There have been two previous Hollywood movies made about the 1976 hijacking of Air France Flight 139.
And now there’s another.
7 DAYS IN ENTEBBE had a very brief run in Brisbane cinemas back in March and has now been released on DVD.
It stars Eddie Marsen (DEADPOOL 2 (2018) – ATOMIC BLONDE (2017), Rosamund Pike (GONE GIRL (2014) – JACK REACHER (2012) and Danial Bruhl (BLACK PANTHER (2018) – THE ZOOKEEPER’S WIFE (2017).
The film is helmed by fifty year old Brazilian producer, director and screenwriter Jose Padilha (ROBOCOP (2014).
The 1977 telling of the story starred Charles Bronson and Peter Finch with the 1976 version boasting an all-star cast featuring Kirk Douglas, Elizabeth Taylor, Anthony Hopkins, Burt Lancaster, Richard Dreyfuss and Helen Hayes.
There was also a 1977 Israeli made movie named OPERATION THUNDERBOLT, which was the military name for the operation launched to rescue the hostages.
The true events that inspired all four movies began on 27 June 1976 when an Airbus A300 departed from Tel Aviv Israel, carrying 246 mainly Jewish and Israeli passengers and a crew of 12. The plane flew to Athens, Greece, where it picked up an additional 58 passengers, including four hijackers (two Palestinian and two German). It departed for Paris at 12:30 pm.
Just after takeoff, the flight was hijacked and diverted to Benghazi, Libya. There it was held on the ground for seven hours for refuelling. During that time the hijackers released British-born Israeli citizen Patricia Martell who pretended to have a miscarriage. The plane left Benghazi and at 3:15 pm on the 28th, more than 24 hours after the flight’s original departure, it arrived at Entebbe Airport in Uganda. The Ugandan government supported the hijackers.
Over the next week many diplomatic solutions were attempted to resolve the situation until finally on July 4th one hundred Israeli commandos inserted in the middle of the night to stage a highly successful rescue operation.
See the trailer for 7 DAYS IN ENTEBBE HERE
Ps. A selection of some of the many books written on the subject…
Pss. Check these jubilant scenes when the whole drama was finally over –
Psss. Cheapest return flight today Brisbane to Entebbe? $1485
Pssss. 7 DAYS IN ENTEBBE releases today on DVD in Australia.
Scenic Writer's Shack 
Sounds fascinating Glen. Will have to get my hands on this one!
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The 1970’s seemed to be the era of plane hijackings.
Of course this was back when there no metal detectors, no in-flight guards, no luggage searches and boarding an airliner with a firearm was as easy as putting a pistol in your pocket and taking your seat.
With all the over-security measures these days and the sometimes inconvenience they cause, I’d still rather be catching a plane, especially one boarding in the U.S, these days compared to back then.
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I still remember the euphoria Glen from most Aussies after this successful mission, at a time when plane hijacking was a tragic regular occurance. Interesting trivia snippet is that Yoni Netanyahu the only Israeli casualty was the brother of the current prime minister of Israel. I will reprise one of these movies.
Cheers uncle Bryan.
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Thankyou for that piffy knowledge add-on Uncle Bryan.
Nice contribute.
And here’s one to go with it –
Benjamin Netanyahu has been elected Prime Minister of Israel four times, and if his current government lasts a full term, upon its completion he will become the longest-serving Prime Minister in the history of Israel.
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I had no idea there were 2 movies made in the 70’s on the rescue. I know I saw one of them and still remember how sad I was about the death of Yoni. Hijackings were so much on everyone’s mind, the thought of beating the hell out of some PLA troopers was ever so satisfying.
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Coupled with the horror of what the PLA pulled off at the Munich Olympics, it made the movie even more poignant and moral boosting.
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For the sake of others and bearing in mind the acronym-overstuffed society we all inhabit, I’m going to give words to those letters Uncle Rog – PLA stands for Palestine Liberation Army (which was the military wing of the PLO… oops, there we go again! PLO stands for Palestine Liberation Organization).
And yeah, with you on the Munich Olympics tradgedy. That was definitely one of the low points for racially motivated terroism on the International stage back in the 20th century.
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You had to be a government employee to so masterfully pull that one off Glen about the acronyms. That was driven home to me recently at the funeral for the father of one of my daughter’s school friends. He had been in a government department, and a heap of his colleagues went to the funeral. I had the opportunity to converse with a number of them and the stories they told were full of acronyms.
I think under the influence of Life of Brian, I too easily forgot it was really the PLO, rather than the PLA which pulled off all the acts of gratuitous callous violence in the 70’s. When Life of Brian came out, things got confused with the intro to the PFJ, and all its inevitable splinter groups. The only thing any of us can be certain of today is how if we want to join the PFJ, we need to really hate the Romans, and by “really”, I mean “alot”.
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Of course!
The PFJ – People’s Front of Judea.
Your excellent memory has come to the fore again Uncle Rog.
The LWC (Language Warning Committee) has requested I urge caution with the viewing of this clip due to the presence of some spice-enhanced, terribad adjectives –
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A nice comment I’m sure will not get blocked.
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Well Glen, brace yourself. The following is the comment Google or whoever would not dare post:
“I appreciated the warning Glen. Just the thought of those splitters, let alone seeing them, made my blood run cold.”
Wow!
I bet you never thought I was so loose with my pen, let alone my tongue.
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OK, they have removed their ban on me. 🙂
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Controversy envelops SCENIC WRITER’S SHACK.
Give me more!
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Dare I suggest I split from the PFJ, finding I couldn’t really hate the Romans (such was my passion for aqueducts)?
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The word ‘aqueducts’ finally makes its long-awaited debut on SCENIC WRITER’S SHACK. Been wondering when that might occur and I don’t mind admitting the suspense has had me feeling tighter than a piano wire (do they still make ’em with wires?)
Aqueducts – aqueducts – aqueducts.
Now that it’s out, I simply love saying the word ‘aqueducts’!
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Ever so happy to oblige. 🙂
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