I consider it a happy coincidence that I found this movie called The Terminal (2004) directed by Steven Spielberg on a streaming platform. My amazement was immeasurable when I saw the kind written in the details of the comedy! Well, it doesn’t have to be my ignorance of this great director; Because in most Spielberg biographies or biographies, the aforementioned film is not highlighted or talked about even though the film was a commercial success. The Terminal tells the delightful story of a character named Viktor Navorsky from Easter Europe (referring to the Russian Republic) who arrives at New York’s JFK Airport on a special mission to find that, meanwhile, his (fictional) home country of Kacrogia has undergone a military coup and a new government has taken over. Since Victor’s passport was not yet recognized by the United States to the new government, his passport was rendered invalid and all of his documents were withdrawn by the airport supervisor including the passport refusing to allow him to enter New York City or return home. Victor Navorsky, played by none other than the greatest of actors Tom Hanks, can’t speak much English and goes through a series of hilarious misfortunes during his nine-month stay at the station. We’ll come back to the movie in a bit.
Steven Spielberg became a household name in the United States after his 1975 blockbuster “Jaws”; And if he remains a household name in most other countries such as India, 1977’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind, 1981’s “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” 1982’s “ET the Extra Terrestrial,” his creation of the “Indiana Jones” franchise from 1984 and his blockbuster productions “Jurassic Park” and 1993’s “Live Schindler’s List” made him a household name. Berg is Hollywood’s most commercially successful director to date with almost all of his films achieving box office success, critical acclaim, and Academy Award nominations and awards. He won three Academy Awards, two of which were Best Director for “Schindler’s List” and “Saving Private Ryan” (1998) and Best Picture for “Schindler’s List,” in addition to 7 nominations for Best Director. His films have garnered an astounding 133 Academy nominations and 34 Academy Awards in various categories, excluding BAFTA and Golden Globe awards. His other major awards include the Cecil B DeMille Award and the AFI Life Achievement Award. 74-year-old Steven Spielberg is not yet retired and still making movies taking temporary breaks sometimes.
Watching ‘Jaws’ and ‘Jurassic Park’ was a very exhilarating experience for most Indians like me and through these films we can understand the painstaking efforts, often risking his life in the difficult shootings of the director – no doubt he made his cinematic debut at the age of 12, thus devoting his whole life to art and making world cinema richer. After working for a few years in the new age of Hollywood that included numerous TV episodes and small films for Universal Studios, he got his game-changing break in the movie “Jaws” in 1975 when he was just over 30. Spielberg rightly refused to do a sequel to “Jaws” because those sequels made by other filmmakers can never match the unique original that still sends shivers down your spine. He made a sequel to “Jurassic Park” titled “The Lost World-Jurassic Park” in 1997 as the writer of the original version came up with his second book, and this movie was also a commercial and critical success.
It follows somewhat from the above narrative that most of us have always considered Spielberg a serious filmmaker who has also achieved massive commercial success due to his universally appealing narratives and dedicated efforts. We could never imagine he could make a movie with the lighter kind of comedy. Perhaps it was just an experiment for this great director, and he did it so beautifully inspired by a real event at the Paris airport, creating interesting characters including the romantic angle and setting up a huge movie set in the lines of New York’s JFK Airport.
Now, back at The Terminal, the 2 hour, 9 minute movie won’t have a dull moment that tickles your funny bone throughout with Tom Hanks stumbling alongside his broken Russian or Bulgarian English as he deals with the obsessive airport supervisor, security guards and various office officials. His character also becomes romantically involved with an air hostess played by Catherine Zeta-Jones, an Indian maid, a lady’s desk officer with whom the canteen boy has been romantically involved and many other delightful characters and episodes. Hanks’ character Victor also helps a native of his neighborhood out of entanglement through his clever use of explanation to outwit the horrified supervisor. The film also maintains the suspense of what is in the tin box that Victor oft so fondly brings out that the supervisor he was so determined to get rid of either to the police or to the FBI desperately wants to know. These delicious items are best left to all those who also wish to rediscover this comedy-drama made by one of the legendary directors, producers and writers of world cinema.