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Rating: 7.5 stars

Seen 1 time

Seen on: 02/11/2011

View on: IMDb | TMDb

The Towering Inferno (1974)

Directed by John Guillermin

Action

Most recently watched by sensoria

Overview

At the opening party of a colossal—but poorly constructed—skyscraper, a massive fire breaks out, threatening to destroy the tower and everyone in it.

Rated PG | Length 165 minutes

Actors

Paul Newman | Faye Dunaway | Sheila Allen | William Holden | Robert Wagner | Norman Burton | Dabney Coleman | O.J. Simpson | Steve McQueen | Robert Vaughn | Don Gordon | John Crawford | Gregory Sierra | Susan Blakely | Richard Chamberlain | Fred Astaire | Jennifer Jones | Felton Perry | Mike Lookinland | Maureen McGovern | William Bassett | Ernie F. Orsatti | Ross Elliott | Susan Flannery | Olan Soule | Elizabeth Rogers | Patrick Culliton | Jack Collins | Paul Comi | Leoda Richards | Carol McEvoy | Ruth Foster | Scott Newman | George Wallace | Erik L. Nelson | Norman Grabowski | Ann Leicester | Carlena Gower | Art Balinger | Norman Hicks | Thomas Karnahan | David Armstrong

Viewing Notes

I love the hell out of this movie! I’ve been slowly exposing my two sons to every Steve McQueen movie ever made, and since I hadn’t seen Towering Inferno in forever, we made a Friday night pizza and movie night out of the affair.

I’m surprised how well this movie has held up over the 30 plus years. Yes, some of it is dated, but it was still an entirely enjoyable watch. The kids liked it a lot.

I didn’t remember the movie being as long as it was (it has a 2 hour 46 minute running time), and it did feel long, but it’s got plenty of action and drama to move it along for the most part.

The “message” that the movie pays passing lip service to, that urbanized mega skyscraper living is bad mmmmkay, is eerily prescient in our post 9/11 world. It really is a different feeling watching this movie now then it was before 9/11. One particular scene, where a burning person jumps/falls through a window and plummets 100 plus stories to the ground, was particularly disturbing to me.

Paul Newman and Steve McQueen do all the heavy lifting here when it comes to acting, with Newman as the “turning my back on urbanism” architect, Doug Roberts, who designed the Tower, and Steve McQueen as the fire chief, O’Hallorhan.

McQueen in particular is fun to watch in this. He retains his quintessential cool guy facade and throws off some great stone-faced lines.

Faye Dunaway, as Newman’s love interest, is little more than scenery here. She’s absolutely gorgeous scenery, especially in her clingy, plummeting neckline, evening dress, but still just scenery. Which is a shame, because she’s one of my favorite actresses (Bonnie and Clyde anyone?) and her talent just isn’t display here.

There are lots of other recognizable faces here, including Richard Chamberlain as a drunken, cowardly electrical contractor; William Holden in as the basically good, but morally flawed owner of the deathtrap (LOVE his thick-rimmed glasses and chic red and black dinner jacket!); O.J. Simpson as head of security; Fred Astaire; Robert Vaughn; Robert Wagner; Dabney Coleman!

The set design is freaking awesome. The Tower is styled in future modernism that looks both terribly dated and outrageously cool. The architect’s offices, which comprise one of the floors of the building, are a study in sharp angled lines; the whole building decor features the outlandishly garish colors only people in the ‘70s could have thought were cool. The colors and architecture make the interiors a feast for eyes and really add a lot to the movie.

Some of the SFX are dated, but for the most part, they hold up very well. The fire scenes are pretty damn good, and the stairwell explosions in particular are thrilling.

Now that we’ve got this one under our belts, I’m going to have to expose my kids to the original Poseidon Adventure next!

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