The V.I.P.s (1963)

Fog delays a group of travelers headed for New York. They wait at the V.I.P. lounge of London Airport, each at a moment of crisis in his or her life.

Director:

Anthony Asquith

Writer:

Terence Rattigan

Stars:

Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Louis Jourdan

Won 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Elizabeth Taylor	...	Frances Andros
Richard Burton	...	Paul Andros
Louis Jourdan	...	Marc Champselle
Elsa Martinelli	...	Gloria Gritti
Margaret Rutherford	...	The Duchess of Brighton
Maggie Smith	...	Miss Mead
Rod Taylor	...	Les Mangrum
Orson Welles	...	Max Buda
Linda Christian	...	Miriam Marshall
Dennis Price	...	Cmdr. Millbank
Richard Wattis	...	Sanders
Ronald Fraser	...	Joslin
David Frost	...	Reporter
Robert Coote	...	John Coburn
Joan Benham	...	Miss Potter

Storyline

Awaiting at London Airport for a flight to New York, Frances Andros, seen off by her tycoon husband, Paul Andros, plans to leave her spouse for the arms of an aging international playboy, Marc Champselle. Les Mangrum, a self-made Australian businessman traveling with his loyal secretary, Miss Mead, must be in New York the following day to arrange the loan that will help him repel a hostile takeover of his tractor company. Max Buba, a film mogul traveling with starlet Gloria Gritti, must get out of England immediately or face ruinous British income tax. The Duchess of Brighton has taken a job as a hostess at an American holiday resort, thinking she will be able to keep her family estate on her new income. Fog descends and blurs the future for them all, forced now to wait in the airport hotel for morning and fair weather.

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Plot Keywords:

airport | secretary | businessman | fog | tycoon | 

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Taglines:

A Modern Love Story

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 September 1963 (USA)

Also Known As:

International Affair

Filming Locations:

London Heathrow Airport, London Borough of Hillingdon, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), De Grunwald Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Most of the jewelry worn by Elizabeth Taylor in the film is from her personal collection. The diamond and emerald brooch is cited as her first "If it's Tuesday, I love you" gift from future husband Richard Burton. The diamond tiara worn during the opening credits dinner party scene was a gift from third husband Michael Todd .

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Quotes

Marc Champselle: You? Why should you be scared of him?
Frances Andros: As a child I was scared of the dark.

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Connections

Referenced in Cleopatra: The Film That Changed Hollywood (2001)

User Reviews

Look for Maggie Smith and Rod Taylor

A product! That's what this is. Beautifully wrapped but inside, a potential for heartburn. Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor at the height of their popularity then, are hopelessly dated now. But, the Maggie Smith and Rod Taylor story is just great. Moving and funny. Orson Welles in another piece of self indulgence and self parody is priceless and so is the Academy Award winner Margaret Rutherford. Louis Jourdan, poor thing, as a gigolò - still, he spends the entire film, thinking that he'll be able to take Elizabeth Taylor away from Richard Burton - All that makes the film, almost sink. But put up with them to enjoy the rewards of Rod, Maggie, Orson and Margaret dealing with Terence Rattigan's enjoyable dialogue.