The Concorde ... Airport '79

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The Concorde ... Airport '79
Directed by David Lowell Rich
Produced by Jennings Lang
Written by Jennings Lang (story)
Eric Roth (screenplay)
Starring Alain Delon
Susan Blakely
Robert Wagner
Music by Lalo Schifrin
Cinematography Philip H. Lathrop
Editing by Dorothy Spencer
Distributed by Universal
Release date(s) August 17, 1979
Running time 123 min.
Language English
Preceded by Airport '77
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

The Concorde ... Airport '79 is a 1979 American disaster film (in the UK, it was released a year later as Airport '80: The Concorde). The film was the fourth and final installment of the Airport series. Panned by critics, the film made only US$13 million [1] at the box office.

Contents

[edit] Plot

Kevin Harrison (Robert Wagner), an arms dealer, attempts to destroy an American-owned Concorde supersonic transport on its maiden flight after one of the passengers Susan Blakely learns of his weapons sales to communist countries during the Cold War. After the Concorde manages to escape destruction by remotely-controlled missiles and rogue fighter aircraft, Harrison attempts to de-pressurize the aircraft at altitude, forcing it to crash in the Alps.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Inconsistencies and criticism

This movie is the third and last sequel to Airport. Like the previous sequel Airport '77 this movie is also regarded as unrealistic due to the highly unlikely plot. A number of obvious continuity errors and inconsistencies are found, contradicting both the storyline and the earlier movies.

In previous "Airport" movies, Joe Patroni, the character played by George Kennedy, was the chief mechanic for Trans Global Airlines (Airport), Vice President of Operations for Columbia Airlines (Airport 1975), and served in an undefined role to businessman Phillip Stevens (Airport '77). In Airport '79, Patroni is a pilot working for Federation World Airways, who is qualified to fly the Concorde.

There are several errors are made in the movie concerning the configuration of the nose of Concorde during takeoff (5°) and landing (12.5°), during her takeoff and landing in Dulles Airport and Charles de Gaulle Airport, as prescribed in the flight manual.

All Movie Guide's Bruce Eder interpreted the film as a self-parody due to the film's outrageous premise, situations, and casting.

[edit] Extended version broadcast on ABC Network in 1982

When ABC aired the movie in 1982, several new scenes were added to the film:

  • Several scenes featured an American detective in Washington who interviews Carl Parker's wife in connection with her husband's murder, and an Interpol investigator in Paris who interviews Mr. & Mrs. Eli Sands concerning the attacks on the Concorde.
  • A conversation takes place between the flight crew during the initial ferry flight from Paris to Washington; we learn that Paul Metrand, while in Indochina consorted with a prostitute named "the Tarantula", whom Joe Patroni knew when he was fighting in the Vietnam War. (The scene where Patroni talks about the Tarantula was left in the original theatrical release.)
  • Additional scenes involving Maggie Whelen and Kevin Harrison are added, including a romantic scene where she reveals that she is pregnant with Harrison's child.
  • Maggie Whelan is shown doing a news broadcast from Moscow revealing the contents of the documents after the destruction of the Concorde.
  • Kevin Harrison does not commit suicide on his private jet in the ABC version, but does so at an impromptu press conference in Washington, D.C., almost before the end of Maggie Whelan's broadcast in Moscow.
  • Scenes with Charo were cut, as were scenes showing Jimmie Walker smoking cannabis in the lavatory.
  • Certain scenes had profanity either edited out or dubbed with less-profane language.

[edit] Trivia

 Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines.
The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.
  • This is the only Airport film not to feature Edith Head as the Costume Designer.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ IMDB: Trivia for The Concorde ... Airport '79
  2. ^ ConcordeSST.Com: Information about the Concorde used in the movie.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links