Only Angels Have Wings Reviews

[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.

Cary Grant is Cool, Sharp and Likeable

The best bit of “Only Angels Have Wings” is probably the very last scene where Cary Grant, the boss of an air-freight company, says goodbye to Bonnie (played by Jean Arthur). As a flyer who survives the precarious job of transporting mail over the South American Andes he is reluctant to commit to a woman nor ask anyone to commit to him. However his life’s philosophy is challenged when Bonnie unexpectedly arrives on his doorstep as a stop-over boat passenger at the South American port on her way to an entertaining job in Panama. During her stay in Baranca she witnesses the highs and lows of the flyers’ work and surprisingly Grant’s character reveals the self-driven determination of a flying entrepreneur trying to maintain an air-freight company in a highly hostile environment, regardless of the cost. Rita Hayworth makes an appearance as Grant’s ex-girlfriend now married to a disgraced flyer who, due to his past, Grant gives the really difficult jobs to as the expendable one. This old 1939 film leaves one with the feel good factor so reminiscent of films of that era. Grant’s acting is as cool, sharp and likeable as ever seen in his more famous films, particularly at the end.

Kathleen Mortimer

210 Words.

Quite good movie

Its not action movie but good acting made it quite interesting.Cary Grant very handsome and Rita Hayworth before plastic surgery but pretty.Good acting.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Enjoyable, funny and still stands up well against time

Very enjoyable Cary Grant film with the wonderful Jean Arthur. Tense, dramatic and funny.

Cary Grant and Jean Arthur in great form

A good drama from 1939 has Cary Grant cast in a role reminiscent of his part in“His Girl Friday” as the larger than life manager and pilot (only when it is too dangerous for anyone else to fly) of a run down air mail service in a dangerous flying area of Peru.

Arthur is excellent as an entertainer and foil for his outrageous behaviour. Barthelmas is cast as a pilot suspected of cowardice who redeems himself and is part of a large cast all playing roles essential to the drama.

An added pleasure is the historic aeroplanes performing various stunts during dangerous flights and radio equipment all of which would have been standard equipment at the time.

Very well restored this is a real treat for fans of 1930s films

The inspiration

This film was the inspiration for the eighties series Tales of the Gold Monkey.

It's a cracking movie!

What's the point?

36 minutes into the film and I was still waiting for the story to begin. When I finally got to the end of it all, I was wondering: 'What's the point?' Empty, borign, a waste of talent. At least Cary Grant is the usual eye candy...

Great movie

Very good dialogue and great cast of actors !