Good attempt to dramatize the Hindenburg disaster...
"Hindenburg" is a pretty good film that unfortunately falls a bit flat. The concept, sets, effects, and the cast are all excellent, but there just seems to be some element missing.
The cast is populated with famous faces from yesterday, a standard practice in all 70's disaster movies. Here we have the incomparable Gig Young, Burgess Meredith, Charles Durning, Richard A. Dysart, Robert Clary (late from "Hogan's Heroes" at this point), future Star Trek actor Rene Auberjonois, and Roy Thinnes. And of course, we have Anne Bancroft and George C. Scott. Scott and Thinnes really do their best, too (look at their confrontation scene when Thinnes' character mentions Scott's dead son!).
Still, the cast just seems to be shuffling through this one, with little or no true tension generated, other than an emergency repair by some crewmen who must venture out onto the hull of the ship (an act that was accomplished, but never happened on Hindenburg's last trip).
The end result is somewhat...
Remaster needed!
"The Hindenburg" is a wonderful film that is in desperate need of a re-mastering. The DVD uses the standard definition (480-I, with 120 lines of color) master created for the stereo Widescreen LaserDisc that was released on April 18, 1991. Sadly, that transfer was so bad that the very first release of "The Hindenburg" to home video, on December 15, 1978, (as a CAV - Standard Play - 5-sided MCA DiscoVision LaserDisc release for $15.95) actually has better definition and sharpness - and without the bugaboo of the widescreen transfer's HORRIBLY excessive edge enhancement - the DiscoVision discs' only drawback is a pan & scan transfer and mono sound from an optical release print. The edge enhancement of the Widescreen LD/DVD transfer is so excessive that I really can't think of any other title, not even bootleg videos, that contain a higher amount. Everything seen on the DVD looks as if it's a 2nd generation VHS dupe that's been put through a Photoshop "emboss" filter about five times...
A lost classic is found
I never even heard of this movie until I saw it on AMC. What a film.
...First of all the movie is not about the Hindenburg disaster. Unlike 'Titanic' it's not about the crash.
'Hindenburg' is a suspense mystery. Germany learns the Hindenburg will be destroyed before it reaches New Jersy. But instead of canceling the flight, they send it George C. Scott as a spy to find the bomber on board. 'Hindenburg' gives us many interesting suspects.
I can see why it won for best FX. Back when they used models and super imposing before this computer animation crap. Suprisingly after 2 hours of great FX, they cheap out at the end and go to black and white so they can splice in that famous footage of the crash. Cheesy, bust as I said the movie isn't about the crash.
It's also interesting to see how we were once on good terms with the Nazis. Yeah we even had the Olympics there.
If you want a great suspense film with great production quality, this is it. Look else where for big explosions.
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