The Terminal (2004) is a movie about a man trapped in an airport terminal when he is denied entry into the United States, but cannot return to his country of origin due to a revolution in his country. This film was directed by Steven Spielberg, it features Tom Hanks, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Stanley Tucci and Chi McBride. The screenplay was written by Sacha Gervasi and Jeff Nathanson, and based on a story by Andrew Niccol and Gervasi.
| The Terminal | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Steven Spielberg |
| Written by | Jeff Nathanson, Sacha Gervasi, Andrew Niccol |
| Produced by | Steven Spielberg (and others) |
| Starring | Tom Hanks, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Stanley Tucci, Chi McBride |
| Distributed by | DreamWorks SKG |
Running time | 128 min. |
| Budget | $60,000,000 |
Some have noted that it appears to be inspired by the story of Merhan Karimi Nasseri, nicknamed 'Sir Alfred', an Iranian refugee who has lived in Terminal One of Charles de Gaulle airport near Paris, France since 1988, when his refugee papers were stolen. However, no public materials, the DVD "special features" or the film's website ever mention Nasseri's plight as an inspiration for the film. In fact, the DVD implies that the story was so "incredible" that it leaves the viewer with the impression that the story was solely a result of the screenwriters' imagination. Another movie made in 1993, Tombés du ciel has a similar theme and is set in Paris airport.
Plot details
Template:Spoiler Tom Hanks plays Viktor Navorski, a man from the fictional country of Krakozhia. While Viktor is on the plane to New York City, his country's government is overthrown and his passport is invalidated, leaving him stranded in John F. Kennedy International Airport. Over the next 9 months, Viktor is forced to live in the terminal building, unable either to set foot into the United States or to go home. He befriends the staff at the terminal, including airline stewardess Amelia Warren, whilst being under the watchful eye of Immigration Officer Frank Dixon, who wants the "Navorski problem" removed from the airport.
One day, Viktor explains to Amelia that the purpose of his visit to New York City is to collect an autograph of the jazz tenor saxophonist Benny Golson. His father, who has passed away, was a jazz enthusiast. He had discovered the "Great Day in Harlem" photograph in a Hungarian newspaper in 1958 and had written to all the people featured on the photograph, asking them for an autograph. All of them had replied, except Benny Golson. Viktor wants to collect this last one to fulfil his father's dream.
The next day, the news reports that the war in Krakozhia is over, and Viktor's passport is validated. Following his release from the airport, Viktor takes a taxi to the Ramada Inn, 161 Lexington Avenue, in New York, where Benny Golson is performing. He attends the show, collects the autograph and heads back to the airport.
It is also interesting to note that when Viktor first arrives at the airport he speaks little to no English, however within the timeframe of the movie, he learns to speak English by immersion and picking up Krakozhian and English versions of a New York City tour guide and learns to translate to and from the language of Krakozhia.
The other interesting thing is, that while Krakozhia is fictional country, the language spoken as Krakozhian by Tom Hanks is the Bulgarian language.
Cast and roles include
- Tom Hanks - Viktor Navorski
- Catherine Zeta-Jones - Amelia Warren, a 39 year old United Airlines flight attendant who started her job at the age of 18. For seven years, she has been involved in a relationship with Max, a married man.
- Stanley Tucci - Immigration Officer Frank Dixon
- Chi McBride - Joe Mulroy
- Diego Luna - Enrique Cruz, an employee of the airport. He is in love with Officer Torres and marries her during the time covered by the movie.
- Barry Shabaka Henley - Ray Thurman
- Kumar Pallana - Gupta Rajan, a janitor at JFK
- Zoe Saldana - Officer Torres, officer whom Viktor sees every day to get his visa. She is a Star Trek fan and goes to conventions dressed as Yeoman Rand.
- Eddie Jones - Salchak
- Michael Nouri - Max, a married man who has been involved in a relationship with Amelia Warren for seven years.
- Jude Ciccolellav - Karl Iverson
- Corey Reynoldsv - Waylin
- Guillermo Díaz - Bobby Alima
- Rini Bell - Nadia
- Stephen Mendel - First Class Steward
- Benny Golson - Himself
Production crew
- Film editing: Michael Kahn
- Original music: Benny Golson, John Williams
Filming locations
Production companies
External links
- The Terminal official site
- The Terminal at IMDb
- Merhan Karimi Nasseri's story
- Tombés du ciel at IMDb: 1993 movie with a similar story.