The third installment in the Airport series, Airport 77 may be most ridiculous of the films but manages to be surprisingly appealing. Buoyed by a wild story and an all-star cast including Jack Lemmon, James Stewart, Joseph Cotten, Olivia de Havilland and George Kennedy, returning as Joe Patroni, things are never dull.
Lemmon plays Captain Don Gallagher, piloting a private 747 owned by wealthy Philip Stevens (Stewart) on its inaugural flight, carrying various VIP’s and lots of expensive artwork. A group of hijackers have sprayed sleeping gas through the ventilation system and taken control of the plane. They plan to fly at a low altitude to avoid detection and then land at an abandoned airstrip and offload the art and escape. However, the plane hits an oil rig and goes down in the shallow waters of the Bermuda Triangle.
Remarkably, the plane lands on the ocean floor in one piece. Having woken up, Gallagher is determined to be the hero. Since they went off radar some time before crashing, Gallagher realizes that rescuers won’t know where they are. Determined, Gallagher finds a way for rescuers to find them and aids the navy in raising the plane before it explodes due to water pressure.
One of America’s great actors, Jack Lemmon is committed to his role, no matter how ridiculous things get. The always underrated Darren McGavin shines as Stan Buchek, whose knowledge of the plane is helpful to Gallagher’s efforts to formulate an escape plan. Pamela Bellwood, Lee Grant, Robert Hooks, Christopher Lee, Monica Lewis, Monte Markham, Kathleen Quinlan, Brenda Vaccaro, and M. Emmet Walsh fill out the passenger manifest.
Filmed in Panavision by Philip H. Lathrop, Kino Lorber’s recent 4K release is from a new scan of the original 35mm negative. The included Dolby Vision results in wonderful clarity, natural facial features, and a level of detail not seen in the previous Blu-ray release. Colors are rich and blacks are inky. Other than a few brief moments where the image looks a bit flat, this is a solid transfer.
Two audio tracks are available on this release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Like the original Airport 4K release, the 5.1 track offers an outstanding audio experience. Active throughout, action scenes are given a realistic boost. Dialogue is clean, clear, clear and concise. There are no crackles or other audio anomalies apparent.
English SDH subtitles are available.
The following extras are included:
DISC 1 (4KUHD):
- NEW!! Audio Commentary by Film Historian/Writer Julie Kirgo and Writer/Filmmaker Peter Hankoff
DISC 2 (BLU-RAY):
- NEW!! Audio Commentary by Film Historian/Writer Julie Kirgo and Writer/Filmmaker Peter Hankoff
- Theatrical Trailer (Newly Mastered in 2K)