It seemed like a simple exercise. With a masters degree in drama with a minor in film and television and post graduate work at the New York University institute of film and television, I thought I was qualified for the assignment to make a list of the best and worst aviation movies. My first thought was that there couldn't be that many films with aviation themes from which to choose. Some sprang quickly to mind, triggering the memories of others. But then an internet search on Google indicated it wasn't going to be as easy as I'd thought. I found a list of movies with an aviation theme that was compiled by Susan Nicosia at Daniel Webster College, Nashua, New Hampshire. The list includes some 350 movies in alphabetical order from Above and Beyond to Zero Hour. There are some obvious classics and there are others that, while featuring impressive air-to-air photography and exciting aerial shots, fall apart when the characters are on the ground. War has been the mother of invention of aviation advances and war is a popular subject of movies with aviation themes--and some of the best.
Even the best films often have technical problems that mar the realism, but movies--at least for me, are best viewed from an attitude of suspended belief. And I'm good at that. I'm sure you'll have different ideas of what the best aviation movies are, but, for what it's worth, here are my choices (in no particular order) with the name of the director and the major members of the casts.
And the winners are:
Hell's Angels (1930) Directed by Howard Hughes Cast: Ben Lyon (Monte Rutledge) James Hall (Roy Rutledge) Jean Harlow (Helen as Jean Harlowe) John Darrow (Karl Armstedt)
The story follows two brothers, Roy and Monte Rutledge, who are attending Oxford University when the first World War begins and they enlist in the RAF. The two volunteer for a mission to bomb a German munitions facility.
The film, at $3.8 million, was the most expensive at the time but the air combat scenes that required more than 125 pilots were worth the cost. Some of the scenes show a sky filled with airplanes in dog fights. Reports indicated that three pilots were killed during the filming. The film was made well before computer generated graphics so what you see is what was there. In addition to the impressive air battles, the film also marked the debut of Jean Harlow.
The Flight of the Phoenix (1965) Directed by Robert Aldrich Cast: James Stewart (Capt. Frank Towns) Richard Attenborough (Lew Moran) Peter Finch (Capt. Harris) Hardy Krüger (Heinrich Dorfmann as Hardy Kruger) Ernest Borgnine (E. "Trucker" Cobb)
A plane crashes in the Sahara Desert after encountering a swarm of locusts. One of the passengers who claims to be an airplane designer proposes rebuilding the airplane from the wreckage.
The film provides an interesting view of "pilot in command" as Jimmy Stewart, the pilot and Hardy Kruger, the designer, shift roles during the re-building of the airplane. Paul Mantz, a famous stunt pilot, was killed during the filming. Mantz was to make a low pass, running his landing gear along the ground, so it would appear the airplane was taking off. On the second take the plane crashed and Mantz was killed. I noted the airplane in the final scene has wheels and not skis, but who cares?
The film is more about what happens after the crash and the interaction between the characters. Could they build a flying airplane from the wreckage. Would it fly, particularly with people prostrate on the top of the wing. Who cares?
The original airplane, a C-82 was replaced with an O-47 to finish the flying scenes. The plane that Mantz flew was put together from a Beech C-45 and a T-6 and, while it appeared flimsy, actually had passed an FAA inspection. Originally, Mantz' partner in Tallmantz Aviation, Frank Tallman, was slated to make the flight but a fall and shattered kneecap precluded his making the flight.
The Spirit of St. Louis (1957) Directed by Billy Wilder Cast: James Stewart (Charles Augustus 'Slim' Lindbergh) Murray Hamilton (Bud Gurney) Patricia Smith (Mirror Girl)
The film details Charles Lindbergh's early days of flying the mail and his solo flight across the Atlantic from New York to Paris in 1927.
It's interesting that most complaints about this film mention the disparity in age between Jimmy Stewart who was about twice the age Lindbergh had been when he made the flight. Although we all know the flight was successful, it's hard not to suck in your breath as you watch the over-loaded Ryan stagger into the air on takeoff. Although the flashbacks give some relief, it's impressive that although so much of the plot takes place in the airplane's cockpit, we willingly ride along with Lucky Lindy. There's a question of whether the encounter with ice actually happened on the transatlantic flight or was encountered on the flight from San Diego to New York. The flight was a feat that defined the future of aviation and is of major historical significance.
