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Actors: Burt Lancaster, Dean Martin, Helen Hayes, Van Heflin, George Kennedy
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| Review Summary and Plot Commentary about Airport |
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"Airport" starts as a typical busy day at a snowbound Chicago airport. The airport's GM, Mel(Burt Lancaster) is a workaholic because of a strained marriage, and his youthful assistant has a crush on him. Vernon Demarest (Dean Martin)is a cocky pilot who is married to Mel's sister, and having an affair with a stewardess. A stuck 747 is blocking runway 29, and Joe Petroni(George Kennedy)is the man to get it cleared. Things go haywire when it's discovered that a man with a bomb is on Demarest's plane. With the help of an elderly stowaway(Helen Hayes), Demarest attempts to disarm the man but fails. Once the bomb explodes, Demarest's lady love is seriously injured, and he has to bring the crippled plane back to runway 29, one way or another.
--John Harrel, Resident Scholar
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In 1969, who could have imagined what frightful places airports could become. But for its time, Arthur Hailey's best-seller portrayed one metropolitan airport as a quite frenzied place, especially during a severe snowstorm. And, this novel may have been the only one to spawn one movie, three sequels, and two parodies.
With an all-star ensemble pitting arrogant pilot (Dean Martin) against the mild-manner Operations Director (Burt Lancaster), the film reveals one full night in which many characters' subplots intertwine while revealing the airport's infrastructure and many tricks of the trade.
But the major story is that of financially troubled “D.O. Guerrero” (Van Heflin) who ambles onboard a Rome-bound flight with a simple briefcase bomb poised for his wife to collect insurance. Despite a carefully planned ploy by an elderly stowaway (Helen Hayes), the bomb explodes leaving the 727 seriously crippled and needing to return home. With masterful piloting by Martin, the plane descends, desperately needing the longest runway which is still blocked by a plane that skidded earlier that evening.
With 179 souls on board, only Lancaster can give the order for an assembly of tractors to literally shred the obstacle off the needed runway. But top mechanic (George Kennedy) insists he can rock the stuck plane out of the way.
--Angry Jim Magin, Resident Scholar
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| Analysis of Airport |
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Movie
Actual chase scenes or violence - 30%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40%
Time/Era of Movie:
- 1960's-1970's
Disaster, big vehicle
Yes
Kind of vehicle:
- plane
Romance
Yes
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- business executive
Age:
- 40's-50's
- long lived adults
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Hair color?
- brunette (Brown)
Hair style
- short/standard straight (man)
Body type
- average (man)
Events of movie makes character more...
- caring
- happy
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- very athletic
- average physique
Secondary Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Hair color
- brunette (Brown)
- brunette (Black)
Hair style
- (man) short/standard wavy
Body type
- average build (man)
Unclothed?
- very tight clothes
How much in movie?
- 60%
- 90%-100%
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- unemployed
Eccentric:
Yes
- mentally ill
- emotionally unstable
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- 20%
- 40%
Hair color
- white
Hair type
- (man) short/standard straight
Body type
- fat (man)
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
Intelligence
- Dumb
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
- hard edged
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Midwest
Air?
Yes
Air:
- passenger plane
Misc setting
- building
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- no torture/death
Movie makes you feel...
- concerned
How many deaths in film?
- 1
How much use of techno gadgets?
- 2 ()
Kind of violence:
- mission to rescue
- mental battles
Unusual forms of death
- dropped from large heights
- visually blown into pieces
Any profanity?
- None
If this is a kid's movie...
- Ages 5-10
If Soundtrack VERY NOTICEABLE...
- Orchestra/classical
Is this movie based on a
- book
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| Most similar reviews by Gordonator ranking |
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| Airport '77
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|
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Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR:
 John Harrel
SCHOLARS:
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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