Sunn Classic pictures, that I always loved as a kid, were ridiculed by many critics for their cheesy production values and sensationalism. This documentary was produced by Sunn veterans Charles Sellier and James Conway however it is straightforward and factual detailing various disasters of the 20th century starting with a massive earthquake in California during the Depression that killed over a hundred. We next have a fascinating history of dirigibles such as the USS Akron (which the Navy considered jinxed) culminating of course with the Hindenburg disaster. We next see a graphic auto racing accident that killed 77 spectators and the sinking of the Andrea Doria (you could say it was the Italian Titanic). My favorite is the final part of the film that tells the story of a heroic pilot named Richard Ogg who heroically ditched his crippled plane in the ocean without losing a single passenger thanks to a nearby ship. This was decades before "Captain Sully" ditched in New York.
Review of Encounter with Disaster
