The Hindenburg (1975)
The 1937 Hindenburg disaster has remained an enduring mystery over the years. The physical mechanics of how this airship filled with 7,000,000 cubic feet of hydrogen gas caught fire has been fully explored over the decades and there are now several extremely plausible theories as to how it may have happened. However, there remains the possibility of sabotage. As such an idea has more dramatic potential than mechanical failure, it was used as the central theme of the 1975 disaster movie The Hindenburg. Directed by Robert Wise, the screenplay by Nelson Gidding explores a German resistance against the Nazi regime. The airship is targeted as it is a powerful propaganda symbol for Hitler’s Germany. Sadly despite some interesting ideas, a strong cast and solid, old school optical effects, The Hindenburg is a slow and somewhat ponderous production. Although the final 20 minutes of the film recreate the infamous explosion meticulously, it doesn’t quite compensate for the uneventful, dialogue driven investigation of the previous 100 minutes.
The 1937 Hindenburg disaster has remained an enduring mystery over the years. The physical mechanics of how this airship filled with 7,000,000 cubic feet of hydrogen gas caught fire has been fully explored over the decades and there are now several extremely plausible theories as to how it may have happened. However, there remains the possibility of sabotage. As such an idea has more dramatic potential than mechanical failure, it was used as the central theme of the 1975 disaster movie The Hindenburg. Directed by Robert Wise, the screenplay by Nelson Gidding explores a German resistance against the Nazi regime. The airship is targeted as it is a powerful propaganda symbol for Hitler’s Germany. Sadly despite some interesting ideas, a strong cast and solid, old school optical effects, The Hindenburg is a slow and somewhat ponderous production. Although the final 20 minutes of the film recreate the infamous explosion meticulously, it doesn’t quite compensate for the uneventful, dialogue driven investigation of the previous 100 minutes.
The main problem that hampers The Hindenburg is its setting. The majority of the film takes place on board the Hindenburg. The interior of this giant airship is intricately reconstructed and initially this vast aluminium skeleton is visually quite striking. However, after a while the various shots of crew men climbing along these narrow walkways becomes quite dull. Similarly, the deliberately spartan nature of the passenger cabins, dining areas and cocktail lounge (everything had to be static free and unable to generate a spark) are somewhat confining. There are scenes set in the US where the FBI investigate threats made against the Hindenburg. We are also shown the Gestapo rounding up potentially suspects in Germany. There is also an interesting recreation of the Naval Air Station at Lakehurst but the overall the films focus is onboard the Hindenburg. Hence the plot becomes a police procedural investigations set within a somewhat stark environment.
Robert Wise brings a near documentary quality to the plot. George C. Scott is watchable as Luftwaffe Colonel Franz Ritter, assigned by Joseph Goebbels to investigate a potential bomb threat. Ritter a veteran of the Spanish Civil War is far from happy with the Nazi politicisation of the German military. Being a seventies disaster movie the cast features various notable characters actors from the era, such as Charles Durning, Anne Bancroft and Richard A. Dysart. All acquit themselves well but the script is dry. Roy Thinnes has a potentially interesting role as Gestapo Officer sent to assist Ritter. He favours a far more hands on approach, seeing potential traitors everywhere. Sadly the story doesn’t give him enough to do and it all seems somewhat perfunctory. Another disappointment is the film’s score by David Shire. Usually a far more dynamic composer, his soundtrack is unremarkable. The film certainly needed something more grandiose.
The most notable aspect of the production are the visual effects. Predating modern computer generate imagery and even motion control, the practical effects are predominantly matte paintings by the legendary Albert Whitlock and model work by Glen Robinson. These hold up remarkably well even in a modern Blu-ray transfer. Furthermore, it is clear that Robert Wise spent a great deal of time researching technical aspects of the Hindenburg such as its flight controls, use of water for ballast, as well as its docking procedures. The scenes of the airship exploding are seamlessly integrated into newsreel footage from the time and Wise faithfully recreates broadcaster Herbert Morrison’s famous radio commentary, along with his cries of “oh, the humanity”. The black and white sequence also mitigates some of the horror arising from the burns sustained by the victims of the crash. According to Hollywood custom, numerous people die but a dog shown previously survives.
The Hindenburg features numerous plot elements that could have been crafted into a far more enthralling film. After several viewings I am still surprised just how dull the final edit is. Robert Wise clearly took a serious, cerebral and respectful approach to the subject matter but the film may well have benefitted from another director with an eye for spectacle and a flair for action. As it stands The Hindenburg is a curious example of the seventies disaster movie genre, rather than one of its most noteworthy. It provides a chronological summary of events and ponders seriously the issue of sabotage. Unfortunately it does so in plodding fashion hence the drama and the visual effects are somewhat lost among lengthy exposition. The cast try there best to make things interesting, especially in light of the fact that they are playing real people but it lacks an emotional focus. Overall, if you watch The Hindenburg you will be informed but not necessarily especially entertained.
Geostorm (2017)
Geostorm is a textbook example of the ongoing infantilization of mainstream, commercial film making. It’s a multimillion-dollar FX driven movie, whose plot is staggeringly trite, and screenplay is utterly puerile. This bloated mess also sees several quality character actors (Andy Garcia and Ed Harris) slumming it and phoning in their performances. Furthermore, Geostorm is bookended by one of the crassest narrations I’ve heard in a mainstream film. Delivered by a child actor, it espouses the worst sort of naïve geo-politics of the “why can’t we all just get along?” variety. Until watching this film, I had previously considered the 2014 disaster movie, Into the Storm, to be the most contrived, ill-conceived and intellectually insulting example of contemporary Hollywood film making. However, Geostorm takes stupidity to an entirely new level. It is morbidly fascinating to watch as it lumbers along its two-hour running time, but sadly morbid fascination is not the same as entertaining.
Geostorm is a textbook example of the ongoing infantilization of mainstream, commercial film making. It’s a multimillion-dollar FX driven movie, whose plot is staggeringly trite, and screenplay is utterly puerile. This bloated mess also sees several quality character actors (Andy Garcia and Ed Harris) slumming it and phoning in their performances. Furthermore, Geostorm is bookended by one of the crassest narrations I’ve heard in a mainstream film. Delivered by a child actor, it espouses the worst sort of naïve geo-politics of the “why can’t we all just get along?” variety. Until watching this film, I had previously considered the 2014 disaster movie, Into the Storm, to be the most contrived, ill-conceived and intellectually insulting example of contemporary Hollywood film making. However, Geostorm takes stupidity to an entirely new level. It is morbidly fascinating to watch as it lumbers along its two-hour running time, but sadly morbid fascination is not the same as entertaining.
It’s not often that I pick up my notebook to write down film dialogue. On the occasions that I do, it’s usually because I’m impressed with the credibility of an onscreen exchange or feel that the screenwriter(s) has created something profound. In this instance, it was due to something being so utterly insane, that I had to double check that I’d heard it correctly. In Geostorm, due to extreme weather brought about by climate change, “the world came to together and fought back”. If you are curious as to how one actually fights back against “the weather” you counteract the basic causes; heat, pressure and water. This done by firing micro-missiles, using lasers and microwaves. Yes, that’s right you blow weather up. Now, it not uncommon for Hollywood to indulge in what is currently known as “Science Woo” and it has often formed the basis for entertaining movies. However, cinema per se is predicated on the principle of “suspension of disbelief”. If audiences are willing to do that that then you can embark upon the most far-fetched of narratives. However, if viewers cannot do this or are jarred from such a state due to the plot, then it’s game over.
Geostorm is rife with plot details and minor asides that will continuously baffle the attentive viewer. This is not uncommon in blockbuster, popcorn movies but it seems to happen every five minutes in this case. To highlight this, I shall list some of the notes that I made while viewing, as bullet points. All of which I would classify as WTF moments.
- A “red shirt” character (a whistle blower) hides from Spec Op team in closet while they conduct a “thorough” search.
- The aforementioned “red shirt” character is run over, sustaining facial injuries but his glasses remain on his head and unbroken.
- An action set piece has a bikini clad lady, fleeing the beach in Rio as an approaching storm front freezes everything in its path. She runs into an alley and a Boeing 747 drops on here. She survives with minor injuries.
- They have firearms in a pressurised space station.
- The Secretary of State has an RPG in the boot/trunk of his car.
I could list many more examples but frankly the above is sufficient to verify the utter inanity of Geostorm.
Now there is a risk in me critiquing Geostorm, in that presenting examples of its stupidity out of context and possibly presenting them in a humorous light, it may lead to some thinking that the film falls into that esoteric niche market group of “it’s so bad, it’s good”. As I have stated before in several previous reviews I don’t hold with this philosophy and frequently find that films labelled as such are not. They’re just excruciatingly bad and trying to watch. Bearing this in mind, Geostorm is a chore to sit through and insultingly stupid. Now it is worth mentioning that the movie had a troubled production and Producer turned Director Dean Devlin delivered a cut of the movie that was received poorly by test audiences. Hence Danny Cannon was brought on board to reshoot numerous scenes and attempt to fashion a more acceptable product. This in itself raises some interesting questions. If the final cut is this bad, how poor was Dean Devlin’s initial version? However, irrespective of this the fundamental problems with Geostorm is that its premise is just unbelievable. It’s a prime example of the commodification of entertainment and shows all the hallmarks of a film born of focus groups and market research.
The infantilization of entertainment, especially cinema, is a big issue and not one I wish to tackle solely in this post. But Geostorm is exactly the sort of film this mindset spawns. And if you take a moment to reflect upon the dogma that drives such a way of thinking, it is utterly repellent and whole heartedly contemptuous of the very audience it seeks to cater too. Geostorm is stupid, loud, and vacuous because that’s what the producers think the public wants and more to the point, what they think the public are. Furthermore, the only practical way to stop Hollywood from churning out such stupid drivel, is for the public to shun such films. Financial failure is something that the film industry takes note of and will often kill a franchise or a trend dead in its tracks. So, it just remains to be seen as to whether or not the public lose their appetite for such films. I sincerely hope that it does, as an exclusive diet of material such as Geostorm is neither conducive to broadening audiences tastes or more to the point entertaining.