The Flight of the Phoenix (1965)

Watching it after many years, my most striking observation was that despite its gentle pace and a running time of well over 2 hours, I found it riveting.  That’s something I can’t say for its 2004 remake, which is 30 minutes shorter.

Doubtless, some of the credit for that should go to Robert Aldrich, for his inspired direction, and some to the amazing star cast.  It isn’t often that you have names such as James Stewart, Richard Attenborough, Peter Finch, Ernest Borgnine, and George Kennedy in a single movie.  Add to that, you have memorable performances from Hardy Krüger, Ronald Fraser, and Ian Bannen (who is outstanding).  Yet, I couldn’t help thinking that a lot of the impact was due to the depth and quality of the writing.

It has the contours of a survival thriller- how a group of survivors from a plane crash in the Sahara take an audacious, if implausible, approach to finding their way back to civilization. But it has been brilliantly fashioned as a character drama that milks tension from inter-personal conflict in the course of accomplishing an urgent, common objective. It is noteworthy that there are practically no sub-plots, or fillers or distractions of any real consequence. 

This may seem odd but the more I thought about the writing, I found myself also thinking of that much revered movie, 12 Angry Men.  Apart from some of the things mentioned above being similar, both movies have an all-male cast, and are set within a single location.  Both movies have something to say about leadership and teamwork.  Whether a comparison is justified or not, it certainly enhanced my appreciation for The Flight of the Phoenix.

Here’s a link to the trailer.