a ship like this except in dry dock – and only then by cutting it apart and putting it back together again.

Rather like Royal Caribbean International’s Enchantment of the Seas which in July 2005 re-entered service after an extreme makeover that included the addition of a new 73-foot midsection and bow-to-stern renovations.

It was the equivalent of taking a huge successful hotel, cutting it in two, vertically, and adding a massive, newly designed extension, sandwiched between the original two halves.

This and other refurbishments was actually done in just 51 days, during which time the liner was shipped across the Atlantic to Holland and back, and reopened for business on the 52nd day, with no serious hiccups.

My fellow movie fan thought it was possible to, at the very least, keep a capsized liner afloat by pumping air into it – although what effect this would have on survivors and boosting existing fires would be worrying.

But we are both agreed that with all the latest technology available there must certainly be some way of righting the ship.

If you think you have a possible solution to turning the Poseidon around please let me know. And if we can overcome one disaster, maybe together we could help bring the world back from the brink of global recession.

James Leavey

Posted in Fun 'n' Games