7 | / 10 |
Users | 4.2 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.6 |
The manager of an international airport struggles to deal with a bomb threat and a blizzard.
Starring: Burt Lancaster, Dean Martin, Jean Seberg, Jacqueline Bisset, George KennedyThriller | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.20:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: DTS Mono
English SDH, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Digital copy (as download)
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Though it’s often been credited as having helped to spark the so-called “disaster movie” genre, at the time of its release Airport wasn’t really thought of that way. It was instead a massively anticipated film adaptation of what was then one of the all time bestselling books of its era. Author Arthur Hailey had found a niche for himself with his “industry-centric” novels that explored the ins and out and behind the scenes dramas of various workplaces. He had had a major success a few years previously with Hotel, which was also adapted into a (middling successful) film, but Airport really (excuse the pun) took off, catapulting Hailey into the virtual stratosphere of popular novelists. While the film’s “mad bomber” (actually sad bomber in this instance) scenario which is a major aspect of Airport certainly is part and parcel of the disaster genre (and seems more frightening today than it probably did in 1970, when such things were unheard of), the film is actually a much more sweeping melodrama that spends as much time on a whole series of other plot arcs, including a blizzard, an unwanted pregnancy, and a mild mannered elderly stowaway who could have been Catch Me if You Can’s Frank Abagnale’s sweet but conniving grandmother. Hailey’s “slice of life” approach, bringing a gaggle of disparate characters together under stressful circumstances, also became a rote trope of the disaster genre, but in Airport the calamity of an airliner in distress after an explosion serves as merely the climax to the film, rather than its sole raison d’être. The film became one of the all time box office champions of its day, ultimately surpassing Universal’s previous record holder Spartacus as the studio’s top money making enterprise. And of course the film did end up spawning a whole series of often unintentionally hilarious sequels which were crammed snugly into what had by then become a rote and completely predictable disaster formula.
Airport is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Universal with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. This large format Todd-AO shot production (lensed by Oscar nominated Ernest Laszlo) looks excellent throughout this high definition presentation. A 65mm source like this wouldn't have exhibited excessive grain to begin with, so any "ameliorative" efforts by Universal's restoration team on this title don't show egregious effects of DNR, and in fact a layer of extremely fine grain is quite apparent throughout this transfer. (In fairness it should be stated that the film has a rather high number of opticals, including a lot of split screen effects, and grain does not increase exponentially during these sequences, evidence perhaps of Universal's trend toward "grain averaging".) While I have no definitive word as to whether this was sourced from the original Todd-AO elements or not, the image is sharp and well defined, with mostly excellently saturated color (a few sequences seem just slightly less robust than the bulk of the film, especially with regard to flesh tones). Fine object detail is excellent throughout this presentation, and contrast and black levels are also solid, making the long nighttime sequences pop rather nicely with good shadow detail.
Airport features a good sounding lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix that may surprise some viewers used to nonstop low frequency assaults with how relatively restrained its use of LFE is, especially considering the glut of airplane jet engines and even explosions that the film exploits. This was the last film that legendary composer Alfred Newman worked on, and he delivers a boisterous main theme which seems oddly reflective of some of Johnny Williams' science fiction television themes of the day, notably the second Lost in Space theme and the somewhat similar Land of the Giants. Newman also offers a sumptuous love theme, which became a major easy listening hit in 1970. The score is very well represented on this 5.1 mix. Discrete sound effects also are nicely splayed throughout the surrounds, including some great panning effects when a couple of flights take off. Dialogue is cleanly and clearly presented and the track is well prioritized, but it still may strike younger listeners as being fairly conservative by present day standards.
Airport was old fashioned even in 1970 when it was released, and that characteristic is only more noticeable now over forty years after the film's original release. Does that mean the film is worthless? Hardly. This is big budget, ultra glossy entertainment, slickly produced and directed and featuring a slew of well known actors playing to their own particular strengths. The film is undeniably about as deep as a piece of paper, but it's just as undeniably a fantastic piece of entertainment if taken on its own terms. This new Blu-ray offers excellent video and audio, and even though supplements are awfully slim, this release comes Recommended.
1974
1977
1979
1974
1951
1975
1965
Collector's Edition
1974
1975
1956
One Man Mutiny | Special Edition
1955
1954
1978
1972
1962
2015
2017
The Marseille Contract
1974
1996
Import | The Terrorists
1974