S.S.T. - DEATH FLIGHT

US, 1977, 106 minutes, Colour.
Lorne Greene, Susan Strasberg, Burgess Meredith.
Directed by David Lowell Rich.

S.S.T. - Death Flight is yet another disaster telemovie with the focus on disaster in the air. It is average entertainment and popular for home audiences. It was directed by David Lowell Rich, who was to direct the much more spectacular Airport 80 – The Concorde. Rich has directed many telemovies and disaster films. There is the regular star cast, a bit more spectacular than the usual with people such as Burgess Meredith and Susan Strasberg. Another film about Concorde disaster was the Italian The Concorde Affair with focused on the sabotaging of the supersonic plane.

1. An interesting and enjoyable disaster film? The focus on supersonic planes? Their technology, financial implications for contracts etc.? Sabotage? Questions of the '70s?

2. The structure of the film as a telemovie: devices for suspense, human interest. audience participation (and commercial breaks), the focus on technology, the crisis, the handling of the situation? The actual crash at the end?

3. The technical background of the film, discussions about supersonic planes, the technology and the controls? Audience interest in planes? The special effects for the difficulties, the crash?

4. Discussion about supersonic planes? Dangers, expense, sabotage and the way this was arranged? The complications with the virus? The moral questions about saving lives, spreading infection? The dramatics of the taking of the head count? The various ingredients for soap opera background to the disaster? How predictable were the characters and the events?

5. The credibility of the plot: the plane, its inaugural flight, financial contracts, the range of people on the plane, the social issues, human behaviour and human nature, survival, a fable of being confronted with the significance of death and therefore the meaning of life?

6. How well did the film present the plane itself, the issues, safety features, skill in flying it, going by the book, correcting difficulties, the pilot's ability to control the plane and land it, the crash landing? How effective was the suspense?

7. How interestingly did the film present themes of life and death: coping with critical situations? People succeeding, people failing?

8. The gallery of characters and what they represented? Willie Best and his being a legend? His skill with the plane, his trust in pilots, his decisions about the flying, his death? The importance of the contact with Marshall on the ground and the basis for his decisions, trying to remedy situations? Walsh and Fairbanks and their ability to fly planes? The previous history of decisions and trials? The crisis in the plane itself, the confrontation for Walsh about going to Senegal or not, Fairbanks and his skill? The picture of the various members of the staff, the stewardesses, the stewards and their ability to handle people, their skills. the rules. personal decisions? The romantic story of Anne and Paul? Anne's boyfriend and his ambitions. his panic, his showing the worst of human nature in a crisis? Paul and the breaking off of the relationship? Anne's caring for him especially with the infection? The story of the Kingmans reputation, failure, bankruptcy, doing deals, Kingman and his rising to the occasion, his wife and her pride in him? Timothy and Miss S.S.T. - her being the beauty queen, not knowing all the answers. the story of her pregnancy, Timothy and his double promises, their surviving and his standing up to his promises? The story of the saboteur and his being humiliated, the way that he engineered the sabotage, his paying for it? The doctor and his having the virus on board and his trying to control the situation?

9. How surprising was the crash of the plane? The rescues? The future for those who survived?

10. How enjoyable are melodramas like this? How do they show people's reactions and human nature for popular audiences?