Towering Inferno with Steve McQueen: DVD Cover

    Towering Inferno Director: Irwin Allen, John Guillermin Cast: Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, William Holden, Faye Dunaway

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    • DVD Release Date: 04/15/2003
    • Original Release: 1974
    • Rating: Rated PG

    Viewer Rating: (4 ratings)

    Detailed Rating: "Plot" See All

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    DVD - Special Edition / Wide Screen$19.99
    Blu-ray - Wide Screen / Subtitled / Dubbed$27.99

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    • Overview
    • Editorial Reviews
    • Scenes
    • Customer Reviews
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    Scenes

    Features

    Original theatrical trailer

    Full Product Details

    Scene Index

    Scene Selection
    0. Scene Selection
    0. Menu Group #1 with 26 chapter(s) covering 02:44:43
    1. Main Titles [3:43]
    2. Warm Welcome [1:19]
    3. A Little Situation [6:23]
    4. How Bad is it? [2:19]
    5. Cutting Corners [1:34]
    6. Opening Night [3:20]
    7. Getting the Party Started [4:09]
    8. We May Never Love Like This Again [5:15]
    9. Cause for Alarm [3:42]
    10. Setting Up Forward Command [3:51]
    11. Panic in the Promenade [:29]
    12. Boxed In [7:08]
    13. Going for Help [3:35]
    14. Saving the Children [1:04]
    15. Taking the Stairs [4:54]
    16. Dangerous Descent [2:33]
    17. Hope Has Arrived [6:04]
    18. Power Down [4:37]
    19. Blowing the Door [:18]
    20. No Way Out [7:35]
    21. "What Do They Call It When You Kill People?" [7:02]
    22. Luck of the Draw [3:18]
    23. Dropping a Line [1:40]
    24. O'Hallorhan and the Elevator [2:25]
    25. The One Chance [6:03]
    26. Preparing for the Worst [3:15]

    Scene Index

    Editorial Reviews

    A skyscraper and an all-star cast go up in flames in Irwin Allen's classic disaster movie. To celebrate the construction of the Glass Tower, the world's tallest building, architect Doug Roberts (Paul Newman) and builder James Duncan (William Holden) hold a gala bash on the highest floors. Trouble is, Duncan's son-in-law and electrical subcontractor Roger Simmons (Richard Chamberlain) installed faulty wiring throughout the 138-story behemoth to save money. While the guests -- including Doug's lady friend (Faye Dunaway), a rich widow (Jennifer Jones), a con man (Fred Astaire), and a politico (Robert Vaughn) -- enjoy the party, and a security guard (O.J. Simpson) wonders why his equipment is on the fritz, a burnt-out circuit breaker ignites some garbage on the 85th floor, swiftly turning the high-rise into, well, a towering inferno. With the guests trapped on the 135th floor, it's up to Roberts and Fire Chief O'Hallorhan (Steve McQueen) to find a way to stop the blaze. Though not the first all-star '70s disaster movie (1970's Airport and 1972's The Poseidon Adventure preceded it), The Towering Inferno was the most popular and the most spectacular. In a move that would become more common in late-'90s blockbuster Hollywood, The Towering Inferno's mammoth production was mounted by two studios; screenwriter Stirling Silliphant combined the two novels owned by the studios into one saga. 1970s "shake 'n bake" maestro Allen, with co-director John Guillermin (Allen did the action sequences), tapped into deep fears about the fragility of modern life in the face of extreme natural phenomena, as well as into the envies and insecurities of middle-aged professional men. The Towering Inferno packed theaters and earned eight Oscar nominations, including Best Picture; it won for Cinematography, Editing, and Song. While its heroic, no-nonsense men provided some traditional comfort, The Towering Inferno still might provoke second thoughts about going into a skyscraper. Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide

    Customer Reviews

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    • Ratings: 4Reviews: 1

    Film Is As Hot as the Storyby JCarter

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    November 15, 2009: For the first time in his career Steve McQueen got top billing in a film, The Towering Inferno was one of the first disaster films that began in the early 70's and to some extent still exists today in films such as Independence Day. All of those films owe as great deal to this one. Had this film not been so well done the genre may have never come about.

    McQueen and Newman demonstrated why they were so highly regarded in Hollywood then as much as today. The story of a high rise building burning was also a glimpse into the future when 9/11 occurred. The script was well done and the acting superb. This is great escapism.

    This review was written about the DVD Special Edition / Wide Screen edition.