The Criterion Collection, a continuing series of important classic and contemporary films presents Airplane!
In this zany masterpiece written and directed by the trio of David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker of The Kentucky Fried Theater, a traumatized fighter pilot (Robert Hays) boards an airliner to win back his flight attendant girlfriend (Julie Hagerty) and becomes the plane’s last hope when the crew and half of the plane succumb to food poisoning. Loaded with surreal humor and rapid-fire gags, Airplane! parodied the popular disaster films of the 1970s and took audiences by storm in the process, a breath of fresh air that turned into a massive box office hit. With an iconic cast that includes Leslie Nielsen, Lloyd Bridges, Robert Stack, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Airplane! is one of cinema’s most quotable films and an all-time, off-the-wall, comedy classic.
Disc Features:
- New 2K digital restoration, supervised by writers-directors Jim Abrahams, Jerry Zucker and David Zucker, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray
- Audio Commentary with producer Jon Davison and Abrahams, Zucker, and Zucker
- Long Haul Version, the film including deleted scenes, interviews, and more!
- “I Am Serious!”, an introduction by comedian Patton Oswalt
- Late Night with David Letterman excerpt featuring the filmmakers and a screen test by Letterman for the role of Ted Striker
- The Flatulent Mr. Nielsen, archival footage and new interviews on Leslie Nielsen and his ever-ready fart machine
- Interview with Barbara Billingsley on speaking “jive”
- Interview with Peter Graves
- Trivia track
- Deleted, extended and alternate scenes
- Side-by-side comparison between Airplane! and Zero Hour! (1957)
- Travel Wisconsin commercials
- Theatrical trailer
- PLUS: An essay by filmmaker Peter Farrelly