Only Angels Have Wings

Only Angels Have Wings (1939)

Runtime: 121 minutes

Directed by: Howard Hawks

Starring: Cary Grant, Jean Arthur, Richard Barthelmess, Thomas Mitchell, Rita Hayworth

From: Columbia

Another review done via request. Earlier in the month, I gave a positive review to the 1952 movie Mogambo; this was mentioned on a messageboard. Another regular on the board mentioned this film as one he was a fan of. Of course I’ve known of Only Angels Have Wings for years. A highly-regarded Howard Hawks film starring Cary Grant, Jean Arthur, and Rita Hayworth… shame on me for never giving it a shot sooner.

The setting of “South American Port Town” was a great one; Grant’s Geoff Carter was the stern, standoffish leader of a small airline who has the unenviable task of flying 1930’s aircraft through dangerous, high passes in the Andes Mountains. However, he does have the enviable task of expressing interest in both Arthur and Hayworth… but seriously, the film opens with a light tone before revealing the dark undercurrent that resides in this fatalistic, insular world where every pilot’s flight could be their last & Carter himself flew the riskiest flights. Arthur was the fish out of water character who was also the voice of reason.

This is another example of an enthralling journey where I’d rather not reveal too much. I will note that the film has a panoply of colorful, unforgettable characters. The airplane footage is still impressive today but the crux of the focus is on the players and their drama while on the ground. The two-hour runtime… flew by. Of course, Grant and Arthur were solid but it was Rita with a minimal amount of screentime which made me understood why after this film, she skyrocketed in popularity. Silent star Richard Barthelmess was appropriately weathered-looking for his role. In addition, I was personally happy to see Three Stooges regular Vernon Dent in a bit part.

Wings has action, melodrama, heartbreak, romance, and some laughs in an enticing package. 1939 is generally regarded as the best year in the history of cinema (and to think, Thomas Mitchell was in this and several other classics released that year)-there’s no shortage of movies from this year worth seeing—Only Angels Have Wings is another worth seeing without a doubt. The stunning nature of the conclusion alone is motivation should be motivation for those fools like me that took a random Internet poster’s praise to finally DVR the movie when it played on cable.