Pandora's Clock
Encyclopedia
Pandora's Clock is a 1996 Television movie
based on a novel by John J. Nance
about a deadly virus
on a Boeing 747-200 from Frankfurt to JFK Airport. The film stars Richard Dean Anderson
, Stephen Root
, Jane Leeves
, Robert Loggia
and Daphne Zuniga
and the script closely follows the book.
) is filming local wildlife. While filming, he discovers a man attempting to break into his rental car. After foiling the man's attempt, Helms prepares to drive away but is thwarted by the man smashing the driver's window. Helms, however, succeeds in escaping the crazed man, but receives a minor cut on his hand. A few days later, in Frankfurt, Germany, Captain James Holland (Richard Dean Anderson
), amidst preparations for his forthcoming transatlantic flight
as Captain of Quantum Airlines Flight 66, is told by his doctor he does not have cancer. On board Flight 66, a Boeing 747
, Helms (already displaying signs of illness) is assisted to his seat by flight attendant Brenda Hopkins (Kate Hodge
). Shortly after takeoff, Helms rises from his seat and falls into cardiac arrest
, and Brenda gives him CPR
. Head flight attendant Barb Rollins (Jennifer Savidge) notifies Holland of the emergency, and the Captain and his check pilot, Daniel Robb (Richard Lawson) set a course for London
's Heathrow Airport,. However they are turned away when British Air-Traffic Control informs them that one of the passengers (Helms) could be infected with a deadly strain of influenza
.
Several harrowing events follow. The President (Edward Herrmann
) unsuccessfully tries to sneak Flight 66 into RAF Mildenhall
, disguised as a USAF fighter plane and guided in by another, despite a recommendation otherwise by U.S. Secretary of State Lee Lancaster (Robert Guillaume
), but the British forces at the base jam the runway with emergency vehicles. Holland threatens to land anyway, only to pull up at the last minute, showing the U.S. Government how desperate the situation is. Soon thereafter, an investigation is set in motion by the Central Intelligence Agency
. Flight 66 lands at the U.S. air base in Iceland
, but one passenger is so distraught at being separated from her child and at being in quarantine
that she runs down the airplane stairs and is shot and killed by U.S. troops in MOPP
gear. Holland flies the aircraft toward Mali, but a female intelligence agent warns Holland that an assassin is trying to destroy the flight. Holland tricks the assassin (in a missile-armed Lear jet) into crashing and lands on Ascension Island.
The book mentions that the virus becomes less lethal and enters the human population. The movie indicates that the flight attendant who gave Helms CPR died a year after the incident, presumably from the virus.
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
based on a novel by John J. Nance
John J. Nance
John J. Nance is an American pilot, aviation safety expert, and author. His novels are largely about aviation, while his non-fiction covers various other areas.-Biography:Nance was born in Dallas, Texas...
about a deadly virus
Virus
A virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms. Viruses infect all types of organisms, from animals and plants to bacteria and archaea...
on a Boeing 747-200 from Frankfurt to JFK Airport. The film stars Richard Dean Anderson
Richard Dean Anderson
Richard Dean Anderson is an American television and film actor, producer and composer. He began his television career in 1976 as Dr. Jeff Webber in the American soap opera series General Hospital, then rose to prominence as the lead actor in the television series MacGyver...
, Stephen Root
Stephen Root
Stephen Root is an American actor. He is best known for his comedic work on the TV sitcom NewsRadio, in the film Office Space and as the voice of Bill Dauterive and Buck Strickland in the animated series King of the Hill...
, Jane Leeves
Jane Leeves
Jane Leeves is an English film, stage, and television actress, comedienne and dancer.Leeves made her screen debut with a small role in the 1983 popular British comedy television show The Benny Hill Show. Leeves moved to the United States, where she performed in small roles until she secured a...
, Robert Loggia
Robert Loggia
Robert Loggia is an American film and television actor and director.- Early life :Loggia, an Italian American, was born on Staten Island, the son of Elena Blandino, a homemaker, and Benjamin Loggia, a shoemaker, both of whom were born in Sicily, Italy...
and Daphne Zuniga
Daphne Zuniga
Daphne Eurydice Zuniga is an American actress known for her roles as Jo Reynolds on the Fox primetime soap Melrose Place, as Victoria Davis on The CW teen drama One Tree Hill and as Princess Vespa in Spaceballs.-Early life:...
and the script closely follows the book.
Plot
The story begins in the mountains of Bavaria, Germany, where wildlife documentarian Ernest Helms (Michael WintersMichael Winters
Michael Winters is an American television actor, best known for his portrayal of Taylor Doose on the dramedy television series Gilmore Girls....
) is filming local wildlife. While filming, he discovers a man attempting to break into his rental car. After foiling the man's attempt, Helms prepares to drive away but is thwarted by the man smashing the driver's window. Helms, however, succeeds in escaping the crazed man, but receives a minor cut on his hand. A few days later, in Frankfurt, Germany, Captain James Holland (Richard Dean Anderson
Richard Dean Anderson
Richard Dean Anderson is an American television and film actor, producer and composer. He began his television career in 1976 as Dr. Jeff Webber in the American soap opera series General Hospital, then rose to prominence as the lead actor in the television series MacGyver...
), amidst preparations for his forthcoming transatlantic flight
Transatlantic flight
Transatlantic flight is the flight of an aircraft across the Atlantic Ocean. A transatlantic flight may proceed east-to-west, originating in Europe or Africa and terminating in North America or South America, or it may go in the reverse direction, west-to-east...
as Captain of Quantum Airlines Flight 66, is told by his doctor he does not have cancer. On board Flight 66, a Boeing 747
Boeing 747
The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...
, Helms (already displaying signs of illness) is assisted to his seat by flight attendant Brenda Hopkins (Kate Hodge
Kate Hodge
Kate Hodge is an American actress and film producer.-Career:Born in Berkeley, California, Hodge's first starring role was as Michelle, the heroine of the 1990 horror film Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III...
). Shortly after takeoff, Helms rises from his seat and falls into cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest, is the cessation of normal circulation of the blood due to failure of the heart to contract effectively...
, and Brenda gives him CPR
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is an emergency procedure which is performed in an effort to manually preserve intact brain function until further measures are taken to restore spontaneous blood circulation and breathing in a person in cardiac arrest. It is indicated in those who are unresponsive...
. Head flight attendant Barb Rollins (Jennifer Savidge) notifies Holland of the emergency, and the Captain and his check pilot, Daniel Robb (Richard Lawson) set a course for London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's Heathrow Airport,. However they are turned away when British Air-Traffic Control informs them that one of the passengers (Helms) could be infected with a deadly strain of influenza
Influenza
Influenza, commonly referred to as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae , that affects birds and mammals...
.
Several harrowing events follow. The President (Edward Herrmann
Edward Herrmann
Edward Kirk Herrmann is a U.S. television and film actor. He is best known for his Emmy-nominated portrayals of Franklin D...
) unsuccessfully tries to sneak Flight 66 into RAF Mildenhall
RAF Mildenhall
RAF Mildenhall is a Royal Air Force station located at Mildenhall in Suffolk, England. Despite its status as an RAF station, it primarily supports United States Air Force operations and is currently the home of the 100th Air Refueling Wing...
, disguised as a USAF fighter plane and guided in by another, despite a recommendation otherwise by U.S. Secretary of State Lee Lancaster (Robert Guillaume
Robert Guillaume
Robert "Bob" Guillaume is an American stage and television actor, best known for his role as Benson Du Bois on the TV-series Soap and the spin-off Benson, voicing the mandrill Rafiki in The Lion King and as Isaac Jaffe on Sports Night...
), but the British forces at the base jam the runway with emergency vehicles. Holland threatens to land anyway, only to pull up at the last minute, showing the U.S. Government how desperate the situation is. Soon thereafter, an investigation is set in motion by the Central Intelligence Agency
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
. Flight 66 lands at the U.S. air base in Iceland
Naval Air Station Keflavik
United States Naval Air Station Keflavik is a former NATO facility at Keflavík International Airport, Iceland. It is located on the Reykjanes peninsula on the south-west portion of the island...
, but one passenger is so distraught at being separated from her child and at being in quarantine
Quarantine
Quarantine is compulsory isolation, typically to contain the spread of something considered dangerous, often but not always disease. The word comes from the Italian quarantena, meaning forty-day period....
that she runs down the airplane stairs and is shot and killed by U.S. troops in MOPP
MOPP
MOPP is a military term used to describe protective gear to be used in a toxic environment, i.e., during a chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear strike:* Protective mask — Commonly referred to as a gas mask or pro mask...
gear. Holland flies the aircraft toward Mali, but a female intelligence agent warns Holland that an assassin is trying to destroy the flight. Holland tricks the assassin (in a missile-armed Lear jet) into crashing and lands on Ascension Island.
The book mentions that the virus becomes less lethal and enters the human population. The movie indicates that the flight attendant who gave Helms CPR died a year after the incident, presumably from the virus.
Cast
- Richard Dean AndersonRichard Dean AndersonRichard Dean Anderson is an American television and film actor, producer and composer. He began his television career in 1976 as Dr. Jeff Webber in the American soap opera series General Hospital, then rose to prominence as the lead actor in the television series MacGyver...
.....Captain James Holland - Robert GuillaumeRobert GuillaumeRobert "Bob" Guillaume is an American stage and television actor, best known for his role as Benson Du Bois on the TV-series Soap and the spin-off Benson, voicing the mandrill Rafiki in The Lion King and as Isaac Jaffe on Sports Night...
.....Ambassador Lee Lancaster - Edward HerrmannEdward HerrmannEdward Kirk Herrmann is a U.S. television and film actor. He is best known for his Emmy-nominated portrayals of Franklin D...
.....Ersin - Kate Hodge.....Brenda Hopkins
- Jane LeevesJane LeevesJane Leeves is an English film, stage, and television actress, comedienne and dancer.Leeves made her screen debut with a small role in the 1983 popular British comedy television show The Benny Hill Show. Leeves moved to the United States, where she performed in small roles until she secured a...
.....Rachel Sherwood - Richard Lawson.....Captain Daniel Robb
- Robert LoggiaRobert LoggiaRobert Loggia is an American film and television actor and director.- Early life :Loggia, an Italian American, was born on Staten Island, the son of Elena Blandino, a homemaker, and Benjamin Loggia, a shoemaker, both of whom were born in Sicily, Italy...
.....CIA Director Jonathan Roth - Stephen RootStephen RootStephen Root is an American actor. He is best known for his comedic work on the TV sitcom NewsRadio, in the film Office Space and as the voice of Bill Dauterive and Buck Strickland in the animated series King of the Hill...
.....Mark Hastings - Jennifer Savidge.....Barb Rollins
- Michael Winters.....Professor Ernest Helms
- Daphne ZunigaDaphne ZunigaDaphne Eurydice Zuniga is an American actress known for her roles as Jo Reynolds on the Fox primetime soap Melrose Place, as Victoria Davis on The CW teen drama One Tree Hill and as Princess Vespa in Spaceballs.-Early life:...
.....Dr. Roni Sanders - Dick Arnold.....Dr. Irwin Seward
- Mark Chamberlain.....Sloan
- Dimitri Boudrine.....Nicolai Sakarov
- John ConsidineJohn ConsidineThis article is about the writer and actor. For his grandfather, the vaudeville pioneer, see John Considine . For the former Florida state representative, see John J...
.....Dr. Turnheir - William DeYoung.....Secretary of State
- Stefan Enriquez.....Wilfredo
- Grant GoodeveGrant GoodeveGrant Goodeve is an American actor and television host. He is best known for playing the role of David, the oldest son, on Eight Is Enough, from 1977 to 1981. He sang the theme song for the show as well...
.....Don Moses - Tim Grimm.....CIA Agent Steve Ellis
- John Holyoke.....Virgil
- Peter Lohnes.....Reynolds
- Teru McDonald.....Amanda Lynch
- Ballard McFarlane.....Bonham
- Ivars Mikelson.....Patel
- Wolf MuserWolf MuserWolf Muser is a German actor most notably recognized for his role as Marcello Armonti on NBC's soap opera Santa Barbara. He portrayed the role in 1985. Prior to joining the show, he also appeared as Kurt Voightlander on CBS' drama Capitol in 1983...
.....Dr. Zeitner - John J. Nance.....Air Force Chief
- Penny PeyserPenny PeyserPenny Peyser is an actress. She graduated from Emerson College in Boston in 1973.-Career:Peyser is best known for her role as Cindy in the 1980s series Crazy Like a Fox...
.....Lisa Erickson - Rainer Rey.....Bronchman
- Mark Schwötzer.....Roger Stallings
- Darryl Scott.....Darnell Howard
- Frederick Solms.....Vanderpool
- Lita Stevens.....Anya
- Bill terKuile.....Commander Chandon
- Heidi Turner.....Michelle Kingery
- David Frederick White.....Sargent Anders
- De'Andrea Williams.....Charlsie
Award nominations
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Young Artist Awards | Nominated | Best Performance in a Drama Series - Guest Starring Young Actress | Teru McDonald |
| ASC Award American Society of Cinematographers The American Society of Cinematographers is an educational, cultural, and professional organization. It is not a labor union, and it is not a guild. Membership is by invitation and is extended only to directors of photography and special effects experts with distinguished credits in the film... |
Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Mini-Series | Steven Shaw |