The Towering Inferno Blu-ray

The Towering Inferno

 (1974)

Action | Drama | Thriller



A dedication ceremony at the world's tallest skyscraper turns into a high-rise catastrophe when an electrical flare-up causes a raging fire, trapping society's most prominent citizens on the top floor. Winner of three Academy Awards, this spectacular suspense thriller features dazzling special effects and a star-studded cast, including Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, William Holden and Faye Dunaway.

For more details about The Towering Inferno on Blu-ray, see The Towering Inferno Blu-ray Review

Starring: Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, Faye Dunaway, William Holden, Robert Wagner
Directors: Irwin Allen, John Guillermin

The Towering Inferno Blu-ray, Video Quality

 


The Towering Inferno ignites on Blu-ray as another high quality classic catalogue release from 20th Century Fox. A very fine layer of grain swirls around this 1080p, 2.40:1-framed transfer; it's barely noticeable in most scenes. The print exhibits but a few minute pops and scratches, the film looking about as pristine as the day it debuted some 35 years ago. Colors take on that distinct and warm 1970s look; plenty of oranges, yellows, browns, and baby blues dominate the palette as seen in both the period clothing and decor that's scattered about the building. The transfer does look rather soft in many scenes, particularly in outlying areas of the frame while the center-screen action looks mostly sharp and clear. The transfer does serve up a fair bit of fine detail. As the film moves along, dirt and grime begin accumulating on outfits and the fireman's yellow tanks strapped to their backs that gives the film a sense of realism and texture. Also, close-up shots of actors later in the movie reveal beads of nervous- and warmth-induced sweat across every brow. Black levels impress throughout, whether the image is of a dark interior corner of the building or many nighttime exterior shots of the Glass Tower. Flesh tones also remain a rather neutral and natural shade. The many smoky shots never see any problematic banding or blocking. Despite a few bouts of softness, The Towering Inferno looks rather good on Blu-ray.

The Towering Inferno Blu-ray, Audio Quality

 


The Towering Inferno explodes onto Blu-ray with a satisfactory DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The track delivers an experience that's about as expected of a mid-1970s production, beginning with a sweeping score that sounds rather good as it spreads across the front of the soundstage and benefiting from the lossless presentation with a wonderful clarity that may not match the best of the current crop of newly-produced sound mixes but makes for a solid listen nevertheless. The movie delivers an effects-heavy soundtrack, and the lossless mix serves them up to a degree that's better than any previous home video rendition. Screaming fire vehicles race to the tower with loud blares of their sirens and revving engines that both streak across the soundstage. Later, various explosions are loud but pack a minimal wallop and come off as somewhat jumbled and undefined. The rear channels are used rather sparingly, offering up a bit of atmosphere but rarely delivering discrete sound effects. Dialogue plays an important role in the picture and though it's sometimes lost under background sound effects, it's mostly clear and intelligible. Not the most active or clear soundtrack out there but one that is certainly befitting the film, listeners shouldn't be disappointed with this lossless offering from 20th Century Fox.

The Towering Inferno Blu-ray, News and Updates

• Today on Blu-ray - July 14th - July 14, 2009


• The Towering Inferno Blu-ray Gets Detailed - May 13, 2009


• Fox/MGM Catalog Titles Prepared for June and July - April 2, 2009

The Towering Inferno Blu-ray, Forum Discussions

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