Hindenburg: The Last Flight

Historical drama

Germany

Umbrella Entertainment

R4 DVD

English Language

The story of the Hindenburg and its disastrous destruction through being filled with hydrogen is well known. There have been many films and documentaries about it, some promoting conspiracy theories. The basic fact is that it was filled with hydrogen because the Americans would not sell the Germans the non-flammable helium they were now producing. When mooring at Lakehurst in New Jersey a spark, probably from built-up static electricity, ignited the hydrogen and the whole Zeppelin was engulfed in flame and destroyed with great loss of life.

This new film adds a couple more conspiracies to the story, none of which detract from the facts – they are there purely to increase the drama. We have a bomb plot designed to shame the Americans into selling helium, and a batch of stolen secret German invasion plans for the start of World War II. There is a love interest story between Merten Kroger, an engineer and Jennifer van Zandt, daughter of the wealthy industrialist who will profit if he can sell helium to Germany. There is an underlying plot for which the helium is just a front.

The story plays well as a drama without too many liberties being taken with the facts. The CGI is simply stunning. The shots of the Zeppelin on the ground and coming out of its huge hangar are near perfect and the scenes of the fire convey the scale of the disaster and its effects on the onlookers. The American overdub of the voices, something I usually hate, is done well. About the only weakness in the film is the shaky handheld camera shots for the close-ups.

The film is a good drama set against a good historical recreation.

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