The Terminal (Spielberg, Hanks)
06-28-04 | 02:51 PM
#201
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From: On a little blue planet, third from the Sun.
I've seen a lot of references here (and elsewhere) about the "fake airport" used in this movie. Well, there is no fake airport -- it's a real airport called Mirabel International about 45 minutes north of Montreal. They shot at Mirabel for about two weeks.
How could they possibly use a real airport you ask? Well, Mirabel does not handle much traffic anymore. And it certainly doesn't handle any passenger traffic which was all consolidated at Montreal's other airport. Although Mirabel was built in the 70s with the intention of becoming Eastern Canada's major international airport (especially for European travel), for reasons far too numerous and complicated to mention, it failed miserably and now handles only cargo flights. Sad really.
But the passenger terminal is still there (as you see quite well in the movie). The only thing they had to build was the American store facades for the shopping mall inside the terminal.
How could they possibly use a real airport you ask? Well, Mirabel does not handle much traffic anymore. And it certainly doesn't handle any passenger traffic which was all consolidated at Montreal's other airport. Although Mirabel was built in the 70s with the intention of becoming Eastern Canada's major international airport (especially for European travel), for reasons far too numerous and complicated to mention, it failed miserably and now handles only cargo flights. Sad really.
But the passenger terminal is still there (as you see quite well in the movie). The only thing they had to build was the American store facades for the shopping mall inside the terminal.
Last edited by Flave; 06-28-04 at 02:55 PM.
06-28-04 | 03:06 PM
#202
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From: Chicago
I had heard it was made specifically for this film, also.
From IMDB:
From IMDB:
The terminal set was a near-full-size replica built in a former hangar, with three working sets of escalators, and populated by many familiar stores (e.g. McDonald's, Mrs. Fields, W.H. Smith). Some of these brands were recruited by Dreamworks, while others approached the studio when word of the production got out. Many of the stores and restaurants were built by the construction crews that build actual mall and airport stores for the respective companies, and some had fully-functioning equipment (e.g. ovens, cash registers, etc). However, the inclusion of a brand on the set was not a guarantee of inclusion in the film; Dreamworks retained full control over editing, and some brands appear only briefly or not at all.
06-28-04 | 03:15 PM
#203
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From: "Are any of us really anywhere?"
Originally posted by Flave
I've seen a lot of references here (and elsewhere) about the "fake airport" used in this movie. Well, there is no fake airport -- it's a real airport called Mirabel International about 45 minutes north of Montreal. They shot at Mirabel for about two weeks.
How could they possibly use a real airport you ask? Well, Mirabel does not handle much traffic anymore. And it certainly doesn't handle any passenger traffic which was all consolidated at Montreal's other airport. Although Mirabel was built in the 70s with the intention of becoming Eastern Canada's major international airport (especially for European travel), for reasons far too numerous and complicated to mention, it failed miserably and now handles only cargo flights. Sad really.
But the passenger terminal is still there (as you see quite well in the movie). The only thing they had to build was the American store facades for the shopping mall inside the terminal.
I've seen a lot of references here (and elsewhere) about the "fake airport" used in this movie. Well, there is no fake airport -- it's a real airport called Mirabel International about 45 minutes north of Montreal. They shot at Mirabel for about two weeks.
How could they possibly use a real airport you ask? Well, Mirabel does not handle much traffic anymore. And it certainly doesn't handle any passenger traffic which was all consolidated at Montreal's other airport. Although Mirabel was built in the 70s with the intention of becoming Eastern Canada's major international airport (especially for European travel), for reasons far too numerous and complicated to mention, it failed miserably and now handles only cargo flights. Sad really.
But the passenger terminal is still there (as you see quite well in the movie). The only thing they had to build was the American store facades for the shopping mall inside the terminal.
06-28-04 | 03:33 PM
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From: City of the lakers.. riots.. and drug dealing cops.. los(t) Angel(e)s. ca.
Originally posted by RyoHazuki
After next week we will be able to judge if its a disappointment or not.
After next week we will be able to judge if its a disappointment or not.
06-28-04 | 04:13 PM
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From: Hollywood, CA
Given the title of the movie, the centerpiece of the production was the terminal itself. The filmmakers recognized early on that it would be impossible to shoot the movie in a real airport, given the security constraints. Instead, production designer Alex McDowell was charged with designing and constructing a completely operational, full-sized airport terminal in which almost all of the filming would be accomplished. At the tail end of principal photography, some interior and exterior scenes were filmed at Montreal’s Mirabel Airport, where United Airlines lent the production a Boeing 747 for one pivotal scene.
from:
http://www.cinemareview.com/production.asp?prodid=2540
Sounds like it was a simple misunderstanding to me.
from:
http://www.cinemareview.com/production.asp?prodid=2540
Originally posted by Scott1598
where in the world did you get such false info?? as Corvin said and many, many Made for Docs and Steven and Tom proclaimed this was an old airplane hangar made to an exact replica of an airport. Completely scale and completely working, food court and all!
where in the world did you get such false info?? as Corvin said and many, many Made for Docs and Steven and Tom proclaimed this was an old airplane hangar made to an exact replica of an airport. Completely scale and completely working, food court and all!
Sounds like it was a simple misunderstanding to me.
Last edited by Bird Jenkins; 06-28-04 at 04:16 PM.
06-28-04 | 04:38 PM
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From: On a little blue planet, third from the Sun.
Originally posted by scott1598
where in the world did you get such false info?? as Corvin said and many, many Made for Docs and Steven and Tom proclaimed this was an old airplane hangar made to an exact replica of an airport. Completely scale and completely working, food court and all!
where in the world did you get such false info?? as Corvin said and many, many Made for Docs and Steven and Tom proclaimed this was an old airplane hangar made to an exact replica of an airport. Completely scale and completely working, food court and all!
http://www.spielbergfilms.com/terminalnews.html
" ... McDowell's conception of the JFK airport is not literal to the actual airport, but rather, inspired by such disparate influences as England's Heathrow airport, France's Charles de Gaulle (where Sir Alfred, the inspiration for the story of THE TERMINAL actually still resides), Montreal's Mirabel (where THE TERMINAL production shot toward the end of their schedule) and Japan's Kansai International."
I guess I got the concession part wrong but the wide terminal shots and terminal exterior shots are definitely Mirabel.
06-28-04 | 05:43 PM
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From: Guelph, Ontario
Originally posted by matome
That giant sucking sound is the sound of underperforming movies losing their theaters to the next behemoth summer movie that opens every week.
That giant sucking sound is the sound of underperforming movies losing their theaters to the next behemoth summer movie that opens every week.
MATT
