The Hindenburg (film)
Encyclopedia
The Hindenburg is a 1975 American film based on the disaster
of the German
airship
Hindenburg
. The film stars George C. Scott
. It was produced and directed by Robert Wise
, and was written by Nelson Gidding
, Richard Levinson
and William Link
based on the book of the same name by Michael M. Mooney (The Hindenburg [1972]).
A.A. Hoehling, author of a previous book also about the sabotage theory, Who Destroyed The Hindenburg? (1962) sued Mooney along with the film developers for copyright infringement
as well as unfair competition. However, Judge Charles M. Metzner dismissed his allegations.
A highly speculative thriller, The Hindenburg depicts a conspiracy leading to the destruction of the airship. In reality, while the Zeppelin
s were certainly used as a propaganda
symbol by the Third Reich, and anti-Nazi forces might have had the motivation for sabotage
, the theory of sabotage was investigated at the time, and no firm evidence for such sabotage was ever put forward. The possibility of Boerth's (i.e. Spehl's) deliberate sabotage is one theory of the fire that had been the subject of Mooney's book, published around the time of the film's development. It has never been proven definitively, and most airship experts tend to discredit this theory.
and back to grayscale
, beginning with a Universal Newsreel
that gave an educated view to the history of the lighter-than-air craft. While a narrator talks about the LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin
, footage of the LZ 130 Graf Zeppelin II under construction is erroneously shown; it is therefore unknown if the newsreel was genuine. Photographs show the construction of the Hindenburg, to which the narrator describes her as "the climax of man's dream to conquer the air, the new queen of the skies." Immediately afterwards the Hindenburg is shown outside its hangar, and along with the opening credits the airship flies by before disappearing into the clouds.
sends a letter to the German Embassy in Washington, D.C.
claiming the Hindenburg zeppelin will explode after flying over New York
. In the meantime, Luftwaffe
Colonel Franz Ritter (George C. Scott
) boards with the intention of protecting the Hindenburg as various threats have been made to down the airship, which some see as a symbol of Nazi Germany
.
Ritter is assisted by a Nazi government official, SS/Gestapo
Hauptsturmführer
Martin Vogel (Roy Thinnes), who poses as official photographer. However, both operate independently in investigating the background of all passengers and crew on the voyage. Ritter has reason to suspect everyone, even his old friend, Countess Ursula von Reugen (Anne Bancroft
), who vehemently opposes the Nazi regime.
Other prime suspects include card sharks Emilio Pajetta (Burgess Meredith
) and Major Napier (Rene Auberjonois
), Edward Douglas (Gig Young
), a suspicious German-American ad executive, as well as several crew members and even the Hindenburg captains Pruss (Charles Durning
) and Lehmann (Richard A. Dysart).
As the Hindenburg makes its way to Lakehurst Air Field
, events conspire against Ritter and Vogel. They soon suspect the rigger Karl Boerth (William Atherton
), a former Hitler Youth
leader who has become disillusioned with the Nazis. Ritter attempts to arrest him. Boerth resists. He requests help from Ritter, whose son was killed a year before. Boerth's girlfriend, Freda Halle, was killed while trying to escape arrest as the Hindenburg crossed the Atlantic. Boerth, upon hearing the news of Halle's death, plans to commit suicide by staying aboard the airship as the bomb goes off.
Ritter eventually agrees with Boerth to set the bomb to 7:30, when the airship should have landed and passengers disembarked. While setting up the bomb, Boerth drops a knife, which was later revealed to have been stolen from Rigger Ludwig Knorr. Vogel starts to work behind Ritter's back, arresting Boerth and confiscating the Countess's passport.
As the airship approaches Lakehurst Naval Air Station at 7:00, Ritter now realizes the landing has been delayed and searches for Boerth to ask where the bomb is. Vogel is caught by Ritter torturing Boerth and gets into a fight with Ritter and is knocked unconscious. An injured Boerth tells Ritter the bomb is in the repair patch of gas cell 4. Ritter attempts to defuse the bomb, but is unable to do so in time and is spotted at the last few seconds by a now awakened Vogel. The bomb explodes, killing Ritter instantly and sending Vogel flying down the walkway. Vogel would later survive, being carried by ground crewmen, while Boerth dies of his burns.
At this point the film changes to monochrome in order to match up with the newsreel footage of the disaster. Passengers and crew struggle to survive the fire. The disaster scene ends when the camera pans over wreckage, towards a strip of burning fabric that says "Hindenburg" on it. The following day, with the fire cleared, a list of passengers who died or survived is described briefly, while the wreckage is examined for the inquiry before being cleaned up.
The film ends with a tribute to Herbert Morrison's radio commentary
, with the memorable quotation, "Oh the humanity," as the Hindenburg flies once again, only to disappear again in the clouds.
A significant historical error occurs at the start of the film, when two senior Luftwaffe Generals discuss the possibility of Colonel Franz Ritter receiving the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
for actions in the Spanish Civil War
. The Knight's Cross did not exist in 1937 (when the film is set), first being created at the start of World War II
in 1939.
(*) Beside name indicates actual name of person on the last flight of the Hindenburg, (**) beside name indicates actual person, but wasn't on board the Hindenburg.
, the National Air and Space Museum
Library and Archives in Washington, DC as well as in Germany. In 1974, while casting took place in United States, pre-production photography was undertaken in Munich (doubling for Frankfurt), Milwaukee, New York and Washington, DC. Lakehurst, New Jersey would also be a primary location but the Tustin Marine Corps Air Station
where two 1,000 ft hangars constructed for airships, still existed, doubled for the original Hindenburg mooring station. (The base was officially closed in 1999.) Additional locations in Southern California were also chosen.
Studio and special effects work was carried out at Sound Stage 12 in the Universal Studios
complex. Wise's research was used to advantage since the bulk of Zeppelin
blueprints were destroyed in World War II. Using photographs, a recreated passenger area, gondola and superstructure of the giant airship was constructed to create a realistic exterior and interior set for the actors. A team of 80 artists and technicians working double shifts for four months, assembled a "giant erector set" consisting of eight tons of aluminum, 11000 yards (10,058.4 m) of muslin
, 24000 feet (7,315.2 m) of sash cord and 2,000,000 rivets.
The Hindenburg made extensive use of matte painting
s to bring the Zeppelin to life. To take photographs for use as matte paintings, a highly detailed 25 feet (7.6 m) model of the airship was "flown" via an elaborate setup where the stationary model was photographed by a mobile platform consisting of a camera and dolly on a track on Universal Studios largest and tallest sound stage, Stage 12. For the scene where the airship drops water ballast, a matte painting was used, and sugar was dropped through a hole in the windows as water. To recreate the initial explosion of the airship, which was missed by the newsreel cameras, matte paintings and animation were used to make a superimposed explosion of the airship beside its mooring mast. The model of the Hindenburg today is on display at the National Air and Space Museum
in Washington, D.C.
A real-life tragedy nearly happened during the filming of the Hindenburgs fiery death. A full-scale section of the Zeppelin's nose was built for the film on Universal Studios' Stage 12, and was set to be destroyed by fire for the film's final destruction sequence. A half-dozen stunt artists wearing fire-retardant gear were placed in the nose replica as it was set afire; however, the fire quickly got out of control, causing several stunt artists to get lost in the smoke, damaging several cameras filming the action, and nearly destroying the sound stage. Some of the footage from this sequence was used in the final cut of the film, but the full sequence, as it had been planned, was not included.
during its first flight to America.http://www.airships.net/lz127-graf-zeppelin/history#lz127amerika. Additionally, although the Hindenburg did have a Blüthner
baby grand piano aboard for the 1936 season, it was not aboard the final flight in 1937. While the interior of the ship was very accurately created, a stairway was added to the lower fin for dramatic purposes; in the real Hindenburg, there was just a ladder for crew members to walk down. Several aspects of the airship's takeoff and landing procedures were also inaccurate. Prior to takeoff, the airship would not need to be attached to the mooring mast and used the landing ropes during takeoff. It is common for airships to be towed out of their hangar and simply be pushed into the air by the ground crew. The mooring mast used in the landing sequence is black, while the real mooring mast was red and white. During the landing sequence the ship drops water ballast through some of the windows near the nose instead of at the tail section, as it did during the final approach.
Several anachronisms also occur in the storyline. At one time Edward Douglas refers to the fact that the German car manufacturer Opel
is to be taken over by General Motors
"the next day". In fact, Opel had already been taken over completely in 1929. At Berlin
there are Citroën HY delivery cars which were built in the late 1940s.
from the Chicago Sun-Times
dismissed it as a failed project, "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?" Film critic Frank Rich, in his year-end review of movies released that year, named The Hindenburg the year's worst disaster movie, stating, "The hero is a Nazi and the special effects couldn't fool Gerald Ford." Similar reactions were recounted, and when the film eventually made it to television screens, the TV Guide
summed up a near-universal review: "This insipid, boring, implausible, senseless, deliciously funny, and expensively mounted film... There's no tension whatsoever and none of the characters is remotely interesting, let alone sympathetic."
in 1976:
The film was also nominated for Best Art Direction
(Edward Carfagno
, Frank McKelvy), Best Cinematography
, and Best Sound (Leonard Peterson
, John A. Bolger, Jr.
, John L. Mack
and Don Sharpless
).
In the same year, The Hindenburg was nominated for an "Eddie" in the category of Best Edited Feature Film in the American Cinema Editors Awards.
Hindenburg disaster
The Hindenburg disaster took place on Thursday, May 6, 1937, as the German passenger airship LZ 129 Hindenburg caught fire and was destroyed during its attempt to dock with its mooring mast at the Lakehurst Naval Air Station, which is located adjacent to the borough of Lakehurst, New Jersey...
of the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
airship
Airship
An airship or dirigible is a type of aerostat or "lighter-than-air aircraft" that can be steered and propelled through the air using rudders and propellers or other thrust mechanisms...
Hindenburg
LZ 129 Hindenburg
LZ 129 Hindenburg was a large German commercial passenger-carrying rigid airship, the lead ship of the Hindenburg class, the longest class of flying machine and the largest airship by envelope volume...
. The film stars George C. Scott
George C. Scott
George Campbell Scott was an American stage and film actor, director and producer. He was best known for his stage work, as well as his portrayal of General George S. Patton in the film Patton, and as General Buck Turgidson in Stanley Kubrick's Dr...
. It was produced and directed by Robert Wise
Robert Wise
Robert Earl Wise was an American sound effects editor, film editor, film producer and director...
, and was written by Nelson Gidding
Nelson Gidding
Nelson Roosevelt Gidding was an American screenwriter specializing in adaptations. A longtime collaboration with director Robert Wise began with Gidding's screenplay for I Want To Live! , which earned him an Oscar nomination...
, Richard Levinson
Richard Levinson
Richard Levinson was an American writer and producer who often worked in collaboration with William Link. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned a Bachelor's Degree in Economics in 1956. He served in the United States Army from...
and William Link
William Link
William Theodore Link is an American film and television writer and producer who often worked in collaboration with Richard Levinson.-Life and career:...
based on the book of the same name by Michael M. Mooney (The Hindenburg [1972]).
A.A. Hoehling, author of a previous book also about the sabotage theory, Who Destroyed The Hindenburg? (1962) sued Mooney along with the film developers for copyright infringement
Copyright infringement
Copyright infringement is the unauthorized or prohibited use of works under copyright, infringing the copyright holder's exclusive rights, such as the right to reproduce or perform the copyrighted work, or to make derivative works.- "Piracy" :...
as well as unfair competition. However, Judge Charles M. Metzner dismissed his allegations.
A highly speculative thriller, The Hindenburg depicts a conspiracy leading to the destruction of the airship. In reality, while the Zeppelin
Zeppelin
A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship pioneered by the German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin in the early 20th century. It was based on designs he had outlined in 1874 and detailed in 1893. His plans were reviewed by committee in 1894 and patented in the United States on 14 March 1899...
s were certainly used as a propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
symbol by the Third Reich, and anti-Nazi forces might have had the motivation for sabotage
Sabotage
Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening another entity through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. In a workplace setting, sabotage is the conscious withdrawal of efficiency generally directed at causing some change in workplace conditions. One who engages in sabotage is...
, the theory of sabotage was investigated at the time, and no firm evidence for such sabotage was ever put forward. The possibility of Boerth's (i.e. Spehl's) deliberate sabotage is one theory of the fire that had been the subject of Mooney's book, published around the time of the film's development. It has never been proven definitively, and most airship experts tend to discredit this theory.
Newsreel footage
An interesting aspect was the film's transition from black and white to technicolorTechnicolor
Technicolor is a color motion picture process invented in 1916 and improved over several decades.It was the second major process, after Britain's Kinemacolor, and the most widely used color process in Hollywood from 1922 to 1952...
and back to grayscale
Grayscale
In photography and computing, a grayscale or greyscale digital image is an image in which the value of each pixel is a single sample, that is, it carries only intensity information...
, beginning with a Universal Newsreel
Universal Newsreel
Universal Newsreel was a series of 7- to 10-minute newsreels that were released twice a week between 1929 and 1967 by Universal Studios. A Universal publicity official, Sam B. Jacobson, was involved in originating and producing the newsreels...
that gave an educated view to the history of the lighter-than-air craft. While a narrator talks about the LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin
LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin
LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin was a German built and operated passenger-carrying hydrogen-filled rigid airship which operated commercially from 1928 to 1937. It was named after the German pioneer of airships, Ferdinand von Zeppelin, who was a Graf or Count in the German nobility. During its operating life,...
, footage of the LZ 130 Graf Zeppelin II under construction is erroneously shown; it is therefore unknown if the newsreel was genuine. Photographs show the construction of the Hindenburg, to which the narrator describes her as "the climax of man's dream to conquer the air, the new queen of the skies." Immediately afterwards the Hindenburg is shown outside its hangar, and along with the opening credits the airship flies by before disappearing into the clouds.
Plot
Kathie Rauch from Milwaukee, WisconsinWisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
sends a letter to the German Embassy in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
claiming the Hindenburg zeppelin will explode after flying over New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. In the meantime, Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
Colonel Franz Ritter (George C. Scott
George C. Scott
George Campbell Scott was an American stage and film actor, director and producer. He was best known for his stage work, as well as his portrayal of General George S. Patton in the film Patton, and as General Buck Turgidson in Stanley Kubrick's Dr...
) boards with the intention of protecting the Hindenburg as various threats have been made to down the airship, which some see as a symbol of Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
.
Ritter is assisted by a Nazi government official, SS/Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
Hauptsturmführer
Hauptsturmführer
Hauptsturmführer was a Nazi rank of the SS which was used between the years of 1934 and 1945. The rank of Hauptsturmführer was a mid-grade company level officer and was the equivalent of a Captain in the German Army and also the equivalent of captain in foreign armies...
Martin Vogel (Roy Thinnes), who poses as official photographer. However, both operate independently in investigating the background of all passengers and crew on the voyage. Ritter has reason to suspect everyone, even his old friend, Countess Ursula von Reugen (Anne Bancroft
Anne Bancroft
Anne Bancroft was an American actress associated with the Method acting school, which she had studied under Lee Strasberg....
), who vehemently opposes the Nazi regime.
Other prime suspects include card sharks Emilio Pajetta (Burgess Meredith
Burgess Meredith
Oliver Burgess Meredith , known professionally as Burgess Meredith, was an American actor in theatre, film, and television, who also worked as a director...
) and Major Napier (Rene Auberjonois
Rene Auberjonois
René Murat Auberjonois is an American actor, known for portraying Father Mulcahy in the movie version of M*A*S*H and for creating a number of characters in long-running television series, including Clayton Endicott III on Benson , Odo on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Chef Louis in The Little...
), Edward Douglas (Gig Young
Gig Young
Gig Young was an American film, stage, and television actor. Known mainly for second leads and supporting roles, Young won an Academy Award for his performance as a dance-marathon emcee in the 1969 film, They Shoot Horses, Don't They?.-Early life and career:Born Byron Elsworth Barr in St...
), a suspicious German-American ad executive, as well as several crew members and even the Hindenburg captains Pruss (Charles Durning
Charles Durning
Charles Durning is an American actor. With appearances in over 100 films, Durning's memorable roles include police officers in the Oscar-winning The Sting and crime drama Dog Day Afternoon , along with the comedies Tootsie, To Be Or Not To Be and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, the last two...
) and Lehmann (Richard A. Dysart).
As the Hindenburg makes its way to Lakehurst Air Field
Lakehurst, New Jersey
Lakehurst is a Borough in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the borough population was 2,654.Lakehurst was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 7, 1921, from portions of Manchester Township, based on the results of a...
, events conspire against Ritter and Vogel. They soon suspect the rigger Karl Boerth (William Atherton
William Atherton
William Atherton , born William Atherton Knight II, is an American film, stage and television actor.-Early life:Atherton was born in Orange, Connecticut, the son of Roby and Robert Atherton Knight...
), a former Hitler Youth
Hitler Youth
The Hitler Youth was a paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party. It existed from 1922 to 1945. The HJ was the second oldest paramilitary Nazi group, founded one year after its adult counterpart, the Sturmabteilung...
leader who has become disillusioned with the Nazis. Ritter attempts to arrest him. Boerth resists. He requests help from Ritter, whose son was killed a year before. Boerth's girlfriend, Freda Halle, was killed while trying to escape arrest as the Hindenburg crossed the Atlantic. Boerth, upon hearing the news of Halle's death, plans to commit suicide by staying aboard the airship as the bomb goes off.
Ritter eventually agrees with Boerth to set the bomb to 7:30, when the airship should have landed and passengers disembarked. While setting up the bomb, Boerth drops a knife, which was later revealed to have been stolen from Rigger Ludwig Knorr. Vogel starts to work behind Ritter's back, arresting Boerth and confiscating the Countess's passport.
As the airship approaches Lakehurst Naval Air Station at 7:00, Ritter now realizes the landing has been delayed and searches for Boerth to ask where the bomb is. Vogel is caught by Ritter torturing Boerth and gets into a fight with Ritter and is knocked unconscious. An injured Boerth tells Ritter the bomb is in the repair patch of gas cell 4. Ritter attempts to defuse the bomb, but is unable to do so in time and is spotted at the last few seconds by a now awakened Vogel. The bomb explodes, killing Ritter instantly and sending Vogel flying down the walkway. Vogel would later survive, being carried by ground crewmen, while Boerth dies of his burns.
At this point the film changes to monochrome in order to match up with the newsreel footage of the disaster. Passengers and crew struggle to survive the fire. The disaster scene ends when the camera pans over wreckage, towards a strip of burning fabric that says "Hindenburg" on it. The following day, with the fire cleared, a list of passengers who died or survived is described briefly, while the wreckage is examined for the inquiry before being cleaned up.
The film ends with a tribute to Herbert Morrison's radio commentary
Hindenburg Disaster Newsreel Footage
Hindenburg Disaster Newsreel Footage refers to the footage filmed by several newsreel companies of the Hindenburg disaster where the zeppelin Hindenburg crashed and burned on May 6, 1937....
, with the memorable quotation, "Oh the humanity," as the Hindenburg flies once again, only to disappear again in the clouds.
Historical accuracy
Two dramatic escapes depicted were based on fact, slightly altered for dramatic purposes.- Werner Franz, a 14-year-old cabin boy, escaped the flames after a water ballast tank overhead burst open and soaked him with water. He then made his way to the hatch and turned around and ran the other way, because the flames were being pushed by the wind towards the starboard side. In the movie however, he is depicted being doused by the water after he jumped out. He is the only survivor of the people aboard as of February 2011
- Passenger Joseph Späh, a circus performer, escaped by smashing a window with his home movie camera (the film survived the disaster), and held on to the side of the window, jumping to the ground when the ship was low enough, surviving with only a broken ankle. In the film he is depicted grabbing a landing rope, but in reality there was no landing rope.
A significant historical error occurs at the start of the film, when two senior Luftwaffe Generals discuss the possibility of Colonel Franz Ritter receiving the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
for actions in the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
. The Knight's Cross did not exist in 1937 (when the film is set), first being created at the start of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in 1939.
Characters
- Colonel Franz Ritter – A Luftwaffe Colonel assigned by Joseph GoebbelsJoseph GoebbelsPaul Joseph Goebbels was a German politician and Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. As one of Adolf Hitler's closest associates and most devout followers, he was known for his zealous oratory and anti-Semitism...
to board the Hindenburg as a security officer in response to the bomb threat. Ritter won the Knight's Cross as the chief of intelligence during the Bombing of GuernicaBombing of GuernicaThe bombing of Guernica was an aerial attack on the Basque town of Guernica, Spain, causing widespread destruction and civilian deaths, during the Spanish Civil War...
, but felt guilt for his actions. He sympathizes with the Countess and Boerth, and loses trust with the Nazis. His son was in the Hitler Youth and died the previous year falling from a synagogue writing slogans. Franz Ritter is based upon Colonel Fritz Erdmann who was aboard the final flight, but there is no evidence that he was aboard as a security officer. - Ursula von Reugen – Ursula is a German Countess who lived in her estate in PeenemündePeenemündeThe Peenemünde Army Research Center was founded in 1937 as one of five military proving grounds under the Army Weapons Office ....
. After it had been taken over by the Nazis, she boards the Hindenburg to fly to America. She knew Col. Ritter because her husband was in the same flying club as him before joining the Luftwaffe; he was killed in a crash and she went to live in her estate. Her daughter, Judy, is deaf and goes to a school in Boston. Ursula survives the fire by walking down a stairway, similar to the real life escape of Margaret Mather. - Karl Boerth – A rigger, and the saboteur of the airship. Boerth was a former Hitler Youth leader, but claims he stopped because he helped build the Hindenburg. His girlfriend, Freda Halle, worked with foreigners in a French bank in Frankfurt, leading the Gestapo to investigate. She is arrested and killed while trying to escape. When Ritter attempts to arrest him he asks for Ritter's help. He wants to prove there is a resistance, and that if Ritter helps him nobody would be killed, saying that's the "last thing I want." While planting the bomb he drops a knife blade, which turns out to be stolen from Rigger Ludwig Knorr. When the landing is delayed Boerth is beaten up by Vogel. During the crash, an unconscious Vogel helps free the Channings' dog from its cage before dying due to his burns.
- SS/GestapoGestapoThe Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
HauptsturmführerHauptsturmführerHauptsturmführer was a Nazi rank of the SS which was used between the years of 1934 and 1945. The rank of Hauptsturmführer was a mid-grade company level officer and was the equivalent of a Captain in the German Army and also the equivalent of captain in foreign armies...
Martin Vogel – The antagonist of the film. Vogel is a Gestapo who poses as an official photographer for the airship. Initially, Vogel appears to be cooperative with Ritter, but seeing Ritter's sympathies for Boerth and the Countess, he begins to work against Ritter's will. Vogel also has an interest in Valerie Breslau, referring to her as a "Jewish model." - Captain Max Pruss – The Captain on this flight. Unlike the real Pruss, he rejects the advice of Captain Lehmann and says "I'll do the worrying this trip." In fact the real Pruss followed Lehmann's pressure to rush the landing of the airship.
- Captain Ernst Lehmann – Senior observer who has been captain on numerous other flights. He is portrayed as being wary of the Nazis, although the real Lehmann was the opposite. In reality, Lehmann was well-known as a supporter of Berlin in order to advance his career and the fortunes of the Zeppelin Company. http://www.airships.net/captain-ernst-lehmann In fact, while in the film Lehmann mentions dropping leaflets during a propaganda flight, in reality, he was eager and glad to oblige in this undertaking, to the extent that he launched the ship in violent wind conditions; the ship later hit the ground and its lower tail fin was damaged. Eckener, Lehmann's superior in the Zeppelin Company, lashed out at Lehmann for endangering the ship to please the Nazis, resulting in Propaganda Minister Goebbels blacklisting Eckener in the press, despite his being a national (and international) hero.
- The Channings – Broadway show promoters and composers, who also own a dalmatian. They took the Hindenburg because Mrs. Bess Channing was pregnant for the first time and did not want to risk the turbulent seas on the RMS Queen MaryRMS Queen MaryRMS Queen Mary is a retired ocean liner that sailed primarily in the North Atlantic Ocean from 1936 to 1967 for the Cunard Line...
. Mr. Reed Channing and Joe Spah perform a concert, satirizing the Nazi regime; Captain Pruss is offended and stops the show. The Channings are very loosely based upon the Adelts, journalists who were closely affiliated with the Zeppelin Company. In reality, German Acrobat Joseph Spah owned a dog, a German Shepherd named Ulla; there was also another dog aboard. The dog in the movie survives the disaster; in reality neither of the two dogs aboard the last flight survived, and there was no passenger on board the last flight that was pregnant. - The Breslaus – Albert Breslau was to sell some diamonds hidden in a pen to get funding for his grandmother's family, the Milsteins, out of Germany because they were Jewish. The family is based upon the Doehner family that was aboard on the last flight (though all three Breslau children survived, Irene Doehner died in the crash).
- Captain Fellows – The commanding officer at the Lakehurst Naval Air Station. He is based on Charles Rosendahl.
Cast
Many of the fictional characters are based on actual people. For example: Franz Ritter is based on Fritz Erdmann, Karl Boerth is based on Eric Spehl, as well as a few others.http://www.airships.net/blog/the-hindenburg-1975-movie| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| George C. Scott George C. Scott George Campbell Scott was an American stage and film actor, director and producer. He was best known for his stage work, as well as his portrayal of General George S. Patton in the film Patton, and as General Buck Turgidson in Stanley Kubrick's Dr... |
Col. Franz Ritter |
| Anne Bancroft Anne Bancroft Anne Bancroft was an American actress associated with the Method acting school, which she had studied under Lee Strasberg.... |
Ursula, The Countess |
| William Atherton William Atherton William Atherton , born William Atherton Knight II, is an American film, stage and television actor.-Early life:Atherton was born in Orange, Connecticut, the son of Roby and Robert Atherton Knight... |
Boerth |
| Roy Thinnes Roy Thinnes Roy Thinnes is an American television and film actor best known for his portrayal of lonely hero David Vincent in the ABC 1967-68 television series The Invaders. He also played Alfred Wentworth in the pilot episode of Law & Order... |
Martin Vogel |
| Gig Young Gig Young Gig Young was an American film, stage, and television actor. Known mainly for second leads and supporting roles, Young won an Academy Award for his performance as a dance-marathon emcee in the 1969 film, They Shoot Horses, Don't They?.-Early life and career:Born Byron Elsworth Barr in St... |
Edward Douglas* |
| Burgess Meredith Burgess Meredith Oliver Burgess Meredith , known professionally as Burgess Meredith, was an American actor in theatre, film, and television, who also worked as a director... |
Emilio Pajetta |
| Charles Durning Charles Durning Charles Durning is an American actor. With appearances in over 100 films, Durning's memorable roles include police officers in the Oscar-winning The Sting and crime drama Dog Day Afternoon , along with the comedies Tootsie, To Be Or Not To Be and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, the last two... |
Capt. Pruss* |
| Richard A. Dysart | Capt. Lehmann* |
| Robert Clary Robert Clary Robert Clary is a French-born American actor, published author, and lecturer, best known for his role in the television sitcom Hogan's Heroes as Corporal LeBeau.-Early life and career:... |
Joe Späh* (miscredited or erroneously credited in other sources as Joe Spahn) |
| Rene Auberjonois Rene Auberjonois René Murat Auberjonois is an American actor, known for portraying Father Mulcahy in the movie version of M*A*S*H and for creating a number of characters in long-running television series, including Clayton Endicott III on Benson , Odo on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Chef Louis in The Little... |
Maj. Napier |
| Peter Donat Peter Donat Peter Donat is a Canadian-American actor known for his roles in American television.-Early life:Donat was born Pierre Collingwood Donat in Kentville, Nova Scotia, Canada, the son of Marie and Philip Ernst Donat, a landscape gardener. His uncle was British actor Robert Donat... |
Reed Channing |
| Alan Oppenheimer Alan Oppenheimer Alan Oppenheimer is an American character actor and voice actor. He has performed numerous roles on live-action television since the 1960s, and has had an active career doing voice work in cartoons since the 1970s.-Early life:... |
Albert Breslau |
| Katherine Helmond Katherine Helmond Katherine Marie Helmond is an American film, theater and television actress, who played Emily Dickinson on Meeting of Minds, as well as such fictional characters as Jessica Tate on Soap, Mona Robinson on Who's the Boss?, Doris Sherman on Coach, and Lois Whelan on Everybody Loves... |
Mrs. Mildred Breslau |
| Joanna Cook Moore Joanna Cook Moore Joanna Moore was an American film and television actress best known for her guest roles on the popular television shows of the 1960s, most notably as Sheriff Andy Taylor's love interest, Peggy "Peg" McMillan in four episodes of The Andy Griffith Show... (credited as Joanna Moore) |
Mrs. Channing |
| Stephen Elliott Stephen Elliott (actor) Stephen Elliott was an American actor. His best known role was that of crime boss, Burt Johnson, in the hit 1981 film Arthur.-Theatre:Elliott's first acting engagement was at the New York Neighborhood Playhouse in 1946... |
Capt. Fellows |
| Joyce Davis | Eleanore Ritter |
| Colby Chester | Eliot Howell III |
| Michael Richardson | Rigger Neuhaus |
| Herbert Nelson | Dr. Hugo Eckener** |
| William Sylvester William Sylvester William Sylvester was an American television and film actor. His most famous film credit was Dr. Heywood Floyd in Stanley Kubrick's 2001 A Space Odyssey... |
Luftwaffe Colonel |
(*) Beside name indicates actual name of person on the last flight of the Hindenburg, (**) beside name indicates actual person, but wasn't on board the Hindenburg.
Production
Director Robert Wise, known for an attention to detail and background research, began to collect documents and film footage on the real-life Hindenburg for over a year at the International Archives in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, the National Air and Space Museum
National Air and Space Museum
The National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution holds the largest collection of historic aircraft and spacecraft in the world. It was established in 1976. Located in Washington, D.C., United States, it is a center for research into the history and science of aviation and...
Library and Archives in Washington, DC as well as in Germany. In 1974, while casting took place in United States, pre-production photography was undertaken in Munich (doubling for Frankfurt), Milwaukee, New York and Washington, DC. Lakehurst, New Jersey would also be a primary location but the Tustin Marine Corps Air Station
Marine Corps Air Station Tustin
Tustin Legacy is a planned community in Tustin, California being developed on the former Marine Corps Air Station Tustin. The project, under construction, will include parks, a commercial retail center and various densities of housing, for a total of 4,600 units.The City’s vision for Tustin Legacy...
where two 1,000 ft hangars constructed for airships, still existed, doubled for the original Hindenburg mooring station. (The base was officially closed in 1999.) Additional locations in Southern California were also chosen.
Studio and special effects work was carried out at Sound Stage 12 in the Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
complex. Wise's research was used to advantage since the bulk of Zeppelin
Zeppelin
A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship pioneered by the German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin in the early 20th century. It was based on designs he had outlined in 1874 and detailed in 1893. His plans were reviewed by committee in 1894 and patented in the United States on 14 March 1899...
blueprints were destroyed in World War II. Using photographs, a recreated passenger area, gondola and superstructure of the giant airship was constructed to create a realistic exterior and interior set for the actors. A team of 80 artists and technicians working double shifts for four months, assembled a "giant erector set" consisting of eight tons of aluminum, 11000 yards (10,058.4 m) of muslin
Muslin
Muslin |sewing patterns]], such as for clothing, curtains, or upholstery. Because air moves easily through muslin, muslin clothing is suitable for hot, dry climates.- Etymology and history :...
, 24000 feet (7,315.2 m) of sash cord and 2,000,000 rivets.
The Hindenburg made extensive use of matte painting
Matte painting
A matte painting is a painted representation of a landscape, set, or distant location that allows filmmakers to create the illusion of an environment that would otherwise be too expensive or impossible to build or visit. Historically, matte painters and film technicians have used various techniques...
s to bring the Zeppelin to life. To take photographs for use as matte paintings, a highly detailed 25 feet (7.6 m) model of the airship was "flown" via an elaborate setup where the stationary model was photographed by a mobile platform consisting of a camera and dolly on a track on Universal Studios largest and tallest sound stage, Stage 12. For the scene where the airship drops water ballast, a matte painting was used, and sugar was dropped through a hole in the windows as water. To recreate the initial explosion of the airship, which was missed by the newsreel cameras, matte paintings and animation were used to make a superimposed explosion of the airship beside its mooring mast. The model of the Hindenburg today is on display at the National Air and Space Museum
National Air and Space Museum
The National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution holds the largest collection of historic aircraft and spacecraft in the world. It was established in 1976. Located in Washington, D.C., United States, it is a center for research into the history and science of aviation and...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
A real-life tragedy nearly happened during the filming of the Hindenburgs fiery death. A full-scale section of the Zeppelin's nose was built for the film on Universal Studios' Stage 12, and was set to be destroyed by fire for the film's final destruction sequence. A half-dozen stunt artists wearing fire-retardant gear were placed in the nose replica as it was set afire; however, the fire quickly got out of control, causing several stunt artists to get lost in the smoke, damaging several cameras filming the action, and nearly destroying the sound stage. Some of the footage from this sequence was used in the final cut of the film, but the full sequence, as it had been planned, was not included.
Historical inaccuracies
Although the film tried to stay accurate to its setting, there were numerous differences between the film and reality. Some aspects were added for dramatic purposes. The scene when the port fin's fabric rips did not happen to the Hindenburg, but a similar event happened to the Graf ZeppelinLZ 127 Graf Zeppelin
LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin was a German built and operated passenger-carrying hydrogen-filled rigid airship which operated commercially from 1928 to 1937. It was named after the German pioneer of airships, Ferdinand von Zeppelin, who was a Graf or Count in the German nobility. During its operating life,...
during its first flight to America.http://www.airships.net/lz127-graf-zeppelin/history#lz127amerika. Additionally, although the Hindenburg did have a Blüthner
Blüthner
Blüthner, formally Julius Blüthner Pianofortefabrik GmbH, is a piano-manufacturing company founded by Julius Blüthner in 1853 in Leipzig Germany.- History :...
baby grand piano aboard for the 1936 season, it was not aboard the final flight in 1937. While the interior of the ship was very accurately created, a stairway was added to the lower fin for dramatic purposes; in the real Hindenburg, there was just a ladder for crew members to walk down. Several aspects of the airship's takeoff and landing procedures were also inaccurate. Prior to takeoff, the airship would not need to be attached to the mooring mast and used the landing ropes during takeoff. It is common for airships to be towed out of their hangar and simply be pushed into the air by the ground crew. The mooring mast used in the landing sequence is black, while the real mooring mast was red and white. During the landing sequence the ship drops water ballast through some of the windows near the nose instead of at the tail section, as it did during the final approach.
Several anachronisms also occur in the storyline. At one time Edward Douglas refers to the fact that the German car manufacturer Opel
Opel
Adam Opel AG, generally shortened to Opel, is a German automobile company founded by Adam Opel in 1862. Opel has been building automobiles since 1899, and became an Aktiengesellschaft in 1929...
is to be taken over by General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
"the next day". In fact, Opel had already been taken over completely in 1929. At Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
there are Citroën HY delivery cars which were built in the late 1940s.
Reception
Although well received by the public as typical "disaster movie" fare, The Hindenburg was "savaged" by critics. Roger EbertRoger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
from the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
dismissed it as a failed project, "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?" Film critic Frank Rich, in his year-end review of movies released that year, named The Hindenburg the year's worst disaster movie, stating, "The hero is a Nazi and the special effects couldn't fool Gerald Ford." Similar reactions were recounted, and when the film eventually made it to television screens, the TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
summed up a near-universal review: "This insipid, boring, implausible, senseless, deliciously funny, and expensively mounted film... There's no tension whatsoever and none of the characters is remotely interesting, let alone sympathetic."
Awards
Despite critical reaction, The Hindenburg was noteworthy for its use of special effects and won two Special Achievement Academy AwardsAcademy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
in 1976:
- Peter Berkos for Sound EffectsAcademy Award for Sound EditingThe Academy Award of Merit for Best Sound Editing is an Academy Award granted yearly to a film exhibiting the finest or most aesthetic sound editing or sound design...
- Albert WhitlockAlbert WhitlockAlbert J. Whitlock was a British-born motion picture matte artist best known for his work with Disney and Universal Studios.-Life and career:...
and Glen Robinson for Visual EffectsAcademy Award for Visual EffectsThe Academy Award for Visual Effects is an Academy Award given for the best achievement in visual effects.-History of the award:The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences first recognized the technical contributions of special effects to movies at its inaugural dinner in 1928, presenting a...
The film was also nominated for Best Art Direction
Academy Award for Best Art Direction
The Academy Awards are the oldest awards ceremony for achievements in motion pictures. The Academy Award for Best Art Direction recognizes achievement in art direction on a film. The films below are listed with their production year, so the Oscar 2000 for best art direction went to a film from 1999...
(Edward Carfagno
Edward Carfagno
Edward Carfagno was an art director who established himself in the 1950s with his Oscar-winning work on such films as Vincente Minnelli's The Bad and the Beautiful , Joseph Mankiewicz's Julius Caesar and William Wyler's Ben-Hur...
, Frank McKelvy), Best Cinematography
Academy Award for Best Cinematography
The Academy Award for Best Cinematography is an Academy Award awarded each year to a cinematographer for work in one particular motion picture.-History:...
, and Best Sound (Leonard Peterson
Leonard Peterson (sound engineer)
Leonard Peterson is an American sound engineer. He was nominated for an Academy Award in the category Best Sound for the film The Hindenburg.-External links:...
, John A. Bolger, Jr.
John A. Bolger, Jr.
John A. Bolger, Jr. was an American sound engineer. He was nominated for an Academy Award in the category Best Sound for the film The Hindenburg.-External links:...
, John L. Mack
John L. Mack
John L. Mack is an American sound engineer. He was nominated for an Academy Award in the category Best Sound for the film The Hindenburg.-External links:...
and Don Sharpless
Don Sharpless
Don Sharpless is an American sound engineer. He was nominated for an Academy Award in the category Best Sound for the film The Hindenburg.-External links:...
).
In the same year, The Hindenburg was nominated for an "Eddie" in the category of Best Edited Feature Film in the American Cinema Editors Awards.