Truly Dreadful Film

Perfect cast and a good story

Highly Overrated But Still Good

One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

This is a pretty good dramatization of an historical and tragic event based on theory only and not all factual is known about that fatal day on May 06th, in 1937. George C. Scott is very good as the leading actor as is Anne Bancroft as the leading actress.There are some very suspenseful scenes in the film that grab the audiences attention and you cannot let go until you see what happens next. An example of which is when the flight crew discover there is a gaping hole in the outer skin of the Hindenburg and two brave crew men go out on top of the Hindenburg as it is flying low and slow. The two crew men are tied to a rope around their waste in an attempt to seal the gaping hole before the captain of the Hindenburg gives the order to go full throttle to avoid the Hindenburg crashing and killing everyone aboard.Hindenburg began its last flight on May 3, 1937, carrying 36 passengers and 61 officers, crew members, and trainees. It was the airship's 63rd flight. The film quality on Blu Ray is excellent and the film makers designed the Hindenburg's seating and viewing area identical to the actual air ship. Although this is more of a dramatization of certain events the facts are true that the Hindenburg exploded at Lakehurst, New Jersey on May 6, 1937, caught fire as it was filled with hydrogen and burned to the ground. This was a very tragic day for aviation history and it caused the deaths of thirteen (13) of the 36 passengers, and twenty-two (22) of the 61 crew, who died as a result of the zeppelin's crash.Historically, there is no evidence of sabotage that was ever found, and no convincing theory of sabotaged has ever been advanced. George C. Scott plays the lead investigator Colonel Franz Ritter charged with determining if the written warning the Kremlin received prior to the Hindenburg flight departing that the Hindenburg was going to be destroyed and Colonel Franz Ritter's known relationship with the passenger Countess Ursula von Reugen (Anne Bancroft) who chose to travel on the Hindenburg in an attempt to escape to New Jersey with her most valuable jewels to stay with her daughter who was away at boarding school.Will these two characters and the many other interesting passengers survive, and who is responsible if there is in fact a bomb aboard the Hindenburg? This is a suspenseful film worth watching.I give The Hindenburg a 7/10 rating.

JOINING IN WITH so many other films that could be classified as being in the category (our classification) of MICROCOSIM DRAMA. Whether or not that there is such a term, or even another term, there should be no problem in anyone of us in understanding what we mean.IN SHORT, WE are referring to so many films that cross over into many different genres; be it Western, contemporary, War or even Romance. The only requirements are that the story should have a sizable number of highly diverse individuals; who get thrown together under some stressful and tragic situations. The story each character is told in flashback, as to why they are present under such adverse conditions.THIS WOULD MEAN that today's honoured movie, THE HINDENBERG, is numbered among a long list of very popular and critically acclaimed fare. As an example, we offer: STAGECOACH, LIFEBOAT, TITANIC, THE HIGH AND THE MIGHTY and AIRPORT. As a testimony to the box office power of such films, we find that there is even some high-powered parody; such as AIRPLANE. (What's the vector, Victor?) REGARDING THE SCREENPLAY of this semi-historical drama, we have a writing team, which manages to turn in a story line that touches on all of the aspects of the day. We examine this diverse group of new money Germans, the aristocracy, Jews and Nazi hardliners.THEY ARE ALL passengers on the ill-fated air voyage of the dirigible from Germany to the U.S.A.; in NYC where the destination, the actual docking and mooring was done are the Naval Air Base in Lakehurst, NJ. It was there that the ship suddenly and inexplicably bust into flames, crashing into the runway below. Being filled with the highly lighter than air but highly flammable, hydrogen, rather that the lighter than air, but still was as great in the bouncy department as the much safer and more plentiful in the USA, element of helium.ALTHOUGH MANY CONSPIRACY theories abound, there is no evidence that the tragedy was not a product of natural causes; that being the build-up of static electricity during the docking. Of course this is only the product of our soup & sandwich lunch.SO, VAT ISS you tinking about zis, Schultz?

Just like another beautifully mounted, expensive, silly flop, The Hindenburg reminds me a lot of "Heavens Gate" made five years later. Just like Michael Ciminos film, Robert Wise was obsessed with recreating the era, props, models to exacting standards, unfortunately exacting standards were not used on the plots. Both films suffer with a poor script, which renders all their technical expertise and budget nearly worthless. Also, just like Heavens Gate, there are problems hearing important dialogue in the ships interior over the hum of the aircraft. In Heavens Gate is was the train station. Both films miniature plots can't hold up to the production, and seem silly, like watching a TV movie in IMAX. And really, would a sober minded character like George C Scott's neglect to factor in the possibility of a late landing?

THE HINDENBURG, a film based on the real-life explosion of the German airship in 1937, is an unusual choice for a disaster movie. The actual disaster element of the scenario lasted for only 30 seconds tops, and inevitably comes at the end of the movie; so the test is to create a film that's engaging even when viewers already know the all-too-brief outcome. Most disaster flicks have scenarios like burning buildings or sinking ships so that the disaster can be sustained for those who've survived the initial incident, but that's impossible here.The result is a bit of a mixed bag of a film. All the usual disaster clichés are present, from the ageing Hollywood actors and actresses fighting against the odds, to the up-and-coming stars mixing with the old timers. The involvement of a potential saboteur adds a spy-style sub-plot that ups the entertainment value no end, and indeed the actors involved in this plot (Scott, Atherton and Thinnes) are the only really interesting stars in the whole thing.The rest of those on board, including an irritating clown, a countess, and a couple of hustlers (including the ubiquitous Burgess Meredith) end up feeling extraneous, but it's not all bad. George C. Scott commands the screen as only he can, while William Atherton's sweaty, desperate performance is a precursor to his villainous roles in the 1980s in the likes of GHOSTBUSTERS and DIE HARD. Thinnes, too, is decent as an officious Gestapo officer.The reliable Robert Wise directs the production, so you're guaranteed that things will remain watchable, and I liked the way the ending turns to black and white so that it can incorporate real-life footage of the disaster (a shame the colourisation process wasn't used in those days). The involvement of the Nazis allows for plenty of portentous, retrospective statements from furrowed-brow cast members. THE HINDENBURG certainly isn't the best the disaster genre has to offer, but it remains admirably straight-faced and well-played for the most part.