The Enduring Allure of Disaster Movies

As we mark the 50th anniversary of ‘The Towering Inferno’ (1974) - an iconic genre-defining film about a mythical, glamorous 135-floor San Francisco skyscraper, touted as the tallest and safest in the world, caught in horrific blaze owing to sub-standard construction. Featuring a star-studded cast that included Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, William Holden, Faye Dunaway and Fred Astaire among others, the film melded stunning special effects with a palpable sense of dread, becoming an archetype of a genre that offered a broad commentary on the fragility of modern life.

In the film, the grand opening of the skyscraper, designed to symbolize progress, devolves into chaos as a fire ignites, trapping hundreds inside.

Newman’s architect and McQueen’s fire chief, coming from different classes of society, become unlikely heroes, embodying the spirit of collaboration essential to overcoming disaster. Their characters reflect a society yearning for unity amidst disarray - a theme that echoes throughout the disaster genre. ‘Inferno’ ends on a sobering note, particularly germane to frequent fires in Mumbai’s high-rises, when the McQueen’s fire chief, remarking on the death toll, wearily tells Newman’s architect: “We were lucky today. The body count was only 200. One of these days 10,000 people are going to die in one of these firetraps.”

Hollywood’s ‘disaster movie’ genre really kicked into high gear in the 1970s with the commercial and critical success of ‘Airport’ (1970) based on Arthur Hailey’s smash bestseller.

‘Airport’ became a foundational disaster film, weaving together the tense stories of passengers and crew grappling with a bomb threat on an international flight amid a snowstorm. The film pioneered a genre defined by high-stakes scenarios, interpersonal drama, and technical suspense, inspiring a wave of disaster movies throughout the decade.

It garnered ten Oscar nominations despite being disdained by lead actor Burt Lancaster as “the worst piece of junk ever made.”

‘The Poseidon Adventure’ (1972) further solidified this trend, showcasing the triumph of the human spirit amidst the chaos of a capsized luxury liner. The film, with an ensemble cast led by Gene Hackman, was another smash box-office success, bringing to the fore an important genre name –producer Irwin Allen, who would later make ‘Inferno.’

The disaster movie craze continued with ‘Earthquake’ (1974) which saw Charlton Heston head an ensemble cast and bringing, with immersive realism amplified by Sensurround technology, the devastating impact of a massive quake hitting Los Angeles.

While critics panned many of these films as pure hokum with scant character development, they illustrated, at a basic level, how ordinary individuals responded to extraordinary challenges. The formula was straightforward yet effective: gather a constellation of A-list stars, introduce a life-threatening scenario, and let the action unfold against a backdrop of impending doom, replete with stunning special effects.

By 1980, the genre was fizzling out with Allen’s grandiose, and progressively sillier projects. His ‘When Time Ran Out’ about a volcano, was an infamous bomb. Critic Leonard Maltin dubbed it “When Ideas Ran Out” or “The Blubbering Inferno.”

This was also the year when Bollywood took its leap into the disaster genre with ‘The Burning Train’ - our homegrown version of ‘The Towering Inferno.’

The sociological aspect behind disaster films is fascinating. They emerged in a period marked by societal upheaval, economic uncertainty and rising consciousness around environmental issues. They provided a cathartic release, allowing audiences to confront their fears in a controlled environment. As viewers, we are invited not only to witness calamity but also to consider our roles within it.

Despite a slump in the 1980s, the genre saw a revival from the mid-1990s with films like ‘Twister’ and ‘Volcano,’ climaxing with ‘Titanic’ (1997) which snared 11 Academy Awards, proving the viability of the disaster movie.

The allure of disaster films endures, tapping into contemporary anxieties like climate change and pandemics. For instance, ‘The Cassandra Crossing’ (1977), a thriller about a plague-stricken train, eerily resonated with the Wuhan lab leak theory, echoing public unease about governmental transparency that resurfaced during COVID-19.

In a way, disaster films provide a cathartic release, a way to process the unpredictability of life by witnessing the worst unfold.