A Few Words About A few words about...™ Airport: The Complete Collection -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[Robert Harris]

Over the past decade we've become used to Universal using repurposed video masters. Something that may have been prepared for standard definition finding its way to HD or Blu-ray. And one never knows until you open the packaging and submit to what's being presented.

It was under that mindset that I went through the recently released Airport: The Complete Collection, fully expecting Airport to look good, but not large format great, and the later films...

The extremely pleasant surprise with this collection is that every one of the four films looks terrific. Airport could be better, if harvested from a 65mm element, but it's certainly more than serviceable from 35mm scope.

Each of the three others, Airport 1975, Airport '77 and The Concorde: Airport '79 is fully resolved, with accurate grain structure, pleasant color and black levels. All in their proper places.

These films are all created from basically the same cloth.

Multiple known actors, with some stars scattered amongst them, each doing their bits as they'd show up for work for a few days, passengers and crew in jeopardy, either accidental or man-made, and all ending well in the end.

Airport is a film that still holds its own 45 years after release. Airport 1975 still works. The latter two, less so, especially Concorde, which was a bad film on day one.

But I look at it this way. At the current street price of $22, I'm getting Airport and Airport 1975 for $11 each, with the other two thrown in to be viewed (or not).

Image - 4 (Airport)
5 (the others)

Audio - 5

4k Up-rez - 5

Pass / Fail - Pass

Recommended - Content - Airport and Airport 1975
Quality - All

RAH

 

[trajan007]

I saw AIRPORT at Radio City Music Hall in TODD-AO and its a shame we don't have a 65mm transfer. Of course Universal will never spend the money on that.

 

[B-ROLL]

I saw AIRPORT at Radio City Music Hall in TODD-AO and its a shame we don't have a 65mm transfer. Of course Universal will never spend the money on that.

Assuming it wasn't lost in the fire ...
"Fortunately, nothing irreplaceable was lost," (Ron)Meyer said. "The video library was affected and damaged, but our main vault of our motion picture negatives was not."
Nevermind ...
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/06/01/studio.fire/

 

[trajan007]

Masters kept at Philadelphia vault.

 

[Robert Harris]

I saw AIRPORT at Radio City Music Hall in TODD-AO and its a shame we don't have a 65mm transfer. Of course Universal will never spend the money on that.

65mm HD transfers are extremely inexpensive.

It's the cleanup that's the killer.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I bought this set as a blind buy about a month ago, and I was extremely satisfied with it. Like RAH, I had expected that the first movie would look decent, and that the others would be ancient masters being recycled for BD, but I was pleasantly surprised by the picture quality across the board. If the first movie doesn't look quite like a large format release in this incarnation, it's certainly good enough, and I found the movie riveting. I didn't find the sequels as gripping as the original, but there was something to enjoy in each of them, some more than others. For the $18 the set cost me, I'm a very satisfied customer.

 

[TheVid]

Nice set. The first couple of Airport movies can compete with Valley of the Dolls as endearing Hollywood trash, but watching this set again, I found them to be comedic gems, especially Airport 1975. My favorite bits where the Sister Helen Reddy number with Linda Blair and Eric Estrada's exit from the cockpit. Hilarious! Alfred Newman's music is the best thing in the first, and Karen Black makes the second the best film of the lot. I'll bet Haley's book really stank.

 

[Thomas T]

Nice set. The first couple of Airport movies can compete with Valley of the Dolls as endearing Hollywood trash, but watching this set again, I found them to be comedic gems, especially Airport 1975. My favorite bits where the Sister Helen Reddy number with Linda Blair and Eric Estrada's exit from the cockpit. Hilarious! Alfred Newman's music is the best thing in the first, and Karen Black makes the second the best film of the lot. I'll bet Haley's book really stank.

Actually, Hailey's book didn't. It was a massive best seller and the film version was eagerly anticipated and it quickly went on to become the year's highest grossing film. Airport remains a solid example of good Hollywood craftsmanship. Is it a great movie? No, but a good entertainment that shows what can be done when all the elements fall into place. As for their being comedic gems, alas I was born without the "camp" gene and have never grasped the mentality of "so bad it's good". To me, so bad means bad. If it's bad it can't be good.

As for Ms. Black's performance ... um, perhaps the less said about it the better. Frankly I prefer Airport 77 to Airport 75.

 

[Matt Hough]

I remember reading at the time that many people were afraid to fly after reading Airport (similar to the reaction people had about taking showers after seeing Psycho). After reading the book myself, I understood the reaction (though it didn't stop me from flying to New York during my next vacation).

 

[RichMurphy]

... As for their being comedic gems, alas I was born without the "camp" gene and have never grasped the mentality of "so bad it's good". To me, so bad means bad. If it's bad it can't be good.

Then I would recommend you use the CONCORDE: AIRPORT 79 disc as a coaster. Personally, I found the movie funnier than AIRPLANE.

 

[B-ROLL]

Then I would recommend you use the CONCORDE: AIRPORT 79 disc as a coaster. Personally, I found the movie funnier than AIRPLANE.

 

[RichMurphy]

I am quite serious. Unlike AIRPLANE, no one in the cast seems to be aware that they are in a comedy, that their characters are stereotypes, and that the plot machinations defy both common sense and physics.

Oh, and don't call me Shirley.

 

[Thomas T]

Then I would recommend you use the CONCORDE: AIRPORT 79 disc as a coaster. Personally, I found the movie funnier than AIRPLANE.

Humor being subjective and all that, I found Concorde Airport 79 to be a poorly written, poorly acted, cheap looking bore. If that tickles your funny bone, who am I to judge?

 

[Thomas T]

I am quite serious. Unlike AIRPLANE, no one in the cast seems to be aware that they are in a comedy

Tell that to Martha Raye, Jimmie Walker and Charo whose comedic bits are painfully unfunny.

 

[RichMurphy]

Tell that to Martha Raye, Jimmie Walker and Charo whose comedic bits are painfully unfunny.

I quite agree. But they were under the assumption that they were providing welcome comedy relief in a dramatic film, similar to what Helen Hayes did in the far-superior original AIRPORT film. Trying to provide comedy relief in a comedy comes across as playing too broadly and isn't funny at all, as you noted.

 

[Randy Korstick]

Nice set. The first couple of Airport movies can compete with Valley of the Dolls as endearing Hollywood trash, but watching this set again, I found them to be comedic gems, especially Airport 1975. My favorite bits where the Sister Helen Reddy number with Linda Blair and Eric Estrada's exit from the cockpit. Hilarious! Alfred Newman's music is the best thing in the first, and Karen Black makes the second the best film of the lot. I'll bet Haley's book really stank.

I believe you are referring to co-pilot Roy Thinnes exit from the cockpit. Eric Estrada dies in his seat from wreckage and his body is later moved to the lounge with wounded pilot Efrem Zimbalist Jr. I don't find anything funny about it though.

 

[Virgoan]

Note, please, that "Airport" features the final score of master composer/conductor Alfred Newman who became very ill during the scoring phases of the film. Hugo Friedhofer and Fred Steiner allegedly fleshed out some of Newman's sketches for a couple of scenes allowing the score to be completed. Newman died before he received his final Oscar nomination. The "Airport" Love Theme was a big hit (Vincent Bell had a single that did very well on the Billboard charts), and the score itself was one of the year's very best. It retains all of its power all these years later.

 

[PMF]

A year ago, I purchased "Airport" in my quest to view BD's that were once a 70mm experience.
I knew from the onset that I was not in for a "restored" experience; but at least I could get closer that what was last seen by me on a VHS.
So...is this newer offering of the original "Airport" the same disc. And if not, how much better is it than the first BD?
If one could honestly say its at least 50% better, then I'd be okay with a $22 purchase.
Still, all in all, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense that Universal didn't go deeper with the 65mm neg.

 

[Worth]

So...is this newer offering of the original "Airport" the same disc. And if not, how much better is it than the first BD?

It's exactly the same disc.

 

[atfree]

A year ago, I purchased "Airport" in my quest to view BD's that were once a 70mm experience.
I knew from the onset that I was not in for a "restored" experience; but at least I could get closer that what was last seen by me on a VHS.
So...is this newer offering of the original "Airport" the same disc. And if not, how much better is it than the first BD?
If one could honestly say its at least 50% better, then I'd be okay with a $22 purchase.
Still, all in all, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense that Universal didn't go deeper with the 65mm neg.

Same disc.....I bought the set at the $22 Amazon price and sold my Airport disc w/ slipcover for 12.99 (originally purchased for 14.99) on eBay. So essentially $24 for four movies, well worth it and saved shelf space.