The Towering Inferno

Rating:
Summary: STILL ONE OF THE BEST DISASTER FLICKS
Review: I have never understood why critics have reviled this 1975 disaster film. In an article on Oscar's "mistakes," they said they couldn't understand how this movie could be nominated for Best Picture; it ended up winning three well deserved Oscars for some of its technical mastery. And why not nominate it? It's what movie making is all about. Big, flashy spectacle; a cast of previous Oscar winners and nominees; extraordinary special effects (remember this was 1975, folks) and a who's gonna get it next waiting around every corner. The whole cast does justice to their roles, even if they are stereotypes. Isn't that what a successful disaster movie requires? Some of the supporting players like Susan Flannery and Robert Vaughn did very well with the bigger name stars, too. And the DVD transfer maintains the lush colors and cinematography, and the chills are still there. When all is said and done, this is a great disaster film and poopoo to those who like to undermine its power.

Rating:
Summary: Good disaster movie
Review: This movie hooked me. It's a long movie, running just over two and a half hours, but the story moves along at such a pace that it keeps you interested. THE TOWERING INFERNO was one of the best disaster films of the 70s. While the building looked pretty fake, the special effects were well done, and it was a good script overall. The acting was good too. When I watched it I kept thinking that this kind of terror could only happen in movies, but this isn't true, since we had the tragedy of September 11 2001. This is a movie worth seeing in my opinion.

Rating:
Summary: The best of the '70's disaster epics
Review: "The Towering Inferno" (1974) is by far the best of the '70's disaster epics, with only "Airport" (1970) and "The Poseidon Adventure" (1972) in the same league. A fast-paced 165-minute thrill ride with an impressive all-star cast and terrific special effects, it stands head-and-shoulders above the rest of the cheezy pack of disaster bombs, many of which were produced by "Inferno"'s own producer/co-director Irwin Allen, the so-called "master of disaster."

(A note: John Guillerman is the credited director, but he only worked on the dramatic sequences. Allen is credited as "action sequences director," which means he helmed probably three-quarters of the film.)

Actually, in 1974, "The Towering Inferno" was such a massive undertaking that two studios (Warner Bros. and Twentieth Century-Fox) combined to make it, which was unheard of in the days of the Hollywood studio system. This enabled Allen to put together a budget that allowed him to hire a top cast including above-title players Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, William Holden and Faye Dunaway. Add screen legends Fred Astaire and Jennifer Jones, TV superstars Richard Chamberlain, Robert Vaughn and Robert Wagner, gridiron great (and future pariah) O.J. Simpson, up-and-coming starlet Susan Blakely and future soap queen Susan Flannery and for once you have a true all-star cast instead of a group of cut-rate comics and out-of-work sitcom stars.

The plot revolves around the grand opening of the world's tallest building, the 135-floor "Glass Tower," which sits in the middle of San Francisco. The penthouse ballroom is packed with partygoers when a small fire breaks out fifty floors below. By the time fire chief McQueen orders stubborn builder Holden to move the party downstairs, it is too late. The fire has spread and authorities have to figure out how to evacuate 200 people before the quickly-spreading fire engulfs the ballroom.

What makes "The Towering Inferno" work so well is the cliffhanger aspect of the plot. Unlike the "Airport" movies, the vastness of the building allows for multiple rescue attempts throughout the building, so once the fire starts, the action doesn't let up for nearly two hours. There simply is no need for the filler and dead space that made, say, "Airport 1975" such a chore to sit through. Some of the best action set-pieces: McQueen's almost single-handed rescuing of the packed glass elevator, Newman and Jones rescuing two children by journeying up through the fire-ravaged building, and the final last-ditch attempt to douse the fire and save the remaining victims.

Unfortunately, the film is marred somewhat by a cold-blooded tendency to kill off castmembers in as violent a manner as possible. One popular cast member's death, in fact, is so unexpected and disturbing the audience I first saw the film with booed and groaned when it happened (hint: it involves the glass elevator). And considering the events of 9/11/01, the entire premise of the film and the sight of people falling 135 stories to their deaths will be highly disturbing and offensive to some. That's probably why the film, which aired frequently on AMC before that tragedy, never seems to be shown anymore, so a word of caution seems to be in order.

As for the cast, everyone performs with earnestness and competence, with McQueen and Newman standing out with forceful performances as the heroes, along with a touching Jones as a lonely widow who is being romanced by con man Fred Astaire. (In fact, Astaire received the cast's sole Oscar nomination, and he was actually favored to win over Robert Deniro in "Godfather, Part II"; fortunately, the Academy came to its senses.) As for Simpson, unfortunately this is the only one of his '70's films in which he doesn't die, but don't worry: he has only a handful of scenes, then he disappears after saving Jones' cat only to make a brief appearance at the end.

Yes, "The Towering Inferno" relies heavily on cliches. And, yes, the establishing scenes are at times laughably bad. And it DEFINITELY didn't deserve to be nominated for Best Picture of 1974 alongside "Chinatown," "The Conversation," "Lenny," and "The Godfather Part II," and over such worthy classics as "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore" and "Young Frankenstein." But for what it is, it is top-of-the-line, and next to other disaster epics of the day, it is "Citizen Kane." Fans will love it, and will forgive its flaws and the limitations of the genre.

My only complaint: the bare-bones DVD presentation, with 2:35:1 widescreen and remastered sound and picture and nothing else. Even the special edition VHS copy has a making-of featurette and the original trailer. So, hopefully, Fox DVD will get on the ball.

Until then, the film rates **** (out of *****) while the DVD rates **.

Rating:
Summary: SHATTERED GLASS!
Review: The Glass Tower, San Francisco's tallest building, stands out as an awesome superstructure, and the new icon of the city. On the night of the dedication ceremony, a seemingly harmless fire erupts 50 floors beneath the partying crowd. The fire quickly spreads, and the 300 guests on the 130th floor, realize they are in a race against time for survival. This is a true classic, an epic film, featuring phenomenal special effects, great cinematography, and a powerful and dramatic sound track, from one of the most famous film composers of all time, John Williams. The magnificent all star cast consists of Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, Richard Chamberlain, William Holden, Robert Wagner, Faye Dunaway, Fred Astaire, and Jennifer Jones.

There were some awesome good guys in this film, but it was the bad guy, Roger Simmons, played by the amazing Richard Chamberlain, who got everyone's attention. When the building electrician, Roger Simmons, intentionally skimps on materials, leading to faulty wiring, his inefficiency causes the building to blaze, but Richard Chamberlain, with his devastating good looks, had his fans hearts ablaze, long before the fire broke out. It's no wonder the building becomes an inferno; Richard Chamberlain causes sparks to fly wherever he goes. As his most ardent fan, I just wanted the other stars to move out of his way, and the smoke to clear, so I could get a clear glimpse of his beautiful face.

In an interview with Larry King, Richard Chamberlain felt he played the role incorrectly, and should have left the sinister aspect of Simmon's personality for later. He also admitted he was a bit afraid of Paul Newman, and should have been stronger in his scenes with the actor. Not so! Richard Chamberlain was delicious in his wickedness, and it was his nasty, surly attitude, that stood up so powerfully to Newman, in their scenes together. He held his own! He was so good at being selfish, devious, and devilish, everyone hated him, and actually cheered his demise. Now, that is superb acting!

The movie has everything: subplots with lots of interesting twists and turns, triumphs and tragedies, outstanding special effects, a magnificent all-star cast, a breath-taking soundtrack, awesome cinematography, all working together to make this one of the best disaster spectaculars of all time.

Rating:
Summary: Better Than It Has Right To Be
Review: Towering Inferno is one of the top two of the seventies cycle of disaster films (the other, of course, being the Poseidon Adventure) and, by all reckoning, it probably should have been a big a disaster (pardon the expression) cinematically as Earthquake or The Swarm. There is the faded star Love Boat-style in the casting, particularly with Jennifer Jones and Fred Astaire, although with better than average choices in still-hot stars, Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, and an underused Faye Dunaway, and odd guest stars such as O.J. Simpson and Bobby Brady of the Brady Bunch. But it always manages to feel better than the sum of its disparate parts. Sadly, 9-11 itself adds an element of terror to the film from the moment Robert Wagner falls flaming from the building to Steve McQueen's final line. But even without those potent resonances, the movie is quite gripping as it often rises above its cliche-ridden script. A interesting and exciting example of a certain style of popular seventies cinema.

Rating:
Summary: Something missing?
Review: I bought this in tandem with "The Poseidon Adventure" (the granddaddy of all the disaster flicks, still a favorite and superbly restored on DVD) but I was less than pleased with "The Towering Inferno" on DVD. If memory serves, several small but relevant scenes are missing: why Paul Newman's architect character was away at the beginning of the film (He was hoping to design an environment-friendly community in the Pacific Northwest and chuck the big-city life); what exactly Robert Wagner's job was (The Glass Tower's PR man) and why only one of the three scenic elevators was working (A dock strike in Japan held up delivery of the extra elevator cables, as William Holden explains). Also, Maureen McGovern's rendition of "We May Never Love Like This Again" is truncated. Finally, a lot of the background soundtrack seems murky. OK, this is very geeky stuff, but I remember this movie well, and a guilty pleasure should be enjoyed in all of its restored, cheesy glory. I love this flick, but am not crazy about this version.