The Hindenburg (1975)

It is April of 1937 and the German Embassy in Washington DC receives a letter warning that the Hindeburg will be destroyed on its next flight.  Though most think it is a hoax, word reaches Germany.  Colonel Franz Ritter (George C. Scott) is assigned as security.  As such, he keeps a close watch on the passengers and crew to see if one of them is planning to sabotage one of the great pieces of Nazi propaganda in the world.  Inevitably, there are suspicious passengers.  There is the man who sends coded messages, the acrobat who has extensive drawings of the internal structure of the airship, the pianist who performs an anti-Nazi song, the man who seems unusually protective of a fountain pen, the Countess (Anne Bancroft) who has rather a lot of luggage, and more besides.  Then there is the crew.  Throughout the movie, a small explosive device is seen in the hands of an unknown figure, showing that the danger is real.

This plays more as a TV movie than a theatrical release.  Perhaps the quality of filming just looks more like later TV quality.  The story tries to keep track of too many characters.  There are events in Washington DC, events in Germany, events in New York City, FBI agents in Wisconsin to learn about the letter, ground crew in New Jersey awaiting the arrival, and so on.  Of course, there are also lots of red herrings and dead ends aboard the Hindenburg.  In addition to the impending doom of the Hindenburg, there is also plenty of talk about the Nazis, showing both committed party members, victims of the party (e.g., the Countess), and those who are on the fence: Colonel Ritter.  Much too scattershot.

The inevitable finale showed the actual footage of the Hindenburg disaster and interspersed scenes of the many passengers trying to escape.  The film had shifted to black and white at this point, which was awkward.  Of course, special effect in 1975 weren't what they are today, or even a few years later.  Decisions had to be made and this was the best option at the time.

Fitting into the 70s disaster movie genre, this proves to be just so-so.  The most enjoyable part was the set of the Hindenburg.  Really, I would love to take a cruise on an airship.