The Towering Inferno

Buy This Item The Towering Inferno by 20th Century Fox  Available from Amazon  $9.98  on 11-16-2008     Disaster movies used to work because there was little certainty as to who would survive. Not so in this film, really an amalgam of two original stories, about a group of well-to-do celebrants at the top floor of a skyscraper. Cheapo electrical wiring and bad construction management cause an enormous blaze at the lower floors, steadily rising to consume the revelers. Newman's an architect, McQueen a firefighter, and Fred Astaire a kind old gentleman, for which he was Oscar-nominated. O.J. Simpson plays a security guard who rescues a cat. Now that's a disaster. <i>--Keith Simanton</i> Reader Reviews Following up his 1972 disaster blockbuster "The Poseidon Adventure", Irwin Allen sat in the director's chair and traded in a sinking ship for a burning skyscraper. Why should someone still find interest in this film, some might ask? First, this film has an all-star cast that is one of the heaviest of its time. It is sometimes argued as to who is the "star" of this film, but the fact is, the film is full of stars who all have an important role in the drama that plays out before the viewer. However, standing tall in this crowd is Steve McQueen as a humble yet no-nonsense fireman (Chief O'Hallorhan) along with Paul Newman, who plays the role of an Architect (Doug Roberts). The film starts out by introducing various characters that are both part of the new buildings ownership and design, as well as its various guests and employees who are all present for a grand opening for the tower being deemed the world's tallest building. If those two aren't enough to keep enough attention, there is the beautiful grace of Faye Dunaway, Susan Blakely and Jennifer Jones. Stalwart Hollywood mainstays such as William Holden, the great Fred Astaire, Richard Chamberlain, Robert Vaughn and Robert Wagner are also keys to the overall success of this film. The production of this film, for its time, is truly something to behold. Recreating a massive fire within a high-rise building such as this is no easy task, and the stunts and effects of bottomless shafts and burning carnage are still realistic enough to add continuous moods of hopelessness to the situations the various people face during the disaster. Make no mistake, this film is not just two hours of firefighters cutting through doors and damsels in distress being rescued from precarious situations, for the relationships and drama that abound in first half of the film are just as interesting and important as the chaos that ensues. McQueen is fabulous as the fire chief, applying at times, a sarcastic wit to the idiocy of the situation and why it came about in the first place. Newman is also perfect as an intelligent Architect who realizes nearly too late that a budget cut has undermined his fine craft and allowed for a possible disaster to unfold. The Towering Inferno is nothing to pass off, with main characters meeting their doom while others still cling to life, albeit one smoke filled floor at a time. The film retains and good deal of suspense, drama and heroics after all these years, and the teamwork as well as tension that mingles within all the characters involved makes for a well paced drama. Looking at the film now, there are some lessons that might be learned. When the film was released, some people associated with the construction of such tall structures bashed it for falsely portraying a situation they said would never happen. Less than six months after people viewed the film, a fire broke out on one of the floors of the World Trade Towers. The film actually did raise questions on the street and push for tougher safety standards within the then stagnant building codes. Filming wrapped up on September 11th, and with then football star O.J. Simpson playing the part of a security guard, it seems to add a somewhat ominous tone to it all. Fans of this film will find the 2nd disc of this Collector's addition worthwhile, with multiple interviews with cast members in recent years as well as a stockpile of interesting footage on the vast production efforts that include the many sets and design concepts that went into creating such a film before the Computer Enhancements of years later made it easy.

The Towering Inferno Available from Amazon Price: $9.98 Updated on 11-16-2008.

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