Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The original Die Hard in a great 2-disc NTSC special edition, 7 Jul 2006
The Towering Inferno is still the daddy of all the 70s disaster movies, even if time has taken the edge off some of the special effects and rendered the fashions and décor more frightening than the pyrotechnics. It's also the blueprint for Die Hard, which borrows many of its key setpieces almost verbatim - the trapped party guests, the hero crawling around at the top of a seemingly endless lift shaft, the chopper exploding on the roof, the explosion that unleashes a deluge on the building - while scaling down the all-star cast and adding gunplay to the mix. As a rule in the genre, movie stars survive, TV stars die, but it's not ironclad here, although the probability of death does seem directly correlated to the amount of screen time a character gets.
It's a lavishly mounted affair and, unlike the Glass Tower itself, beautifully constructed. Stirling Silliphant's script sets up the characters (although some, like Robert Vaughn, end up sidelined completely for most of the film) and the premise so efficiently that you barely notice it's 36 minutes before anyone even notices the fire, while the survival (or otherwise) set pieces are well-staged and show some imagination - particularly the scenic elevator scene. If with recent history it may seem a tad tasteless to say it, the film is Hollywood enough to enjoy as an old-fashioned survival story/disaster movie and at least doesn't dodge the bullet of the main characters' complicity in the corner-cutting that results in the disaster - even Newman's supposedly idealistic architect takes the blame for his inaction in preventing it.
Fox's 2-disc Region 1 DVD is an impressive package: there's perhaps more quantity than quality, but there's more than enough good extras to make it worth the price of an upgrade if you already have the old version. The AMC backstory is the best behind the scenes feature despite running only 22 minutes. The new featurettes are more sort of sidebars than a comprehensive acount of the production - interesting and occassionally gossipy fun (Richard Chamberlain's enthused fascination for Irwin's outrageous weave, Irwin taking Stella Stevens out to lunch at Jack in the Box). The NATO presentation by Allen at his most shamelessly hucksterish is hilariously hokey as hell - shame they couldn't find the script for the onstage bits - and the unedited interview footage of Irwin and his incredible hair was fun if only to see his attempts to be a dignified serious figure quickly give way to the carnival sideshow barker side of him! There are also two original 10-minute featurettes covering the fire and water stunts, teaser and full trailer, stills galleries and more.
Sadly, F.X. Sweeney's commentary tends to play at times like an audio description ("Here we see the secretaries talking and Robert Wagner having the outside phone line turned off. And here we see the pretty secretary with the glasses walking through the door.."). I did dip in and out where I wanted to know more about certain scenes, but on the few occasions he was talking about the making of the film, it had no relevance to what was happening onscreen. However, it's not enough to take the shine off what is still a great fun disc.
Sadly, the PAL region 2 discs from Warners don't match up to Fox's 2-disc special edition, boasting only a decent widescreen transfer and the original trailer.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
THE BEST DISASTER MOVIE EVER!!, 27 Oct 2003
I absolutely adore this film. It was the first disaster movie I ever saw, and left a lasting impression on me. It has everything a disaster movie needs, a big building, on fire, with trapped guests, Paul Newman, and Steve McQueen, and if thats not enough it's Steve McQueen in a firemans uniform.
For its time it was one of the biggest movies ever made, and when you watch it now, you see how well made it is. The effects are still good, and make this a movie you can watch over and over. And unlike disaster movies of today it has a point, and a message, and excellent dialogue, like 'Its out of control and heading your way' which still sends a shiver through me.I HIGHLY RECOMMEND EVERYONE WATCHES THIS FILM AT LEAST ONCE.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
the best disaster movie ever made., 2 Sep 2006
I have bought several copies of The Towering Inferno hoping to get some special features, but unfortunately I was unsuccessful until I bought this copy. This is a 2 disc special edition with featurettes, 2 trailers, cast interviews, deleted scenes, photo gallery, interactive menu, and improved stereo sound for best effect of the movie, what more could you ask for. This edition is definately worth investing in especially if you are a fan of this movie.
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