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The Hindenburg

Play trailer Poster for The Hindenburg PG Released Dec 25, 1975 2h 5m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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31% Tomatometer 16 Reviews 39% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
Nazi Germany's prized airship is threatened with sabotage, so Col. Franz Ritter (George C. Scott) is charged with its safety. As the massive zeppelin lifts off for a journey to the United States, Ritter investigates the passengers, looking for a potential bomber. Could it be anti-Nazi Countess Ursula von Reugen (Anne Bancroft), suspicious gambler Emilio Pajetta (Burgess Meredith), shifty advertising man Edward Douglas (Gig Young) or even the pilot, Capt. Pruss (Charles Durning) ?
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The Hindenburg

Critics Reviews

View All (16) Critics Reviews
Pauline Kael New Yorker The crockery may be authentic alright, but the picture is a crock. Oct 25, 2023 Full Review Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times The Hindenburg is a disaster picture, all right. How else can you describe a movie that cost $12 million and makes people laugh out loud at all the wrong times? Rated: 1/4 Oct 23, 2004 Full Review Steve Warren The Barb (Atlanta) It's too bad the whole picture couldn't have been as gooding as the ending. May 9, 2023 Full Review David A. Nardozzi Philadelphia Gay News The time leading to the final moments, however, is simply boring and unsuspenseful. May 26, 2020 Full Review Donald McLean Bay Area Reporter The Hindenburg gives us the most realistic and dramatic of any disaster film yet. May 22, 2020 Full Review Bernard Drew Gannett News Service It seems more of a disaster than the act of God or sabotage it attempts to recreate. Oct 22, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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John S The production values in this film were incredible for the time... extremely well shot, and edited. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 12/31/23 Full Review Red T This is so flawed on multiple levels. The main issue is the horrifcally bad pacing. This is so boring, uninteresting to look at, and hard to follow for 90% of the runtime mainly because of the subpar editing and cinematography. The interior of the blimp is so boring and uninteresting besides the dining area, pilot area, and the deck. The scenes with the blimp flying are the most boring ones also as the thing moves at a snails pace and once you've seen it once there all the same and they drag terribly for like 5-6 seconds and should be 2. I thought this would be a disaster movie. It's actually a spy thriller for 90% of it and a disaster movie at the end. The actual explosion is really well done and blends stock footage really well. It's so well done I can't even tell the difference at points. The black and white really works well here and makes me think the whole thing should've been shot in that. The music is boring and generic as well. The acting is just ok also with boring characters who aren't even German. I don't understand how you don't have Germans not Patton playing Nazis. There is so much boring unneeded scenes like when they sing at the paino, the romance subplot with the countess, and all the other unneeded characters who get focus who don't add up to anything. On top of that they reveal halfway who the bomber is so there isn't even any suspense in that as you know what is going to happen to the ship. This needed German actors, shot in black and white in a surreal style, with more of a cat and mouse mystery, and with an actual blimp to get rid of those boring painting shots. Or make it about a fictional blimp based off true events so you don't disrepect the victims. I can't recommend this to anyone. It fails as a Thriller, disaster movie, and is a boring retelling of a disaster despite the really good 10 minutes of the disaster itself. Just watch the end on Youtube. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 09/15/23 Full Review delysid d a little dull but OK watch Rated 3 out of 5 stars 06/04/18 Full Review matthew d The Hindenburg is the greatest disaster film ever made. Director Robert Wise painstakingly uses his massive budget to recreate The Hindenburg in all its majesty and meticulous design. It's beautifully filmed with several very memorable shots. The finale is something you will never forget as real footage is spliced into the movie and the whole screen fades into black and white. The sequencing is very clever as you get to know these patrons of the zeppelin before the incident, so that you really care what happens to these people by the end. Wise is as crafty as his name. From witty dialogue to political undertones of Germany's Reich, The Hindenburg captures your attention and takes you on a splendid ride. George C. Scott leads the fray as a Nazi Colonel that is charged with protecting The Hindenburg during its flight to America. It is an odd role as you do not want to sympathize with a horrible Nazi, but Scott plays the character so well you find yourself understanding how awful his life is as well. You never sympathize with the other Gestapo character, but you understand that Scott's character does not believe in Hitler's Reich. It's a very intriguing role that Scott plays with a subtle nuance. You understand that the movie is not exactly a political piece, but it maintains characters all over the scale of politics, class, and country. Excellent acting from the lead. David Shire's score is beautiful as you feel upper class in the ritzy zeppelin flying across the world. The lovely string arrangement soars high as the great blimp itself. It is the perfect accompaniment for the doomed air vessel. You never suspect there could be something wrong with such pretty music playing throughout the film. I recommend The Hindenburg as a thrilling mystery and a highly entertaining classic of disaster cinema. George C. Scott is captivating to his end. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member One of the weaker disaster flicks of the time period. Moves at a snails pace, where you'd think they'd be building tension, instead we just get a bunch of needless chit chat. Still, great cast, and impressive finale. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Audience Member Up there with The Poseidon Adventure for the best disaster movie ever made. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/14/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Hindenburg

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Movie Info

Synopsis Nazi Germany's prized airship is threatened with sabotage, so Col. Franz Ritter (George C. Scott) is charged with its safety. As the massive zeppelin lifts off for a journey to the United States, Ritter investigates the passengers, looking for a potential bomber. Could it be anti-Nazi Countess Ursula von Reugen (Anne Bancroft), suspicious gambler Emilio Pajetta (Burgess Meredith), shifty advertising man Edward Douglas (Gig Young) or even the pilot, Capt. Pruss (Charles Durning) ?
Director
Robert Wise
Producer
Robert Wise
Screenwriter
Richard Levinson, William Link, Nelson Gidding
Distributor
Universal Pictures
Production Co
Universal Pictures, The Filmakers Group
Rating
PG
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 25, 1975, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
May 19, 2016
Runtime
2h 5m
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