1970s in film was far less successful. "The Towering Inferno" teamed Steve McQueen and Paul Newman against a fire in a San Francisco skyscraper. The film cost a whopping $14 million to produce (expensive for its time), and won Academy Awards for Cinematography, Film Editing, and Best Original Song. The same year, the epic "Earthquake" featured questionable effects (camera shake and models) to achieve a destructive 9.9 earthquake in Los Angeles. Despite this, the film was one of the most successful of its time, earning $80 million at box office. By the late 1970s, the novelty had worn off and the disasters had
The Man Who Played God (1932 film) and goes, a famously unsuccessful version. The Man Who Played God (1932 film) The Man Who Played God is a 1932 American Pre-Code drama film directed by John G. Adolfi and produced by Darryl F. Zanuck. George Arliss stars as a concert pianist embittered by the loss of his hearing who eventually finds redemption in helping others; it also features a then little-known Bette Davis as the much younger woman in love with the protagonist. Warner Bros. promoted the film as an example that studios could produce motion pictures of social and moral value without the oversight of non-industry agents.