The Towering Inferno (1974)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Directors:

John Guillermin
Irwin Allen

Writers:

Richard Martin Stern (novel)
Thomas N. Scortia (novel) ...

Release Date:

14 December 1974 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Thriller | Drama

Tagline:

One Tiny Spark Becomes A Night Of Blazing Suspense.

Plot:

At the opening party of a collosal, but poorly constructed, office building, a massive fire breaks out that threatens to destroy the tower and everyone in it.

Plot Keywords:

Fire | Party | Trapped | Architect | Skyscraper

Awards:

Won 3 Oscars. Another 8 wins & 12 nominations

Cast

Steve McQueen	...	Fire Chief Michael O'Hallorhan
Paul Newman	...	Doug Roberts
William Holden	...	Jim Duncan
Faye Dunaway	...	Susan
Fred Astaire	...	Harlee Claiborne
Susan Blakely	...	Patty Duncan Simmons
Richard Chamberlain	...	Roger Simmons
Jennifer Jones	...	Lisolette Muller
O.J. Simpson	...	Harry Jernigan
Robert Vaughn	...	Senator Gary Parker
Robert Wagner	...	Dan Bigelow
Susan Flannery	...	Lorrie
Sheila Allen	...	Paula Ramsay (as Sheila Mathews)
Norman Burton	...	Will Giddings (as Normann Burton)
Jack Collins	...	Mayor Robert Ramsay

Runtime:

165 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (35 mm magnetic prints) | Mono (35 mm optical prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

France:U | Hungary:16 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (1975) | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:PG | West Germany:16 (w) | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:PG | UK:A

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Ranch, Malibu Creek State Park - 1925 Las Virgenes Road, Calabasas, California, USA

Company:

Irwin Allen Productions

Trivia:

Paul Newman's and Steve McQueen's names are staggered in the opening credits, closing credits, and on the posters so that, depending on which way you read it (top to bottom or left to right), both appear to get top billing. This is known as "diagonal billing", This strategy was being worked on when Newman and McQueen almost co-starred together in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), but McQueen eventually dropped out of the project and was replaced by the lesser known Robert Redford.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When the fire crew slide down the fireman's pole to answer the alarm call the pole can clearly be seen moving from side to side. A real fireman's pole is fixed solidly to both ceiling and floor.

Quotes:

James Duncan: Did you change Doug's electrical specifications?
Roger Simmons: I most certainly did.
James Duncan: For God's sake, why?
Roger Simmons: The reason should be obvious, especially to you.
James Duncan: We've got a fire, and if it was caused by anything you did I'm going to hang you out to dry, then I'm going to hang you.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Retarded Animal Babies (2003) (V)

Soundtrack:

We May Never Love Like This Again

Fire cracker

The all-star blockbuster THE TOWERING INFERNO proves that you can make a bad film that still manages to be a great movie. Contrary to conventional wisdom, special effects and elaborate stunt work can actually be the star of a movie and provide ample compensation for poor writing, clumsy direction and really amateurish acting.

THE TOWERING INFERNO is, of course, a disaster movie, the methodical destruction of a high-rise skyscraper, along with many of its tenants. It came on the heels of THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE and quite honestly is no match for that film's delicious mix of sappy sentimentality and hammy heroics. But, while its dramatic quality is only marginally superior to hack films like AIRPORT '75 and the atrocious EARTHQUAKE, INFERNO provides a masterful blend of audience manipulation and technical craftsmanship. As Paul Newman pointed out to the press, neither he nor his perpetual professional rival Steve McQueen are the star of the film: the fire is the star. And as appropriate to any star, the fire, in all of its glorious mayhem, is lovingly filmed and given a wide berth to overact with style.

The rest of the cast should be so lucky. The remarkable, once-in-a-lifetime cast (Newman, McQueen, Faye Dunaway, William Holden, Fred Astaire, etc.) behave like troopers, even though they are primarily reduced to being little more than high priced props. Most of the scenes involving actual human interaction seem rushed and the inept line readings of the inane dialogue suggest that no one bothered with retakes, let alone rehearsals. But such moments are little more than filler, marking time between some of the most remarkable actions sequences ever filmed. The helicopter rescue of the derailed scenic elevator is heartstoppingly thrilling, even as you realize that it is absolutely physically impossible. And it is overshadowed by the explosive final showdown with the villainous fire. Hollywood has cinematically destroyed greater amounts of real estate, but seldom with such style.

As art, THE TOWERING INFERNO is a fizzle, but as a cheap carnival thrill show it's pretty hot stuff.