Sachin Walls
Airport (1970) is an American air disaster–drama film that revolves around the fictional Lincoln International Airport and Lincoln Airport, respectively, and ends at an airport. The film stars Burt Lancaster, Dean Martin, Helen Hayes, and Jacqueline Bisset, among others. It is based on Arthur Hailey's 1968 novel and is the first of four films in the Airport film series. The plot revolves around an impending bomb on a 707 bound for Rome and an airport manager's attempts to keep the airport open during a snowstorm. The film was a commercial success and won Helen Hayes an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Another film that ends at an airport is What Happens Later, which follows two former lovers who have a chance encounter while waiting out a winter storm at an airport.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of the film | Airport |
| Year of release | 1970 |
| Genre | Action, Drama, Thriller, Disaster-drama |
| Plot | An airport manager tries to keep his airport open during a snowstorm while a suicide bomber plots to blow up a Boeing 707 airliner in flight |
| Cast | Burt Lancaster, Dean Martin, Jacqueline Bisset, Jean Seberg, Maureen Stapleton, Van Heflin, Helen Hayes, George Kennedy, and more |
| Awards and nominations | Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Helen Hayes; nominated for nine other Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Cinematography, and Best Costume Design |
| Box office collection | Earned over $128 million against a budget of $10 million |
| Filming location | Chicago's fictional Lincoln International Airport |
| Director | George Seaton |
| Screenwriter | George Seaton |
| Based on | Arthur Hailey's 1968 novel of the same name |
| Sequels | Three sequels were made, but none matched the success of the original |
| Similar films | The Terminal, Airplane!, The Poseidon Adventure, The Towering Inferno, Earthquake, Two Minute Warning, Rollercoaster |
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What You'll Learn
Airport (1970)
The film is set at the fictional Lincoln International Airport near Chicago during a severe snowstorm. It follows the story of airport manager Mel Bakersfeld (Burt Lancaster), who struggles to keep the airport open while dealing with personal issues, including a tense relationship with his wife and a growing attraction to a co-worker, Tanya Livingston (Jean Seberg). Meanwhile, a suicide bomber, D. O. Guerrero (Van Heflin), plots to blow up a Boeing 707 airliner in flight, and his wife, Inez (Maureen Stapleton), desperately tries to stop him.
The cast of Airport includes Burt Lancaster, Dean Martin, Jean Seberg, Jacqueline Bisset, George Kennedy, Helen Hayes, Van Heflin, Maureen Stapleton, and many others. Helen Hayes's performance as a stowaway elderly lady won her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, and her scenes were particularly well-received by viewers.
The film is known for its attention to detail in depicting the day-to-day operations of an airport and an airline during a crisis. It also explores personal stories and the minute-by-minute decisions made by various airport and airline staff, operations, and maintenance crews. While some critics praised the film's strong production values and excellent cast, others found it clichéd and lacking suspense.
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The Terminal
The 2004 comedy-drama film The Terminal, directed by Steven Spielberg, stars Tom Hanks as Viktor Navorski, an Eastern European man who gets stuck in an airport terminal in New York. The film is inspired by the true story of Mehran Karimi Nasseri, an Iranian refugee who lived in Terminal One of the Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris from 1988 to 2006. Viktor is denied entry into the United States but cannot return to his native country due to a military coup. The film showcases Viktor's unique experience of being confined to the airport, where he forms relationships and becomes a legend among the employees.
Overall, The Terminal is an entertaining and heartwarming film that combines humour and emotion. It showcases the talents of its cast and crew, particularly Spielberg and Hanks, and offers a feel-good story that leaves viewers with a positive view of the world. The film's blend of comedy and drama, along with its exploration of human resilience in the face of adversity, makes it a memorable and enjoyable watch.
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What Happens Later
The film 'What Happens Later' is based on the play 'Shooting Star' by Steven Dietz. It follows two former lovers, played by Meg Ryan and David Duchovny, who have a chance encounter at an airport while waiting out a winter storm. Over the course of the day and night, the pair are stuck together, hashing out past issues and confronting the ways they've impacted their lives since their breakup. The film incorporates elements of magical realism through airport announcements that seem oddly specific and interactive, suggesting that the delay may have a hidden purpose.
The entire film takes place within the confines of a single airport in Bentonville, Arkansas, and consists primarily of conversations between the two main characters. Despite attempts to break the monotony with CGI establishing shots and scenes that explore the airport setting, such as struggling against a moving walkway, the film has been criticised as being too meandering and low-key.
The characters engage in introspection and examine their lives, including Duchovny's character struggling to resolve a rift with his teenage daughter. However, the film has been criticised for relying too heavily on telling rather than showing, and for failing to inject effective whimsy into what is ultimately a drama about broken people dealing with dark issues.
Despite its shortcomings, 'What Happens Later' offers a self-contained and intimate portrayal of two former lovers coming to terms with their past and how they've changed, providing a relatable experience for anyone who has spent long hours in an airport due to delays.
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Flightplan
In Flightplan, Kyle Pratt is an airline engineer and designer of the Elgin E-474 double-decker passenger jet. The film begins with Pratt in Germany, identifying the body of her late husband, David, who died after a fall. Distraught, Pratt must collect her young daughter, Julia, for the trip back to the United States. During the flight, Pratt loses her daughter and must search for her while also proving her sanity. The film features several thrilling moments and heart-stopping action sequences, including a nerve-wracking chase through the plane and spine-tingling twists.
The ending of Flightplan is revealed to be a scheme by a psychotic criminal, Gene Carson, played by Peter Sarsgaard, and his accomplice. In a behind-the-scenes featurette, it is revealed that the casting of Peter Sarsgaard was intended to keep audiences guessing about the eventual villain. The film's finale includes a crash-landing procedure, with gas masks coming down, creating a chaotic scene for the extras on the plane.
While the film received mixed reviews from critics, it was a major commercial success, grossing over $223 million worldwide. It was praised for its direction, performances, and thriller elements but criticized for its screenplay and far-fetched plot. Film historian Leonard Maltin described it as "suspenseful at first, [but] this thriller becomes remote and un-involving; by the climax, it's just plain ridiculous." Roger Ebert, however, gave it 3.5 out of 4 stars, applauding its "airtight plot" and acting performances.
Some viewers found the ending of Flightplan disappointing, with one suggesting that a more daring finale would have been for Jodie Foster's character to be insane from the beginning, with her daughter being imaginary. Another interpretation of the ending is that Kyle Pratt fabricated the events, including her killing her husband and hiding her daughter in a part of the plane only she knew about.
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Die Hard
The film centres on John McClane, who is visiting his estranged wife, Holly, and their children on Christmas Eve at her place of business, Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles. As Gruber and his men take over the building, McClane becomes a lone hero. The film has been labelled a Christmas movie due to its ending, which includes a classic Christmas song and a happy ending that brings the family back together.
The film kickstarted a successful franchise, with the underrated Die Hard: With a Vengeance exploring similar themes of family and conflict. Despite the franchise's later decline in quality, the original Die Hard remains a beloved classic, with a perfect ending that cements its status as a great Christmas movie and an action blockbuster.
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Frequently asked questions
Airport (1970).
The Terminal.
What Happens Later.
