Airport (1970)

Airport: Directed by George Seaton, Henry Hathaway. With Burt Lancaster, Dean Martin, Jean Seberg, Jacqueline Bisset. A bomber on board an airplane, an airport almost closed by snow, and various personal problems of the people involved.

“My Take: A bit cheesy and stodgy at times, but so old-fashioned, itu0026#39;s very entertaining.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAlthough itu0026#39;s been acknowledged that it began the disaster movie craze in the 1970u0026#39;s, AIRPORT was more melodrama than a real disaster movie. In fact, the main disaster, about a mad bomber on a plane, takes backstage to everyday u0026quot;disastersu0026quot;; the drama of different people set on a busy, snowy night at the airport. Although its rather trite by todayu0026#39;s standards, AIRPORT is an excellent relic of pure 70u0026#39;s cinema. Hate to bring up a cliché but they donu0026#39;t make u0026#39;em like this anymore!u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eItu0026#39;s a busy winter night at Lincoln International Airport. A 707 takes a shortcut across the runway and gets stuck in the snow. Airport manager Mel Bakersfield (Burt Lancaster) sorts out the problem (with a little help from , while at the same time having a few problems with his angry wife (Dana Wynter). Meanwhile, pilot Vernon Demerest (Dean Martin), married to Bakersfieldu0026#39;s sister (Barbara Hale), is having an affair with stewardess Gwen Meighen (Jacqueline Bisset). Back on the ground, Bakersfieldu0026#39;s assistant Tanya (Jean Seaberg) is having a few problems with a stubborn elderly stowaway Ada Quonsett (Helen Hayes, in an Oscar-winning role), whose not the nice old lady you think she is. Meanwhile, desperate loose cannon Guerrero (Van Heflin) boards a plane (not to coincidentally, the plane piloted by Martin) with a suspicious suitcase. Add to that, the airport struggles to stay open despite a devastating winter storm and the bickering of angry homeowners and engineer Joe Patroni (George Kennedy) struggles to move the trapped airliner to clear the path of the runway. Whew! Now thatu0026#39;s more plot than youu0026#39;ll ever find in one soap opera! u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eBased on the novel by Arthur Hailey, and written for the screen by George Seaton (who also directed), AIRPORT tries its best to balance these several stories (as advertised, thatu0026#39;s seven stories!) together. Although the movieu0026#39;s several subplots tend to be too crowded and therefore a bit confusing, the movie still plays along just fine, moving along from one subplot to another without harming the filmu0026#39;s overall narrative, and all is resolved in the end. But AIRPORT is nothing without its legendary cast (which the advertisements proclaim: u0026quot;The biggest cast ever assembled for a Universal Pictureu0026quot;). They surely wonu0026#39;t be able to do this kind of casting today without risking half a filmu0026#39;s budget. That, along with the tuneful score by Alfred Newman and a witty old-school screenplay, give AIRPORT that irresistible old-fashioned charm that makes it still worth seeing.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eRating: **** out of 5.”