IMDb RATING
6.3/10
6.6K
YOUR RATING
A chronicle of the Hindenburg disaster in which a zeppelin burst into flames.A chronicle of the Hindenburg disaster in which a zeppelin burst into flames.A chronicle of the Hindenburg disaster in which a zeppelin burst into flames.
- Nominated for 3 Oscars
- 2 wins & 4 nominations total
Richard Dysart
- Captain Ernst Lehman
- (as Richard A. Dysart)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe actual site of the Hindenburg crash, at Lakehurst Naval Air Station (now part of Joint Base Lakehurst-Dix-McGuire) is marked with a chain-outlined pad and bronze plaque where the airship's gondola landed. It was dedicated on May 6, 1987, the 50th anniversary of the disaster. Hangar #1, which still stands, is where the airship was to be housed after landing. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1968.
- GoofsThe incident depicting the Hindenburg's crew repairing the tear in the Zeppelin's cover as it drifts lower and lower over the Atlantic is factual; however, the event occurred on the Graf Zeppelin, not the Hindenburg.
- Quotes
Countess Ursula von Reugen: The German Air Force is not at all like it used to be, but then again, nothing is.
- Crazy creditsThe film opens with the 1936 Universal logo followed by a newsreel prior to the credits.
- Alternate versionsDeleted scenes were added back into the film for television airings, including one in which Goebbels shows Ritter a display of items used in attempted anti-Nazi attacks, including a bomb found on board the ocean liner "Bremen".
- ConnectionsEdited into Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
- SoundtracksThere's a Lot To Be Said for the Fuehrer
Music by David Shire
Lyric by Ed Kleban (as Edward Kleban)
Performed by Peter Donat (uncredited), Robert Clary (uncredited)
Featured review
The Sabotage Theory On Film
Everyone's familiar with the Hindenburg disaster. "Oh the humanity" (cried out by radio reporter Herbert Morrison as he reported on the crash live) has entered our vocabulary when horrible things happen (or when flightless turkeys are dropped from a helicopter, as in WKRP in Cincinnati.) In any event, no one really knows why the Hindenburg crashed. The most widely accepted hypothesis is an electrical spark caused by a buildup of static electricity. This movie goes in a different direction. It emphasizes the sabotage theory - a theory rejected by both German and American investigators, but nevertheless tailor made for conspiracy enthusiasts and movie making.
The movie's pretty well done. It has a feel of authenticity to it. I know about the Hindenburg disaster, but I never really had a sense of what the Hindenburg was like for its passengers. The movie gives us a pretty good sense of what it would be like to be a passenger on such an airship. It's not as luxurious as an ocean liner, apparently, but it would have been a pretty exciting voyage. I liked the sets, and the bit of a picture we get of how the airship flew. That was all well done.
There's a large cast of characters in this, headed by George C. Scott playing Col. Ritter, a Luftwaffe intelligence officer who's assigned as head of security for the ship. The sabotage angle is played up with that character, plus a Gestapo agent who's both helping him and watching him, in that delightful fashion Nazi Germany had. Both suspect sabotage; both are looking. As is normal with this kind of movie, there are all sorts of possible suspects on board the ship, and no particular reason to suspect one above any other. In that sense, the movie lost a bit of an opportunity to create more suspense by giving away the identity of the saboteur maybe half way through. Ritter turned out to be anti-Nazi enough to be willing to let the sabotage happen, as long as it didn't endanger the passengers. In the end, the real tension comes from the fact that the Hindenburg's landing at a Naval Air Station in New Jersey was delayed, meaning that the bomb would go off before the passengers disembarked, unless Ritter could stop it - which, of course, he couldn't.
The movie has a good cast. Aside from Scott, there's Ann Bancroft and Burgess Meredith and Charles Durning among others. There's even a bit of humour thrown in as a pianist and acrobat on board put on a show for the passengers and crew that turns out to be a shot at the Nazis, poking fun at Hitler and the party with a song called "There's A Lot To Be Said For The Fuhrer." In the end, the portrayal of the fire and crash of the airship is extremely dramatic and well done.
"The Hindenburg" is an interesting movie. It's highly speculative, but if you're interested in the sabotage theory, this presents at least one plausible sabotage scenario to consider. (6/10)
The movie's pretty well done. It has a feel of authenticity to it. I know about the Hindenburg disaster, but I never really had a sense of what the Hindenburg was like for its passengers. The movie gives us a pretty good sense of what it would be like to be a passenger on such an airship. It's not as luxurious as an ocean liner, apparently, but it would have been a pretty exciting voyage. I liked the sets, and the bit of a picture we get of how the airship flew. That was all well done.
There's a large cast of characters in this, headed by George C. Scott playing Col. Ritter, a Luftwaffe intelligence officer who's assigned as head of security for the ship. The sabotage angle is played up with that character, plus a Gestapo agent who's both helping him and watching him, in that delightful fashion Nazi Germany had. Both suspect sabotage; both are looking. As is normal with this kind of movie, there are all sorts of possible suspects on board the ship, and no particular reason to suspect one above any other. In that sense, the movie lost a bit of an opportunity to create more suspense by giving away the identity of the saboteur maybe half way through. Ritter turned out to be anti-Nazi enough to be willing to let the sabotage happen, as long as it didn't endanger the passengers. In the end, the real tension comes from the fact that the Hindenburg's landing at a Naval Air Station in New Jersey was delayed, meaning that the bomb would go off before the passengers disembarked, unless Ritter could stop it - which, of course, he couldn't.
The movie has a good cast. Aside from Scott, there's Ann Bancroft and Burgess Meredith and Charles Durning among others. There's even a bit of humour thrown in as a pianist and acrobat on board put on a show for the passengers and crew that turns out to be a shot at the Nazis, poking fun at Hitler and the party with a song called "There's A Lot To Be Said For The Fuhrer." In the end, the portrayal of the fire and crash of the airship is extremely dramatic and well done.
"The Hindenburg" is an interesting movie. It's highly speculative, but if you're interested in the sabotage theory, this presents at least one plausible sabotage scenario to consider. (6/10)
helpful•20
- sddavis63
- Feb 2, 2015
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Die Hindenburg
- Filming locations
- Marine Corps Air Station Tustin, Tustin, California, USA(used for Naval Air Station Lakehurst - airship hangers still standing in 2022)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $15,000,000 (estimated)
- Runtime2 hours 5 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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