The Concorde ... Airport '79 (1979)

User Rating:

4.0/10   

Director:

David Lowell Rich

Writers:

Arthur Hailey (novel)
Jennings Lang (story)

Release Date:

17 August 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

At twice the speed of sound, can the Concorde evade attack?

Plot:

This film is the last of the 'Airport' genre which stars George Kennedy again in his aviation-disaster...

Plot Keywords:

Missile | Concorde | Airplane | Aviation | Terminal

Cast

Alain Delon	...	Capt. Paul Metrand
Susan Blakely	...	Maggie Whelan
Robert Wagner	...	Dr. Kevin Harrison
Sylvia Kristel	...	Isabelle
George Kennedy	...	Capt. Joe Patroni
Eddie Albert	...	Eli Sands
Bibi Andersson	...	Francine
Charo	...	Margarita
John Davidson	...	Robert Palmer
Andrea Marcovicci	...	Alicia Rogov
Martha Raye	...	Loretta
Cicely Tyson	...	Elaine
Jimmie Walker	...	Boisie
David Warner	...	Peter O'Neill
Mercedes McCambridge	...	Nelli

Also Known As:

Airport '79 (USA) (short title)
Airport '80: The Concorde (Philippines: English title)
Airport 1979 (International: English title) (informal title)
Airport 1980 (International: English title) (informal title)
The Concorde (USA) (short title)

Runtime:

123 min | USA:103 min (DVD)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

UK:A | UK:PG (video rating) | Australia:PG | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Singapore:PG | USA:PG CORRECT: REPLACE WITH: (Certificate #25694) | Finland:K-16 | Iceland:L | Norway:12 | USA:PG (Certificate #25694)

Filming Locations:

Alta, Utah, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

In its initial screening for industry members and press on the Universal studio lot, this film was laughed off screen.

Goofs:

Factual errors: There is no way the hot air balloon at the beginning could have flown intentionally from DC to Dulles. Balloons are subject to wind currents cannot truly navigate to a particular destination.

Quotes:

Capt. Joe Patroni: I've flown just about every type of aircraft through three wars and forty pounds. Only thing I'm afraid of is heights. Are you afraid of anything, Metrand?
Capt. Paul Metrand: American pilots.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Friends: The One with All the Poker (#1.18)" (1995)

Flying Low ...

This movie is not quite up to the predecessor Airport movies, but it's not that terrible either. If you're an airplane fan, you might enjoy seeing the many shots of the Concorde aircraft from the outside, inside, and (although with rough f/x) - areal shots. If you don't care about such things, this movie is probably more a 4/10 or 5/10.

Story - the movie is pretty simple: someone wants to sabotage the Concorde. It's a very basic idea with no innovations.

Characters - flat, too many (and not enough time with any of them), minimal character development and many of them are simply over-the-top (larger than life).

Plane - the only thing going for this movie. If you want to see some nice close-ups exterior and interior shots of the plane (and mock-ups) you're in luck.

My recommendation is if you like planes, see it for the plane and know it's mediocre everywhere else. Otherwise, pass on this one.