Height zero
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Height zero |
| Original title | Ceiling Zero |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1936 |
| length | 90 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Howard Hawks |
| script |
Frank Wead , Morrie Ryskind |
| production |
Hal B. Wallis , Jack L. Warner |
| music |
Bernhard Kaun , MK Jerome |
| camera | Arthur Edeson |
| cut | William Holmes |
| occupation | |
| |
Height Zero (original title: Ceiling Zero ) is an American adventure film by Howard Hawks from 1936. The script is based on the play of the same name by screenwriter Frank Wead , who was himself a pilot in the US Navy.
action
Newarks Federal Airlines CEO Al Stone is against the hiring of pilot Dizzy Davies as a mail plane by his subordinate Jake Lee. Lee and Davies, known as a womanizer and daredevil aviator, are old friends. Davies meets the pilot Tommy Thomas, with whom he falls in love. To be able to spend time with her, he pretends to have heart problems. His friend Texas Clark takes over the flight to Cleveland planned for him . The flight is dangerous due to bad weather. On the return flight, Clark is caught in thick fog and visibility is zero. He also has radio problems. When attempting to land in Newark, Clark can no longer control his machine and crashes into a hangar with it. The plane catches fire, but Clark is rescued from the machine and taken to a hospital.
Not only does Lee find out that Davies falsely called in sick. He also learns of a previous affair his friend had with his wife Mary. When Davies runs the risk of losing his pilot's license, however, Lee stands behind him. He is negotiating with Inspector Allen at the Department of Commerce. The airline is said to be buying inferior aircraft from the aircraft manufacturer Adams, but Davies is to keep his license. However, Davies refuses to keep his license through such a trade.
Clark has now died from his serious injuries. Davies feels guilty that Clark's widow Lou makes him grave allegations. A bad weather front is approaching, which causes Lee to cancel all night flights. He visits Lou and leaves Davies as a deputy at the airport. Lawson, a pilot who didn't notice the cancellations, walks into the hangar. Davies refuses to allow him to fly the new machines, which have problems with the de-icing mechanism. Then Davies knocks Lawson down and gets into one of the machines himself. Lee and the others are shaken when they return to the airfield. Davies radioed defrosting problems and his views on how to solve the problem. During its flight through a snowstorm, the layer of ice that causes the plane to crash grows.
background
The play on which the film is based premiered on April 10, 1935 and played 104 times. The film premiered on January 16, 1936 in the United States. In Germany it first appeared on May 21, 1975 as part of a TV premiere in the third program of the WDR . It was also broadcast under the title Altitude: Zero .
The jazz musician Jerry Jerome can be seen in a small supporting role as a mechanic . The costumes are from Orry-Kelly . The later director Lesley Selander worked as assistant director . The musical director was Leo F. Forbstein .
A remake of the film was made in 1941, directed by Lothar Mendes and Lewis Seiler , entitled International Squadron . The future US President Ronald Reagan played the main role.
Reviews
The lexicon of international films judged: “Staged with temperament, exactly in the description of the atmosphere and brilliantly played: A song of praise to the pioneers of aviation, to friendship and camaraderie; merged with a cliché picture of women, who at best appear to help men. "
Variety emphasized that the film did justice to the stage play and was even better in details. The structure of the play is faithfully followed. Frank S. Nugent of the New York Times wrote that a brittle play had been turned into a robust and virile film. The handsome production is written succinctly and played perfectly. Even Dave Kehr of the Chicago Reader was thrilled with the "excellent fliers drama". He also praised Cagey's "perfect" portrait and the "perfectly launched fast-paced dialogue".
Web links
- Height zero in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Height zero at Turner Classic Movies (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ height zero. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed June 3, 2019 .
- ↑ See Ceiling Zero . In: Variety , 1936.
- ↑ Frank S. Nugent : James Cagney and Pat O'Brien in the Strand's Crackling Melodrama, 'Ceiling Zero.' . In: The New York Times , January 20, 1936.
- ↑ Dave Kehr : Ceiling Zero . In: Chicago Reader .