The Hindenburg
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Movie Reviews of The Hindenburg
Movie Review: Remaster needed!
Summary: 2 Stars
"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. It's really that bad - anything smaller than about 100 lines of resolution is etched out of the image with a HUGE white line around it. It's so bad that the Widescreen LD edition from '91 was considered over-sharpened even back then! And add to the fact that the image isn't enhanced for 16x9 televisions only makes it look worse. In addition, the transfer shows the garbage mattes around Albert Whitlock's breathtaking matte paintings and the beautiful model work of the ship as it's floating through the sky - kinda like the garbage mattes around all the ships in the original Beta, VHS and LaserDisc releases of "Star Wars" and "The Empire Strikes Back". In every respect, a new High Definition transfer is called for - and one that doesn't suffer from ANY edge enhancement, unlike many Blu-ray's on the market now (such as "2001: A Space Odyssey")
MCA/Universal Studios originally considered releasing "The Hindenburg" in SENSURROUND, but didn't beacuse "Midway" was in production with its release date up in the air and SENSURROUND was being re-engineered into SENSURROUND MOD-II, which made it unsuitable for magnetic stereo prints - plus, many 2nd run theaters were still showing "Earthquake" in SENSURROUND, which was tying up all the SENSURROUND Horns and Control Boxes (which were slated for circuit modifications into Mod-II when the equipment was returned to MCA Systems (the technical subsidiary of MCA/Universal) So, "The Hindenburg" went into theaters with 35mm Panavision prints and a STUNNING 4-track magnetic stereo mix. The stereo/surround sound mix was considered so advanced and breathtaking, with such deep bass and sparkling treble, that many in the industry said that they had never heard anything that matched it. Not only did it have incredible surround sound and fidelity, but also fully directional dialog and, thanks to Westrex, Ampex, RCA and MCA's own work on the mag print striping, recording/playback heads, mag equalizers and the actual magnetic particles, the film had a frequency response and dynamic range that rivaled 70mm mag prints - plus, the re-engineered mag surround track (which was narrower than the 3 other tracks on mag prints and thus noisier) was quiet enough that it no longer required a 12kHz switching tone to turn it on and off (which, before Dolby and dbx noise reduction, was used on mag prints to prevent audiences from hearing mag hiss from the surround/effects speakers). The DVD and WS LD releases are plain old 2-channel Dolby Stereo - in other words, 2-channel stereo sound with the Surround and Center matrixed in (and the beautiful directional dialog de-directionalized into mono), requiring decoding with a Dolby Pro-Logic decoder. Because of this, Pro-Logic decoders have a heck of a time separating the sounds and steering them correctly without audible sound pumping or sounds shifting. In many scenes set in the Hindenburg's interior, there is dialog in the Center Front channel with other sounds, such as the creaks and groans of the airships Duralumnium skeleton and wires in left and right, while the surround track contains other sounds and deep, full rumble of the airships exterior engines. This is a no-no for Dolby Stereo (surround) soundtracks because it's absolutely impossible for the channels to be separated at the same time. The theatrical release got around this because of the fully discrete 4 channel prints. Now that we have 8-channel discrete digital sound - lossless on Blu-ray even - the Hindenburg deserves an HD release that takes full advantage of its wonderful sound mix.
In terms of extras, except for the trailer, there aren't any on the DVD - which is sad considering that Universal made a documentary about the making of the film - it was a 15 million dollar production, which was a LOT of movie at the time, and Universal was rightly proud of it - any new release should have this included. Plus the deleted scenes - while the film didn't suffer from extensive editing, there were a few scenes cut before it opened, and these should be available too. Universal has treated "Earthquake" and "Rollercoaster" similarly on DVD with their lack of easily available extras. At least "Earthquake" on DVD is from a newer, anamorphic, 24 fps, 1080-P High Definition transfer with an "attempt" to give the effect of SENSURROUND in the home. And the same goes with "Midway", but in that case, the DVD is chock full of extras, plus the shot-later, made-for-TV scenes.
In terms of historical accuracy, the inside of the ship is spot on. The Zeppelin company gave the filmmakers previously un-released blueprints, diagrams and specifications for the Hindenburg, and Universal copied them exactly for the sets. Even minor things, such as the number of rivets and their placement, were duplicated precisely. The walls of the staterooms were made from the same lightweight materials as the original - leather was used for the walls in the dining room, etc. Placement of items such as ballast storage pouches and Duralumnium tanks were correct, as was their exact size. Details, that most people would never notice, such as the emergency steering wheel in the bottom tail fin of the ship, are correct. "The Hindenburg" is James Cameron's "Titanic" of 1975 in terms of getting the ship right. Even Hindenburg historians have to be careful because they can't tell otherwise un-identified photos of the movie's sets apart from photos of the actual ship. It's THAT good.
Now we just have to get Universal - Comcast, ugh! - to give us a Blu-ray release! Along with "Earthquake", "Midway", "Rollercoaster" and "Battlestar Galactica"!
Movie Review: It's a disaster all right
Summary: 2 Stars
I know this isn't considered a "great" or even "good" film, but because of my intense interest in the real disaster I have a bit of a soft spot in my heart for this 1975 overblown big-budget disaster flick. The real crash, at Lakehurst New Jersey in 1937, ended the era of lighter-than-air travel. Not having seen this movie in many years, I decided to rent it when it appeared on DVD.
Sad to say, the movie is even worse than I remembered. I'm a big fan of director Robert Wise, special effects guru Albert Whitlock, actor George C. Scott and many of the other people who worked on the picture, but this is a cookbook recipe of How Not To Make A Movie. The tone is far too serious and portentious. Typical of '70s soap opera-y disaster flicks, there are too many characters with too many problems that really aren't problems at all (or at least, not interesting ones). There are many red herrings, and after a while, like with the boy who cried wolf, we stop paying attention. Hacking away a few of these "subplots" would have made the film leaner and more interesting. (You could leave all of Burgess Meredith and Rene Auberjonois' scenes in the cutting room.) In films like these, the supporting actors tend to be either up-and-coming or fading fast, and most of those here are the latter. Anne Bancroft is underused as the Countess--they can't seem to decide whether to give Ritter a love interest or not. Roy Thinnes is as plausible as a Gestapo agent as Brad Pitt is as a friend of the Dali Lama. And it seems to me they tried to give William Atherton a "devilish" quality that falls flat, probably because Atherton, for all his good looks, has all the charisma of buttered bread. The American officials at Lakehurst and Washington are straight from Central Casting--gruff-but-lovable lugs who just want to see the "flying gas kettle" land safely. (Did the film have to mention one more time that the ship was filled with deadly and explosive hydrogen? Did anyone going into the theater *not* already know that?) About the only mildly interesting supporting cast members are the German captains--Richard Dysart as Earnst Lehman and Charles Durning as Max Pruss have a few mildly memorable moments. Also slightly amusing is Robert Clary as a flaky German acrobat, in part because there was indeed such a character on board the real ship, who was initially the prime suspect in the disaster. (He was quickly cleared.)
Which brings us to George Patton--err, I mean George C. Scott. He seems to be thinking about his golf game most of the time--his performance is phoned in, as were many of his performances after Patton. But what bothers me more is the real spine of the story really doesn't emerge till the move is about 75 percent over. I think the film would have been better if they'd junked most of the silly passenger subplots and concentrated on Ritter being torn between service to and love for his country and the fact that the Nazis are becoming big-time pains in the shorts. As it is, we've long figured out what's going to happen by the time Ritter does, if we're still awake. And by then, it seems neither he nor we care. Oh, and did I mention they make waaaay too much of the Kathie Rauch letter?
As for the visuals, they are very good for 1975 (The takeoff is particularly effective), though in retrospect one can see obvious mattework and multiple exposures. Notice how whenever there's a process shot at Lakehurst or Frankfurt, we see moving figures in the lower part of the screen and the matte paintings in the upper half, but the two sections never cross--the screen is literally cut in two. Today people and vehicles would freely mingle with objects that aren't really there, such as airships, but that was a lot harder back then. As for those who complain that they chickened out by switching to real footage of the crash in the last moments, recreating something that complex would have been impossible in 1975 (they briefly considered it) as well as incredibly costly and dangerous, and I'm not convinced it could even be done today.
Some other positives are David Shire's score--beautiful and faintly nostalgic in the airship sections, a bit heavy-handed in the "Nazi" sections. Costumes and sets are very impressive and as far as I can tell accurate down to the last detail. The landing sequence is interesting just to watch how a crew really landed an 800-foot Zep. (If you've been to Friedrichshafen recently and taken a ride on board the new Zeppelin NTs, you'll know how differently these craft handle today.)
If the visuals are well-done, the presentation is not. This has to be the worst transfer to DVD I've ever seen--was this the best copy Universal had in their vaults, or did they just not look very hard? The picture is scratched and grainy; contrasts are bad, and colors are faded--everyone is a little green in the gills. (Or do the actors just look vaguely ill from being trapped in this turkey?) But there's more. The sound is poorly mixed--the voices are too low, the airship roar too loud. Then at the end the volume of everything suddenly gets very very loud. And despite this being presented in widescreen, and despite my having a widescreen TV, the edges of the credits are slightly cropped.
There are virtually no extras, not even a trailer. Just a few slates that you can click through containing background info on the production. Given the technical award the film justly won, you'd think they'd include a gallery of production stills at the very least. But it would seem Universal is not too proud or fond of this movie. And it's hard to blame them. Much like the event it portrayed, the picture was a disaster that helped bring about the end of an era--in this case, the era of big-budget, glossy disaster epics. So at least the destruction of the Hindenburg served some good!
Movie Review: Poor DVD quality, dull film with occasional moments
Summary: 2 Stars
First things first: The picture quality on this DVD is horrendous. Although presented in widescreen, the film print is swimming in scratches and dust. The image is often grainy and ugly, with poor contrast, especially during scenes taking place at night. I really expected better from a major DVD releaser like Universal. Anyone who remembers seeing this in a theater back in 1975 will feel very disappointed with this disc.As for the film itself, it is another entry in the mid-70s disaster film sweepstakes, although it tries to present itself as more a "whodunit" or espionage mystery; imagine "Murder on the Orient Express" if the trail derailed massively at the finale. George C. Scott, gruff as usual, plays the German Colonel working to determine who onboard the legendary Zeppelin crossing the Atlantic might have a reason for sabotaging the ship. There are plenty of suspects, most of them famous or semi-famous actors (Anne Bancroft, Burgess Meredith, Rene Aberjonois, Charles Durning, William Atherton). Who has the best reason for wanting the Hindenburg to go boom?
This is a fanciful version of the events leading up to the disaster -- the actual reasons for the event have never been determined -- and I have to credit director Robert Wise for maintaining reasonable suspense in a story whose ending is well-known (the DVD cover itself shows you what happens). But, sadly, "The Hindenburg" is mostly hot air: dull, artificial, and a lot of talk going nowhere, and too typical of the formerly great director Wise ("The Day the Earth Stood Still," "The Haunting," "The Sound of Music") in the later phase of his career. Many great characters actors onboard get nothing to do. Burgess Meredith is especially criminally underused. Scott and Bancroft have very little chemistry in their vague relationship, and TV actor Roy Thinnes as the Gestapo agent is laughably bad. The only interesting scene before the big finale is an exciting sequence involving the repair of a damaged fin. David Shire's excellent score really excels here. But otherwise the film is just killing time until the long-anticipated climax.
And the climax is an incredible let-down, using a special effects cheat that will infuriate a lot of viewers. The effects in the film are excellent up to this point (marred, unfortunately, by the rotten DVD quality), but for the main event, the film cops out on us in a big way, relying on archival footage instead of new effects. A few of the character stories are never wrapped up either, leaving the viewer with an enormously unsatisfied feeling.
"The Hindenburg" really should only be seen by history nuts and disaster film completists, and they'll be unhappy with poor DVD quality. The casual viewer will be better off with "The Towering Inferno" or "The Poseidon Adventure." (Geez, I just recommended an Irwin Allen film over a Robert Wise film!)
Movie Review: The DVD transfer
Summary: 2 Stars
Amazon.com often asks reviewers to talk about the DVD, itself, rather than about story-line or acting. Ok. I have had experience in the studio system supervising the transfer of films to tape. Some studios have established a good reputation for their quality transfers, while others simply "dump" product on the market, a practice well known in the VHS format. Universal (THE HINDENBURG) is one of the "guality" studios. That's why I was surprised, and deeply disappointed in this DVD. The opening title sequence is a lovely shot of the Hindenburg flying through the clouds. The film element is loaded with huge scratches and much negative dirt; hardly a "quality" picture element. Throughout, the picture is often grainy, and negative scratches abound. The soundtrack is also very thin, presenting a tin-like quality; again, hardly the rich soundtracks that Universal is known for. I belong to NETFLIX and use the service to preview those films I might want to own later. Unfortunately, due to the poor quality of the transfer, this is one DVD I will pass on owning.Movie Review: Just love everything about it, less the DVD itself
Summary: 2 Stars
Just love everything about this movie.
Robert Wise did a great job. Also, adapting one of the ideas around as the casue for the disaster and develop a movie around it was brilliant. Scott's performance is right on the spot, perfect.
Technically, the movie is indeed very good, mainly if you consider when it was filmed (1975). The idea of merging real footage was also a winner.
But (and that's a BIG BUT), I wonder who at Universal despised this movie so much as to give it this sh...t transference job to DVD or, apparently, to no no job transfer at all. Seldom have I seen such a bad image quality in a DVD from a movie that's not so particularly old. I was shocked when I saw all the grainy patches (and mt TV screen is just 32 inchs, not so big), the lack of any definition, well, a lot of people mentiond it here with more knowledge. It was a dissapointment.
That's why the two stars review. Not for the movie, but for the DVD quality.