The Terminal is a comedy-drama film directed by
Steven SpielbergSteven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, and film producer. In a career of over four decades, Spielberg's films have touched on many themes and genres. Spielberg's early sci-fi and adventure films, sometimes centering on children, were seen as an archetype of modern...
and starring
Tom HanksThomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American actor, producer, writer and director. Hanks worked in television and family-friendly comedies before achieving success as a dramatic actor in several notable roles, including Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, the title role in Forrest Gump, Commander James...
and
Catherine Zeta-JonesCatherine Zeta Jones is a Welsh actress, currently based in the United States. She began her career on stage at an early age. After starring in a number of UK and US television films and small roles in films, she came to prominence with roles in Hollywood movies such as The Phantom, The Mask of...
. It is about a man trapped in a terminal at
JFK International AirportJohn F. Kennedy International Airport is an international airport located in Queens County, New York in southeastern New York City about 12 miles from Lower Manhattan...
when he is denied entry into the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and at the same time cannot return to his native country due to a revolution. The film is said to be inspired by the 18-year-stay of Mehran Karimi Nasseri in the
Charles de Gaulle International AirportParis-Charles de Gaulle Airport , also known as Roissy Airport , in the Paris area, is one of the world's principal aviation centres, as well as France's main airport. It is named after Charles de Gaulle , leader of the Free French Forces and founder of the French Fifth Republic...
, Terminal I, Paris, France from 1988 to 2006.
Plot
Viktor Navorski (
Tom HanksThomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American actor, producer, writer and director. Hanks worked in television and family-friendly comedies before achieving success as a dramatic actor in several notable roles, including Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, the title role in Forrest Gump, Commander James...
), a man from the
fictional countryA fictional country is a country that is made up for fictional stories, and does not exist in real life. Fictional lands appear most commonly as settings or subjects of literature, movies, or video games...
of Krakozhia, arrives at
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
's
John F. Kennedy International AirportJohn F. Kennedy International Airport is an international airport located in Queens County, New York in southeastern New York City about 12 miles from Lower Manhattan...
, only to discover that during the flight his
Eastern BlocThe terms Eastern Bloc, Communist Bloc or Soviet Bloc were used to refer to the former Communist states of Eastern and Central Europe, including the countries of the Warsaw Pact, along with Yugoslavia and Albania, which were not aligned with the Soviet Union after 1948 and 1960...
country's government has been overthrown by rebels, invalidating his
passportA passport is a document, issued by a national government, which certifies, for the purpose of international travel, the identity and nationality of its holder. The elements of identity are name, date of birth, sex, and place of birth...
and thus leaving him stranded and stateless. Due to his poor English, he at first cannot understand what is happening, but is explained the situation through both news broadcasts and by the immigration services. Over the next nine months, Viktor is forced to live in the terminal building, unable either to set foot into the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
or to go home. He befriends the staff at the terminal, including flight attendant Amelia Warren (
Catherine Zeta-JonesCatherine Zeta Jones is a Welsh actress, currently based in the United States. She began her career on stage at an early age. After starring in a number of UK and US television films and small roles in films, she came to prominence with roles in Hollywood movies such as The Phantom, The Mask of...
), while being under the watchful eye of Immigration Officer Frank Dixon (
Stanley TucciStanley Tucci, Jr. is an American actor, writer, film producer and film director.-Early life:Tucci, an Italian American, was born in Peekskill, New York, the son of Joan , a retired secretary and writer, and Stanley Tucci, Sr., a retired high school art teacher...
), 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
autographAn autograph is a document written entirely in the handwriting of its author, as opposed to a typeset document or one transcribed by an amanuensis or a copyist; the meaning overlaps with that of the word holograph.Autograph also refers to a person's signature...
of the
jazzJazz is a musical art form which originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions....
tenor saxophonistThe tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, is the most common type of saxophone. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble clef,...
Benny GolsonBenny Golson is an American bebop/hard bop jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and arranger.-Biography:While in high school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Golson played with several other promising young musicians, including John Coltrane, Red Garland, Jimmy Heath, Percy Heath, Philly Joe Jones, and...
. His late father was a jazz enthusiast. He had discovered the "
Great Day in HarlemA Great Day in Harlem or Harlem 1958 is a 1958 black and white group portrait of 57 jazz musicians photographed on a street in Harlem, New York City....
" photograph in a Hungarian newspaper in 1958, and vowed to get an autograph of all the 57 jazz musicians featured on the photograph. Over the next 40 years, he had managed to collect an autograph of all of them, except for one person:
Benny GolsonBenny Golson is an American bebop/hard bop jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and arranger.-Biography:While in high school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Golson played with several other promising young musicians, including John Coltrane, Red Garland, Jimmy Heath, Percy Heath, Philly Joe Jones, and...
. Viktor wants to collect this last one to fulfill 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 US, 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 and collects the autograph, finally completing the collection. Afterwards, Viktor leaves and hails a taxi, telling the driver: 'I am going home.'
Cast
- Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American actor, producer, writer and director. Hanks worked in television and family-friendly comedies before achieving success as a dramatic actor in several notable roles, including Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, the title role in Forrest Gump, Commander James...
as Viktor Navorski
- Catherine Zeta-Jones
Catherine Zeta Jones is a Welsh actress, currently based in the United States. She began her career on stage at an early age. After starring in a number of UK and US television films and small roles in films, she came to prominence with roles in Hollywood movies such as The Phantom, The Mask of...
as Amelia Warren
- Stanley Tucci
Stanley Tucci, Jr. is an American actor, writer, film producer and film director.-Early life:Tucci, an Italian American, was born in Peekskill, New York, the son of Joan , a retired secretary and writer, and Stanley Tucci, Sr., a retired high school art teacher...
as Frank Dixon
- Kumar Pallana
Kumar Valavhadas Pallana is an Indian character actor and vaudevillian.He performed on the Mickey Mouse Club as a plate spinner and juggler....
as Gupta Rajan
- Chi McBride
Kenneth "Chi" McBride is an American actor. He recently starred as Emerson Cod on the cancelled ABC series Pushing Daisies, a role which earned him a Ewwy nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 2009.-Early life:Born Kenneth McBride in Chicago, Illinois, "Chi" is a nickname for...
as Mulroy
- Diego Luna
Diego Luna is a Mexican actor known for his childhood telenovela work, a starring role in the film Y tu mamá también, and supporting roles in American films...
as Enrique Cruz
- Barry Shabaka Henley
Barry Shabaka Henley is an American character actor. Henley is a fixture in many films, most often the films of director Michael Mann, having worked with the director four times....
as Thurman
- Zoë Saldana
Zoe Saldaña is an American actress. She is also known as Zoë Saldana, Zoe Saldaña, and Zoë Saldaña...
as Dolores Torres
- Eddie Jones
Eddie Jones is an American actor known for playing Clark Kent's father Jonathan Kent in the ABC television series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.Jones was born in Washington, Pennsylvania, near the city of Pittsburgh...
as Salchak
- Jude Ciccolella
Richard Jude Ciccolella , better known as Jude Ciccolella, is an American character actor.Ciccolella graduated from Temple University with a Master of Fine Arts degree in theatre...
as Karl Iverson
- Corey Reynolds
Corey Reynolds is an American musical theatre, television, and film actor known for originating the role of Seaweed in the Broadway adaptation of Hairspray, singer of the song "trouble on the line", as well as in shows such as the TNT crime show The Closer.-Early life and career:Reynolds was born...
as Waylin
- Guillermo Diaz
Guillermo Díaz is an American actor.He was born and grew up in Washington Heights, Manhattan. Díaz, the son of Cuban-born parents, has starred in movies such as Half Baked , 200 Cigarettes and Stonewall .Díaz has had several TV guest appearances on such shows as Chappelle's Show, Law & Order,...
as Bobby Alima
- Rini Bell
Rini Bell is an American actress. Bell was born in Rome, Italy and spent most of her childhood in Europe before her family relocated to the United States where she grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana. She attended Louise S. McGehee school. She is named after the French Saint Honorine. Her father,...
as Nadia
- Benny Golson
Benny Golson is an American bebop/hard bop jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and arranger.-Biography:While in high school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Golson played with several other promising young musicians, including John Coltrane, Red Garland, Jimmy Heath, Percy Heath, Philly Joe Jones, and...
as Himself
Production
SpielbergSteven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, and film producer. In a career of over four decades, Spielberg's films have touched on many themes and genres. Spielberg's early sci-fi and adventure films, sometimes centering on children, were seen as an archetype of modern...
traveled around the world to find an actual airport that would let him film for the length of the production, but could not find one. The Terminal set was built in a massive hangar at the
LA/Palmdale Regional AirportLA/Palmdale Regional Airport , also United States Air Force Plant 42, is an airport in the city of Palmdale in Los Angeles County, California, United States....
. The hangar, part of the US Air Force
Plant 42Air ForcePlant 42 is a federally owned military aerospace facility under the control of the Air Force Material Command in Palmdale, California...
complex was used to build the
Rockwell InternationalRockwell International was one of America's premier companies in the latter half of the 20th century. It was the ultimate incarnation of a series of companies under the sphere of influence of Colonel Willard F. Rockwell, who had made his fortune after the invention and successful launch of a new...
B-1B bomber. The set was built to full earthquake construction codes and was based on the
Düsseldorf International AirportDüsseldorf International Airport ,is the third largest airport in Germany, located in Düsseldorf, the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia....
. The shape of both the actual terminal and the set viewed sideways is a cross section of an aircraft wing. The design of the set for
The Terminal, as noted by
Roger EbertRoger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter.He is known for his film review column and for two television programs Sneak Previews and Siskel & Ebert at the Movies, which he co-hosted for a combined 23 years with Gene Siskel...
in his reviews and attested by Spielberg himself in a feature by
EmpireEmpire is a British film magazine published monthly by Bauer Consumer Media. From the first issue in July 1989, the magazine was edited by Barry McIlheney and published by Emap. Bauer purchased Emap Consumer Media in early 2008...
magazine, was greatly inspired by
Jacques TatiJacques Tati was a noted French comedic filmmaker. He was born Jacques Tatischeff, the son of Russian father Georges-Emmanuel Tatischeff and Dutch mother Marcelle Claire Van Hoof, in Le Pecq, Yvelines, and died in Paris....
's classic film
PlaytimePlay Time is French director Jacques Tati's fourth major film, and generally considered to be his most daring film. It was shot in 1964 through 1967 and released in . In Play Time, Tati again plays Monsieur Hulot, a character who had appeared in some of his earlier films, including Mon Oncle and...
.
Everything functioned in the set as in real life. There was real food, ice cream and coffee in the appropriate outlets. The escalators were purchased from a department store that had gone bankrupt. Each of the outlets featured in the concourse building was actually sponsored by the real company. Many stores are seen and Viktor seeks a job at
BrookstoneBrookstone is a chain of retail stores in the United States. Its first store was opened in 1973 in Peterborough, New Hampshire. Its headquarters are currently located in Merrimack, New Hampshire....
and the
Discovery ChannelDiscovery Channel is an American satellite and cable TV channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It provides documentary programming focused primarily on popular science, technology, and history...
store.
Most exterior shots and those featuring actual aircraft were shot at
Montréal-Mirabel International AirportMontréal-Mirabel International Airport, originally called Montréal International Airport and widely known simply as Mirabel is an airport located in Mirabel, Quebec, Canada, northwest of Montréal and was opened October 4, 1975...
: additional interior shots were also done there including the mezzanine overlooking the immigration desks and the baggage carousels directly behind them, the jetways showing
Aéroports de MontréalAéroports de Montréal is the main airport authority in the Montreal, Quebec area. It is responsible for both Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, and Montréal-Mirabel International Airport. It is a non-profit private enterprise that does not issue share capital or receive...
signs, and many
Air TransatAir Transat A.T. Inc. is an airline based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, operating scheduled and charter flights and serving 90 destinations in 25 countries. The airline is owned and operated by Transat A.T. During the summer season its main destinations are Europe and domestic flights within Canada...
planes in the background, when New York is not one of their regular destinations. Additional pre-production shooting was done at
Los Angeles International AirportLos Angeles International Airport is the primary airport serving Los Angeles, California, the second-most populated metropolitan area of the United States. It is often referred to by its airport code LAX, with the letters usually pronounced individually...
and at Spielberg's offices at Amblin. Montreal is also mentioned on the loudspeaker at the beginning of the film, around the point where the customs officer tells Viktor to wait in a special line.
The 747 was provided by
United AirlinesUnited Air Lines, Inc., trading as United Airlines , is a major airline of the United States. It is a subsidiary of UAL Corporation with corporate offices in Chicago at 77 West Wacker Drive in the Chicago Loop. United's largest hub is O'Hare International Airport, where it has more than 550 daily...
. The
Star AllianceStar Alliance is the world's first and largest airline alliance. Founded in 1997, its name and emblem represent the five founding airlines, Air Canada, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines System, Thai Airways International, and United Airlines...
was a major sponsor and provided uniforms, equipment, and actors in addition to those cast. In spite of the heavy presence of the Star Alliance airlines, you can see a
Delta Air LinesDelta Air Lines, Inc. is a United States airline based and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Delta operates an extensive domestic and international network, spanning North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean, and Australia...
pilot pass Viktor in a scene during the last 5 minutes of the movie.
This is one of the few Spielberg-directed features that did not feature special effects by
Industrial Light and MagicIndustrial Light & Magic is an Academy Award winning motion picture visual effects company that was founded in May 1975 by George Lucas and is owned by Lucasfilm. Lucas created the company when he discovered that the special effects department at 20th Century Fox was shut down after he was given...
.
Filming locations
- LA/Palmdale Regional Airport
LA/Palmdale Regional Airport , also United States Air Force Plant 42, is an airport in the city of Palmdale in Los Angeles County, California, United States....
, Palmdale, CaliforniaPalmdale is a city located in the northeast reaches of Los Angeles County, California, United States.The first community within the Antelope Valley to incorporate as a city , Palmdale is separated from Los Angeles by the San Gabriel Mountain range...
- Mirabel International Airport
Montréal-Mirabel International Airport, originally called Montréal International Airport and widely known simply as Mirabel is an airport located in Mirabel, Quebec, Canada, northwest of Montréal and was opened October 4, 1975...
, Mirabel, QuebecMirabel is a city in Quebec, Canada. It is an off-island suburb north-west of Montreal.Mirabel is also the name of a territory equivalent to a regional county municipality and census division of Quebec, coextensive with the city of Mirabel. Its geographical code is 74.Mirabel's population was...
(near Montreal)
Production companies
- DreamWorks SKG
- Amblin Entertainment
Amblin Entertainment is an American film and television production company founded by director, Steven Spielberg, film producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall in 1981. Amblin is only a production company, and has never distributed its own movies, nor has it fully financed its productions,...
- Parkes/MacDonald Productions
Critical reception
The Terminal received mixed reactions from critics. The film received a score of 60% on
Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films. The name derives from the historical cliché of throwing tomatoes and other produce at stage performers if a performance was particularly bad.- History :...
and a score of 55 out of a possible 100 on
MetacriticMetacritic is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
. Michael Wilmington from the
Chicago TribuneThe Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company...
praised how "[the film] takes Spielberg into realms he's rarely traveled before." Dana Stevens of
The New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded in 1851 and published in New York City. The largest metropolitan newspaper in the United States, "The Gray Lady"—named for its staid appearance and style—is regarded as a national newspaper of record...
said Hanks' performance brought a lot to the movie. However, Joe Morgenstern from the
Wall Street Journal thought that "The Terminal is a terminally fraudulent and all-but-interminable comedy." Salon.com wrote that "[the movie is] the worst-directed film Spielberg has ever made."
Inspiration and references
Some have noted that it appears to be inspired by the story of Mehran Karimi Nasseri, an
IranIran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran is a country in Western Asia. The name Iran has been in use natively since the Sassanid period and came into international use from 1935, before which the country was known internationally as Persia...
ian
refugeeUnder the United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, a refugee is a person who owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted on account of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of their nationality,...
who lived in Terminal One of the
Charles de Gaulle airportParis-Charles de Gaulle Airport , also known as Roissy Airport , in the Paris area, is one of the world's principal aviation centres, as well as France's main airport. It is named after Charles de Gaulle , leader of the Free French Forces and founder of the French Fifth Republic...
near
ParisParis is the capital of France and the country's most populous city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
from 1988 when his refugee papers were stolen until 2006 when he was hospitalized for unspecified ailments. In September 2003,
The New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded in 1851 and published in New York City. The largest metropolitan newspaper in the United States, "The Gray Lady"—named for its staid appearance and style—is regarded as a national newspaper of record...
noted that Spielberg bought the rights to Nasseri's life story as the basis for the film; and in September 2004
The GuardianThe Guardian is a British daily newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. Founded in 1821, it is unique among major British newspapers in being owned by a foundation .The Guardian Weekly, which circulates worldwide, provides a compact digest of four newspapers...
noted Nasseri received thousands of dollars from the filmmakers. However, none of the studio's publicity materials mention Nasseri's plight as an inspiration for the film.
In a similar event, Ghana football player Ayi Nii Aryee was forced to live in a Philippine airport for six weeks as his
passportA passport is a document, issued by a national government, which certifies, for the purpose of international travel, the identity and nationality of its holder. The elements of identity are name, date of birth, sex, and place of birth...
lacked the necessary immigration stamp from the country (Singapore) he previously flew to and his student permit there was denied. Prior to coming to the Philippines, Aryee enrolled in a computer class in Singapore and applied for a student permit. While waiting, he went to the Philippines to visit a friend only to find himself stranded much like Tom Hanks in the movie.
A scene in which Viktor repeats the phrase, "Bite to eat, bite to eat, bite to eat... " to his reflection in a shop window is reminiscent of a scene in
Stolen KissesStolen Kisses is a 1968 French film directed by François Truffaut. It continues the story of the character Antoine Doinel, whom Truffaut had previously depicted in The 400 Blows and the short film Antoine and Colette...
in which character
Antoine DoinelAntoine Doinel is a fictional character invented by French film director François Truffaut. Doinel is to a certain extent a stand-in, or alter ego, for Truffaut in a number of films....
repeats girls names to himself. Spielberg is known to be a fan of the
French New WaveThe New Wave was a blanket term coined by critics for a group of French filmmakers of the late 1950s and 1960s, influenced by Italian Neorealism and classical Hollywood cinema...
to which
Stolen Kisses belongs.
Krakozhia
Krakozhia (
Кракозия or
Кракожия) is a
fictional countryA fictional country is a country that is made up for fictional stories, and does not exist in real life. Fictional lands appear most commonly as settings or subjects of literature, movies, or video games...
created for the movie, that closely resembles a former
Soviet RepublicSoviet republic, a republic ruled by soviets , may refer to one of the following:*Bolshevik Russia and the Russian SFSR after the Russian Revolution of 1917 and during the Russian Civil War.*Any of the Republics of the Soviet Union....
. The natives speak the Krakozhian language. From January 16 2004 to
November 2004November 2004 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December
-Events:November 2004 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December
-Events:November 2004 : January -...
, the country was in
civil warA civil war is a war between organized groups within a single nation state, or, less commonly, between two nations created from a formerly-united nation state. The aim of one side may be to take control of the nation or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies...
. When the war began, the President of the country was held hostage and a new regime installed, leading to Viktor finding his
passportA passport is a document, issued by a national government, which certifies, for the purpose of international travel, the identity and nationality of its holder. The elements of identity are name, date of birth, sex, and place of birth...
and
visaA visa is an indication that a person is authorized to enter the country which "issued" the visa, subject to permission of an immigration official at the time of actual entry. The authorization may be a document, but more commonly it is a stamp endorsed in the applicant's passport...
useless. Consequently, Viktor must stay in the airport terminal for nine months, as the United States refuses to recognize the new Krakozhian government, after which peace is declared in Krakozhia and he is able to return home.
The exact location of Krakozhia is kept specifically vague in the film, keeping with the idea of Viktor being simply Eastern European or from a former
Soviet RepublicSoviet republic, a republic ruled by soviets , may refer to one of the following:*Bolshevik Russia and the Russian SFSR after the Russian Revolution of 1917 and during the Russian Civil War.*Any of the Republics of the Soviet Union....
. Throughout the film, it is learned that Krakozhia is bordered with
RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, that the Krakozhian language is akin to or a dialect of
RussianRussian is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages, and the largest native language in Europe...
, and that the Krakozhian
national anthemA national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people.- History :Anthems rose to prominence...
is musically close to that of
AlbaniaAlbania , officially the Republic of Albania , is a Mediterranean country in South Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Montenegro to the north, Kosovo to the northeast, Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south-east...
(or the tune of
Vajacki maršVajacki marš is the National anthem for the short-lived Belarusian People's Republic that existed in 1918. Currently the government of BNR exists in exile. The anthem was written by Makar Kraŭcoŭ and music by Uladzimier Teraŭski. It was first published in Minsk, in the newspaper, Belarus....
). Little else is known about Krakozhia, except that there was a lot of fighting which made the international news. We hear of the "northern area" being taken by rebels. The cover of the passport that Viktor shows to the customs officer in one of the initial scenes of the movie closely resembles the modern
Bulgarian passportA Bulgarian passport is a document issued to nationals of Bulgaria for the purpose of international travel, and may also serve as proof of Bulgarian citizenship. Every Bulgarian citizen is also a citizen of the European Union. The Ministry of Interior Affairs is responsible for the issuing and...
and
Russian passportRussian passports are issued to citizens of Russia for the purpose of international travel.- Internal passport :The Russian internal passport is the primary identity document for citizens of the Russian Federation residing in Russia. It is initially issued to citizens at the age of 14 by the...
.
Navorski's
driver's licenseA driver's license, driver license, driver licence, or driving licence is an official document which states that a person may operate a motorized vehicle, such as a motorcycle, car, truck or a bus. The laws relating to driver's licensing vary between jurisdictions...
is
BelarusBelarus is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered by Russia to the north and east, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the north. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel , Mahilyow and Vitebsk...
ian. One can see the words
Вадзіцельскае пасведчанне (
Vadzicielskaje pasviedczannie), which means
driver's license in
BelarusianThe Belarusian language, or Belorussian is the language of the Belarusian people and is spoken in Belarus and abroad, chiefly in Russia, Ukraine, and Poland...
and the name of the Belarusian city of Homel. Curiously, the Belarusian name on the driver's license is
Гуліна Гульнара Надыраўна (
Hulina Hulnara Nadiraŭna); presumably the Belarusian driver's license shot in the movie belonged to a Belarusian girl who immigrated to the USA .
The language which Hanks' character speaks in the film, "Krakozhian", is supposedly close to or a dialect of
RussianRussian is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages, and the largest native language in Europe...
to the point of mutual understanding, but is actually slightly-accented literary
BulgarianBulgarian is an Indo-European language, a member of the Slavic linguistic group.Bulgarian demonstrates several linguistic innovations that set it apart from all other Slavic languages except the Macedonian language, such as the elimination of case declension, the development of a suffixed definite...
. He probably also speaks Russian fluently, as he learns to speak English by
immersionLanguage immersion is a method of teaching a second language . Unlike a more traditional language course, where the target language is simply the subject material, language immersion uses the target language as a teaching tool, surrounding or "immersing" students in the second language...
and picking up
RussianRussian is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages, and the largest native language in Europe...
and English versions of a New York City tour guide and comparing the wording. Tom Hanks' wife,
Rita Wilson-Early life:Wilson was born Margarita Ibrahimova in Los Angeles, California. Her father, a Pomak who worked at a racetrack, was born in Greece; he later converted to Orthodoxy. Before emigrating to the U.S., he had lived in Bulgaria and Turkey; her mother, Dorothy, was born and raised in an ethnic...
, whose father is a Pomak, is reported to have coached Hanks in Bulgarian in the course of the shooting of the film. In the same line the name of Viktor's father is
Dimitar Asenov Navorski, shaped after the Bulgarian three-section pattern and contains one name popular among contemporary
BulgariansThe Bulgarians are a South Slavic people, generally associated with the Republic of Bulgaria and the Bulgarian language. Emigration has resulted in Bulgarian minorities or immigrant communities in a number of other countries.-Ethnogenesis:...
—Dimitar (Димитър). The
patronymicA patronym or patronymic, is a component of a personal name based on the name of one's father, grandfather or an even earlier male ancestor. A component of a name based on the name of one's mother or a female ancestor is a matronym. Each is a means of conveying lineage...
Asenov derives from one Bulgarian medieval
dynastyThe Asen dynasty were a dynasty of rulers of a medieval Bulgarian state, called in modern histography the Second Bulgarian Empire, between 1187 and 1280....
and was borne by several Bulgarian
TsarTsar or czar , occasionally spelled csar or Tzar in English, is a Slavic term with Bulgarian origins used to designate certain monarchs...
s,
Ivan Asen IIIvan Asen II , in English sometimes known as John Asen II, ruled as Emperor of Bulgaria from 1218 to 1241, during the Second Bulgarian Empire.-Early rule:...
for example.
Krakozhia's name was inspired by one of favourite Spielberg's cities - Cracow in Poland, which is written in
Polish languagePolish is a West Slavic language and the official language of Poland. Its written standard is the Polish alphabet which corresponds basically to the Latin alphabet with a few additions...
as "Kraków".
The film presents a reasonably accurate picture of the process of naturalistic
second language acquisitionSecond language acquisition is the process by which people learn a second language in addition to their native language. The term second language is used to describe the acquisition of any language after the acquisition of the mother tongue...
, according to professional linguist
Martha Young-ScholtenMartha Young-Scholten is a linguist specialising in the phonology and syntax of second language acquisition . She has been a senior lecturer at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne in the United Kingdom since September 2006...
.
John WilliamsJohn Towner Williams is an American composer, conductor, and pianist. In a career that spans six decades, Williams has composed many of the most famous film scores in Hollywood history, including Star Wars, Superman, Home Alone, the first three Harry Potter movies and all but two of Steven...
, the composer of the music for the film, also wrote a national anthem for Krakozhia.
See also
- Mehran Karimi Nasseri
- Stateless person
- Hiroshi Nohara
is a Japanese traveler who lived for almost four months in Mexico City's Benito Juarez International Airport. He arrived at the Airport on September 2, 2008, and left on December 29, 2008 to live in a Mexico City apartment with a woman identified as Oyuki....
- Lost in Transit
Tombés du ciel is a 1994 French film directed by Philippe Lioret. Tombés du ciel won the Grand Prize at the 6th Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival held in February 1995.-Cast and roles:...
, a 1994 film with a similar plot and set in a Parisian airport