Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Fear of Flying: How Airplane Movies Evoke High Anxiety

 It started out as a simple flight, a short Sunday afternoon hop from Tucson to L.A.. I was returning home from the Tucson Festival of Books, where I was treated like a celebrity, even to the point of being chauffeured to the airport by a very friendly festival volunteer who offered cookies and good cheer. (Hey, Jude -- thanks for the lift!) When I discovered that my 5 p.m. flight would be delayed by an hour, I took it in stride, even though the news that the plane had not yet left LAX was far from encouraging. Eventually the departure time was changed to 6:15, and then pushed a bit later. But when the passengers arriving from Los Angeles debarked, things started looking up.

It was one of those tiny jets – two seats on either side of the aisle -- that could have been left over from an earlier era. There was some confusion about which roller bags would actually fit in the overhead compartment, and which would have to be checked and then (hopefully) retrieved at the other end. But I was on the plane, and it seemed as though we were about to head for home. And then . . . we weren’t. Slowly, slowly, our mini-jet inched back toward the terminal, without any real explanation from the crew. We were told to sit tight, and to use the one tiny bathroom if we chose. I wended my way to the aft of the plane, and discovered a young couple desperately trying to soothe a toddler who couldn’t be persuaded to go to sleep. 

And then . . . a uniformed airport police officer walked down the aisle, glancing to his left and right. At such a moment it’s easy to feel guilty—what have I done NOW? And, in today’s uncertain political climate, it’s even easier to feel scared. Was there, perhaps, a terrorist aboard, or an out-of-control crazy, or a disgruntled airline employee determined to wreak revenge? To my surprise, two sheepish-looking young women were quietly escorted off the plane. The word was that they’d been drunk and disorderly in the rear of the vehicle, though from my seat I had seen and heard nothing. The remaining passengers looked stunned, and then we all waited for arrival of the refueling truck. After that, things were uneventful, though I felt sorry (but not too sorry) for passengers with tight connections to Paris and Madrid.

What does all this have to do with movies? It was for me a vivid reminder of why so many film thrillers, past and present, are set on planes. For most of us, flying is mysterious business. We understand it no better than we can grasp how Harry Potter soars into the air in a game of Quidditch. No matter how many times we’ve flown the friendly skies, the enormity of flight can seem a bit overwhelming. So it’s totally credible that things can go, in the blink of an eye, horribly wrong, and that passengers and crew may suddenly find themselves in a life or death situation. Filmmakers have been capitalizing on this fear as far back as 1954’s The High and the Mighty. Whether it’s a storm, a terrorist, an impaired pilot, an attack of food-poisoning, a flock of Canada geese, or snakes on a plane, it’s all too easy to convince the audience that the skies are not so friendly after all.
The Graduate’s Benjamin Braddock, though, flew to LAX quite uneventfully. It was only when he touched ground that the trouble began. But that’s another story.

This post is dedicated to the friends, fans, and facilitators of the Tucson Festival of Books. Special kudos to Lynn Wiese Sneyd, Sam Henrie, Jeff Yanc, Michael Mulcahy, Heather Hale, Jude Johnson, and super-fans Cheryl and Howard Toff. My thanks to all. 

16 comments:

  1. Yikes! That was quite a pre-flight experience!

    ReplyDelete
  2. But all's well that lands well!

    ReplyDelete
  3. The fodder for film rears its head at the most unexpected times! Yikes.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks Beverly!

    Glad you got home safe and sound! You were such a huge asset to the Festival!

    And thanks for the reminder of what a great set/location an airplane is for a thriller! ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Great hearing from you, Hilary, Lynn, and Heather. I hope you all visit Movieland again soon!

    ReplyDelete
  6. You can have a dynamite script, talented unknown actors, film director with vision, and your desire as an independent movie producer on your side, but without some kind of hook chances koktale finding film money will not happen. I have found myself in that position as a producer of independent entertainment. What did I do?

    ReplyDelete
  7. I am glad that it turned out so well and I hope it will continue in the future because it is so worthwhile and meaningful to the community. sa re ga ma pa 2015 auditions

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks for your enthusiasm, Unknown! I've been writing Beverly in Movieland for 9 years now, so I hope you'll find other posts to enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
  9. There are definitely a number of details like that to take into consideration. That is a nice level to convey up. I offer the ideas above as general inspiration but clearly there are questions just like the one you deliver up the place an important thing shall be working in sincere good faith. I don?t know if finest practices have emerged round issues like that, but I am positive that your job is clearly identified as a good game. Each girls and boys feel the affect of just a second’s pleasure, for the remainder of their lives. putlockers

    ReplyDelete
  10. When I originally commented I clicked the -Notify me when new surveys are added- checkbox and already if a comment is added I purchase four emails with similar comment. Perhaps there is any way it is possible to remove me from that service? Thanks! click here

    ReplyDelete
  11. I love your wp web template, wherever did you down load it from? click here

    ReplyDelete
  12. Not sure what these last two comments are about -- spam, perhaps? I don't plan to click on links I don't know, thank you very much!

    ReplyDelete
  13. This article started out as an attempt to define the best 10 movies about magic of all time. It has ended up as an overview of most of the 'live' action movies that have at their core 'magic', 'magicians', the performance of magic or its allied arts. ดูหนังออนไลน์

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hello! I just now would choose to supply a massive thumbs up for that great info you have here with this post. We are returning to your blog site to get more detailed soon. ดูหนังออนไลน์

    ReplyDelete
  15. What your saying is completely genuine. I know that everyone should say the exact same issue, but I just think that you place it in a way that absolutely everyone can recognize. I also really like the photos you set in right here. They in shape so nicely with what youre attempting to say. Im sure youll achieve so many folks with what youve obtained to say. ดูหนังออนไลน์

    ReplyDelete
  16. Whether they're hideous, hilarious, or just plan hard to stop watching, cult movies-over-the-top or quirky movies that develop an obsessively loyal fanbase over the course of generations-can provide some of the most memorable and entertaining connections with cinema that any kind of movie watching experience has to offer. If you're looking for ways to find more airings or public screenings of your favorite cult movies, discover "new-to-you" cult movies or add to your permanent cult collection, these 5 tips can help you successfully connect with some of the best cult movie opportunities available. long and short term storage

    ReplyDelete