Hindenburg: The Untold Story known in Germany as Das Geheimnis der Hindenburg ("The Secret of the Hindenburg") and Die Hindenburg: die ungeklärte Katastrophe, is a two-hour docudrama about the disaster of the Hindenburg, and the investigation that followed. It aired on May 6, 2007, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the disaster. It was commissioned by Channel 4, ZDF, and the Smithsonian Networks to be produced by Pioneer Productions. Its original working title was Hindenburg It is also known as Hindenburg: Titanic of the skies (which should not be confused with Titanic of the Sky, a different documentary by Vidicom). The British version is narrated by Malcolm Tierney who plays the role of Hugo Eckener, while John Shrapnel narrates an alternative version which features interviews with survivors.
It provides a reenactment of the Hindenburg disaster using a detailed computer-animated model. The animation was done by Red Vision, which also did the animation for two previous documentaries on the Hindenburg disaster: Hindenburg Disaster: Probable Cause and an episode of Seconds From Disaster. The film mainly focuses on the official investigation of the disaster. The live actions scenes were shot in Poland and later edited by Red Vision.
Contents
Story
The film primarily focuses on the Hindenburg's demise and the official inquiry that followed.
Cast
Narrator*: John Shrapnel (UK dub), Bill Roberts (US version)
Dr. Hugo Eckener: Malcolm Tierney
Commander Rosendahl: Mark McGann
Jean Rosendahl: Lorelei King
Max Pruss: Albert Welling
Herbert Morrison: Gerard Monaco
Joseph Späh: Simon Lowe
Nelson Morris: Michael Praed
Chief Steward Heinrich Kubis: Thorston Manderlay
Werner Franz: Kamil Krawczykowski
Helmut Lau: Piotr Grabowski
Rudolph Sauter: John Edmondson
Colonel South Trimble (Jr.): Phil Goss
Filmmakers
Director Sean Grundy
Producer Vicky Matthews
Editor Martin Swann
Composer Andrew Hewitt
Cinematographer David Langan