Welcome ( Register)

The Towering Inferno [Blu-ray]

Blu-ray

The Towering Inferno Blu-ray
Zoom More Images
List Price: $19.99
Price: $13.31
WITH COUPON CODE NOW: $9.98
You Save: $6.68 (33%)
You Save: $10.01 (50%)
Free Shipping
on Orders Over $25
In Stock
Print Page

The Towering Inferno [Blu-ray] on Blu-ray


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,
  • Sound By: Dolby Digital Stereo
  • Released By: 20th Century Fox
Audio Commentary by Film Historian F.X. Feeney

Scene-Specific Commentary by Mike Vezina, Special Effects Director on X-Men: The Last Stand, And Branko Racki, Stunt Coordinator: Montreal On The Day After Tomorrow
Over 30 Extended/Deleted Scenes

Inside The Tower: We Remember/Innovating Tower: The SPX of An Inferno
The Art of Towering
Irwin Allen: The Great Producer
Directing The Inferno
Putting Out Fire
Running On Fire
Still The World's Tallest Building
The Writer: Stirling Silliphant

AMC Backstory: The Towering Inferno
Storyboard-To-Film Comparisons
NATO Presentation Reel
Original "Making-Of" Featurettes

1977 Irwin Allen Interview
Original Teaser, Trailer and The Poseidon Adventure Trailer
3 Interactive Articles From American Cinematographer
Still Galleries
(Shot Compositions, Publicity, Behind-The-Scenes, Conceptual Sketches, Costumes)

Click image to view larger

  • The Towering Inferno Blu-ray
The Towering Inferno Blu-ray

Editorial Reviews

The most popular and critically lauded of the cookie-cutter disaster movies of 1970s, The Towering Inferno set the high-water mark for the genre. Though the film's eight Academy Award nominations may seem laughable today, there's no denying Inferno's strength at tapping the era's sense of morbid paranoia. Irwin Allen produced the film -- as well as directed the major action set pieces -- and he delivers the lavish production design, star-studded cast, melodramatic subplots, and life-and-death dilemmas audiences had come to expect in the wake of Airport and The Poseidon Adventure. Inferno stands out from the crowd mainly for its audacious sets and high-quality performances. The cast list is staggering; Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, Faye Dunaway, William Holden, and Fred Astaire are among the luminaries. Spurred on by the overwhelming success of The Towering Inferno, the disaster genre went into high-gear for the rest of the decade, with mostly disastrous results. John Williams did the excellent score. ~ Brendon Hanley, Rovi