The Towering Inferno
1974 Directed by John Guillermin
Synopsis
The world's tallest building is on fire. You are there on the 135th floor... no way down... no way out.
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.
Cast
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Step 1: Get two copies of The Towering Inferno.
Step 2: Get two large televisions and push them closer together.
Step 3: Start the first copy of The Towering Inferno somewhere between 10-15 minutes earlier than the second copy of The Towering Inferno.
Step 4: Get a horrified look on your face as it is confirmed for you that, yes, I'm totally making a 9/11 joke.
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With a lorry load of special effects, a plethora of stars and an unfortunately excessive runtime, 'The Towering Inferno' is a film produced on an epic scale.
Surprisingly, this film hasn't dated much at all. The special effects may not be as sophisticated as they are now, but a fire is a fire no matter when it was made. The exterior shots of the building, recreated in model form, also look surprisingly realistic and help prevent the film from looking like a cheap B-movie.
The thing that drew me in and got me to pick this film up was the cast. Starring Steve McQueen and Paul Newman, and featuring many other credible actors including Faye Dunaway and Fred Astaire, I…
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Considered by many to be the greatest disaster movie of all time.
I believe it to be the second greatest disaster movie of all time. Titanic being number one.
The film is a true spectacle. Nominated for Best Picture and I can see why. For a near three hour film it's paced and structured perfectly.
We are introduced to all of the great characters right at the start-we find out a lot about them in a short amount of time and it's enough to make us care about them throughout the film-the disaster begins very early on-the film doesn't give us an hour of setup. The fire begins within the first 15 to 20 minutes.
Once that fire starts it's…
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Now this is a proper blockbuster! Just look at that cast!
As The Towering Inferno approaches 40, it's safe to say that, bar some hammy acting, it has aged really well.
It is classy filmmaking that still carries the same tension and horror it did the first time I saw it. While it doesn't give me the nightmares it gave me the first time I saw it, I still find the randomness and the fierceness of the fire terrifying.
The cast is absolutely stellar and a joy to watch. I love disaster films and seeing Newman and McQueen together with Astaire running around is just icing on the cake.
I'm sure I'll stick around to see this fantastic film reach 50!
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My favorite of the the 70s disaster flicks. A great all-star cast including the awesome Paul Newman and hot Steve McQueen. William Holden plays the corporate head who turned a blind eye while son-in-law Richard Chamberlain makes shortcuts that lead to the disaster. Faye Dunaway perfects her blank but knowing stare. Robert Wagner, Robert Vaughn, Fred Astaire and many, many more. Daring, impossible rescues, heroic tales of sacrifice, helicopters, firemen....all sorts of awesomeness in one epic pic!
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70s disaster movies were a big franchise on their own. They dealt with everything from earthquakes (Earthquake) to bee invasions (The Swarm). There were also many more closely related to human creations, like ships and airplane disasters (The Poseidon Adventure, Airport) and like in this one - skyscrapers.
The rather unknown John Guillermin directed this and does a decent job, however with a running time of 165 minutes he should a killed off a few more of his darlings in addition to the 200 or so who gets killed in the screenplay. He had quite a few stars to handle though, I'm sure that wasn't easy. Topping the bill was Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, William Holden and Faye Dunaway. In…
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The greatest disaster film ever? It might be. I'm glad I had the chance to see this at the theater. Lots of great actors and suspense. People catching fire scared me for years.
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I have to admit having a certain fondness for big, dumb and star-studded 70's disaster films of this ilk. Which star will die horribly next? Good, morbid and ridiculous fun.
From watching The Towering Inferno I learned that Steve McQueen and Paul Newman really look quite similar, with their blue piercing eyes and all. And Fred Astaire even got to dance a few steps!
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A disaster movie in more ways than one, really. Can't honestly say that I wasn't entertained by the thing, but it's still overstuffed at 165 minutes, has many flaws and criminally underuses its star-studded cast in place for action. Then again I suppose that's what the genre is all about; campy movie escapism? Anyway, the production design did impress, the action sequences are superbly executed and the special effects & cinematography still hold up. A fun romp, but a one-time watch at best.
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Ah! One of my power 5 disaster movies of the 70's, I do love TTI unabashedly. Typically 70's mellowdrama, plenty of fire, flames and dramatic deaths. I love it when a movie kills off two big stars in one event. Complete disregard for star status for the absolute win! This and The Poseidon Adventure were truly Irwin Allen's best disaster movies with most of his others still being strangely watchable but lacking the budget. Worth all the accolades it garners in spite of some obvious liberties taken in the laws of the world (how did the roof stop burning all of a sudden?)
Drinking Game: Everytime you see a hair do (usually in the background) and think - we actually had hair like that?!
Bottom Line: One of greatest examples of the disaster movie genre and a blueprint for how to do them properly. -
A classic disaster movie that managed to have two macho leads in it and make neither of them unlikeable. It's dated a bit (mainly in terms of attitudes to women) but the special effects hold up pretty well and there is a pleasant amount of unpredictability as to who is going to snuff it by the end of the film.
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Clássico. Ruim. Mas um clássico
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Much, MUCH better than I was expecting. I was daunted by the long running time but once the fire is introduced, it's a non stop rollercoaster of suspense and action that flys by. There are some great effects used here which look great for 1974. Filled with great characters and some suprising deaths, you wont find a better 70's disaster movie than The Towering Inferno.
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Step 1: Get two copies of The Towering Inferno.
Step 2: Get two large televisions and push them closer together.
Step 3: Start the first copy of The Towering Inferno somewhere between 10-15 minutes earlier than the second copy of The Towering Inferno.
Step 4: Get a horrified look on your face as it is confirmed for you that, yes, I'm totally making a 9/11 joke.
-
With a lorry load of special effects, a plethora of stars and an unfortunately excessive runtime, 'The Towering Inferno' is a film produced on an epic scale.
Surprisingly, this film hasn't dated much at all. The special effects may not be as sophisticated as they are now, but a fire is a fire no matter when it was made. The exterior shots of the building, recreated in model form, also look surprisingly realistic and help prevent the film from looking like a cheap B-movie.
The thing that drew me in and got me to pick this film up was the cast. Starring Steve McQueen and Paul Newman, and featuring many other credible actors including Faye Dunaway and Fred Astaire, I…