Archives for June 9th, 2004

Tom Hanks and Catherine Zeta-Jones in The Terminal.

Steven Spielberg’s new movie The Terminal, scheduled for release this summer, called for Tom Hanks to play a Slovene. Really. Here’s the initial description of the film:

When his tiny country of Slovenia undergoes a coup, Viktor Navorski (played by Hanks) is indefinitely detained at JFK International Terminal in New York. Unable to leave the airport to enter the confines of the U.S. or go back home to a country that no longer exists, Viktor has fallen through a crack of an unforgiving bureaucracy. Despite Port Director Frank Mercer’s efforts to make his exile as uncomfortable as possible, Viktor finds a surprisingly rich life within the confines of the terminal - including a sweet romance with beautiful but insecure flight attendant Amelia (Zeta-Jones).

This is funny for two reasons. First, "Navorski" is not a Slovenian name, nor does it resemble a Slovenian name. The "-ski" ending is common to Poland, not the Balkans. Second, the idea that Slovenia is a banana republic about to be taken over by military generals is, in itself, pretty humorous. However, it seems that in the final cut, things have changed. Tom Hanks will not play a Slovene, but rather a generic Easterling. (The official site mentions the Slavic-sounding country of "Krakozhia.") Second, it’s not a coup anymore, but a war that erases his "small" country. Hmm. You can watch the official trailer here. (Quicktime needed)
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