The Towering Inferno

[MainTitle]

For those fans of the movie in the United Kingdom, Warner Home Video released a Region B coded Blu ray of this title on November 16.

The picture quality in high definition is stunning and a notch or two above the regular standard def DVD. Most of the outstanding extras from the US version's Region A coded BD from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment have been ported over for this release.

Missing is the 'AMC Backstory' and 'Scene Specific Commentaries' for several of the action sequences but all the deleted scenes, making of docos and several other featurettes are included. It also retains film historian F.X. Feeney's enjoyable feature length audio commentary, although he does make a couple of factual errors like saying that Paul Newman's son who played a bit part as a scared fireman is the same who assists Steve McQueen after the dramatic scenic elevator derailment, but that role went to stuntman/actor Ernie Orsatti. Aside from that he provides a good listening experience into the background of this legendary blockbuster film.

The sound mix is quite good utilising a Dolby True HD 5.1 audio track. I don't know how much better or worse it compares the the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track on the Region A disc. It still sounds mighty impressive on my home theatre system.

As a long time fan of this film over 35 years, I imported it last week to Australia and am thrilled with the quality. Warner deserves credit for their work on this release and I urge any fans of the film to buy it. You won't be disappointed!



The Towering Inferno Blu-ray

[demiscy]

Thank you for the info

[popcultureboy]

I bought the UK Region B release and watched it over the weekend. Didn't realise we were missing a few extras, but it has SO many extras on there anyway, so I can't say as I'm upset by that. The picture quality is just ridiculously amazing. I read a review that said the film could be a new release, the quality is that pin sharp, and I am inclined to agree. Can't wait to watch it again, with the commentary.

[Zippyfan]

I have never seen this film so i will pick it up soon

[Shanester]

Originally Posted by Zippyfan

I have never seen this film so i will pick it up soon

It's a 70'S classic! Disaster flicks with all star casts were very popular back then like: Airport' 75, The Poseidon Adventure, Earthquake. ETC..

[jaykays hat]

I saw this film 3 times at the cinema when it was released, as a 9 year old kid at the time I loved this film. I thought Paul Newman & Steve McQueen were the coolest men ever. I can't wait to get this on Blu Ray.

[Bruce Morrison]

Originally Posted by MainTitle

For those fans of the movie in the United Kingdom, Warner Home Video released a Region B coded Blu ray of this title on November 16.

...

The sound mix is quite good utilising a Dolby True HD 5.1 audio track. I don't know how much better or worse it compares the the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track on the Region A disc. It still sounds mighty impressive on my home theatre system.

Fox and Warner were the joint production companies, so I would assume they have used the same audio master for their respective BD releases in the US and the UK. In that case, the fact that they have used different lossless audio codecs is irrelevant. After volume equalisation, they would sound identical - lossless is lossless!

[USiT]

Originally Posted by jaykays hat

I saw this film 3 times at the cinema when it was released, as a 9 year old kid at the time I loved this film. I thought Paul Newman & Steve McQueen were the coolest men ever. I can't wait to get this on Blu Ray.

Dude, they still are.
Steve is dead but for me he is still my hero and no one today is as cool as he was when he made movies, Bullitt, The Great Esacpe (GIVE ME BD) and this one.

[jaykays hat]

Originally Posted by USiT

Dude, they still are.
Steve is dead but for me he is still my hero and no one today is as cool as he was when he made movies, Bullitt, The Great Esacpe (GIVE ME BD) and this one.

I heard a rumour that a remake was planned, it got me thinking about who could play the lead roles. I can't think of anyone in cinema today that would be as cool as Paul or Steve. No doubt they would give one of the roles to Samuel Jackson.

[MainTitle]

See below

skyscrapermovieposter_jpg_illustrator_original.jpg

[USiT]

Originally Posted by jaykays hat

I heard a rumour that a remake was planned, it got me thinking about who could play the lead roles. I can't think of anyone in cinema today that would be as cool as Paul or Steve. No doubt they would give one of the roles to Samuel Jackson.

Now thats sad news, very very sad news. Please let this classic be.

Wouldn't supprise me at all if Samuel gets a role

[4LOM]

After waiting for one week for amazon.co.uk to despatch the "Towering Inferno" Blu-ray I got this e-mail today:

We regret to inform you that the following items have been delayed as we are still awaiting stock from our suppliers :

Steve McQueen, et al "The Towering Inferno [Blu-ray] [1974]"
Estimated arrival date: December 17 2009

Strange, because it says "In Stock" on the amazon site.

[JBL4645]

I first saw The Towering Inferno 1974 with my dad, and during the intermission of the film the explosion scene down the stairwell that had Newman dangling by the busted metal framing. When a few seconds into intermission, what do you think I heard overheard in the cinema above!

Yes it was the deep granddaddy of sub bass Earthquake playing in sensurround, lol

Oddly so, I saw Earthquake a few days later on my own as my dad wasn’t interested, guess it didn’t have Paul Newman or Steve McQueen in it. It did have “you damn dirty ape” Heston in it!

These are my favourites from the 70’s and they both had John Williams, scores which was wow, wow, wow great.

The UK got stiffed a few years back with the region 2 DVD, we ended up with Dolby stereo 4.2.4 the US had six-track Dolby version, but at least I could hear the crazy wild dialogue panning that the film had WOW!

Earthquake hardly had any dialogue panning it was all anchored centre to the screen.

I’ll be keeping an eye out for The Towering Inferno, as the original mix was 5 screen discrete and single monaural surround, something Bluray can’t do with true five screen fronts, like the SDDS8 which can!

If you want to crate the illusion of five-screen front with Dolby matrix decoding its really simple if your die hard fan of The Towering Inferno!

[jaykays hat]

Got it yesterday, they have done good job with the picture quality, haven't tried on my surround sound as yet so can't comment on the sound.

[JBL4645]

Just received the high rising action adventure classic The Towering Inferno (1974) and wow nicely produced with towering features of extras over the substandard region 2 DVD that I’ve had for number years.

With glittery all star cast Steve McQueen The Chief Paul Newman The Architect with William Holden and Fay Dunaway its night that they won’t forget.

I must say Irwin Allen is the grand-master of suspense of water, fire and even bees!

Towering Features include:
1080P 2.35:1 Widescreen
English 5.1 dtsHDMA
English (Original Theatrical Audio) DD 4.0
French, German, Italian and Spanish DD 2.0
Subtitles (Film & Extras except commentary): English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Castilian, Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish
Commentary by Film Historian F.X. Feeney
Inside the Tower: We Remember
Innovating the Tower: The SPFX of an Inferno
The Art of Towering
Irwin Allen: The Great Producer
Directing the Inferno
Putting out the Fire
Running on Fire
Still the World’s Tallest Building
The Heart of Disaster: Stirling Silliphant
Storyboard-to-Film Comparisons (x6)
NATO Presentation Reel
Original 1974 Featurette #1
Original 1974 Featurette #2
Irwin Allen 1977 Interview (9 parts)
Deleted & Extended Scenes (x33 including Alternate Opening)
Teaser & Theatrical Trailers

Picture
I’ve previewed it on the LCD video projector at 1080i and wow the colours and depth sharpness stands out fantastic bolder over the region 2 DVD.

Sound
I’m also re-listening to the individual channels while muting LCR/LFE.1 and listening to how monaural surrounds fair. Well not, the usual common crosstalk you’d get with front matrix crosstalk spraying over the surrounds the music and effects are isolated from the front stage and kept where they should be.

Also the fronts are intact with all the crazy wild dialogue panning placed where a performer is standing or moving over the (left centre right stage) this crates a realism rather than having centred all the time.

Theodore Soderberg who has worked on several Irwin Allen features and many others has impressive track record as sound mixer.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0812029/

There are also (there are hard left and right pans as well as (half pans that are placed slightly on the outside of the centre and in-between the left and right) might be rather hard to hear unless you’re aware of it on the mix.

I still get Goosebumps with John Williams score on chapter 29 as fire-chief Steve McQueen looks down at burning skyscraper, someone pass me the oxygen please lol.


The DVDbeaver as nice assorted range of screenshots of all previous versions on optical disc
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDRev...dvd_review.htm

Since its released by Warner Bros and the dtsHDMA which seems to be standard use with 20th century fox I have no problem with this since its clear shows its age but that’s how I like it. Keep at as original as possible without re-mixing it too far where most films tend to get all the dialogue panning condensed down to centre front.

Its premiere house Road Show release was 5-perf 70mm six-track magnetic stereophonic (Westrex Recording System) that was, consider being Rolls Royce of cinematic sound.

Note LFE.1 is kept mild and may require a level boast but use caution and remember to turn it down afterwards.

The Towering Inferno was released in the UK on (January 30th 1975) which I saw with my dad. There was also another disaster film already showing in the cinema above in Sensurround “Earthquake” that has been playing since (28th November 1974) and didn’t see Earthquake until a few days after The Towering Inferno which caught my attention during the intermission on the towering inferno at around roughly 1 hour 14 minutes. This is where a gas leaks sets off an explosion both rupturing the concrete and the stairwell.

Above my head some few minutes into the intermission was defocused hard to pinpoint low muffled rumbling! That would be Earthquake in screen 1 while The Towering Inferno played in screen 2.

Clocking in at (2 hours 44 minutes 52 seconds) this is film/bluray that I, can give multiple viewings without getting tiered of it.

The Towering Inferno gives the JBL control 5 / 1 and JBL sub a towering vintage sound workout.

Hat’s off to fire-fighters worldwide who daily, risk their lives, so that others may live and this is testament to those brave fire-fighters.

Rating for bluray
Picture 10 /10
Sound 10 /10

Chief O’Hallorhan - You know, we were lucky tonight Body count’s less than 200. You know, one of these days…they’re gonna kill 10.000 in one of these firetraps.

And I’m gonna keep eating smoke and bringing out bodies…until somebody asks us…how to build them.

Architect, Roberts - Okay. I’m asking.

Chief O’Hallorhan - You know where to reach me. So long, architect.

[Shanester]

Great film and all star cast.

Would love to also see The Poseidon Adventure, Earthquake, Airport & Airport '75 , The Swarm etc..

I love those 70's disaster flicks!!

[JBL4645]

Originally Posted by Shanester

Great film and all star cast.

Would love to also see The Poseidon Adventure, Earthquake, Airport & Airport '75 , The Swarm etc..

I love those 70's disaster flicks!!

Second that! I keep wondering when special, special, special edition of Earthquake as that is the granddaddy of sub bass in your face Sensurround is going to get Bluray release, which I saw some 3 times in (sensurround) and possible resulted in tinnitus at my early age, because I’ve noticed a hissy like sound middle of the 1970’s often at night when settling down to bed.

I wasn’t aware of what it was back then until around mid 1990’s.

The Poseidon Adventure I’d like to see better version of it with natural colour balance and shape clear contrast/brightness levels with extras to sink an ocean liner. Released in 70mm six-track magnetic stereophonic.

The Swarm is mad, mad with swarms of what else would it, bees, attacking anything that moves. Released in 35mm 4 track magnetic stereophonic.

Saw Airport ’75 on youtube last year and was tensely gripping the sofa. Monaural (Westrex Recording System) had nice sub bass rumble on the 747 scenes with the wind gusting though the hole in the cockpit and other rumble effects.

[JBL4645]

Like the glass being broken at (1 hour 52 minutes 52 seconds) each panel of glass has different level some has bit smack punch as its busted in by the firemen’s axe. Played a comfortable level because real glass shattering will bend your ears and its rather unpleasant and can often reach as high as near 100db depending on size and how hard its hit.

[manicsounds]

Can't find this information anywhere, but for the UK BD, are there hidden Japanese subtitle options when Japanese menus are defaulted?

[JBL4645]

Originally Posted by manicsounds

Can't find this information anywhere, but for the UK BD, are there hidden Japanese subtitle options when Japanese menus are defaulted?

It’s out of control. And it’s coming your way.

I’m still running The Towering Inferno and skipped though the subtitles and don’t see any Japanese subtitle?