Only Angels Have Wings Details

[Highly rated reviewer]

Coming to terms with death

This is one of the themes of this fascinating film. So it is kinda like a philosophy film dressed up as an action movie. In particular it looks at how a group of people deal with their mortality; in this case in the admittedly dangerous business of flying mail through the Andes in rickety 1930's planes. If you are looking for an action movie you may be disappointed since what you get is a lot of conversation on studio sets and action scenes done mainly with models and backdrops (the backdrop actually moves a fraction in one of the early scenes). This lack of sophistication was OK for audiences in 1939, not for today's audience in the digital age. For me this is still a marvellous film as Cary Grant (so very good here) pursues his dangerous work with stoical rigour always prepared for the worst to happen as it certainly will in these early days of flight. And he pulls the whole team along with him. Hawks was a great director and never better than here at getting wonderful performances. Special mention here for Jean Arthur, Thomas Mitchell, and Richard Barthelmass. A lot is down to the extremely sharp script from James Furthman, wonderful black and white cinematography, beautifully lit and great design from the art department. OK we always know it's a studio set but the artificial atmosphere just seems to heighten the focus on the intimate action on screen. A word about this dvd transfer - it is simply marvelous and looks like a movie made yesterday.

Disapponting

I'd heard a lot of positive things about Only Angels Have Wings and have to say I was midly disappointed with the film.

Cary Grant plays a civil aviator whose job is to deliver the mail through the treachorous Andes. He meets Jean Arthur who is passing through and both are instantly attracted to each other, played out with sharp dialogue and good acting. However, I thought the film dragged in the middle section and lacked some of the trademark Howard Hawks flair and imagination despite some excellent camera work in the aviation sequences.