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If you are wondering why I would buy AIRPORT '77 on Blu-ray, well....it does have Jimmy Stewart and Christopher Lee. That's enough reason for me--but the film itself is actually a pretty good entry in the Disaster Genre cycle of films made in 1970s.
The Disaster Genre in the Seventies was almost the equivalent to the comic book movies of the present day. The Disaster movies usually featured all-star casts, large-scale action sequences, and plots that got more and more ridiculous as more examples of the genre were made. The storyline of AIRPORT '77 is rather preposterous, but it is so well made and well acted that one buys into it, which is all that matters.
A powerful millionaire (James Stewart) has bought his very own 747 jumbo jet, and he's had it tricked out with all sorts of gimmicks. The plane, filled with VIPs and valuable artwork, is en route to the millionaire's Florida retreat when it gets hijacked, but the culprits crash it into the ocean near the Bermuda Triangle. Due to the plane's special air-tight compartments, the passengers and crew are still alive, even though the jet is underwater. But their time--and their air--is running out, and the courageous captain (Jack Lemmon) is doing everything in his power to save the day.
What really makes AIRPORT '77 work is the performances of Jack Lemmon and Darrin McGavin (who plays an aviation expert that is on the flight). The two actors are absolute pros who convince the viewer in the reality of what is happening. There is some cheese and some camp in this movie (it is an AIRPORT entry, after all), but for the most part it is tamped down. The entire affair of a 747 full of people underneath the Atlantic Ocean, the passengers and crew's attempts to survive, and the rescue efforts are edited superbly and wind up being quite suspenseful.
The cast of well-known names includes Olivia de Havilland, Joseph Cotten, Brenda Vaccaro, Lee Grant, and as mentioned, Christopher Lee. The two Lees play an unhappy married couple, with Grant causing all the trouble in their relationship. Most of the camp factor revolves around Grant's character, a woman so self-absorbed and embittered that when she gets punched in the face by Brenda Vaccaro, I felt like standing up and cheering. Christopher Lee does much better with his role as a dignified man of integrity who winds up being a hero--it's one of the actor's most unusual parts, and his fans will get a kick out of seeing him as a "normal" person (and participating in a dangerous underwater stunt).
AIRPORT series regular George Kennedy also shows up, but he really doesn't have much to do. This movie also has plenty of familiar TV faces from the period, including Gil Gerard before he became Buck Rogers. As a matter of fact, the movie does have a TV-like feel at times--its director, Jerry Jameson, had a long career of working on several network shows.
Speaking of television, when AIRPORT '77 made its American debut on that medium, it was with nearly over an hour of extra footage to make it a "special event". This added footage is not on this Blu-ray, and it appears that it's not available anywhere--I couldn't even find it on YouTube. I have to say that the theatrical version of the film runs a taut 114 minutes, and I don't think added footage would have made the story any better (it probably would have just bogged things down). It would have been nice to have this added footage on the disc, but I assume there must be some sort of rights issue.
Kino's Blu-ray of AIRPORT '77 looks fine in its 2.35:1 aspect ratio. Surprisingly, the film's practical effects hold up rather well, even with the increased HD detail. Trailers for all the AIRPORT features all included.
The main extra is a new audio commentary by Julie Kirgo and Peter Hankoff. I regret to say it is one I wasn't impressed with--the duo constantly interrupt one another, and their attempts at conversational humor fall flat.
Kino has come out with new 4K and Blu-ray editions of the entire AIRPORT series. I must say that when it comes to the Disaster Genre, I'm not as big of a fan of it as others, but I do remember that when I was a kid these movies were huge events. I believe that I did watch AIRPORT '77 when I was very young, but I hadn't seen it since then. I popped in this Blu-ray expecting something cheesy and silly, but the overall story is very well done, and compared to the cartoonish popcorn movies of today, AIRPORT '77 almost feels like a docudrama.
Excellent write-up, Dan!! You are right in saying that this movie almost feels like a docudrama. And, like you, I was expecting a continuation of the cheesiness factor so prevalent in Airport 1975, but this was a very unexpected surprise. It was indeed fun to see Christopher Lee playing "normal" for a change, something I imagine he enjoyed quite a bit. Lee Grant always manages to go as over-the-top as she can possibly get away with. But she added some cool melodramatic spice to the story. Miss Vaccaro packs quite a punch. I went to see several of the disaster flicks of the era and mostly enjoyed those nights out at the movies. I recently rewatched The Towering Inferno after several decades and I really had a good time. It was like seeing it for the first time.
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