The Terminal
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- ''For other uses of the word "terminal", see Terminal (disambiguation).
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[[Citing sources citation needed]]. Another movie made in 1993, Lost in Transit (Tombés du ciel) has a similar theme and is set in Paris airport.
Plot
Viktor Navorski (Tom Hanks), a man from the fictional country of Krakozhia arrives at New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport, only to discover that during the flight his country's government has been overthrown and his passport invalidated, leaving him stranded. 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 (Catherine Zeta-Jones), whilst being under the watchful eye of Immigration Officer Frank Dixon (Stanley Tucci), 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 died, 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.
A few months later, the news reports that the war in Krakozhia is over, but Dixon will still not allow Viktor to enter the United States. Amelia reveals that she had asked her "friend", actually a married government official with whom she had long been having an intermittent affair, to assist Viktor in obtaining permission to travel within the U.S., but Viktor is disappointed to learn she has renewed her relationship with the man during this process. To make matters worse, Dixon needs to sign the form granting Viktor the right to remain in the United States, but refuses, instead deciding to deport him out of spite. Thanks to the timely interference of the friends Viktor has made during his stay in the terminal, he is allowed to leave the airport. As Viktor prepares to take a taxi to the Ramada Inn, 161 Lexington Avenue, in New York, where Benny Golson is performing, he observes Amelia exiting from a cab, where she gives him a wistful smile. He attends the show, collects the autograph and heads back to the airport.
Language
When Viktor first arrives at the airport he speaks little to no English; however, within the timeframe of the film, he learns to speak English by immersion and picking up Russian and English versions of a New York City tour guide and comparing the wording.
In fact, the language and location of Krakozhia is kept specifically vague in the film, keeping with the idea of Viktor being just an Eastern European. Throughout the film, it is learned that Krakozhia is bordered with Russia, that the Krakozhian language is akin to or a dialect of Russian, and that the Krakozhian national anthem is musically close to that of Albania (or the tune of Vajacki marš).
The language that Tom Hanks uses throughout the film to portray the fictional Krakozhian, is in fact Bulgarian — which Hanks speaks in the film with barely an accent thanks to coaching from his wife, Rita Wilson, whose father is Bulgarian.
Trivia
- He arrives in New York expecting to see Cats and later learns that it had been out of theatre for quite a while.
- He always carries around a tin containing "Jazz" with all the musicians' signatures inside it
- The driving licence that Viktor holds in his hands is in the Belarusian language and is issued to a female.
- The initial ending had Amelia going to New York with Viktor.
Cast
- 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 — Frank Dixon, area director for U.S. Customs and Border Protection at JFK and nemesis to Viktor. Frank is on the brink of an impending job promotion that could upgrade him to being the new regional director.
- Chi McBride — Joe Mulroy, a smart alecky baggage handler who likes smoking cigars and smuggling booze into the airport for himself and his co-workers.
- Diego Luna — Enrique Cruz, an employee of the airport who drives the food transport truck, and the main source of Viktor's meals, in exchange for Viktor acting as an intermediary between him and Officer Torres, with whom he is in love. Due to Viktor's help he marries her.
- Barry Shabaka Henley — Ray Thurman, a quiet security officer and Frank's number two man.
- Kumar Pallana — Gupta Rajan, a janitor at JFK who has been convicted in India for assaulting a policeman; after he cleans the floor he always puts plentiful large warning signs; however, many people slip on the wet floor anyway; he loves to watch that.
- Zoe Saldana — Officer Torres, officer whom Viktor sees every day to get his visa. She is a Trekkie, and goes to Star Trek 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 Ciccolella — Karl Iverson.
- Corey Reynolds — 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
- Palmdale Regional Airport, Palmdale, California
- Mirabel International Airport, Mirabel, Quebec (near Montreal)
Production companies
- DreamWorks SKG
- Amblin Entertainment
- Parkes/MacDonald Productions
External links
- [The Terminal official site]
- [Roger Ebert's review of The Terminal]
- [James Berardinelli's review of The Terminal]
- [}}}] at Rotten Tomatoes
- [Merhan Karimi Nasseri's story]
- : 1993 movie with a similar story.
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