The Taking of Flight 847: The Uli Derickson Story
Encyclopedia
The Taking of Flight 847: The Uli Derickson Story, also marketed as The Flight on video, is a 1988 made-for-TV film based on the actual hijacking of TWA Flight 847
as seen through the eyes of Uli Derickson
, the chief flight attendant
. Derickson herself acted as a consultant for the movie.
, Derickson is forced at gunpoint to the flight deck door by "Castro", one of the terrorists. She is able to defuse the situation by communicating with him in German, convincing him to release hostages upon landing in Beirut
and Algiers
and pleading for the other hijacker to stop harming the passengers. Her efforts are shown to save the lives of all but one hostage, Robert Stethem
, whose body was thrown on the tarmac in Beirut.
because the producers claim it showcases low key Arab stereotypes and portrays "The Middle East" as one large homogenous region.
TWA Flight 847
TWA Flight 847 was an international Trans World Airlines flight which was hijacked by Lebanese Shia extremists, later identified as members of Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad, on Friday morning, June 14, 1985, after originally taking off from Cairo. The flight was en route from Athens to Rome and then...
as seen through the eyes of Uli Derickson
Uli Derickson
Ulrike Patzelt , better known as Uli Derickson, was a flight attendant during the June 14, 1985 hijacking of TWA Flight 847 by Organization of the Oppressed on Earth terrorists, a group with alleged links to Hezbollah...
, the chief flight attendant
Flight attendant
Flight attendants or cabin crew are members of an aircrew employed by airlines primarily to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers aboard commercial flights, on select business jet aircraft, and on some military aircraft.-History:The role of a flight attendant derives from that of similar...
. Derickson herself acted as a consultant for the movie.
Cast
- Lindsay WagnerLindsay WagnerLindsay Jean Wagner is an American actress. She is probably best known for her portrayal of Jaime Sommers in the 1970s television series The Bionic Woman , though she has maintained a lengthy career in a variety of other film and television productions since.-Early life:Wagner was born in Los...
— Uli Derickson (Chief Flight Attendant) - Eli Danker — "Castro" (Hijacker)
- Sandy McPeak — John Testrake (Captain)
- Ray WiseRay WiseRaymond Nicolas "Ray" Wise is an American actor, known for his roles as Leland Palmer in Twin Peaks, as Leon C. Nash, right-hand henchman to villain Clarence Boddicker in the science fiction classic RoboCop, and recently as the Devil in the CW television series Reaper.-Life and career:Wise was...
— Phil Maresca (First Officer) - Leslie EasterbrookLeslie Easterbrook-Early life:Easterbrook was born in Los Angeles and adopted by a family in rural Nebraska, where she was raised. Her father later earned a Ph.D and became a voice/trumpet professor at University of Nebraska at Kearney...
— Audrey (Flight Attendant) - Laurie WaltersLaurie WaltersLaurie Jean Walters is an American former television actress, arguably best known for playing Joanie Bradford on Eight Is Enough, which aired from 1977 until 1981 on ABC....
— Jane (Flight Attendant) - Joseph Nasser — Saiid (Hijacker)
Synopsis
The movie showcases the first 48 hours of the hijacking, until Derickson's liberation. After the aircraft leaves AthensAthens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Derickson is forced at gunpoint to the flight deck door by "Castro", one of the terrorists. She is able to defuse the situation by communicating with him in German, convincing him to release hostages upon landing in Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
and Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
and pleading for the other hijacker to stop harming the passengers. Her efforts are shown to save the lives of all but one hostage, Robert Stethem
Robert Stethem
Robert Dean Stethem was a United States Navy Seabee diver who was killed by Hezbollah militants during the hijacking of the commercial airliner he was aboard: TWA Flight 847...
, whose body was thrown on the tarmac in Beirut.
Criticism
The film was featured in the documentary Reel Bad ArabsReel Bad Arabs
Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People is a 2001 book by Jack Shaheen where he surveyed more than 900 film appearances of Arab characters. Of those, only a dozen were positive and 50 were balanced...
because the producers claim it showcases low key Arab stereotypes and portrays "The Middle East" as one large homogenous region.
Trivia
- In the movie, the aircraft is accurately depicted as a Boeing 727-200 from the outside, but the mid-cabin galley shown in the cabin scenes is a feature of the Boeing 727-100.
- The phrase "Bundesrepublik Deutschland" is misspelled on Uli's passport.