Airport (1970 film)

Airport
Airport
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	George Seaton
Screenplay by	George Seaton
Based on	Airport; by Arthur Hailey
Produced by	Ross Hunter
Starring	Burt Lancaster; Dean Martin; Jean Seberg; Jacqueline Bisset; George Kennedy; Helen Hayes; Van Heflin; Maureen Stapleton; Barry Nelson; Lloyd Nolan; Dana Wynter; Barbara Hale;
Cinematography	Ernest Laszlo
Edited by	Stuart Gilmore
Music by	Alfred Newman
Color process	Technicolor
Production; company	Ross Hunter Productions
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date	March 5, 1970 (New York);
Running time	137 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$10.2 million
Box office	$128.4 million

Airport is a 1970 American air disaster–drama film written and directed by George Seaton and starring Burt Lancaster and Dean Martin.^[3] Based on Arthur Hailey's 1968 novel, it originated the 1970s disaster film genre.^[4] It is also the first of four films in the Airport film series. Produced on a $10 million budget, it earned over $128 million. The supporting cast features Jean Seberg, Jacqueline Bisset, George Kennedy, Helen Hayes, Van Heflin, Maureen Stapleton, Barry Nelson, Lloyd Nolan, Dana Wynter and Barbara Hale.

The film is about an airport manager trying to keep his airport open during a snowstorm, while a suicide bomber plots to blow up a Boeing 707 airliner in flight. It takes place at fictional Lincoln International Airport near Chicago. The film was a commercial success and surpassed Spartacus as Universal Pictures' biggest moneymaker.^[5] The movie won Helen Hayes an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as an elderly stowaway and was nominated for nine other Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Cinematography for Ernest Laszlo, and Best Costume Design for designer Edith Head.

With attention paid to the detail of day-to-day airport and airline operations, the plot concerns the response to a paralyzing snowstorm, environmental concerns over noise pollution, and an attempt to blow up an airliner. The film is characterized by personal stories intertwining while decisions are made minute-by-minute by the airport and airline staffs, operations and maintenance crews, flight crews, and Federal Aviation Administration air traffic controllers.

Ernest Laszlo photographed it in 70 mm Todd-AO. It is the last film scored by Alfred Newman and the last film roles of Van Heflin and Jessie Royce Landis. It was also Ross Hunter's last film produced for Universal after a 17-year tenure.

^ Cite error: The named reference AFI was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Warga, Wayne (June 21, 1970). "Freddie Fan of Filmdom Finds Lost Audience: The Lost Audience Discovered". Los Angeles Times. p. q1.
^ "Airport". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on March 12, 2016. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
^ Harpole, Charles (15 March 2002). History of the American Cinema. University of California Press. pp. 251–252. ISBN 978-0-520-23265-5. Archived from the original on 27 April 2016. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
^ Link, Tom (1991). Universal City-North Hollywood: A Centennial Portrait. Chatsworth, California: Windsor Publications. p. 87. ISBN 0-89781-393-6.

[AFI-1] Cite error: The named reference AFI was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[2] Warga, Wayne (June 21, 1970). "Freddie Fan of Filmdom Finds Lost Audience: The Lost Audience Discovered". Los Angeles Times. p. q1.

[Airport-3] "Airport". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on March 12, 2016. Retrieved February 29, 2016.

[4] Harpole, Charles (15 March 2002). History of the American Cinema. University of California Press. pp. 251–252. ISBN 978-0-520-23265-5. Archived from the original on 27 April 2016. Retrieved 27 June 2015.

[Universal_City-5] Link, Tom (1991). Universal City-North Hollywood: A Centennial Portrait. Chatsworth, California: Windsor Publications. p. 87. ISBN 0-89781-393-6.

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