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Airport
1970 137 min United States of America G 12+
★7.1
Action, Drama, Thriller
Director: George Seaton, Henry Hathaway
🎭 Based on
«Airport»
byArthur Hailey
Trailers
Description
An airport manager tries to keep his terminals open during a snowstorm, while a suicide bomber plots to blow up a Boeing 707 airliner in flight.
Budget:
$10M
US Gross:
$100.49M
Worldwide:
$100.49M
Starring
Burt Lancaster
Actor
Dean Martin
Actor
George Kennedy
Actor
Awards
Golden Globe 1971
— Best Supporting Actress
Academy Awards 1971
— Best Cinematography
Academy Awards 1971
— Best Picture
Academy Awards 1971
— Best Production Design
Golden Globe 1971
— Best Picture (Drama)
Academy Awards 1971
— Best Original Score
Golden Globe 1971
— Best Original Score
Golden Globe 1971
— Best Supporting Actor
BAFTA 1971
— Best Supporting Actress
Academy Awards 1971
— Best Adapted Screenplay
Academy Awards 1971
— Best Costume Design
Academy Awards 1971
— Best Sound
Academy Awards 1971
— Best Film Editing
Academy Awards 1971
— Best Supporting Actress
Key opinion
Airport is widely recognized as the definitive 1970s disaster film that successfully balanced high-stakes tension with grounded, character-driven melodrama. While some critics find the narrative structure diluted by secondary subplots, audiences and reviewers remain appreciative of its pioneering realism and the standout performances that anchor the production.
| Acting | Helen Hayes delivers a standout, Oscar-winning performance as the crafty, mischievous stowaway. | |
| Production | The film effectively grounds the disaster in workplace realism and procedural detail rather than over-reliance on flashy visual effects. | |
| Acting | The ensemble cast, featuring stars like Burt Lancaster and Dean Martin, brings necessary weight and conviction to the high-stakes narrative. | |
| Adaptation | The adaptation of Arthur Hailey’s novel is debated: some appreciate the cinematic translation, while others feel it mechanically simplifies the moral complexity and atmospheric depth of the original source material. | |
| Screenplay | Opinions on the narrative balance are divided; some find the blend of personal melodrama, romantic digressions, and comedy engaging, while others feel it dilutes the primary suspense of the disaster thriller. |