by Janet Sandford

Created on: July 27, 2009

In 2004 Stephen Spielberg created one of the most convincing and exciting movie sets of his entire career. A superb, custom-made terminal in a New York airport. The construction of this fantastic wonderland was designed by Alex McDowell. His realistic but magical world was a fitting environment for the camera work of cinematographer, Juanusz Kaminski.

In the Terminal, Kaminski uses his camera like an agile athelete flitting from manically driven tourists, security guards, airport employees, bustling immigrants pushing and shoving; in pursuit of airline tickets, souvenirs, alcohol, food and information. Like a cross section of an engine we see the internal mechanism of a terminal; with a fantastic mixture of textures, fine details and a kaleidoscope of colours and light. Filled to the brim with extras the set becomes a small, complete world of American life; frenetic consumers, a bombardment of advertising, excessive information, fast food, post 9/11 anxiety, and frothy cappuccinos.

Deep in this goldfish bowl Spielberg plunges a foreign guy, by the name of Viktor Navorski (Tom Hanks), into an overwhelming situation and traps him there. Navorski learns form the blabbing airport TV's that his homeland, Krakozhia, is in trouble. Its government has been overthrown by a military coup. In real terms, he doesn't have a country anymore and can't return even if he wanted to because American planes aren't allowed in. Also, he isn't allowed to step foot on American soil. Viktor can only speak a few words of English, and he has no friends to help him. He is abandoned, bumbling around the terminal under the watchful gaze of the airport's top security officer, Frank Dixon (Stanley Tucci).

Krakozhia is a fictional country but the film is based on the true story of an Iranian refugee, Merhan Nasseri, who lived in Terminal One of Charles de Gaulle airport, Paris for 18 years. His life spent in the terminal was one of reading, writing and studying economics.

The choice of Tom Hanks to play the lead role was an obvious one. The role of Viktor is a combination of Hank's previous roles. Like a child ensnared in an adult's body (Big), Navorski's trying to behave like an American citizen; learning the language and manners, but at the same time clinging on to his dignity and self-assurance. He is struggling to make sense of this detached world just as Forrest Gump did his best to make sense of the outside world. Like a guy deserted on a far away island (Castaway), he's trapped, and

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