Set in the South American port
town of Barranca, Only
Angels Have Wings is a film about flyers
routinely risking their lives to deliver everything
from mail to medicine. Jean Arthur plays a showgirl
brought into the mix of chummy aviators with names
like Dutchy, Sparks and The Kid. She falls in
love with Cary Grant's Geoff Carter who
runs the airline and sometimes pilots the planes
when he determines a mission is too dangerous
for any of his crew.
Cary
Grant as Carter. |
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Rarely has a fists-in-the-air
adventure film dealt so directly and sensitively
with the fragile nature of life. Death is an ever-present,
right next door reality on this airstrip and these
characters face it with courage, humor and great
affection for one another, recognizing a shared
vulnerability mixed with a lust for flying.
Only Angels
Have Wings is a beautiful movie. The rain-soaked
tropical atmosphere and roped-together bamboo
interiors offer striking contrasts and richly
textured lighting, all highlighted by gorgeous
black and white cinematography. It's also
an extremely charming story, finding subtle ways
to explore the most profound of themes. The film
is ultimately about faith.
Jean Arthur
as Bonnie. |
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Early on, Jean Arthur's
Bonnie Lee marvels as a plane take off. "Oh,
it's the most wonderful thing I've
ever seen. It's really a flying human being,"
she says. Then somewhere around the middle of
the film, a pilot must take off without an airfield.
Despite the obvious danger he flies right off
a cliff, eventually gathering enough speed to
lift into the air.
Thomas Mitchell plays The Kid,
a pilot whose sight has deteriorated and must
perform one last mission. His co-pilot on this
mission had earlier bailed out on a young pilot
who tragically died. The young pilot was The Kid's
brother and now The Kid must put his faith in
a man he holds responsible for his brother's
death.
Carter
& Bonnie. |
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Bonnie's faith in Geoff is
eventually challenged by the arrival of his past
love, played by Rita Hayworth. As well, games
of chance are repeated throughout the film, most
poignantly when Geoff invites Bonnie into a coin
toss. If the coin lands on heads, she stays with
him. If the coin lands on tails, she leaves. She
refuses to toss the coin, offended that he would
allow their future to be determined by something
so haphazard. But then she discovers the coin
is a trick, with heads on both sides. She realizes
Geoff has asked her to take a chance on him.
The casting is perfect. Cary Grant
made seventy-five films in his career and Only
Angels Have Wings gets one wishing he had
made seventy-five more. Jean Arthur remarkably
balances her devotion to Grant with a feisty independence
and Thomas Mitchell bursts with so much humanity
he could deliver a touching performance standing
silently in a corner.
Bonnie in the
middle. |
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Jules Furthman (Morocco,
Mutiny on the Bounty,
The Big Sleep)
wrote the script and it was directed by Howard
Hawks with his usual fast-paced finesse. At one
point Bonnie mentions, "Say, things sure
do happen fast around here," which seems
more a comment on Hawks directing than the actual
plot. There have been several great directors
in Hollywood's history but Hawks, probably
more than any other, proved himself the most skillful
at investing his particular style within so many
different genres.
Only Angels Have Wings
is simply one of the greatest movies ever made.
Any underestimating of its value may be due to
the year of its release. 1939 was arguably Hollywood's
best year and this little gem may have been overshadowed
by a few of the year's more colorful releases
like Gone With
The Wind, The Adventures
of Robin Hood and The
Wizard of Oz. Still,
despite these other masterpieces, Only
Angels Have Wings did
win oscar nominations for Best Cinematography
and Best Special Effects. As well, it opened the
floodgates for greater stardom and more quality
roles for Cary Grant and Jean Arthur. (Stephen
Jared) |