A fog-bound London airport inspired a star-studded 1963 drama about life-altering delays.
In short: When a thick fog grounded flights at London Heathrow, it trapped a collection of high-profile travelers in the VIP lounge. This 1963 film, The V.I.P.s, turned that claustrophobic reality into a multi-narrative drama, featuring an all-star cast and a script born from the writer's own experience with airport delays.
The V.I.P.s, directed by Anthony Asquith and written by Terence Rattigan, centers on a group of passengers whose lives collide during a forced stay at London Heathrow’s Terminal 3. The plot threads include an actress attempting to leave her millionaire husband, a duchess struggling to save her historic home, and a businessman racing to prevent a corporate collapse. These interconnected stories were partially inspired by Rattigan’s own encounter with a fog-induced flight delay, and one specific subplot mirrors the real-life attempt of Vivien Leigh to leave Laurence Olivier for Peter Finch while trapped in a VIP lounge.
The production was a massive undertaking, utilizing one of the largest sets ever built in the United Kingdom at MGM-British Studios. The film’s casting process was as dramatic as its script; Elizabeth Taylor, who received a $1 million fee, reportedly persuaded Asquith to hire her over Sophia Loren. The film also featured a notable ensemble, including Orson Welles, Maggie Smith, and Margaret Rutherford, who earned an Academy Award for her performance. Despite mixed critical reviews—ranging from praise for its 'spicy and sweet' nature to dismissals as a collection of 'prehistoric cliches'—the film was a significant box-office success.
Its financial performance was bolstered by the intense public interest surrounding the concurrent release of Cleopatra, which starred Taylor and Richard Burton. The V.I.P.s grossed $15 million in the United States and Canada against a $4 million budget. While some critics, such as Robert Murphy, later characterized the film as a 'banal prestige production,' it remains a quintessential example of the era's star-driven, multi-character cinema. The film’s legacy even extended to a paperback novelization by Marvin H. Albert, an 'inferred' adaptation that remains a curiosity of 1960s marketing and publishing practices.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: The V.I.P.s (film)
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