aircraft disaster movies

Last night I saw the most stressful plane crash I have ever seen on a movie. I dont make a habit of seeking out plane crash scenes on movies but out of all I have seen: Castaway, Madagascar 2, Flight 93, Airport 75,79, 80 the concorde...... Denzel Washingtons Flight was the most gripping, on the edge of your seat crash scene I have ever seen in a movie...(it was right up there with Tom Cruises War of the Worlds for tension but I digress....)

Other than that its kind of weird. We watched it all but I wouldnt rush to watch is again after the first 30 mins.
This got me to thinking about how many of these movies I have seen... I recall the old Airport 75, Airport 80 movies, where Robert Wagner or Charleton Heston always saved the day (when he wasnt in burning skyscrapers) and you always saw George Kennedy shouting at someone dramatically from a control tower or accompanying aircraft somewhere....

And how about Airport 1975 where a plane sits on the ocean floor, these aircraft always looked enormous on these movies, like you could live in them. You could always find some nun playing a guitar next to a tragically sick teenager and a super glamorous and yet incredibly calm flight attendant who was always romantically involved with the captain. And despite the unlikelihood of the crash it always comes good with minimal loss of life .. Good old Charleton Heston saved the day in this flick....again alongside a dramatic George Kennedy... oh how I loved the days of these movies....

And then there was that intense scene in Castaway where Tom Hanks nearly lost his head when an engine on fire came perilously close when he popped up in the sea next to it. That scene was my most stressful prior to last nights viewing, although I never could get a handle on how you could go to the WC on an aircraft and not notice it was in a steep dive until you were done and had opened the door.

Now Madagascar 2 was the only time I watched a movie showing a plane crash when I was on a flight, I think between London and Halifax, oh the irony...

I laughed until I thought I would pee my pants....

I watched Flight 93 because of the whole 911 situation and it was horrible, I cant add anymore except that we owe those passengers a massive debt in the way they selflessly behaved. I found myself in tears over that one.

So what is it with drama and movies especially back in the 70's and 80's. Out of interest I googled George Kennedy to see exactly how many air disaster movies he starred in, as he seemed to be in them all to me and he was in all four of the 1970's airport disaster movies as the airline trouble shooter. So he is THE main man.