For those of you too young to have seen this in the theaters during its original release, this is a 9 star movie ... even though today it doesn't seem that close to that august height (though I am surprised to see its rating just under 7), forty years ago (god, can it possibly be that long ago? can I possibly be that old?) this film blew the doors off theaters and everyone filling the seats ... what a huge, thrilling movie this was on the big screen and back before Star Wars and even Jaws (which changed special effects and even the important release dates for the BIG movies ... note that both Poseiden Adventure and Towering Inferno were Christmas releases, which is when the BIG movies came out really thinking people had more time off during the holidays and would be out and about more even ... and not just 'disaster films' like the two mentioned here since 'poseiden' was the 'first' disaster film which led to a glut of such films of course ... remember the 'disaster' 'earthquake' with 'sensurround', basically huge, heavy-bass speakers set up front in the theater and cranked up to the point where plaster in older theaters was a common problem ... i saw it happen in my old hometown theater ... thankfully it was up front where no one was sitting) but this film was very well done with really top-line actors (as was Poseiden as well really) but it was based on two different yet similarly plotted novels that were released shortly prior to the film ... so the script was stronger than the disaster films that followed as they were more concerned with the disaster than the plot ... this would be great to see again if they remastered everything to put it in the IMAX ... that would be cool ... tho i doubt it would make enough money to get a return on an investment of remastering it for today's monster theaters ...
but this is well worth a watch still today ... esp Fred Astaire's part, the suave conman who ultimately has a change of heart when it seems as if the woman he is swindling and he will almost surely die ... but his entrance into the film is just so clever and was his own doing ... they have him getting out of a cab in front of the skyscraper (which is amazingly tall ... i know it's fake lol but it is cool when they show the skyline and you see just how tall it is) ... he has a large flat box with a ribbon tied around it and the script simply called for him to walk to the front door after leaning back and looking up at the world's tallest building but Astaire sets the box to 'dancing' as he carries it ... his walk is also one only Astaire could get away with and the entire scene just lights up and you have to smile seeing the greatest film dancer ever, his gray hair and weathered face not mattering one bit to the light and delightful little action that he adds to what otherwise would be just a typical scene so now forty years later this can be a family movie i suppose ... this doesn't have anything close to what kids wouldn't already be used to these days ... except you'll have to explain how OJ Simpson used to be 'hero'
but this is well worth a watch still today ... esp Fred Astaire's part, the suave conman who ultimately has a change of heart when it seems as if the woman he is swindling and he will almost surely die ... but his entrance into the film is just so clever and was his own doing ... they have him getting out of a cab in front of the skyscraper (which is amazingly tall ... i know it's fake lol but it is cool when they show the skyline and you see just how tall it is) ... he has a large flat box with a ribbon tied around it and the script simply called for him to walk to the front door after leaning back and looking up at the world's tallest building but Astaire sets the box to 'dancing' as he carries it ... his walk is also one only Astaire could get away with and the entire scene just lights up and you have to smile seeing the greatest film dancer ever, his gray hair and weathered face not mattering one bit to the light and delightful little action that he adds to what otherwise would be just a typical scene so now forty years later this can be a family movie i suppose ... this doesn't have anything close to what kids wouldn't already be used to these days ... except you'll have to explain how OJ Simpson used to be 'hero'