The towering inferno appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2. Released in the united states on november 15, 1974, earthquake ranked third among the highgrossing film of the year. Towering inferno on dvd 086162104299 from 20th century fox. Within minutes the gala event turns into a hellish inferno, as a raging fire traps societys most prominent citizens on the top floor.
Scenespecific commentary by mike vezina, special effects director on xmen. The towering inferno firstrate visual spectacle the new. The movie will also be remembered for producing one of the most awkward screen moments of all time, with fred astaire and o. However, as patrick said, it hasnt aged particularly well and today remains mainly watchable only as a. When i was an impressionable teenager in 1975 i saw towering inferno 4 times at the cinema, still a record for me, and despite the years and jaded view of middle age, this is still a thrilling film, mainly because the effects are so realistic, no cgi then, and the characters are. The towering inferno the towering inferno 1974 is the towering accomplishment of the 1970s cinema of disaster. If there was one common denominator for the 1974 disaster flick the towering inferno, it was. Though the films eight academy award nominations may seem laughable today, theres no denying infernos strength at tapping the eras sense of morbid paranoia. The towering inferno is a 1974 american disaster film produced by irwin allen featuring an.
Winner of three academy awards, this sepctacular suspense thriller features dazzling special effects and a star studded cast including paul newman, steve mcqueen, william holden and faye dunaway. The towering inferno is one of his better works, and its no exception to any of these rules. This may sound absurd, but the towering inferno had a profound effect on my life. Though not a bad presentation, the transfer disappointed. When i was an impressionable teenager in 1975 i saw towering inferno 4 times at the cinema, still a record for me, and despite the years and jaded view of middle age, this is still a thrilling film, mainly because the effects are so realistic, no cgi then, and the characters are so presented well if a bit archly at times. With magnificent special effects and a neverending number of fiery death traps, the film cranks up the temperature and keeps it at a fever pitch. With only a few seventiesera limitations revealed by the highdef format of the film, the towering inferno still holds strong as the benchmark of what disaster movies the kind of films roland emmerich attempts to make should be all about.
The 1974 irwin allen disaster blockbuster, the towering inferno, a follow up to his 1972 hit, the poseidon adventure, with another true all star cast. The best scene in the irwin allenproduced disaster blockbuster the towering inferno comes fairly early. It had a huge starstudded cast, state of the art special effects, spectacular stunts and. Thats why our attitude toward the films cardboard characters is. Jul, 2016 the behind the scenes drama of 1974s the towering inferno. Orsatti, faye dunaway was often late to the set or didnt appear at all.
The towering inferno was released in theatres on december 14, 1974. The star also came to the rescue of special effects crewman gary. Robinson book author fred koenekamp cinematographer harold kress editor herman lewis soundsound designer irwin allen director, producer jim freeman cinematographer joel hirschhorn songwriter john a. The star also came to the rescue of special effects crewman gary king when one of the mammoth water hoses broke and. The glass tower is a fictitious building from the movie the towering inferno, and if youve seen the movie, the entire building isnt really shown especially the elaborate plaza base, and the back was never modeled. Thus was born the towering inferno, a stunningly made, tension filled gem. The towering inferno is a 1974 american disaster film produced by irwin allen featuring an ensemble cast led by paul newman and steve mcqueen. A huge glass tower block, touted as the tallest building in the world, bursts into flame on its opening night. Its a technical achievement more concerned with special effects than with people.
An allstar cast includes steve mcqueen as michael ohallorhan, the fire chief determined to get the blaze under control, while paul newman stars as embarrassed architect doug roberts, trapped inside with fellow guests fred astaire, richard chamberlain and robert wagner. It all came back to me thenthe genesis of the film the towering inferno. The spx of an inferno the art of towering irwin allen. The towering inferno, one of irwin allens best efforts as movie producer, actually probably his best effort considering the other disaster film that came after in the late 70s irwin allen who was producer of the film also directed some scenes aswell even thou john guillerman was credited as director for the film. The towering inferno is a brawny blockbuster of a movie, by far the best of. Huge set pieces and detailed production design welcomes the audience in, in its luxuriously behemoth paragon that falls like adequacy outweighs potential.
On the bright side, itll take much longer for the towering inferno to be pillaged by a modern remake, a fate already endured more than once by the poseidon adventure. The towering inferno 1974 the towering inferno 1974. The towering inferno crackles alight with a dtshd master audio 5. Irwin allen produced the film as well as directed the major action. The towering inferno is one of the greatest disaster pictures made, a personal and professional triumph for producer irwin allen. A great deal of the sonic action is front weighted with nice, clear dialogue being delivered among the devastation. Considering that the towering inferno was the biggest film of 1974 it was.
The widow of the director and producer, irwin allen, shirley appeared in some of her husbands productions in minor roles, including the poseidon adventure 1972 and the towering inferno 1974 in which she is pictured. The towering inferno 1974 directed by john guillermin. As a member of the special effects crew working on the film and personally. Bigger, grander, and more elaborate than any of the similar fare which preceded it, the towering inferno towered at the boxoffice, too. The towering inferno became the biggest of the seventies cycle of disaster movies, which began four years earlier with airport. This made some scenes impossible to film and caused other actors such as william holden and jennifer jones to become quite upset. To see cinema legends such as newman, mcqueen, holden and astaire doing their stuff is. Its also a movie to make me happy i dont live in a highrise. A fascinating behind the scenes insight into the making of the epic disaster film the towering inferno. Forgotten gems of visual effects part three the towering inferno 1974 as a kid in the 1960s, i was shaped considerably by the numerous television shows of irwin allen, where much excitement, spectacle and out of this world adventure was to be had on a weekly basis. Jun 18, 2017 chief ohallorhan steve mcqueen, the towering inferno. Leads paul newman and steve mcqueen were superstars.
The towering inferno is a brawny blockbuster of a movie, by far the best of the mid1970s wave of disaster films. I first saw the movie during its initial theatrical release in 1974, when i was but seven years old. Ill be frank i cant really call this movie a timeless classic only that i know that o. A great deal of the sonic action is front weighted with nice. A classic thats right up there with the poseiden adventure, airport, earthquake, the hindenburg, etc. The film was initially released on dvd by 20th century fox home entertainment on april 15, 2003, with a special edition released on may 9, 2006. Jan 21, 2014 john landis famously said that the problem with special effects shots is that when they turn out good, directors want to use every foot of film, and that is anathema to editing a tightly paced film.
The casting can make or break any film as we know, with infernos cast being great. The disaster film trend reached a zenith in 1974 with the combined releases of airport 1975 the first airport sequel, earthquake and the towering inferno. I noticed light edge enhancement through the film, and this contributed to mild softness. The towering inferno 1974 rotten tomatoes movie trailers. Montreal on the day after tomorrow over 30 extendeddeleted scenes inside the tower. This is an amazing cast of stars, yet theyre pretty much there just to meet grisly deaths by falling, crushing, strangling, and of course, burning. The 1970s was the decade for disaster movies, and this one tops the list. Jul 29, 2009 the towering inferno crackles alight with a dtshd master audio 5. The movie to kick start the disaster movie all starts with the the towering inferno. The towering inferno, one of irwin allens best efforts as movie producer, actually probably his best effort considering the other disaster film that came after in the late 70s irwin allen who was producer of the film also directed some scenes aswell even thou john guillerman was credited as director for the film john directed the actiondisaster scenes, irwin directed other scenes everytime. At nearly three hours, this was a rather long movie, but i loved every minute of it and thoroughly embraced the disaster movie genre that became so popular. Chief ohallorhan steve mcqueen, the towering inferno. So many films simply stop dead for bravura special effects moments, and the towering inferno certainly errs in this department. Sneaking away from a party for a newly opened 5story skyscraper, robert wagner and susan flannery barely have time to bask in the afterglow from their extramarital quickie before realizing theyre about to be engulfed in flames.
This irwin allen film was directed by john guillermin king kong 1976, nominated for eight academy awards including best picture, and it took home awards for best cinematography, best editing, and even best song. Movie special effects the towering inferno tower models disaster movie model maker in and out movie making a movie real model movies. Irwin allen, the producer and a magician at creating special effects. Everything about the production was largerthanlife, from the astronomical budget, the powerhouse studio effort, the top stars, the fantastical storyline, massive sets, and the booming box office receipts. The towering inferno 1974 an epic disaster movie, the towering inferno is a spectacular, allstar cookout. At any rate, the towering inferno remains genuinely spectacular and exciting with its worldclass special effects and stunts. The towering inferno the towering inferno is a character driven feature about unity and fascism brewing at a point of annihilation. Earthquake is a 1974 american ensemble disaster drama film directed and produced by mark robson. So were reintroducing a 1970s can design featured in the movie. The film, which opened yesterday at the national and. The special effects are smashing, better than those in earthquake even.
A dedication ceremony at the worlds tallest skyscraper turns into a highrise catastrophe when a defective wire in its systemscontrol panel causes an electrical flareup. Recent events in london, however, remind us that such dreadful disasters do happen in real life. The towering inferno 1974 classic disaster movie cast. A bmovie disaster flick with major studio backing, a cast that puts the term allstar to shame, and effects that, for. The last stand, and branko racki, stunt coordinator. Bonner soundsound designer john williams composer music score. However, none of them matched the starpower and visual grandeur of this tale of a brandnew san francisco skyscraper whose upper floors burst into flame during the opening ceremony. The towering inferno was obviously a big budget film, with its ton of special effects and, most of all, its allstar cast. The seventies was a decade where disaster movies, such as the poseidon adventure 1972 and earthquake 1974, thrilled audiences with dramatic stories and special effects. The glass tower 8 floors, from the movie the towering. Though not quite as attractive as the new transfer for the poseidon adventure, the anamorphic inferno usually looked good. It was adapted by stirling silliphant from a pair of novels, the tower by richard martin. It was the second highest grossing film of 1974 behind only blazing saddles and was nominated for 8 academy awards including best picture and supporting actor for fred astaire, of which it won three for cinematography, editing and song. At the opening party of a colossalbut poorly constructedoffice building, a massive fire breaks out.
With an all star cast, cutting edge special effects and a fantastic script, the towering inferno is the ultimate human survival story and one of the best movies of the 1970s, nominated for best picture at the oscars and winner of many, many awards. The towering inferno cast and crew cast photos and info. Special effects al kasha songwriter bud ekins stunts carl kress editor frank m. The most popular and critically lauded of the cookiecutter disaster movies of 1970s, the towering inferno set the highwater mark for the genre. Even many decades later, the towering inferno is an awesome film, a guilty pleasure at the least and a classic at its best. The towering inferno, one of irwin allens best efforts as movie producer. The towering inferno firstrate visual spectacle the. Its fun and campy yes i think it was funny how people burned alive and fell to their deaths. Forgotten gems of visual effects part three the towering. The behind the scenes drama of 1974s the towering inferno. The towering inferno is a nearly threehour suspense film for.
The towering inferno was a huge hit upon its release. It had a huge star studded cast, state of the art special effects, spectacular stunts and. John landis famously said that the problem with special effects shots is that when they turn out good, directors want to use every foot of film, and that is anathema to editing a tightly paced film. Directed by john guillermin, the film is a coproduction between 20th century fox and warner bros. Dec 20, 1974 the towering inferno is a nearly threehour suspense film for arsonists, firemen, movie technology buffs, building inspectors, worry warts. The upper 15 floors of the glass tower was built as a facade in the dirt parking lot of the 20th century fox ranch in malibu, california, including drapes for all the windows and an explosion hole at the outside elevator track. The towering inferno firstrate visual spectacle the new york. A b movie disaster flick with major studio backing, a cast that puts the term allstar to shame, and effects that, for the most part, hold up with todays blockbusters. The film has incredible special effects, terrific performances from all of the cast and a wonderful score by john williams. Towering inferno by irwin allen, john guillermin irwin.
The towering inferno is a nearly threehour suspense film for arsonists, firemen, movietechnology buffs, building inspectors, worry warts. Heres my archive of stuff relating to the building and the movie, including blueprints, original model photos and more. After they trade what they hope wont be their last. Staring paul newman, susan blakely, jennifer jones and richard chamberlain. In the wake of the immensely successful 1972 film the poseidon adventure, the 1970s were awash with specialeffectsdriven disaster films e. Sheila allen, american actress and producer, died november 15, of pulmonary fibrosis, at the age of 84.
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