Great flying sequences, some marvelous special effects, and a great cast are the highlights of "Only Angels Have Wings," directed by Howard Hawks and starring Cary Grant, Jean Arthur, Thomas Mitchell, Richard Barthelmess, and Rita Hayworth. You will also see a youthful Noah Berry, Jr., as well as Allyn Joslyn, Victor Kilian, and Sig Ruman.
"Only Angels Have Wings" is the story of mail carriers who fly often in bad conditions through a perilous mountain pass. They thrive on the excitement and danger. Their boss is Geoff Carter (Cary Grant). Jean Arthur is Bonnie Lee, a chorus girl passing through who decides she can't leave - like a lot of women in the past, she's falling for Carter. One woman who fell for him turns up as the wife (Hayworth) of a new pilot (Barthelmess) who once parachuted out of a plane and left Kid Dabb's (Thomas Mitchell) brother to die. With fliers out of commission or dead, Carter has to use him, but warns him he's only getting the most dangerous missions.
This is a testosterone-heavy movie, very much the kind of thing John Wayne would do. The romantic part of the story, between Carter and Bonnie Lee is lethargic, with fine actress Jean Arthur left standing around worrying. Hayworth, with a decidedly different hairline, has a small but showy role. The meaty roles belong to the men. Grant is terrific as a devil-may-care boss who hides his emotions, and Barthelmess, who would retire after World War II and end his long career, is very good as the disgraced pilot in a role that suited him perfectly. Underplayed, one sees the pain of his past decision on his face. Thomas Mitchell played so many great roles - this time, he's a pilot who has to face his anger as well as a physical problem. Very poignant.
Though a little disjointed and a little too long, "Only Angels Have Wings" has great atmosphere and some spectacular flying sequences and effects. Released in that golden year of 1939, it's another example of Hollywood at its apex.
Only Angels Have Wings
1939
Action / Adventure / Drama / Film-Noir / Romance
Only Angels Have Wings
1939
Action / Adventure / Drama / Film-Noir / Romance
Plot summary
A traveling performer arrives at a remote South American port town where the head of an air freight service must risk his pilots' lives to earn a major contract.
Uploaded by: OTTO
June 04, 2022 at 01:57 AM
Director
Top cast
Tech specs
720p.BLU 1080p.BLUMovie Reviews
High flying, adored
Howard Hawks on familiar territory with this aeroplane adventure/drama.
Geoff Carter is the head of a small run down air freight company in Barranca, one of his best pilots (and friend) is killed, but this is merely only one of the problems he has to deal with as ex flames, potential new sweethearts, and dissension in the camp, all fuse together to test him to the limit.
Howard Hawks was the perfect man for this film because of his aviation background, the result is a very well crafted character study set in a very small locale. Looking at it from the outside you would think that the film was lining up to be a soft soap romantic fable, but here the emotion is channelled into a sort of character bravado that is flawed - yet something that makes for a viewing experience that draws you in deep with the finely etched characters.
The cast are on fine form. Cary Grant gets to flex his non comedic muscles with great results as Carter, the film relies on Grant to glue the story together which he does with great aplomb. Jean Arthur & Rita Hayworth are the girls in amongst this strongly male orientated story, and it's a testament to both of the ladies ability that they don't get bogged down by all the macho heroism pouring out in the plot. Smart camera work and exciting aerial sequences further up the quality that is dotted within the piece, and were it not for some terribly twee dialogue, Only Angels Have Wings would surely be ranked as a classic of the 1930s. As it is, it's a wonderfully involving film that shows Hawks at his most humane. 8/10
A rather odd role for Cary Grant, but still a very good film
Considering that this film was directed by Howard Hawks and featured Cary Grant, Jean Arthur, Rita Hayworth and a star-filled supporting cast, it's not a big surprise that the film worked so well. Now this isn't to say that it is perfect or the finest film of the age--in fact, since it came out in 1939 (probably the greatest year for American films), it was doubtless overshadowed by a host of other films. Sure it couldn't keep up with GONE WITH THE WIND, MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON, GOODBYE MR. CHIPS and a whole host of other huge films that year, but in no way does this mean it wasn't a very good film. In fact, I really can't think of anything bad about the film, though I did find it a bit odd seeing Cary Grant play a role that seemed more designed around an actor like Clark Gable or perhaps Gary Cooper. In other words, seeing the sophisticated gent that was Cary Grant in the South American jungle just didn't seem real. It wasn't really a problem with Grant's performance but more my expectations based on the types of roles he generally played.
The story is about a small struggling airline in the Andes and the group of outcasts who often give up their lives trying to make the dream work. Cary is the boss and the entire organization is thrown into some disarray when Jean Arthur enters this all-male enclave. A bit later, when Richard Barthelmess and Rita Hayworth come along, the chaos seems to intensify. Instead of discussing exactly why all this comes to a boil, it's probably best you just see the film for yourself. The acting and direction, as I stated above, are excellent--plus the writing and action are very good as well. A very good film--particularly for airplane and old movie buffs like myself.
UPDATE: Since seeing this film, I saw John Ford's 1932 film "Air Mail" and the plot is very, very, very similar.