The V.I.P.s (film)

The V.I.P.s
original film poster
Directed by	Anthony Asquith
Produced by	Anatole de Grunwald
Written by	Terence Rattigan
Starring	Richard Burton Elizabeth Taylor Louis Jourdan Maggie Smith Orson Welles Rod Taylor Elsa Martinelli Margaret Rutherford
Music by	Miklós Rózsa
Cinematography	Jack Hildyard
Edited by	Frank Clarke (editor)
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date	19 September 1963 (United States)
Running time	119 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Budget	$4 million
Box office	$15,000,000

The V.I.P.s, also known as Hotel International, is a 1963 British drama film in Metrocolor and Panavision. It was directed by Anthony Asquith, produced by Anatole de Grunwald and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film was written by Terence Rattigan, with a music score by Miklós Rózsa.

It has an all-star cast including Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, Louis Jourdan, Elsa Martinelli, Maggie Smith, Rod Taylor, Orson Welles and Margaret Rutherford, who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture.

The film is set within Terminal 3 of London Heathrow Airport during a fog. As flights are delayed, the VIPs (very important people) of the title play out the drama of their lives in a number of slightly interconnected stories. The delays have caused serious hardship for most of the characters and have plunged some of them into a deep personal or financial crisis.

The central story concerns famed actress Frances Andros (Elizabeth Taylor) trying to leave her husband, millionaire Paul Andros (Richard Burton), and fly away with her lover Marc Champselle (Louis Jourdan). Because of the fog, Andros has the opportunity to come to the airport to convince his wife not to leave him.