THE V.I.P.S

MGM, 1963.  Directed by Anthony Asquith.  Camera:  Jack Hildyard.  With Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Louis Jourdan, Elsa Martinelli, Margaret Rutherford, Maggie Smith, Rod Taylor, Orson Welles, Linda Christian, Dennis Price, Richard Wattis, David Frost, Ronald Fraser, Robert Coote, Michael Hordern, Martin Miller, Lance Percival, Joan Benham, Peter Sallis, Stringer Davis, Clifton Jones, Moyra Fraser, Joyce Carey, Peter Illing, Brook Williams, Alan Howard.

A group of passengers en route to New York assemble in the V.I.P.  lounge when a heavy fog delays the takeoff of planes from London Airport.  All of them have reasons for wanting to depart as quickly as possible.  Frances Andros is leaving her millionaire husband to run off with Marc Champselle, an international playboy.  Les Mangrum, a self-made Australian industrialist, must be in New York the following day to arrange for a loan which will enable him to prevent a giant industrial combine from taking over his tractor firm.  Max Buda, a film magnate traveling with his "protégé" Gloria Gritti, must be out of the country by midnight or pay a ruinous income tax.  The featherbrained Duchess of Brighton has taken a job in America in order to raise the money to maintain the family estate.

The flight is cancelled until morning, and all are forced to stay at the airport hotel.  Frances' husband, Paul, arrives after finding the farewell note left by his wife.  He convinces her of his deep need for her, and she decides to remain with him.  Mangrum's company is saved when his faithful and adoring secretary, Miss Mead, persuades Paul to lend Mangrum the money he needs.  Buda's accountant rescues his client by arranging for him to turn over all of his financial assets to the foreign-born Gloria, and then marry her.

The Duchess is able to return happily home when Buda rents her estate for location filming on his next picture.

American Film Institute Catalog