El coloso en llamas

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.

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

Steve McQueen and Paul Newman are in a movie together, and it's not a racecar movie? Well, in the 1970s, it was a big fad to make big-budget disaster movies with a large cast. The Poseidon Adventure, Earthquake, and the Airport movies make up a classic niche genre, in which The Towering Inferno garners a top spot.

This one deals with a burning building, a skyscraper to be exact. Hence, the "towering" inferno. Countless characters are introduced to the audience, given reasons to become attached, and then placed in dire peril. Who will make it out alive? This film's all-star cast includes Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, Fred Astaire, Richard Chamberlain, Jennifer Jones, Faye Dunaway, William Holden, Susan Blakely, O. J. Simpson, Robert Vaughn, and Robert Wagner. Paul is the architect who built the titular building, but Bill is the builder who oversaw costs and decided to cut corners by cutting safety measures. Fred is an old conman who's out to swindle Jonsey, and Richard is Bill's scoundrel son-in-law married to Susan. All the cast is gathered together at the opening night party at the top floor when the trouble starts. At first, it's just a small electrical fire (thanks to Richard's shoddy work), but when it gets out of control, Paul insists they call the fire department and end the party. Bill doesn't want to send everyone home, because he knows if he did, it would result in a very short movie with no special effects.

Most of this movie is excellent, so if somehow it's slipped past you, reserve a special movie night and rent it. Paul Newman gets to enjoy a break from his typical bad boy roles, and Steve McQueen looks very authoritative (and cute) in his firefighter uniform. Fred Astaire received his only Oscar nomination for this movie, and Jennifer Jones made her comeback and final film as one of the more memorable characters. Faye Dunaway has some tender moments with her boyfriend Paul, and she looks really beautiful in her bronze dress. The downsides are William Holden, who seems like he'd rather do anything than read his lines in front of the camera, and Richard Chamberlain - did his character have to be that much of a jerk? As one of the best pictures of 1974, don't let Bill's bad acting put you off.

"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.

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.