Airport Terminal Pack (DVD, 2004, 2-Disc Set, Four Films On Two DVDs)

The "Airport Terminal Pack" is the entire "Airport" franchise covering the 4 motion pictures made from 1970 to 1979, offered on 2 DVD's. This is a top notch collection with superb color, a vast improvement over previous issues of "Airport" which were somewhat washed out. Plus, all 4 films are presented in their original widescreen formats, which had been difficult to find. The first 3 are 2.35:1, with "Airport 79" in the 1.85:1 ratio.

Content wise, my favorite is the original. It was about the first multiple plot disaster movie and combines the dual problems of a record blizzard and an on-board bomber. I love to stay in and watch it during a heavy snowstorm. You just can't go wrong with the rock solid cast of George Kennedy, Burt Lancaster, Dean Martin, Helen Hayes, Jacqueline Bisset, etc. And there are so many memorable lines: "Anchorage had twice as much snow and they're clear", "There's a tractor-trailer jackknifed and it's lying on its side like a drunken dinosaur", "The Atlantic doesn't leave traces"--well, pick your favorite.

The other 3 movies take a similar approach with different kinds of air disasters and are all good but the novelty of the interconnected stories and continued all star casts doesn't have quite the punch of the first. "Airport 1975", which has an in-flight collision, has the most star power, adding such cinematic legends as Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Dana Andrews, Charlton Heston, Sid Caesar, Myrna Loy and Gloria Swanson, and even Helen Reddy as a singing nun. Plus the in-flight movie is "American Graffiti".

In "Airport 77", the aircraft is privately owned by a firm whose CEO is art connoisseur Phillip Stevens (James Stewart). Jack Lemmon is the pilot with Brenda Vaccaro as a romantic interest, while Darren McGavin is an engineer; not to mention Lee Grant and Olivia DeHaviland. Here insider art thieves highjack the plane and wind up sinking it in the ocean, way off course.

For "The Concorde: Airport 79", Joe Patroni (George Kennedy) who played the head of maintenance in the first show and held executive positions in the next two, finally gets to take the stick. And it requires some fancy flying to outmaneuver a deadly drone and heat seeking missiles--all because one person aboard, reporter Maggie Whalen (the lovely Susan Blakely), is a human target. And trouble continues on the return trip when a planted sabotage device necessitates a most unusual landing. Again there are many stars, some more of which include Robert Wagner, John Davidson, Mercedes McCambridge, and Cicely Tyson.

Several things tie the films together, one being George Kennedy; another is the continuing variations on the TWA name for fictional airlines. We go from TGA (Trans Global Airlines) to FWA (Federation World Airways). There's always at least one affair and several romances. If you enjoyed the first "Airport" you probably want more. So Universal has been happy to oblige with 3 sequels--all presented in pristine condition in one boxed set. You also get previews, but unfortunately no featurettes. Watch all these movies and you'll be convinced you should take your next trip by train.

I love this DVD set! Having old copies of the various Airport movies was a pain - now all 4 movies are together on 2 DVD's in one package! The quality is great and you can watch them marathon-style when the mood hits. These movies are classic 70's disaster movies with lots of guest stars. If you love the Airport series or disaster movies in general, this is for you.

Excellent remastered films on dvds for the first time since Airport '75 was released years ago in a very tiny small tv format for video players and now with dvd players and Hd resolution,it has the best remastered quality ever on truely magical moments of the Airport movies available for the very first time for LCD HD TVs and high resolution dvd HD Players, excellent!

True, this was the first of the great 70s disaster movies, and it is true that it is not great art, but it is also true that this is classic entertainment with a capital "c".
All the earmarks of a good, turgid Oliver Hailey story are in place as we follow several sets of characters, each with a compelling story line, each over directed, over written and over acted, but still overly interesting.
The film was expensive, slick and well edited. And did I mention exciting?
So, despite yourself, you just cannot help but love what is going on.
The name cast is huge-each fullfilling what is expected of them. But there are two stand out performances to watch in this one. Maureen Stapleton gives an emphatic portrayal of one of the betrayed wives in the film-the best dramatic performance of the film-never moving into the comfort of soap opera. She received an Oscar nomination for this moving character.
But the whole thing is stolen and owned lock, stock and barrel by the great Miss Helen Hayes as Ada Quansat, the habitual, crafty but loveable stowaway. She's s laugh riot and provides the much needed humor amid all the wailing and breast heaving acting going on. And she walked away with that Oscar back in 1970.
If you want to spend two and a half hours in glorious nostalgia, or glorious camp if you are younger and weren't arund for the picture's orginal release, you will have a great time with AIRPORT.

I could not believe my luck to find these films all in one box set. I was only looking for the original airport film when I found this treasure trove. Where else are you going to see so many tired old celebrities (most now dead), in one box of guilty pleasure. The over-acting in over-wrought drama is worthy of any daytime soap opera. The story lines get sillier as the planes get more & more advanced. I loved every minute of each of the 4 films.