The Towering Inferno

The Towering Inferno is an all time classic disaster movie. The film has an all star cast including Steve McQueen and Paul Newman and was produced by Irwin Allen. The story was based on the two novels The Tower by Richard Martin Stern and The Glass Inferno by Thomas N. Scortia and Frank M. Robinson.

The film won three Academy Awards, two BAFTAs and two Golden Globes at the time and has set the bar high for a good disaster movie. The reputation of The Towering Inferno is undoubtedly helped by its strong cast which includes William Holden, Faye Dunaway, Fred Astaire, Richard Chamberlain, Robert Vaughn and Robert Wagner most of whom were at the peak of their careers.

The effects, although somewhat dated now, are stunning and the bravery of the director in killing off a few principle cast members makes the film seem more real and believable to viewers. Many modern disaster movies of this type rarely allow major stars to be killed and this sometimes can detract from an otherwise acceptable film.

A short in an electrical short circuit sets off a fire in an 81st floor room of a 138 floor brand new building. The film follows the efforts of the building designer (Newman) and the fire chief (McQueen) as they attempt to rescue the party goers from the top floor. At the end it is revealed that to meet budget constraints cheaper building materials were used and fire regulations were not followed.

Cinema release 1974

Certificate 15

Available on DVD and Blue Ray