Night flight (film)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Movie
German title Night flight
Original title Night flight
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1933
length 84 minutes
Rod
Director Clarence Brown
script Oliver HP Garrett
production Clarence Brown for MGM
music Herbert Stothart
camera Oliver T. Marsh
cut Hal C. Kern
occupation

Nachtflug (Original title: Night Flight ) is an American feature film from 1933 with a star cast that includes John Barrymore , Helen Hayes , Clark Gable , Lionel Barrymore , Robert Montgomery and Myrna Loy . The film is based on the novel of the same name by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry .

action

In Rio de Janeiro, polio broke out in the early 1930s. In order to save the sick children, the private airline Trans-Andean European Air Mail is commissioned to collect the necessary serum from Santiago de Chile. In the course of the dramatic events, the pilot Jules Fabien died in a crash and it was only thanks to the courageous efforts of a Brazilian pilot that the serum could be made available on time.

background

After the success of the film People in the Hotel , which in 1932 cast all the main roles with top stars for the first time and thus established the star cast , a whole cycle of comparable productions began. MGM hoped to have similar success with night flight . Yet despite the star roster assembled for the cast, including Helen Hayes and Clark Gable , who had only recently appeared together in The White Sister , film ended up being unpopular at the box office.

The script consisted of numerous, separate locations and episodes, so that some of the stars did not share scenes. Although Helen Hayes plays Clark Gable's worried wife, they are never seen together on camera. Myrna Loy shot exclusively with William Gargan and did not meet any of her other co-stars during the filming.

Theatrical release

The production cost was 499,000 US dollars, a comparatively small budget despite the star lineup. In the US, the film grossed a relatively low $ 576,000, with an additional $ 503,000 coming from overseas markets. A cumulative total of $ 1,079,000 gave the studio a meager profit of just $ 176,000 in the end.

criticism

The reviews were positive.

The New York Times called the film a vibrant and engaging production.

Variety expressed itself in a similarly positive way , where night flight was described as a competently staged story.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Jay S. Steinberg: Night Flight (1933) - Articles. In: Turner Classic Movies . Retrieved October 26, 2019 .
  2. ^ Mordaunt Hall : John and Lionel Barrymore, Helen Hayes and Others in a Pictorial Adaptation of 'Night Flight.' In: The New York Times . October 7, 1933 ( online at the New York Times [accessed October 26, 2019]): “a vivid and engrossing production”
  3. ↑ Night Flight. In: Variety . 1933, accessed on October 26, 2019 (English): "a competently done saga"