In Memoriam of Mehran Karimi Nasseri (1945 – 12 November 2022)
Back in 2004 the Cold War era was in the rear view mirror with Eastern European states of former communist bloc joining the European Union. The screenwriter Andrew Niccol however might have not been someone who’d be feeling very optimistic about the state of post communist world at the time: The Terminal – Steven Spielberg’s dramedy based on Niccol’s story with screenplay written by Sacha Gervasi (who’d later direct the Hitchcock biopic) and Jeff Nathanson (who wrote the screenplay for Spielberg’s previous film Catch Me if You Can) – has as its lead character a man named Viktor Navorski (Tom Hanks’ character) from a fictional Eastern European country named Krakozhia. Viktor, as a result of a military coup d'état taking place in his country, is left without a legal status – his passport and ticket for return flight are both taken away by the Acting Field Commissioner at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport Frank Dixon (played by Stanley Tucci). The darker than the movie’s tone reality indeed was (and is) that the seemingly peaceful state of the territories of former Soviet Union to the east of Baltic states and Poland has never been entirely peaceful: ever since the 1992, a year after coup d'état attempt in Kremlin, Russia’s armed forces had at times been present in conflicts in Azerbaijan, Chechnya, Tajikistan, Moldova, Georgia (more info can be seen here and here), and currently, as we all know, a full scale war is raging on in Ukraine. The prospects of civil war in some of those territories were always real.
The Terminal is intended to be a lighthearted movie, which would ideally, according to its director, “make us feel good about the world.” Therefore, unlike Andrew Niccol’s crime drama Lord of War, which was released a year after The Terminal, it doesn’t deal with politics in a hardcore social commentary fashion. Instead the focus is, true to Spielberg’s form, switched to an ordinary person, who is surviving in extraordinary circumstances; in The Terminal those circumstances are constrained to an airport building. This setting is one in which people, their dramas and challenges are shown in miniature.
Unlike the man, who was the inspiration behind The Terminal’s lead character, Viktor Navorski isn’t a political refugee who’s papers had been stolen – his mission is entirely apolitical. Finding himself stuck in that miniature world, Viktor does his best to build a miniature life for himself there. This, in my opinion, was for Hanks one of those roles, which introduced yet another memorable image of him, which would stick with the audiences. The stories and roles that were crucial to the actor’s fame and brought him awards previously: Josh in Big, Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, Forrest Gump; were all with an element of underdog embedded in them. I think that was also what Tom Hanks brought to this role (once again to an outstanding effect): Viktor Navorski, being “a fish out of water”, experiencing hardships brought about by language barrier and not being entirely accustomed to the culture; is essentially that same underdog. This time apparently the character was modelled after the actor’s father-in-law Allan Wilson, who’s a Bulgarian immigrant. (Source)
The Terminal movie still with Tom Hanks as Viktor Navorski. Source
There are a few details, where the devil of being an immigrant can be found in the miniature world of The Terminal, such as a well meaning help with an item that’s too modern compared to what one is familiar with, breaking it as a result; or acquiring an item by way of winning in cards, which would subsequently be used to try and obtain a favour from someone in position of authority. For the most part however the movie comes across as a story where the details of life as a foreigner in a strange land aren’t buried in details, but put at the forefront: Viktor is learning language by comparing New York’s English language travel guide to that of his own language; working while being paid under the table all the while dealing with situations and circumstances, where someone with authority and responsibilities wants Viktor to be “someone else’s problem”. The validity of real life observations behind all that cannot be overstated with “oh look, I can make money by bringing back luggage trolleys” reasoning certainly being one of my personal favourites. Therefore writing about The Terminal was an obvious choice for me. The fact is, I’m quite familiar with Eastern European background to the point where I easily spot that what is common among the good number of ethnicities when it comes to their culture and mentality. Because of that Viktor Navorski is indeed an interesting character to observe. Quite unique too, when it comes to cinema in general.
The Terminal movie still with Tom Hanks, Stanley Tucci and Valeriy Nikolaev. Source
Could anyone else have played the role of Viktor in The Terminal? I think, the financially successful answer to that could be found in the role of Amelia, played by Catherine Zeta-Jones – much like Jenny in Forrest Gump, Amelia wants Hanks’ character at certain points to stay away from her and says she’s someone Viktor doesn’t want to know. Who else would ever be better suited for Viktor's role there with an image the audiences know and love than Mr. Hanks because, once again, Tom Hanks is someone too simple and sincere. It seems for screenwriters this had been a part and parcel of a single Eastern European immigrant’s realities in a strange land. Be that as it may, something tells me Tom Hanks genuinely wanted to play this role. For his fans and, I’d guess, his father-in-law.
However if I’d have to honestly answer the question about whether anyone else could have played Viktor’s character with the same, or even more success, then I’d say: yeah, Jake Gyllenhaal might have been an interesting choice for the role. Perhaps not when playing someone too simple though. The script would have had to be changed quite a bit, when it comes to romantic pursuits with characters adjusted to suit their age. The wooing would have probably been made more realistic than one which takes place on the part of Diego Luna’s (Rogue One, Narcos: Mexico) Enrique Cruz, who is using Viktor to find out more about the girl he’s interested in (Dolores Torres, played by Zoe Saldana). Since I think this latter part in the screenplay is quite absurd for more than one reason, I would have changed it to one where Gyllenhaal’s character has got better language skills and, while having a fling with Amelia, eventually steals the sweetheart Enrique’s dreaming to be with. The moral of the story being that if you can’t face the girl you want yourself, you don’t deserve her... Well, and there would already be enough material for a sequel once Viktor would have found some new Krakozhian friends in New York, and Enrique would want to settle the score. I don’t know how that would or wouldn’t make people feel about the world (especially when contrasted with one created by Viktor's supportive friends at the airport), but I have a feeling it would be a darker and a bit more realistic tale altogether, sporting a hybrid of Louis Bloom and Donnie Darko as Viktor Navorski.
The Terminal movie still with Chi McBride, Kumar Pallana, Tom Hanks and Diego Luna. Source
On a final note, I think if the moderator on here sees his wife all of a sudden leaving wearing a costume of a flight attendant then it’s time to worry because that’d be a clear sign she’s dating Tom Hanks. ;)
Peer Ynt
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Nice choice this movie is very fun!!
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