Since the early days of cinema, there has been a fascination with a sub-genre of films known as the disaster genre. These films would feature known cities or monuments being destroyed while a large cast of actors would try to escape the destruction. Sometimes that disaster came at the hands of nature-gone-amok like in Them!, sometimes it was supernatural or science fiction like War of the Worlds or It Came From Outer Space. But the best of these films were natural disaster films like volcano eruptions, earthquakes, tornadoes, or rogue waves as in The Poseidon Adventure. In The Towering Inferno, that disaster was a fire in a skyscraper, something that was the fear of many an urbanite. After all, if you were up on the top floor and a raging inferno broke out on a lower floor, how do you get out? The fire escape may not be safe in that situation, the stairwells in flames, and the elevators out of commission. The terror of the cast became even more real for people in the wake of 911 when real people were trapped on the upper floors of the World Trade Center in a similar situation, this one deliberate. That real-life tragedy changed the feelings I had seeing this film after that real-world event.
The film opens with the planned dedication of The Glass Tower, a mixed-use skyscraper designed by architect Doug Roberts (Paul Newman). This tower, designed for developer James Duncan (William Holden), is the world’s tallest building, and Duncan wants to show off the tower by hosting a dedication party on the 135th floor. During this party, all the lights in the whole tower are illuminated, which begins to overload the circuits, causing a short in the main utility room and a fire to break out on the 81st floor. While examining the wiring around the short, Roberts discovers the wiring to be inadequate and suspects that Roger Simmons (Richard Chamberlain), the electrical subcontractor and Duncan’s son-in-law, cut corners to save money. Roberts initially feigns innocence but eventually confesses to it, stating that he had to in order to get the building back on budget. He also insists that the other contractors took similar shortcuts.
The fire spreads quickly as the local fire department arrives and firefighters begin battling the blaze as well as ascending the tower in an attempt to rescue people. San Francisco Fire Department Chief Michael O’Hallorhan (Steve McQueen) and his men mount several daring rescue attempts, some of which are only partially successful. Many of the people inside The Glass Tower perish before a last-ditch effort is proposed that just might put out the flames for good.
Like many films of this genre, The Towering Inferno is filled with celebrities, many of whom are virtually in bit parts. This allows for famous faces to be killed off, ramping up the tension. After all, if Robert Wagner could be engulfed in flames, anyone in this cast could be next. We, as a movie audience, have grown accustomed to the big stars always being safe, unless they are playing the villain, and so there is something extra unsettling to see the likes of Jennifer Jones plummeting to her death or Susan Flannery engulfed in flames. This psychological trick leaves us unsettled and uncertain if Paul Newman or Steve McQueen may make it out of this film alive. The same trick was utilized to great effect in The Poseidon Adventure and made Shelley Winters’ sacrifice all the more shocking.
Films of this ilk live and die by the tension on screen. There are people that we expect to meet a grizzly end, such as Roger Simmons. His character is ultimately the one responsible for all the carnage as he chose to deliberately ignore safety requirements to save a few dollars. He claims that the building was still up to code, and perhaps it is, but cutting corners when safety is concerned is just inexcusable. Likewise, his father-in-law, Duncan, is rightfully called out for insisting on trimming the budget rather than the number of floors on the building.
As this is a disaster movie, we can fully expect some amazing set-pieces along with all the carnage. This film is from the era where effects had to be done practically. That’s what makes films like this and The Poseidon Adventure such fun to watch. Real flames are far more intimidating than CGI ones. Compare this to the more recent remake, Poseidon, which is packed to the gills with CGI, and you can clearly see why it didn’t have nearly the impact of a film like this. There is a rawness to the practical effects that cannot be replicated in a computer. When Robert Wagner is engulfed in flames and falls to the ground, it is horrific. Likewise, when Jennifer Jones falls to her death, it is truly shocking, especially when the man who was trying to con her at the party, Harlee (Fred Astaire), makes it out alive.
Another trope of disaster films is that they often demand a sacrifice. This was true of The Poseidon Adventure when Gene Hackman, the man of God, must sacrifice himself in the end so that the rest may live. This is salvation granted by God through an act of selflessness. In The Towering Inferno, there comes a time where things get so desperate that a plan is enacted that may require the sacrifice of not just Roberts but O’Hallorhan, too. Both men know that they are facing possible death, yet both go anyway. O’Hallorhan jokes that “they’ll find some dumb [S.O.B.]” to pull off this crazy plan. By this point, we’ve lost so many familiar faces that we’re fully prepared to lose one, or both, as the film prepares to wrap up.
For a genre film, this is amongst the best. But it is still a genre film, and it is surprising that it managed to break through at the Academy and secure a Best Picture nomination. The Poseidon Adventure got many nominations just two years prior but not one for Best Picture, and it had strong themes of God and atonement. The Towering Inferno has none of that, but it is no less riveting of a film. Perhaps it was more relatable, setting it in a tower instead of on a cruise ship. Or perhaps the Academy had matured in the two years and saw more value in this kind of film. Either way, it competed that year for Best Picture, ultimately losing out to The Godfather, Part II.
Academy Award Nominations:
Best Picture: Irwin Allen
Best Supporting Actor: Fred Astaire
Best Art Direction: William J. Creber, Ward Preston, and Raphaël Bretton
Best Cinematography: Fred J. Koenekamp and Joseph Biroc (won)
Best Film Editing: Harold F. Kress and Carl Kress (won)
Best Original Dramatic Score: John Williams
Best Song: “We May Never Love Like This Again” Music and Lyrics by Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn (won)
Best Sound: Theodore Soderberg and Herman Lewis
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Release Date: December 16, 1974
Running Time: 165 Minutes
Rated PG
Starring: Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, William Holden, Faye Dunaway, Fred Astaire, Susan Blakely, Richard Chamberlain, Jennifer Jones, O. J. Simpson, Robert Vaughn, and Robert Wagner
Directed By: John Guillermin
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