User Reviews

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). I still cannot decide if the ending would actually put the fire out, but who cares, that countdown still gets to me. I forgot how good Paul Newman was in his role, and I can never forget Fred Astaire, such a smooth performance. Great cinema, daft in parts, but the best films always are.

A San Francisco sky scraper catches fire and the emergency services battle to save the civilians trapped inside.

The Towering Inferno is a spectacle that holds up well against the technology of modern day movies. When you consider what it achieves without the use of computer generated imagery I think it should be considered one of the best of its genre.

Some of the set-pieces truly are amazing, particularly when you see actors and stunt performers doing such ridiculous things for the sake of the perfect shot.

I imagine must have seemed quite fantastical at the time of its release, but considering it within the context of events that have occurred during this century such as the 9-11, Grenfell and Beirut, it is pretty frightening in it's plausibility.

The film shows total respect to the emergency services who deal with these type of situations, particularly the fire brigade who's courage and calmness under pressure are epitomised by Steve McQueen's character. I love the scene where he walks into the party, takes charge of the situation by quietly telling the owner of the building what to do.

The plot and characters (aside from McQueen and Paul Newman) are the aspects of the movie that could have been better. I did feel it's run-time of 165 minutes. It's quite slow to get going and at times loses focus on the most compelling parts of the film. Some of the characters and moments feel like they have been lifted from The Poseidon Adventure.

Overall though it is a must see disaster movie and one that will definitely help appreciate the importance of fire safety in the design and construction of buildings.

I watched it recently with my four and a half year old daughter who was gripped by the action when it finished she told me she wants to be a fire-fighter when she grows up.

"Grand Hotel"-styled disaster epic that, along with the original "Airport" and "The Poseidon Adventure", became a monstrous money-maker which dominated not only economically, but also critically. "The Towering Inferno" is an intense affair as a high-rise skyscraper in San Francisco seems to be a state-of-the-art marvel, but sometimes things are not as perfect as they seem. There are still flaws in the building and naturally a small spark in a utility room will lead to an overwhelming night of terror and heroism. A who's who cast in Hollywood at the time makes up the mind-blowing list of performers. Paul Newman, Robert Vaughn, William Holden, Faye Dunaway, Steve McQueen, Susan Blakely, Richard Chamberlain, Robert Wagner and Jennifer Jones all make lasting impressions. However it is Fred Astaire (in an Oscar-nominated role of a lifetime) and then-Buffalo Bill superstar O.J. Simpson (showing the style, grace and power that he showed on the playing field here in his debut screen performance) that stand out and create a higher dimension to an honestly corn-filled story. A terribly difficult production to pull off due to the very large scope involved. The technical effects compete well with the all-world performers to make a stunningly impressive movie. Near the top of the usually ho-hum genre of the period. 4 stars out of 5.

A fabulous new building has been erected, partly offices, partly for accomodation, but on the night that people celebrate its grand opening, a huge fire breaks out, a fire that the developers claimed was impossible.

I am informed that this film was big news when it was first released, a time where disaster movies were very much the order of the day.

I only recently watched The Poseidon Adventure, and this put me in mind of that, it has a very similar feel, that sense of being trapped and isolated, it definitely has a real sense of claustrophobia.

I'm not sure as to some of its accuracy, and don't even get me started on the health and safety faux pas, but it's an enjoyable epic, it's fast paced, dramatic, and remains very watchable.

The special effects remain impressive, the scale of it, I shudder to think how much this cost to make, so impressive. Special effects and explosions galore, they hold up well.

The true cost of putting up a building on the cheap will eventually cause problems, here in The UK we currently have problems with schools, built in the 80's and 90's with RAAC, used because it was cheap.

Check out the incredible cast, you have Fred Astaire, Steve McQueen and Paul Newman, all of whom were used to playing the leading man, the acting is rather good.

7/10.

No disco inferno though (maybe in the books this is based on - kidding of course). It is quite the star ensemble we get here and you would wonder how to get so many celebrities into one building. Also what the net worth must have been. Speaking of which and believe it or not but even back then either the stars or the managers (some of them) cared about how many lines were spoken by their character and where their name would be placed in the titles ... sounds vain, yes? It kind of is.

But it is also kind of understandable if you think of what the worth was, how to present one self and that there was no social media to promote a star or other things of that nature. Still even with lesser technology the inciting incident should not have happened here, but then we wouldn't have a movie, would we? So there is a suspension of disbelief and there are the good and the bad characters and even I guess a horror cliche/trope, where people should not engage in sexual encounters if they value their life (I might be exaggerating a little bit, also everything is PG-13 max and no skin/nudity that should "worry" parents).

So one of the mothers or fathers or whatever you want to call it of disaster movies is on display here. This ignited - oops - a lot of copycats as one may imagine ... then again, the action director here already had made Poseidon Adventure ... so there's always a before. Still very good character piece amongst a lot of chaos and destruction

¨Towering Inferno¨ title tells the story in disaster epic about a burning skyscraper and originally released in Panavision . This is the undisputed king of the catastrophe films of the 70s , a successful film that grossed at box office . This formula disaster movie from Irwin Allen ( previously winner of numerous Oscars for Poseidon ) concerns about a newly built skyscraper located in San Francisco . When takes place on the recently constructed high-rise office building and hotel a fire due to substandard material . Then , the all-star cast (Faye Dunaway, Robert Wagner , Robert Vaughn , Susan Blakely , and many others ) become caught in its penthouse restaurant . An architect (Paul Newman) and the fire fighter chief ( Steve McQueen ) combine their efforts to stop firing as when the building is set blaze .

This catastrophe movie blends action , intrigue , disaster spectacle, suspense and emotional byplay with romance included . Our heroes get stuck in the skyscraper before it burns and when fire takes place they go into action ; as they pay tribute to firemen . Filmed at the height of the disaster genre from the 7os ,this entry in the spectacular series profits of a strong acting by starring duo . The protagonists spend most of their time devising grisly ways for avoid to die and to be fired . The explosions , pyrotechnics , floods are spectacular and breathtaking , being well made by FX expert L.B. Abbot , but the film is just another habitual cold-blooded Hollywood product . Succeeds in combining various talented actors , an all star cast came together formed by Paul Newman and Steve McQueen who tie for film's top casting honors ; furthermore , William Holden , Fred Astaire , Jennifer Jones , Richard Chamberlain , O.J. Simpson , and very secondaries as Dabney Coleman , Don Gordon , Susan Flannery and Gregory Sierra . Musical Score by the classic John Williams , Spielberg's usual ; the song titled ¨We may never love like this again¨ got Academy Award winner . Colorful and gripping photography by Joseph Biroc and Fred Koenekamp , two of the main cameramen of the 60s and 70s ; both of whom had Oscar winner for cinematography . This big-budgeted disaster movie is professionally directed by John Guillermin , habitual of disaster films ( Skyjacked , King Kong, Kong lives ) and airplane movies (Blue Max) . It's an Irwin Allen's rehash of the former disaster movie clichés in which the splendid casting stands out . The picture is one of the last Allen's hits along with ¨Poseidon¨ , after that , succeeds failures as ¨Beyond Poseidon¨, ¨Swarm¨ and ¨When the time ran out¨. Rating : Good and entertaining , it's a fairly watchable disaster movie.

The Towering Inferno is the best execution of the disaster formula of the 70s. Get an all-star cast and put them into a B-movie disaster scenario. In this case it's a massive fire in a recently constructed skyscraper. The developer (William Holden) cut corners which allowed the fire to start. His son in law (Richard Chamberlain) was an electrical subcontractor for the building. Paul Newman is the architect that designed the building, Steve McQueen is the fire chief who arrives at the scene, yada yada. The back story isn't really that interesting. The main attraction is the disaster, and although it's a bit of a slow burn in the beginning, things soon heat up (ok no more fire puns). The set pieces and action sequences, all made with very good practical effects, still hold up today. Nothing feels cheap about it. And the cast is good enough to keep the movie going along unlike The Poseidon Adventure where stars Gene Hackman and Ernest Borgnine play guys who just yell all the time. Paul Newman and Steve McQueen are, in a word, cool. They aren't just A-list actors, they're stars. None of the disaster movies had the star power this movie has. The supporting cast of William Holden, Faye Dunaway, Fred Astaire, etc. is also impressive. Richard Chamberlain in particular is great, it's impossible to like him at all. And that's where The Towering Inferno succeeds. It's the most engaging, least hammy of all the disaster films in the 70s, and it is worth the watch.

A newly built state of the art high-rise is hosting a big society gathering when a fire starts up on the 81st floor...

Warner Brothers & 20th Century Fox were both keen to cash in on the success of 1972s The Poseidon Adventure, Warner's buying the rights to The Tower, and Fox buying the rights to The Glass Inferno, both novels about burning skyscrapers and seemingly ripe for a big screen adaptation. Enter producer Irwin Allen who smartly suggested that both studios should come together and produce one blockbusting genre defining film. Splitting the cost down the middle, The Towering Inferno was born and went on to make over $100 million across the globe, a very impressive take for its time, and certainly a shot in the arm for disaster genre enthusiasts.

The Towering Inferno is far from flawless, it contains some cheese sodden dialogue, and the film's running time doesn't quite do the film any favours. However, the film's strengths far outweigh the handful of negatives that are often used to beat it up with. The sets are fabulous (Academy Award Nominated) and all to perish in the fire, the cinematography from Fred J Koenekamp (Academy Award Winner) is lush and puts the fire in the eyes, while the score from John Williams (Academy Award Nominated) is suitably poignant and edgy. What about the action sequences? The set pieces? With many of the illustrious cast doing their own stunts! All impacting sharp on the ears thanks to the brilliant sound from Soderberg & Lewis (Academy Award Nominated), with the cast itself a reminder of a wonderful time when only the big names were considered for the big projects, McQueen, Newman, Holden, Astaire (Academy Award Nominated) & Dunaway rolling off the tongue like a who's who of entertainment heavyweights.

Some say that The Towering Inferno finally killed off the ailing disaster genre, no it didn't, it crowned it, and all the others that followed were merely trailing in its wake. The Towering Inferno is a spectacular production that positively booms with high entertainment values, no expense is spared in the pursuit of entertaining the masses, it's thoughtful in texture and it teaches as it plays and it remains to me a wonderful archaic gem. 9/10

Incredibly, 'The Towering Inferno' holds so well by today's standards that it is still one of the best disaster movies of its kind ever made. I can only imagine what it must have been like seeing this in a theatre almost four decades ago.

The attention to detail is fantastic, and I enjoyed everything from the character set-up to the way the disaster unfolded. The very scale of this ambitious film is mindboggling. Paul Newman and Steve McQueen are excellent in their respective roles, both making credible and likable heroes.

'The Towering Inferno' is a very detailed account of a skyscraper fire disaster. This is realistic and believable and the visual effects are incredible considering it was made way back in 1974. No CGI. Just practical effects, and real danger! This was a fascinating thrill ride! I love it!

My Take: The disaster movies done the old-fashioned way. Big thrills, big drama, big stars and everything else.

The 70's marked the age of the disaster movies, evolving from the adaptation of Arthur Hailey's "Airport", then boost up by Irwin Allen's "The Poseidon Adventure", which was a hit. Allen continued the legacy of his work by doing another disaster film. It was "The Towering Inferno". "The Towering Inferno" is heavily considered as the best of the long cycle of 70's disaster movies. It was well-made, well-acted, and well-sold on the box-office. The problem, though, was it was too long. The first parts revolved on the celebration of the grand opening of the tallest office building on earth (at the movies, of course), the Glass Tower. But when it gets to the disaster, you see how great this film is. Impressive special-effects and great acting by an all-star cast help make this film the classic it is.

Recommended for any fan of the genre. They don't make 'em like this anymore, and for that value alone, THE TOWERING INFERNO is a bona-fide classic all-star extravaganza.

Rating: ***** out of 5.

After the success of The Poseidon Adventure, bigger stars wanted a piece of the genre. Whereas Poseidon was mostly has beens at the end of their careers (with the obvious exception of Gene Hackman), Inferno had mostly A list stars. They didn't elevate the material but I'm sure they all got nice paychecks.

The film is fairly suspenseful with good special effects, especially for its time.

The film also has a few campy moments of comic relief such as O. J. Simpson risking his life to save a cat and Jennifer Jones (with a terrible facelift) falling out of an exterior elevator and bouncing off the building. (She must have really pissed someone off during production.)

Your typical dumb disaster flick, produced by the king of the genre, Irwin Allen, made notable by the presence of Steve McQueen and Paul Newman who finally agreed to share the screen as equals, something they almost did in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." The ever competitive McQueen made his film debut with a bit part in "Somebody Up There Likes Me" in which Newman starred, and one of his ambitions was to finally get top billing over his number one rival. Even with the so-called "diagonal billing" employed in the film and its advertising (with Newman's name elevated slightly above McQueen's), those of us who read from left to right can see that McQueen got his wish. He also got the best role. He's the firefighter, a tight jawed man of action, while Newman is saddled with the less sympathetic role of the architect. But the real star is the burning building. It burns, and impressively at that, but there's something very claustrophobic about this situation which results in less action than Allen's previous smash, "The Posiedon Adventure."

But the acting is better. In addition to McQueen and Newman, the cast includes Richard Chamberlain (particularly good), William Holden, Faye Dunaway, and Fred Astaire. That's an improvement over Carol Lynley and Eric Shea, both of whom Gene Hackman had the misfortune of emoting with two years earlier. Whatever one thinks of this particular genre, "The Towering Inferno" is probably the best of the bunch.

"They don't make 'em like they used to," the pundits grumble, but in case of The Towering Inferno, Hollywood would probably breathe a sigh of relief. In a completely obtuse feat of life-imitates-art, everything about the picture, like its titular tower, insisted on such grandiose proportions it threatened collapse. Too big for one studio to produce (for a sense of how unprecedented the Fox/WB co-production and merger of disaster yarns was, think how jaw-dropping the recent Sony/Marvel Studios sharing of Spider-Man was), the twin financiers pitted their smorgasbord of feuding stars against a bevy of life-threatening practical disaster effects throughout a running time so voluminous it's closer to Lawrence of Arabia than The Poseidon Adventure. And the ensuing picture? Well, it's hardly a neorealist account of architectural instability, but it's also impressively grounded in its fun for a film renowned for sounding so silly, and holds up as a film beneath its infamy.

If ever there was a poignant reminder of the profound differences between contemporary blockbusters and those of the 1970s, The Towering Inferno is it. First, and inescapably, the film is looooooong, with a running time and pace sure to boggle contemporary attention spans. Still, while the film's running time may be bloated, the proceedings are anything but flabby, with each scene employed towards meticulous character and tension building, with ominous side comments regarding shirked safety standards stacking up until the inevitable blaze. And while the film's editing may not hammer home urgency to the extent we'd now expect, its careful cross-cutting does keep impressive track of the film's laundry list of subplots, with romances, trysts, and feuds brewing amidst the colourful cast desperately stewing inside their colossal firetrap. Could we had easily snipped out one to three of these vignettes, giving bladders worldwide a reprieve, and without anyone the wiser or even missing them? Sure, but part of the film's charm is the tender fastidiousness it lends each of its subjects, from guilt execs to flustered debutantes, to grim firefighters at work (and after the conditions they're subjected to here, the film's lavish dedication to working firefighters rings very true). Even a side character's cat, glimpsed in one scene, is given its due screen time, courtesy of O.J. Simpson's uber-professional head of security. We may only have limited time with each of our cast of characters, but the film's investment in their hopes and dreams does land us unexpectedly invested in their wellbeing, superficially or not.

But how could the film's initial selling point as an effects extravaganza possibly hold up? Well, fairly well, actually. The set design is spectacular, concocting a gleaming behemoth of a building that feels simultaneously dauntingly vast and claustrophobic (you can imagine Die Hard's designers furiously scribbling notes throughout) - and doubly so when set on fire. It's here that the film's insistence on practical fire effects pays off - as the actors sweat and singe, we can practically feel the scorching heat radiating from the screen, as the catastrophic blaze is hugely convincing through being controlled, but hardly staged. And, granted, the film's stunts may pale in comparison to contemporary decades of ante-upping, but their smallness, combined with Irwin Allen's airtight direction, lends an air of verisimilitude. Instead of spectacle- for-spectacle's sake, our central set-pieces involve the minutiae of evacuation procedures and fire safety checklists to an almost procedural profiling extent, which is not only impressively engrossing (yes, really), but all the more liable to get viewers hooked by less audacious acrobatics. If anything, the inauspiciousness of the stunts makes them feel all the more uncomfortably believable - you would get stuck suspending yourself from a hanging pipe, hesitating before a five foot drop for fifteen minutes - which helps keep things sizzling with tension. Sure, a lot of the dialogue lays critical exposition on a bit thick ("We were supposed to have fire drills! But we never did!!"), and the rampant 1970s suspicion and scorn towards high-rises is simultaneously amusing and sobering, but the ineffable John Williams' sparkly score keeps things as a brisk and breezy adventure caper throughout, even as the stakes raise, and lives are lost(!) throughout.

Fox and WB were wise to invest in their cabal of stars, as the almost incomparable cast employ their star personas towards instant characterization and audience investment, working wonders with skeletal build up. Paul Newman and Steve McQueen's respective craggy charisma work wonders in complimenting one another as guilt-ridden architect and cool, unflappable fire chief, and both work wonders in keeping a level-headed emotional centre amidst the flurry of characters and flames. William Holden's loquacious wit provides a welcomely sympathetic twist on the 'Mayor from Jaws/John Hammond from Jurassic Park' archetype, and while Faye Dunaway may be fairly underused as an anxious bystander for the most part, she sizzles in her few key scenes, particularly when exchanging adorably flirty banter with Newman. Richard Chamberlain is delightfully seedy as the resentful son-in-law contractor whose cut corners let to the fire, and Chamberlain carefully allows his character's pettiness to simmer without descending into moustache-twirling. Finally, Fred Astaire and Jennifer Jones' bashful courting may occupy one of the film's more extraneous asides, but they're so effervescently lovable they're easily worth the extra sitting.

In short (unlike anything else in the picture), The Towering Inferno's archaic indulgences may not live up to the self-important epics of old it styles itself after, particularly in never quite pushing the envelope cinematically enough for its looming disaster to instil more than cursory breathlessness. And yet, the charm holds. Tautly directed, superbly cast, and with indisputably quality set and effects, it's more adventure jaunt than disaster crisis, but worth it as such. This fire burns out quickly, but is sure to leave embers of affection glowing softly for years to come.

-7/10

The Towering Inferno is a disaster movie. No, the movie wasn't a disaster, it was a disaster movie like Titanic, Poseidon, Airport, etc. It seems that the 70's laid the groundwork for future big budget disaster movies. The Airports and The Towering Inferno set the bar for the 90's and 2000's disaster movies that would becoming bigger and bigger. The Towering Inferno even had the big budget cast: Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughn, William Holden, Faye Dunaway, and even a pre-white Bronco O.J. Simpson.

Like many, if not all disaster movies, this had explosions, cave-ins, heroic rescue efforts, and tragic deaths. It also had the important relationships so that viewers had a reason to be at the edge of their seats. Who cares about some random people about to die right? We need to know that there is an unbreakable bond between two people so that when she is in danger we feel the hero's worry, angst, and pain. I'm being sarcastic if it's not apparent.

Personally, I think the love interest angle is overrated. I'm a human being and I have a soul. If people are in danger and they're not wicked and unbearable I want to see them saved. There doesn't need to be a bold promise, a damsel in distress, or a lover in limbo for there to be drama in the disaster. It's a disaster. Shouldn't that be enough?

Nevertheless, the love interest in peril was, and is, a part of the script. Part of me says don't blame the 70's disaster movies for that, they were making movies for their era. They had no idea that their formula would be duplicated over and over again with little variation so that we'd see another 40+ years of stale disaster movies. And the other part of me says, "It's all your fault. You started this nauseating trend." But let me not beat up on the 70's too much here. The Towering Inferno was a good movie. I won't hold future movies against it.

Growing up, I was often subjected to Irwin Allen films because my father loved them. So, I was one of MANY people back in 1974 who saw this film in the theater. I didn't remember it all too well today (I was only 10 when I first saw it) but found it in a 4 pack of movies someone bought me....so I thought, what the heck...why not? However, I must tell you that most of the Irwin Allen films I've seen recently I didn't like...and I was expecting the same for "The Towering Inferno".

Why do I say I am not a huge Irwin Allen film fan? Well, a few things he was known for I don't care for in movies....explosions and mayhem as well as many, many 'guest starring roles'...you know, when the film's budget seems to mostly be on getting as many big stars and has-beens to appear in it. This is why I am not a huge fan of "Airport" and its sequels as well as "Midway"...too many guests and not enough money spent on writing. "The Towering Inferno" has all of this...so it's definitely going to be a tough sell for me.

The plot to the film is pretty simple. The world's tallest building is being dedicated but what the chief architect (Paul Newman) does not realize is that the boss' pusillanimous son-in-law (Richard Chamberlain) is a weasel but substituted the wiring in the specs with much cheaper wiring that makes the place a giant tinderbox. Only after a big gala party begins on the rooftop do they realize that the place is ablaze and a lotta folks are gonna die.

For what it was, this film actually surprised me. Sure, there are some of the usual one-dimensional Irwin Allen characters but a few were pretty interesting and the film seemed to make the most out of the disaster genre. I especially appreciate its take on human nature, as many of the folks are simply selfish idiots! My only complaint is that MOST of the women in the film are simply there to scream and cry! Now I am NOT saying it's a great film...but if you have to watch a disaster flick, this is much better than most.

I saw "The Towering Inferno" when it was first released in theaters in 1974. I was about 12 years old. I thought it was really cool to see all of this death and destruction. I felt sorry for the so-called innocent or heroic characters who met their doom and hissed at the villain(s) who met their makers. It was big and bombastic, with, as a voice-over artist would say in the trailer "...an all-star cast" (long-term stars, has-beens, and the ones who are stars only from the eyes of their agents). I thought the movie was the best film I saw in my short life.

I've seen the movie several times since then and it's like watching a bad wreck. A semi-entertaining one but still a wreck.

I was looking at the list of other disaster movies Irwin Allen produced (which includes "The Poseidon Adventure", "The Swarm", "When Time Ran Out", etc.) and it's interesting how quickly the genre became a cliché:

***POSSIBLE SPOILERS***

1. If your name is above the title, you will survive.

2. If your name is below the title, you might die.

3. If you are a precocious child and you have a sibling, you'll survive.

4. If your role is to save a number of people from disaster in earlier scenes, very likely, you will die later in the movie. No worry, the audience will have "genuine sympathy" because you sacrificed your life so that others can live.

5. If you play the villain, YOU WILL DIE!!!!

6. If your character is a jealous spouse or is having an illicit affair, YOU WILL DIE A HORRIBLE DEATH!!!!!

7. If you're an extra, no matter which movie you're involved in, YOU WILL DIE A VERY, VERY HORRIBLE DEATH!!!!!!!!!

Say what you want: The Towering Inferno was and is Hollywood's defining disaster movie. A great script, a great cast (although I am not generally a fan of all-star casts, they just seem to undermine the reality or authenticity of a story), the cinematography, the set and the editing, and what a masterpiece of a soundtrack. The special effects were mind blowing at the time, long before CGI sent us on these head spinning trips, not always to make the story more believable (if the camera performs stunts a human can't possibly follow its destroys the illusion).

I remember smuggling a tape recorder into the movie theater back in 1974 when I went back to watch it the second time in two days. I just had to capture the drama. Since then I have re-watched this film many times and it still works. In my view it defines an entire era and yes, some nostalgia may influence my view. So be it. A shout out to John Williams whose score is setting the pace and brings it all together (Planting the Charges - you literally hear the clock ticking).

Seen today, it is impossible to watch THE TOWERING INFERNO without reflecting upon the tragedy that befell the World Trade Towers on 9-11. Perhaps even more disconcerting, however, is the discovery that the construction of the World Trade Towers actually prompted the two novels upon which THE TOWERING INFERNO was based: THE TOWER by Richard Martin Stern and THE GLASS INFERNO by Thomas M. Scortia and Frank M. Robinson, both of which concerned out-of-control fires in skyscrapers.

When the 1972 success of THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE gave producer Irwin Allen the title "Master of Disaster," Allen set out to live up to it and moved to acquire the rights to THE TOWER. 20th Century Fox was outbid by Warner Brothers--but Allen saw a way to turn a big project into a bigger one and encouraged Fox to snap up the rights to the Scortia and Robinson novel. Allen then managed to negotiate a deal that found Fox and Warner combining forces on a single film: THE TOWERING INFERNO. As written by Stirling Slilliphant, the story concerned the world's tallest building on its grand opening--when shoddy constructions causes a fire that traps hundreds of people above the eighty-first floor.

In a general sort of way, INFERNO might have been called POSEIDON REDUX, for while the specifics were quite different the concept was essentially the same: an all-star cast trapped by a disaster and forced to fight for their lives. And the cast is amazing; not only did Allen succeed in getting Steve McQueen and Paul Newman to co-star, he signed Faye Dunaway to play Newman's love interest and cast Fred Astaire against type as a con-man. Even more astonishingly, he lured reclusive and legendary film star Jennifer Jones out of retirement for the sympathetic role of Lisolette Mueller. Other notables include William Holden, Richard Chamberlin, Robert Wagner, Susan Blakely, Robert Wagner, Susan Flannery, Robert Vaughn, and a pre-scandal O.J. Simpson.

But POSEIDON and INFERNO differ in two very significant ways. POSEIDON focuses on the struggles of ten people who acted as a single unit throughout the film; INFERNO casts a wider net with multiple story lines, and the result is considerably looser in terms of plot and action. With the exception of long shots of the ship, POSEIDON did not use miniatures--and indeed every set and effect was real time; the sets were real, the water was real, the fire was real, and the cast (which did most of the stunts) was very much in the middle of it. The fire and the heights involved in INFERNO, however, were too dangerous for such, and consequently INFERNO makes considerable use of miniatures, various process shots (matte paintings and rear projection), and stunt people. Some of this has not dated well at all.

With its loose structure, the occasional dated effect, and a running time of almost three hours, THE TOWERING INFERNO is sometimes less tense than simply wearing--but only occasionally, and even with these defects it remains a visually fascinating display of pre-CGI "state of the art in special effects." At its best, it is an extremely exciting film, and certainly 1974 audiences found it so; it would play in theatrical release for close to a full year, becoming one of the biggest box office hits of the decade.

The current Special Edition DVD release is quite fine, including a host of extras that range from a nicely done AMC Backstory documentary to an interview with Irwin Allen himself; the various commentary tracks (one of the scene specific re effects and stunt work) are also well done, although I did think it a pity that none of the surviving cast could be lured into commentaries of their own. The picture quality is excellent and the sound quality quite good. People will probably always argue about which is better: THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE or THE TOWERING INFERNO. My money is on POSEIDON, but there's no denying that INFERNO, even with its occasional flaws, is right up there in the genre. Recommended for disaster film junkies without hesitation! GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Having struck box office gold two years earlier with The Poseidon Adventure, Irwin Allen aided by the combined financing of Fox and Warner Bros., decided to do himself one better with The Towering Inferno. No expense was spared, as evidenced by Allen securing the services of two of the top box office draws available in Paul Newman and Steve McQueen. Next, he hedged his bet with a supporting cast that ran the gamut from William Holden, Fred Astaire and Faye Dunaway to soap actress Susan Flannery and football star O.J. Simpson. Add a lot of fire, a lot of smoke, a lot of flaming and charred humans and you have the makings of a box office bonanza. It's amazing that the budget was held down to a mere $14 million dollars even in 1974 dollars. Did it work? The film grossed $116 million dollars which was quite a princely sum in those days so the answer to that as far as Allen, Fox, and Warner Bros. is concerned would be yes.

Newman plays architect Doug Roberts who has been away in the jungle somewhere but is returning home just in time for the grand opening of the tallest building ever to grace California that he just happened to have designed. Doug is also returning home to his mistress played by Faye Dunaway to persuade her to join him on his next project. The head of the company building the tower is James Duncan(William Holden) whom has left a lot of the details of the construction of the tower to his no good son-in-law, Roger Simmons(Richard Chamberlain). That turns out to be bad news for everyone unfortunate to find themselves in The Tower. After some of the wiring in the building begins to have a major meltdown, Doug investigates to find that Roger has cut so many corners it could lead to a major catastrophe. Was there any doubt?

Despite the abundance of headlining actors in Towering Inferno, the true star of the film is the disaster itself, just as it is in any of these concoctions. Allen directed the action sequences with John Guillerman handling the rest of the chores. Allen does himself proud. Although we know of course that The Tower is not truly as tall as the filmmakers would have us believe, it's not obvious enough to detract from the film. It doesn't matter though, as most of the action takes place inside the building or near the suite at the top where most of our stars end up trapped. Of course this being a disaster film, we do get the privilege of watching flaming bodies fall over a hundred stories, be it it outside or down an elevator shaft.

Allen also does well at piling on the suspense and keeps you on edge for long moments, with such things as a long climb up a flaming stare well and a long decent down a scenic elevator that will have you wringing your hands. The fire sequences are all well staged as you can almost feel the flames leaping through the screen and smell the smoke circling around the room.

The problem with most disaster films is that with the good, there is generally some bad and Inferno is no exception. Some of the dialog in this film is truly horrendous.

Example:

Duncan: How bad is it? Halloran: It's a fire. All fires are bad

James Duncan: Give me the architect that designed you, and who needs Doug Roberts? Susan: I do.

In one truly silly moment, after Dan Bigelow(Robert Wagner) and his secretary Lorrie (Susan Flannery)have just finished love making, the fire has engulfed the room next to theirs. Lorrie, being the ever observant secretary and mistress sniffs and delivers this line: "Did someone leave a cigarette burning?"

The best of the actors is easily Steve McQueen. As Chief Michael O'Hallorhan who is called to put the fire out, he seems to relish has role as a fire department head. Paul Newman on the other hand is a mixed bag. When he's playing his scenes with McQueen, Holden, Dunaway, or Chamberlain, he's OK. In other scenes, especially when the fire initially breaks out, he appears stiff and uncomfortable. Fred Astaire is on hand as the whimsical con artist Harlee Claiborne out to bilk Lisolette Mueller (Jennifer Jones)with some phony stocks. Jones is one of the best things going in this movie, turning out to be quite the heroine. Dunaway as Robert's girlfriend Susan is dry enough that we wish they could have brought Joanne Woodward in to give the relationship some real spark (no pun intended). Wagner as Dan Bigelow is a charmer but we just can't buy into his relationship with Lorrie (Susan Flannery). Susan Blakely as Patty Simmons, Holden's spoiled daughter and the wife of Roger (Richard Chamberlain)has nothing much to do except chastise her husband for causing Daddy a big headache. Chamberlain, on the other hand, seems to like playing the role of the villain and he does it well. You'll have no trouble believing just how big of a jerk Roger is. Last , is O.J. Simpson as the security guard who seems to be smarter than everybody else. The role requires little and in his big screen debut, Simpson gives it just that.

No matter. The Towering Inferno will still entertain you. At 165 minutes, you'll only be looking at your watch in the first half hour or so as you wait for that one tiny spark to ignite a night of suspense. Irwin Allen put quite a spectacle on the screen, but unfortunately never again duplicated it and with each subsequent film his product went from bad to being truly mediocre. Considering how much I really liked this film, it's a shame. Now, please put out that cigarette.

My Grade: B

I'll state right off the top that there is a lot to like about this movie. It's a lavish production - it comes across as a bit like what James Cameron might have put out in the 70's, although this is one of Irwin Allen's disaster movies. The "spare no expense" attitude to this film comes across in the unbelievably meticulous and believable sets, the excellent special effects revolving, of course, around the fire, and the assembling of a pretty high profile cast. The story of a huge fire breaking out in a massive high rise (I'm not exactly sure if it was mentioned how high this high rise was but it has to be at least 137 floors, since the people were on 135 and the water tanks were 2 floors above them) is well crafted - and this may be the only movie I've come across that's based on two (yes - 2) novels. It's suspenseful and the suspense is real. People begin dying pretty soon in and a few people die that you don't expect to die, so it's not especially predictable. It also offers a decent look at the methods firefighters might have used to battle such a blaze, and in fact the movie opened with a dedication to firefighters.

And yet, for all that - something was not quite right. Also similar to some of James Cameron's later work, Irwin Allen seems to go a bit overboard with this. It's too much; it's too lavish. There's too much unnecessary filler. The story revolving around the attempts to defeat and escape the fire would have been quite sufficient, but in keeping with other 70's era disaster films Allen felt the need to insert melodrama into the script - certain "soapy" elements that really didn't do too much for the story. Those melodramatic additions add up, and lead to a movie that's needlessly almost 3 hours in length, when the basic story could have been told in much less.

Irwin Allen could be well described as the "Master of Disaster" (with apologies to Apollo Creed!) A case could be made that "The Towering Inferno" is his best piece of work. It's not my favourite among the Allen movies I've seen, but this could be the best overall production he was ever responsible for, which is reflected in the fact that this was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. I think that's overdoing it a bit. I'd describe it as a good movie with more than a few shortcomings.