The Towering Inferno
Directed by John Guillerman
Written by Sterling Silliphant based on The Tower by Richard Martin Stern and The Glass Inferno by Thomas N. Scortia and Frank M. Robinson
1974/USA
IMDb page
First viewing/Amazon Prime purchase
One of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
James Duncan: Senator Parker is flying in for the dedication tonight. And he’s almost guaranteed to sign the Urban Renewal Contract. Now do you know what that means? Skyscrapers like this all over the country! You design ’em, I’ll build ’em.
Doug Roberts: Don’t you think you’re suffering from an edifice complex?
There was a day when you could make an explosive-filled summer blockbuster about a skyscraper that is rapidly going up in flames, the higher the body count the better. That day passed for me on September 11, 2001
Although this is still early in the cycle of disaster movies, the genre seems to be settling on a few common tropes. The disaster coincides with a major event that attracts the rich and famous, here a party celebrating the dedication of San Francisco’s latest landmark, the tallest skyscraper in the world.
The party is hosted by Jim Duncan (William Holden) who is the president of the huge construction firm that built the building. Also attending are the architect for the project Doug Roberts (Paul Newman) and his fiancee Susan (Faye Dunaway). Doug gets called away from the party by news that there is some suspicious electrical work. Not long after this we see a small fire break out in a utility room.
Nobody but Doug wants to spoil the party and evacuate the building. Even the heroism of Fire Chief O’Halloran (Steve McQueen) can’t stop the fire from going completely out of control. Many risky tactics are tried to save lives.
We also explore a few sub-plots to heighten the melodrama. One concerns Jim’s daughter Patty and her contemptible cost-cutting husband Simmons (Richard Chamberlin). One concerns a con-man (Fred Astaire) who tries to sell fake stocks to a painter (Jennifer Jones). Before their romance can blossom, however, Jennifer makes herself responsible for the rescue of a deaf woman and her children. With OJ Simpson as a security guard; Robert Vaughn as a Senator; and Robert Wagner as a philanderer.
This is a special effects extravaganza and the effects and stirring music are the real reason to see what otherwise is a trite melodrama. I had a very hard time watching the people on fire jumping from the building, etc. It’s not a movie I will return to.
The Towering Inferno won Academy Awards for Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing and Best Music, Original Song (“We May Never Love Like This Again”). The film was nominated for Best Picture; Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Fred Astaire); Best Art Decoration – Best Set Decoration; Best Sound; and Best Music, Original Dramatic Score (John Williams)
