The Hindenburg (1975)
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40% of critics liked it
(10 reviews) -
40% of users liked it
(2,160 ratings)
"The German Air Force is not at all what it used to be," says Anne Bancroft's Countess, about 16 minutes into The Hindenburg, pausing and then adding, "But then, nothing is these days." That seems to sum up the ponderous, irony-laden script and plot of Robert Wise's… More "The German Air Force is not at all what it used to be," says Anne Bancroft's Countess, about 16 minutes into The Hindenburg, pausing and then adding, "But then, nothing is these days." That seems to sum up the ponderous, irony-laden script and plot of Robert Wise's movie, which is posited -- in true post-Watergate fashion -- upon notions of conspiracy and cover-up behind the destruction of the German airship. The movie opens with a handy Universal newsreel that gives a vestpocket history of lighter-than-air flight, and that carries us to 1937 Germany. Colonel Franz Ritter (George C. Scott), a former hero pilot now working for military intelligence, finds himself assigned to the flight of the Hindenburg as chief of security; reports and rumors about the destruction of the zeppelin have circulated both in Germany and America, and the Nazi government takes these very seriously. What Ritter walks in on is a "Grand Hotel" of the air, several dozen passengers and crew whose ranks contain enough red herrings to keep Ritter (and us) jumping through hoops for most of the first half of the film, when we're not watching glorious shots of the zeppelin in flight. The answer to the script's presentation of the plot against the airship,and theidentityof the bomber and his motivations, are actually presented in the first 15 minutes, but there are so many false leads, subplots, and blind alleys put before us that the solution will probably pass by unnoticed. In the meantime, Ritter dances around with his ex-paramour (Bancroft), scheming businessmen (Gig Young), and passengers with skeletons in their closets (Alan Oppenheimer), an entertainer (Robert Clary) with a knack for offending loyal Nazis, several officers and crew with known "political" differences with the Nazi Party, a Gestapo man (Roy Thinnes) who's got an agenda of his own, and two genuine mystery men (Burgess Meredith, Rene Auberjonois) who don't seem to have any reason for traveling on this particular voyage. It's all a little tiring, or would be, if the setting and special effects weren't that interesting, and the cast wasn't so entertaining to watch in these relatively thankless roles. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
- Directed By
- Robert Wise
- Genres
- Drama, Action & Adventure, Mystery & Suspense
PG,
- In Theaters
- Jan 1, 1975 Wide
- On DVD
- Oct 27, 1998
- Studio
- Universal Pictures
Critic Reviews
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John A. Nesbit, Old School Reviews
Disappointing disaster formula flick
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Chuck O'Leary, Fantastica Daily
A fascinating historical drama that deserves to be seriously re-evaluated.
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Brandon Judell, PopcornQ
Stilted action adventure. You hang around to see which stars will burn to death.
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Steve Crum, Kansas City Kansan
Blimpy make believe script surrounding a true disaster.
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Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Nothing could save either the Hindenburg or the film from disaster.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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George C. Scott
as Col. Ritter
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Anne Bancroft
as Countess
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William Atherton
as Boerth
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Roy Thinnes
as Vogel
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Gig Young
as Douglas
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Burgess Meredith
as Pajetta
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Charles Durning
as Capt. Pruss
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Richard Dysart
as Lehmann
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ROBERT CLARY
as Spah
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Rene Auberjonois
as Maj. Napier
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Peter Donat
as Channing
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Alan Oppenheimer
as Breslau
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Joanna Cook Moore
as Mrs. Channing
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Stephen Elliott
as Capt. Fellows
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Greg Mullavey
as Morrison
- Norman Alden
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Val Bisoglio
as Lt. Lombardi
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Peter Canon
as Ludecke
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Colby Chester
as Eliot Howell III
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Joe Di Reda
as Schulz
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Ted Gehring
as Knorr
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Katherine Helmond
as Mrs. Mildred Breslau
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Rex Holman
as Dimmler
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Betsy Jones-Moreland
as Stewardess Imhoff
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Ruth Kobart
as Hattie
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Curt Lowens
as Elevator Man
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Charles Macauley
as HIrsch
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Stephen Manley
as Peter Breslau
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David Mauro
as Goebbels
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Jan Merlin
as Speck
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Herbert Nelson
as Dr. Eckener
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Kip Niven
as Lt. Truscott
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Teno Pollick
as Frankel
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Jean Rasey
as Valerie Breslau
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Simon Scott
as Luftwaffe General
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William Sylvester
as Luftwaffe Colonel
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Joe Turkel
as Detective Moore
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Scott Walker
as Gestapo Major
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Sandy Ward
as Detective Grunberger
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Lisa Pera
as Freda Halle
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Joyce Davis
as Eleanore Ritter
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Kevin Michael Richardson
as Rigger Neuhaus
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John Lee
as Paul Breslau
- Richard A. Dysart
