SOS fire on board

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Movie
German title SOS fire on board
Original title Only Angels Have Wings
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1939
length 121/107 (abridged German version) minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director Howard Hawks
script Howard Hawks,
Jules Furthman ,
Eleanore Griffin ,
William Rankin
production Howard Hawks
for Columbia Pictures
music Dimitri Tiomkin
camera Joseph Walker
cut Viola Lawrence
occupation
synchronization

SOS fire on board (original title: Only Angels Have Wings ) is an American adventure film directed by Howard Hawks from 1939. Hawks also appeared as a screenwriter and producer on behalf of Columbia Pictures . While Cary Grant and Jean Arthur starred in the film about a group of airplane pilots working in South America , silent film star Richard Barthelmess made a comeback in a supporting role , and Rita Hayworth , also in a supporting role, made a comeback after many years in small B- Filming her breakthrough in Hollywood .

action

On a foggy night, the ship “San Luis” docks in the port of Barranca, a small town somewhere in South America. Showgirl Bonnie Lee from Brooklyn is on board . The young woman is on the crossing to Panama looking for a new job. When the ship has to wait a while longer in port for its onward journey, she decides to disembark. In a local café she meets the two American pilots Les Peters and Joe Souther, who are flying airmail over the Andes for a second-class airline . Bonnie agrees to accompany her compatriots to her base for a few drinks. Once there, Chief Pilot Geoff Carter has an urgent assignment for Joe. Despite the bad weather, the young aviator is supposed to deliver the latest mail safely to Peru . However, due to the thick fog, Joe had to turn around and crashed during a risky landing maneuver. Bonnie is deeply shaken by Joe's tragic accidental death as the men around her, especially Geoff, remain calm and quickly get back to their routine work. Later in the evening, Bonnie learns that it is not just Geoff's business acumen and strict work ethic as a pilot that are responsible for his lack of emotion: a few years ago there was a woman in his life who left him because of dangerous flying, which is why he has had no emotional ties since then avoids. Bonnie decides to stay in Barranca a little longer to get to know Geoff better.

The next day, Bat MacPherson, a new pilot, arrives at the airfield to replace Joe. Geoff recognizes in him the man whose cowardice once killed the brother of his best friend Kid when he parachuted out of his burning plane, but left his mechanic behind. Geoff hires MacPherson due to a lack of capable employees, but from now on all other fliers avoid him out of contempt. Kid finds it particularly difficult to keep his anger at his new colleague in check. MacPherson's wife, Judy, has no inkling of her husband's inglorious past. When she meets Geoff in the bar at the base, they are both surprised to see each other again, as she is the same woman who once left him. In the period that followed, MacPherson received the most dangerous jobs and accepted them without complaint, in the hope that this would help him win back the respect of the other pilots. Meanwhile, Bonnie suspects that the attractive Judy is Geoff's old flame, and cannot help but feel jealous.

When one day a cargo with highly flammable nitroglycerin is to be transported, it is again MacPherson who agrees to fly the cargo over the Andes, although a violent storm is looming on the horizon. While he is already in the air, Judy visits Geoff in his command room to find out why her husband is treated so badly by the others and why he has to do the most daring flights. Since Judy can not get rid of and the weather is noticeably worsening, Geoff MacPhersons mission aborts and orders him back over the radio. The following evening, Geoff finds Judy drunk in the bar. Her husband refused to tell her about his past, which is why she now wants to end the marriage. Geoff makes her understand that she should trust MacPherson and that there are things a man would rather keep to himself. Then, to his surprise, Geoff finds Bonnie in his room, who wants to take a bath there, as her own accommodation has neither a shower nor a bathtub. Shortly thereafter, Judy knocks on the door to inform him that he is right and that she should loyally stand by her husband. She thanks and goes back to her husband. When Geoff and Bonnie get closer, she assures him that she is ready to accept his dangerous job without whining and complaining. At that moment, Geoff is called by the Kid on a test flight with a new aircraft. Together they want to bring an important cargo to its destination, although thick clouds of fog are again forming. Despite a sincere effort to pull herself together, Bonnie fears for Geoff's life and refuses to let him go. She picks up his pistol and tries to force him to stay. A shot accidentally goes off and hits Geoff in the shoulder. Now he can no longer control the plane, which is why MacPherson agrees to take on the task together with Kid.

The Andean condor

When MacPherson and Kid fly through a pass in the Andes and have to rely almost exclusively on their instruments due to poor visibility, they inadvertently scare away a group of birds. One of the animals, a large Andean condor , crashes into her windshield with full force and breaks Kid's neck. Another gets caught in one of the engines and the plane catches fire. Injured and unable to move, Kid tells MacPherson to jump off the plane and save his life. But this time MacPherson doesn't want to let his copilot down. He manages to land the plane in Barranca and pull Kid off the plane. But Kid is too badly wounded and soon succumbs to his injuries. Before he dies, he forgives MacPherson and says goodbye to Geoff. MacPherson will from now on be respected by all pilots as an equal colleague. Meanwhile, Bonnie has packed her things to leave Barranca. However, she secretly hopes Geoff would ask her to stay. Instead, he suggests letting a coin decide. It should stay with head, go with tails. Her head falls and Geoff gives her a kiss before going back to work. When Bonnie notices that the coin adorns a head on either side, she knows that Geoff wanted her to stay in his own way.

background

prehistory

Director Howard Hawks , himself an avid pilot, lost his brother Kenneth, then Mary Astor's husband , in a plane crash in 1930 . Hawks processed this event and a few other aviation stories into a short story in 1938 under the title Plane Four from Barranca , which was later to provide the basis for the script of SOS Fire on Board . He later recalled: “I linked these stories together, but they are all based on real events.” Hawks was able to use his own experiences as a guide: “In SOS Fire on Board , I knew each of the characters from my own experience. I knew exactly how they talk. "

Hawks, who had already made films about pilots in the past with Start into the Twilight (1930) and Today We Live (1933), returned with SOS Fire on board to this complex of topics about a closed society of men who live by strict rules and newcomers only accepted if they recognize the existing guidelines and rituals.

Cast and filming

With the role of die-hard Geoff Carter, Cary Grant was able to expand his range as an actor, after he had played mostly humorous gentleman roles in a number of romantic comedies during the 1930s, such as in Hawks' You Don't Kiss the Leopard (1938) by Katharine Hepburn . For Jean Arthur , too , SOS Fire on Board was a welcome departure from the numerous comedies with which she had become the top star of Columbia Pictures from 1936 . However, she only took on the role of showgirl Bonnie Lee after her plans failed to appear alongside Gary Cooper in the Western Union Pacific , directed by Cecil B. DeMille . Joel McCrea and Barbara Stanwyck got the lead roles in this production instead. Arthur was then supposed to take on the role of Lorna Moon in Golden Boy (1939), but here too she was replaced by Barbara Stanwyck. As a result, while filming SOS Fire on board , Arthur struggled to cope with Hawks' tendency to improvise dialogue. When the director wanted Bonnie to be played subtly and sexy by her, she replied curtly, “I can't do that,” which is why Hawks told her after filming that she was “one of the few people [he] has worked with whom [he] could not help at all ”.

The then only 20-year-old Rita Hayworth got her first role in a large-scale Columbia production with the film, after she had only been seen in small supporting roles or as the heroine of numerous B-films for several years . Studio boss Harry Cohn personally convinced Howard Hawks to entrust Hayworth with the role of Judy. Hawks recognized her inexperience with her acting skills early on, but he still thought she was suitable for the role: “I have a theory that the camera likes certain people and doesn't like others. She had a face that I knew I could capture with the camera without any problems. She was very attractive, but also very nervous. "Hayworth later confirmed her nervousness in an interview:" It was a difficult film for me. I had never made a big movie before and I was downright intimidated. ”When she found it difficult to convincingly portray the drunk in a scene, Hawk's lead actor, Cary Grant, instructed him to pour ice-cold water over Hayworth's head during another attempt , towel dry her hair and spontaneously change the dialogue to get a natural reaction. “She worked hard [...]. But she couldn't play drunk and I wouldn't have asked her anything that she wasn't able to do at the time. She was just a kid and scared because she worked with some of the best actors in the business here, ”said Hawks.

Silent film star Richard Barthelmess had already played a pilot in 1930 in Start Into Twilight , directed by Howard Hawks. With SOS Feuer on board , he attempted a comeback after giving up his career in 1936, although he had survived the transition to talkies relatively unscathed. Since his former success was largely based on his boyish appearance, he had his bags under the eyes reduced in size in Paris . But the cuts under his eyes became infected and deep scars remained that could only be covered with thick make-up. Hawks, however, insisted on not covering them up for the film because he said that "these scars tell his story and are important to [his] role." In addition, the director had wooden boards removed from the set, which were originally intended to give the rather small actor more body size in order to illustrate his low rank among the pilots.

Remarks

In the film, aircraft and model aircraft of the type Ford 5-AT were used.
  • Originally the original title should be Pilot Number 4 .
  • The radio message “Calling Barranca”, which was repeated several times in the film, was later often quoted in cartoons. a. in which the Looney Tunes .
  • SOS Fire On Board was Cary Grant's 33rd film in just seven years. At the same time it was his second of a total of five films that he made together with Hawks. The other four were the comedies Leopards You Don't Kiss (1938), His Special Girl (1940), I Was a Male War Bride (1949), and Darling, I'm Getting Younger (1952).
  • In America, Cary Grant was later often imitated with the line "Judy, Judy, Judy!" It is said that she came from SOS fire on board , although she is not mentioned in the film.
  • Actor Thomas Mitchell managed to play a major supporting role in five of the most financially successful films in 1939. In addition to SOS fire on board , he was also seen in Ringo , The Hunchback of Notre Dame , Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and as the father of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind .

reception

publication

On May 10, 1939, there was a preview of SOS Fire On Board in Hollywood - just twelve days after filming was completed. The next day the film celebrated its official world premiere at Radio City Music Hall in New York . Richard Barthelmess' return to the screen and Rita Hayworth's appearance were particularly acclaimed. On May 29, 1939, a radio play version of the film was released by the Lux Radio Theater in the United States, in which Cary Grant, Jean Arthur, Thomas Mitchell and Rita Hayworth repeated their roles. With grossing more than one million dollars, the film was the third top-grossing film by Columbia Pictures in 1939; only the films Lebenskünstler and Mr. Smith goes to Washington by director Frank Capra recorded more for the studio. In addition, SOS Fire on Board was one of the twelve US films selected for the first Cannes International Film Festival , which was due to begin on September 1, 1939. But the outbreak and course of the Second World War postponed the opening of the festival for a whole seven years.

In Germany the film was released on August 25, 1950. It was first broadcast on German television on December 1, 1965. It was released on DVD in 2005.

Reviews

Frank S. Nugent of the New York Times certified director Howard Hawks, "brilliantly staged the flight sequences" and "[used] the acting talents of the actors to good effect". Nevertheless, SOS Fire on board makes all in all "an all too familiar overall impression". The film is "a pretty good melodrama, but nothing more". Variety said Hawks "told the story in an inspiring way" for the film. Jean Arthur is "excellent" in her role. Furthermore, the cynicism and the existing romance between Grant and Arthur are "on a high level". The Motion Picture Herald was exuberant at the time: “Seldom, if ever, has the screen shown such a thrill in flying; rarely, if ever, have such characters been wrapped in a story that is all about spectacle, comedy and emotion. "

Zach Campbell of Slant Magazine , in retrospect, called the film a “masterpiece” that contained “a fantastic range of opposing emotions and attitudes towards life”: “Equanimity and sorrow, pragmatism and mysticism, stasis and change.” Hal Erickson of the All Movie Guide spoke of one “Treasure chest full of concise dialogues”. Although the flying scenes sometimes appeared artificial “through obvious miniatures”, they were “by and large still first class”. For the lexicon of international films, it was "an effective adventure film with typical Howard Hawks ingredients, gripping action, atmosphere and a number of attractive stars".

Awards

At the Academy Awards in 1940 , competition from today's film classics such as Gone with the Wind , Ninotschka and Goodbye, Mr. Chips was particularly fierce. SOS Fire on Board received two nominations in the categories Best Camera and Best Special Effects . Cinematographer Joseph Walker was defeated by Gregg Toland with Sturmhöhe and Roy Davidson and Edwin C. Hahn were ultimately unable to prevail over India with their effects against night . In 2017, SOS Fire On Board was added to the National Film Registry .

German version

The German dubbed version was created in 1950 by Ala-Film GmbH Munich under the dialogue direction by Conrad von Molo .

role actor Voice actor
Geoff Carter Cary Grant Heinz Engelmann
Asked MacPherson Richard Barthelmess Ernst von Klipstein
Judy MacPherson Rita Hayworth Gisela Breiderhoff
Kid dabb Thomas Mitchell Werner Lieven
John "Dutchy" Vanrider Sig Ruman Herbert Gernot
Reynolds "Sparks" Victor Kilian Klaus W. Krause
Joe Souther Noah Beery Jr. John Pauls-Harding

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ "I put these stories together but it was all based on true incidents." Howard Hawks quoted. after John Kobal: Rita Hayworth: The Time, The Place and the Woman . WW Norton, New York 1977, p. 74.
  2. ↑ “In Only Angels Have Wings , I knew every character personally that was in that picture. I knew how they talked. ” Howard Hawks quoted. after Joseph McBride: Hawks on Hawks . Univ. California Press, 1982.
  3. ↑ "I can't do that kind of stuff." Jean Arthur quoted Adapted from Todd McCarthy: Howard Hawks: The Gray Fox of Hollywood . Grove Press, 2000, p. 272.
  4. ↑ "You are one of the few people I've worked with that I don't think I've helped at all." Howard Hawks quoted. Adapted from Todd McCarthy: Howard Hawks: The Gray Fox of Hollywood . Grove Press, 2000, p. 272.
  5. ↑ “I have a theory that the camera likes certain people and not others. Well, she had a face I knew I could photograph, no problems about that. She was very attractive, very nervous. " Howard Hawks quoted. after John Kobal: Rita Hayworth: The Time, The Place and the Woman . WW Norton, New York 1977, p. 77.
  6. ↑ “It was a difficult film for me. I hadn't been in a big 'A' picture before and I was really frightened. ” Rita Hayworth quoted. after John Kobal: Rita Hayworth: The Time, The Place and the Woman . WW Norton, New York 1977, p. 77.
  7. ↑ “She worked hard […]. But she couldn't play a drunk, and I wouldn't ask for things that were beyond her at the time. She was just a kid and scared, and here she was working with a bunch of the best actors in the business. " Howard Hawks quoted. after John Kobal: Rita Hayworth: The Time, The Place and the Woman . WW Norton, New York 1977, p. 77.
  8. ↑ “[…] those scars tell the story and are important to your character” Howard Hawks quote. Adapted from Todd McCarthy: Howard Hawks: The Gray Fox of Hollywood . Grove Press, 2000, p. 270.
  9. ^ H. Hugh Wynne: The Motion Picture Stunt Pilots and Hollywood's Classic Aviation Movies . Pictorial Histories Publishing Co., 1987, ISBN 0-933126-85-9 , p. 174.
  10. ^ A b Todd McCarthy: Howard Hawks: The Gray Fox of Hollywood . Grove Press, 2000, p. 275.
  11. ↑ “Mr. Hawks has staged his flying sequences brilliantly. [...] He has made proper use of the amiable performing talents of Mr. Grant, Miss Arthur, Thomas Mitchell, Mr. Barthelmess, Sig Rumann and the rest. But when you add it all up, Only Angels Have Wings comes to an overly familiar total. It's a fairly good melodrama, nothing more. " Frank S. Nugent : Howard Hawks's 'Only Angels Have Wings' Reaches Music Hall . In: The New York Times , May 12, 1939.
  12. ^ “In Only Angels Have Wings , Howard Hawks had a story to tell and he has done it inspiringly well. […] Jean Arthur […] is excellent for the assignment. […] The Grant-Arthur cynicism and unyielding romantics are kept at a high standard. " See Only Angels Have Wings . In: Variety , 1939.
  13. ↑ “Seldom if ever have such thrills of aviation been shown on the screen; seldom if ever have such characterizations been blended in a story that have equal spectacle, comedy, feeling. " Motion Picture Herald quot. after Gene Ringgold: The Films of Rita Hayworth . Citadel Press, Secaucus 1974, p. 104.
  14. ↑ "This masterwork embodies a fantastic range of opposite states of mind and being: stoicism / grief, pragmatism / mysticism, stasis / change." Zach Campbell: Only Angels Have Wings ( May 16, 2010 memento on the Internet Archive ). In: Slant Magazine , October 2, 2003.
  15. ^ " Only Angels Have Wings is a treasure trove of terse, pithy dialogue. [...] Though sometimes laid low by obvious miniatures, the aerial scenes in Only Angels Have Wings are by and large first-rate. " Hal Erickson , cf. omovie.com
  16. ↑ SOS fire on board. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed April 7, 2019 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  17. ↑ SOS fire on board. In: synchronkartei.de. German synchronous index , accessed on May 25, 2019 .
  18. ↑ cf. synchrondatenbank.de