"Airport" wasn't the first all-star "disaster" movie--those have always been a bankable commodity in Hollywood--but it was probably the first one to garner truly blockbuster returns (and effusive reviews and awards), creating a new vogue in cinema which lasted throughout the 1970s. Sprawling melodrama from Arthur Hailey's bestseller intertwines several sudsy plots as an ill-fated airliner leaves a snowbound airport. Helen Hayes won a Supporting Actress Oscar as a stowaway, all but stealing the film from headliners Burt Lancaster, Dean Martin and George Kennedy. Jacqueline Bisset plays a stewardess in love with married pilot Martin (what an odd combination), and her youthful beauty is stunning though the role itself is colorless (when she gets a burst of conviction near the end, it appears to come out of nowhere). Van Heflin and Maureen Stapleton do very well in pivotal supporting roles, the undercurrent of cynical humor is appealing, and the handsome production looks sumptuous and credible. Director George Seaton takes it all at a steady pace, though the "disaster" action is a long time in coming. Plenty of juicy tidbits keep it interesting and engaging. Followed by a myriad of sequels and imitations. *** from ****
Review of Airport
