This classic disaster film from 1974 is based on 2 novels - "The Tower" and "The Glass Inferno". The film works I think because we don't know who will survive except for that fact that Steve McQueen and Paul Newman will obviously get out!
This film has been on TV numerous times and even in these days of real disaster, it's still an exciting film. It must have looked superb on the big screen. It's made by the same person who made "The Poseidon Adventure" - Irwin Allen.
The basic plot of what I think is the ultimate disaster movie, centres around a fire in a multi-storey building. It's part offices, part hotel suites. Guests in the world's biggest skyscraper get trapped at the top of the building when a fire breaks out near the lower floors. The fire is caused by cheap electrical wiring and bad construction. We follow guests as they try and make their way down lifts and stairs,
while smoke and explosions get in the way.
As with most films of this nature, "The Towering Inferno" has an all-star cast, an arrogant official who ignores all the basic safety warnings, a leading man doing his best under the circumstances and of course a no-nonsense hero to sort things out in the end.
The number of stars is quite dazzling. Paul Newman's an architect who isn't sure that the skyscraper should be quite so tall and he thinks he should have used better building materials. He also tries to warn the hotel owner that people have to leave as soon as the fire breaks out. Of course, he's basically told to shut up.
William Holden plays the greedy owner of the building who feels guilt eventually. He sadly has to make the announcement that guests cannot leave the tower by the stairs. What's going to happen?
Steve McQueen is the chief firefighter who gives an angry lecture at the end.
Fred Astaire is a kind old gentleman, for which he was Oscar-nominated. It's amusing to see him try to pay for a 95c taxi ride with a 50 dollar bill!
OJ Simpson plays a security guard who rescues a cat. A cute performance in amongst all the disaster and human tragedy.
Robert Wagner plays a well-to-do husband who is kind enough to let his wife think they are going to be safe when they get trapped in their rooms.
Richard Chamberlain is a rather arrogant and selfish, (if attractive!) know-it-all. Robert Vaughan plays a senator.
Some of the scenes in this film are magnificent. Even the opening titles have a decent-looking Paul Newman riding over the sea in a helicopter. Straight away, you know this is no ordinary film. The most stunning and scary scene involves an outside lift and what happens to the passengers in it as they scramble in, trying to get to the ground to safety. The effects and fires are really quite amazing.
The female members of cast generally take second place here, even though the list includes Faye Dunaway. This is a real 1970s film in the sense that the women are there only to look nice, to be rescued or taken care of. Would anyone dare re-make this for a more modern audience, especially post 11/9? We perhaps know (sadly) that this building would probably be destroyed much more quickly than it is in this film. But where's the suspense in that, in terms of cinema?
If you haven't seen this dozens of times, or you just want to buy a classic film, "The Towering Inferno" was released on video in 1998 and it's also out on DVD.. Prices vary but you can get both from HMV, Virgin and Amazon.
The film is dedicated to real fire-fighters during the opening titles. It's a poignant note, but it also shows that without expert help, the film could not have been made. I recommend watching this if you really haven't seen it already. It's 175 minutes of human interest and adventure blended together with stunning results.
As with all movies, there was and still is a lot of hype surrounding this film. Did Steve McQueen really demand to have the same amount of lines as Paul Newman? Did they both really insist that they get equal billing on the promotional posters? Who knows? But the heated arguments that apparently happened only fanned the flames of publicity.
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Production Year: 2004 - Action/Adventure - Director: Jon Turteltaub - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Justin Bartha, Sean Bean, Jon Voight, Nicolas Cage, Diane Kruger
Production Year: 2002 - Action/Adventure - Director: Vincenzo Natali - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Lucy Liu, David Hewlett, Anne Marie Scheffler, Joseph Scoren, Matthew Sharp, Jeremy Northam
Production Year: 1964 - Action/Adventure - Director: Cyril Endfield - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green
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Advantages: Best disaster movie of the last century Disadvantages: Some very cheesy lines
christianfilmcritic 14.02.2006 (06.12.2006)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of The Towering Inferno (DVD)
Advantages: Best disaster movie of the last century Disadvantages: Some very cheesy lines
christianfilmcritic 14.02.2006 (06.12.2006)
·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of The Towering Inferno (DVD)
![The Towering Inferno [1975] [DVD]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78527502.jpg "The Towering Inferno [1975] [DVD]")
Feb 13th, 2005
(Jul 22nd, 2005)
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