Film critic Mark Kermode on what makes a great movie.
When classic disaster movie The Towering Inferno came out in 1974, the young Mark Kermode loved it so much he went to see it three times in one week.
In the latest instalment of his Secrets of Cinema series, the film critic explores the enduring appeal of disaster films, and examines some of the conventions and techniques they use to keep us on the edge of our seats.
MORAL JUDGMENT
Behind all the death and destruction in disaster movies, there is usually a moral message, says Kermode, who traces the genre back to silent films such as biblical epic The 10 Commandments, released in 1923.
This story is from the April 20, 2019 edition of TV & Satellite Week.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the April 20, 2019 edition of TV & Satellite Week.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Date with DANGER
A detective is haunted by her romantic past in a new Harlan Coben thriller
Climate of fear
The planet is in peril as The Rig returns
Wicked GAME
The hit dystopian drama is back-and scarier than ever
Gnome for the holidays
A new invention causes chaos for Wallace and Gromit this Christmas
Double trouble
Romesh Ranganathan and Rob Beckett aim to take the darts world by storm
Baby on board
The Brockmans are back with a new addition...
Sun, sea & Santa
Saint Marie gets a new cop as a killer targets Father Christmases...
Firing squad
The SAS heads to Italy in its war against the Nazis
Together at Christmas
The nuns and midwives face a hectic yuletide in an emotional two-parter
Journey for JUSTICE
Colin Firth stars in a moving drama about the Lockerbie bombing
