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To quote to the movie cliché on the back of the VHS cover, this is old-time adventure, "the kind they don't make anymore."

Well, they've always made good adventure stories through the years but you get the message: it's simply a good, solid story done well on film .

What puts this a notch above other adventure tales of its day are: 1 - excellent cinematography; 2 - interesting aerial scenes with neat-looking planes flying in the fog and around and above the treacherous Andes Mountains; 3 - a top- notch cast featuring Cary Grant, Jean Arthur, Rita Hayworth, Richard Barthelmess, Thomas Mitchell, Allyn Joslyn, Sig Ruman, John Carroll and Noah Beery Jr., and 4 - a story that is generally interesting.

I say "generally" because there are a few dry spots, mainly Arthur's continued pining over Grant, but most of it fun to watch and it gets you involved in the story. Ruman and Barthelmess were especially good in their supporting roles. Hayworth's role, one of her first, was not that much.

In all, a solid adventure-romance tale, and I'm shocked it gets so little attention on this website, with under 20 reviews as of my writing.

This may be an overlooked Howard Hawks film. It's really a thoughtful film with substance under the guise of Hollywood famous stars and lively screenplay banters. Subject touches on death just 20 minutes into the film. Certainly no dull pacing. It has golden segments, like the exchanges between Grant and Barthelmess, Grant and Mitchell, Mitchell and Arthur, Arthur and Grant, and 10 minutes later, we see people gathered round by the piano singing songs and cajoling - not without sorrow beneath. Be not fooled, sentiments are there for friends passed away. It's not, but it is, a way of handling grief.

It's life, matter of fact and not hung up or lingering, simply moving on, devil may care, with boldness, dare, and risk-woe-begotten (or forgotten, for that matter). Men - one track-minded, to fly to deliver no-matter-what. Women - worry, or why worry. To love the man, much of letting go and let him be comes with the territory, even if it's Jean Arthur or Rita Hayworth. The story revolves around not just Cary Grant's Geoff leading the pack in the Andes, but also Thomas Mitchell's brother gone, Richard Barthelmess' past recur, Rita Hayworth's nostalgic fear, and the spunky, sentimental Jean Arthur's Bonnie wraps it all up. The supporting cast aptly contributes from the restaurant-hotel-mailing service owner, the lively South American accents and melody, to the pilots who are green and know not what peril is, and the lone fog-watcher and his donkey. Secrets revealed, conflicts challenged, and there's a growing promotion of trust through it all. Between business partners, colleagues, friendship or marriage - that unquestionable trust, without asking out loud but understood within - is what life and dare all about.

This film grew on me. I first saw it on cable TCM the latter half and couldn't wait to catch it again for the full story. Screenplay by Jules Furthman, music score by Dimitri Tiomkin, directed and produced by Howard Hawks, "Only Angels Have Wings" 1939 (available on DVD) is full of life, humor, drama, adventurous spirits, and non-stop exchange of word deliveries - entertaining, enjoyable, and heart-warming.

The best film that Howard Hawks's Only Angels Have Wings can be compared to is Hawks's own Ceiling Zero. The former was adapted from the stage play by Spig Wead and for whatever reason Warner Brothers did not put in the kind of production values the A list cast from that film should have warranted. In my review for IMDb I said it was a photographed stage play.

Hawks seems to have made the corrections for the deficiencies of Ceiling Zero in this film. First of all he wrote the story for Only Angels Have Wings and made sure to put in enough action and he took the action away from the control room of that small airline in an unnamed South American country. He also cast the leads against type, Cary Grant as a cynical, existential Bogart like hero and Jean Arthur as the wise cracking show girl stranded in the tropics. A part that Rita Hayworth would play to perfection later on.

Rita's in this one as well, in the first substantial part in an A picture. She plays the wife of disgraced flier Richard Barthelmess and one of Cary Grant's old flames. According to a recent biography of Jean Arthur, she and Rita did not get along so well. Both of them are retiring types and each thought the other was being snooty to her. Arthur found that out later on and was far more cordial as was Rita. Arthur was also upset that the future glamor queen of America would get all the notice. Rita sure got enough of it.

But there were plaudits all around. Howard Hawks got great performances out of Grant and Arthur, expanding the range of both these talented people. Only Angels Have Wings is both a good character study and has a lot of drama as well.

And Cary Grant was far more successful at a Bogart type role than Bogey was in doing Sabrina.

Howard Hawks is one of our finest and most underrated directors. I believe it was Leonard Maltin who stated that Hawks is "the best director you've never heard of". Meaning that Hawks is commonly not mentioned with the likes of Ford, Hitchcock and Welles. This is probably because Hawks usually made "popular" films that focused on dialogue, character development, and speed (whether action or comedy) to set himself apart. Hawks had complete confidence that the audience liked what he liked.....and most of the time he was right! Beginning in 1939 Hawks began a streak of hits that would continue into the early 50's. After making Bringing Up Baby (something of a flop...now a classic) Hawks departed RKO after being replaced as director of Gunga Din (whose story he had a big hand in developing) and made this film at Columbia. Hawks intention was to make a film about the daredevil attitudes and experiences of pilots flying the mail in South America. The safety conditions for these pilots are non-existent and as a result they live each day as though it was their last.

More than most movies this film is often pointed to as a summation of the "Hawksian" style. A group of men working closely to accomplish a common goal who are united by the dangers involved. These men are not "family men" or people with long term aspirations. They live in the moment and find their meaning through their comraderie and understated support of each other. As with most Hawksian dialogue (Jules Furthman would become a regular Hawksian writer after this one) it is understated and never overly emotional. The fun begins in Hawks films when a woman arrives who is often more than a match for the man she's in love with! (this pattern prevailed in the comedies as well).

In this film Cary Grant, who is one of the greatest "Hawksian" actors, plays Geoff the head of the air mail airline who has sworn off women because they just don't seem to deal with his dangerous lifestyle. Therefore Geoff deals with women in a very cavalier way. Jean Arthur is American woman who arrives and turns his world upside down. But this film is not just a romance. There are multiple relationships between the characters that keep the viewer engrossed. Thomas Mitchell is most intriguing as the "buddy" who has been with Geoff for a long time and is quite subtle in his dedication toward his friend. Richard Barthlemess is outstanding in a late career role as the pilot with a checkered past who has to win over the trust of the other flyer's. (he's already won over the trust of Rita Hayworth, which is nothing to sneeze at!)

Only Angels Have Wings is one of Hawks best, and perhaps most personal stories. Hawks claimed that it was one of his most "true" films in that he had been a flyer in World War I and was very interested in the dynamics between the early daredevils of aviation. The film moves along at a crisp pace and contains many tense, gripping scenes that keep the viewer entertained despite the Hawksian emphasis of character/dialogue over plot.

Angels was a huge hit for Hawks and was the beginning of his most successful decade in Hollywood. In terms of influence Hawks would give ANY golden age director a run for his money. Directors such as Quentin Tarantino, John Carpenter, and Martin Scorcese would agree! Hawks films are worth studying and "Only Angels have Wings" is a textbook sample. I highly recommend it! 10 Stars!!!!!!!!

If you ever wondered what all the fuss about Howard Hawks was all about, this is the film to catch. It is a first-hand lesson in what the Hawks universe was all about, and it is unsurpassed entertainment from the word go. Two hours of undiminished tension, action-wise, sexually, whatnot.

New York showgirl Bonnie (Jean Arthur) is on a stop-over in small-town Barrance somewhere in South America. Here she meets Geoff (Cary Grant), the leader of a small band of mail pilots having to cross a perilous mountain pass on a daily basis, and casualties are to be expected. Within little more than ten minutes of screen-time the young man, who had asked Bonnie out to dinner, is dead in a spectacular crash scene, and from there on the plot and the action pick up space. Bonnie is dismayed by the way the dead pilot's colleagues seem not to care about his death, they just go about their business and pretend he was never there in the first place, so as not to be reminded of their own mortality. "Joe died flying", says Geoff. "That was his job. He just wasn't good enough. That's why he got it". Dismayed as she may be, though, Bonnie cannot leave, since she is falling in love with Geoff but fast.

In this confined space, made even more confined by the dense fog and pouring rain that characterize the local climate, the scene is set for one of Hawks' perceptive gatherings of a group of people to have us observe the dynamics of people interacting, different ethos at work in a seemingly laconic male environment, the love, the rivalry, the camaraderie. The fear. Further upsetting the close-knit community is the arrival of a new fryer (Richard Barthelmess in the best performance of his mature years) who has to prove himself doubly because once in his life he turned yellow. With him he has Rita Hayworth, Geoff's old girl-friend ...

This is quintessential Hawks, just in the way that Barthelmess' character has to strive to earn any ounce of respect from his peers. But in every frame it is a deserved classic, and great performances abound.

8/10

Cary Grant & Jean Arthur star in this Howard Hawks adventure film from 1939. Arthur is between cities finding herself in Peru where Grant runs a ragtag band of pilots ferreting mail from one dangerous locale to another. When one of his pilots buy it, a new one (who actually caused the death of a co-worker some time before) along w/his wife (an early turn by Rita Hayworth) enter the mix livening the atmosphere for the worse as suspicions mount & the increasing perils of the flight trade begin to take their toll on Grant & the men who look up to him. Now don't get me wrong, this is a good film but it could've been better if the obvious love triangle of Grant, Hayworth & Arthur were better delineated (Arthur sometimes disappears for stretches at a time) but even lesser Hawks is still Hawks. Look for Noah Beery Jr. as the first doomed pilot who would later gain fame as James Garner's dad on the Rockford Files.

This film is relentlessly male and relentlessly American. It functions brilliantly within the Hawksian "system" where male bonding is key, and where Woman is an outsider. Where romance is a minor part of life and where love is expressed through symbols and not through language. The group of professionals and their easy, jocular interaction is the beating heart of this film and all the group scenes are brilliantly directed. I also like the element of screwball comedy (a genre in which Hawks is one of the few masters) which presents itself in Grant and Arthur's "coffee" scene. It shows how much Hawks trusts his actors and his material in that he knows that such changes of tone can strengthen, rather than weaken, the key drama. I love this film even though its presentation of the world is not the one I'm the most sympathetic to. The film is not incredibly strong in psychological nuances - not when compared to directors like Sirk, Fuller, Welles, N. Ray, etc...and the basic tone is that of a stoicism which occasionally cracks (slightly) under pressure, but which almost immediately reestablishes itself. It's an attractive world view, but not one I'm incredibly comfortable with. There is no place here for ambiguity - not on any deep, non - localized level. I've been reading some Hawks interviews, and I now understand why Hawks was uncomfortable with being labeled an "artist". His attitude towards films and film-making is clearly the same as the attitude of the men in this film towards their work and their lives (and deaths). It's simple: you're either good enough or you're not, and you're only as good as your last flight. This identification between the man (Hawks) and his production (Only Angels Have Wings) helps to illuminate the greatness of the film, but it also explains its emotional and aesthetic limitations.

Great flying sequences, some marvelous special effects, and a great cast are the highlights of "Only Angels Have Wings," directed by Howard Hawks and starring Cary Grant, Jean Arthur, Thomas Mitchell, Richard Barthelmess, and Rita Hayworth. You will also see a youthful Noah Berry, Jr., as well as Allyn Joslyn, Victor Kilian, and Sig Ruman.

"Only Angels Have Wings" is the story of mail carriers who fly often in bad conditions through a perilous mountain pass. They thrive on the excitement and danger. Their boss is Geoff Carter (Cary Grant). Jean Arthur is Bonnie Lee, a chorus girl passing through who decides she can't leave - like a lot of women in the past, she's falling for Carter. One woman who fell for him turns up as the wife (Hayworth) of a new pilot (Barthelmess) who once parachuted out of a plane and left Kid Dabb's (Thomas Mitchell) brother to die. With fliers out of commission or dead, Carter has to use him, but warns him he's only getting the most dangerous missions.

This is a testosterone-heavy movie, very much the kind of thing John Wayne would do. The romantic part of the story, between Carter and Bonnie Lee is lethargic, with fine actress Jean Arthur left standing around worrying. Hayworth, with a decidedly different hairline, has a small but showy role. The meaty roles belong to the men. Grant is terrific as a devil-may-care boss who hides his emotions, and Barthelmess, who would retire after World War II and end his long career, is very good as the disgraced pilot in a role that suited him perfectly. Underplayed, one sees the pain of his past decision on his face. Thomas Mitchell played so many great roles - this time, he's a pilot who has to face his anger as well as a physical problem. Very poignant.

Though a little disjointed and a little too long, "Only Angels Have Wings" has great atmosphere and some spectacular flying sequences and effects. Released in that golden year of 1939, it's another example of Hollywood at its apex.

Geoff Carter is the head of a small run down air freight company in Barranca, one of his best pilots (and friend) is killed, but this is merely only one of the problems he has to deal with as ex flames, potential new sweethearts, and dissension in the camp, all fuse together to test him to the limit.

Howard Hawks was the perfect man for this film because of his aviation background, the result is a very well crafted character study set in a very small locale. Looking at it from the outside you would think that the film was lining up to be a soft soap romantic fable, but here the emotion is channelled into a sort of character bravado that is flawed - yet something that makes for a viewing experience that draws you in deep with the finely etched characters.

The cast are on fine form. Cary Grant gets to flex his non comedic muscles with great results as Carter, the film relies on Grant to glue the story together which he does with great aplomb. Jean Arthur & Rita Hayworth are the girls in amongst this strongly male orientated story, and it's a testament to both of the ladies ability that they don't get bogged down by all the macho heroism pouring out in the plot. Smart camera work and exciting aerial sequences further up the quality that is dotted within the piece, and were it not for some terribly twee dialogue, Only Angels Have Wings would surely be ranked as a classic of the 1930s. As it is, it's a wonderfully involving film that shows Hawks at his most humane. 8/10

A Howard Hawks/Cary Grant collaboration with which I was unfamiliar. I found it engrossing and entertaining. For its time, the aircraft special effects were very good. Grant's character was largely unlikeable, a bit of a departure for him. I wasn't very familiar with Jean Arthur, but she looked great, and came off very well. I might not have recognized the young Rita Hayworth. It had a good story, and told it well.

Highlights:

• Has atmosphere, and transports us to this rugged area and group of brave/reckless pilots.
• In these figures, I think the film reveals the toughness and stoicism that this era aspired to.
• All those dramatic moments in the air, and shots of planes in the mountains.
• Jean Arthur playing the piano in a lively way with the band.
• Rita Hayworth at 21, who is striking in her small role.
• The very touching scene with Thomas Mitchell, who is wonderful here.
• The vibrant Spanish music with dancing at the beginning, and doleful song towards the end (both from Manuel Alvarez Maciste)
• The doctor paraphrasing Shakespeare in Spanish, which is then translated: "A man can die but once. We owe God a death. If we pay it today, we don't owe it tomorrow."
• This line from Jean Arthur: "I'm hard to get, Geoff. All you have to do is ask me."

Lowlights:

• The attitude towards women, which is poor. Arthur's character is partially blamed for a pilot's crash, patronized, and insulted. Hayworth's character is shaken around and told she shouldn't be asking so many questions about her new husband's past, and that she should just trust him. Unfortunately, they fall in line.
• Cary Grant's character is unlikeable in several ways, and yet the film makes him a hero.
• The love story does not feel authentic.
• The plot meanders and is a little scattered.
• Dropping nitroglycerine on condors. (ok, it's rationalized later, but jeez).

In the hypothetical port of Barranca in South America, the American showgirl Bonnie Lee (Jean Arthur) befriends two American pilots while waiting for the departure of her ship. They go to a bar and she meets their boss Geoff Carter (Cary Grant) that runs a small airline company that delivers mail and other cargo through the dangerous chain of mountains. Bonnie feels attracted by the cynical Geoff, and decides to stay. When the new hired pilot Bat Mac Pherson (Richard Batherlmess) arrives with his wife Judy MacPherson (Rita Hayworth) to replace a diseased pilot in the airline, their pasts affect Geoff and the other pilots.

"Only Angels Have Wings" is awfully silly and overrated movie. Jean Arthur performs Bonnie Lee, who is the perfect stereotype of the dumb blonde, with the most stupid attitudes, patronized by the men and culminating with a shot in the shoulder of Geoff Carter. Cary Grant performs a cynical and arrogant character, totally unpleasant and without any chemistry with Jean Arthur. The best moments are offered by Richard Batherlmess, a man marked by his past that has to prove that is a skilled and brave pilot, and Rita Hayworth. The Hollywood poor vision of South America is ridiculous. My vote is three.

Title (Brazil): "O Paraíso Infernal" ("The Hellish Paradise")

For a remarkably compelling story about a fly-by-the-seat-of-their-pants airmail service in South America, director Howard Hawks has assembled a cast that includes Cary Grant as the airline's owner and Jean Arthur as a tourist stranded between boats who catches his eye. While the performances are all superb (especially Thomas Mitchell as the veteran pilot Kid), it is Hawks who turns a rather ordinary plot into an extraordinary film. Watch this movie for its visual style and atmospheric mood (note especially how Hawks fills the frame with actors while Arthur and Grant are sitting at the barroom piano), and be prepared for the ride of your life!

This is a great old movie, back in a time when men were men and women were all former showgirls or something. Men flying airplanes, men flying airplanes through obscured mountain passes during violent rainstorms, men dropping nitroglycerin on condors (but just wait, they will get their revenge), men dying, their friends dealing with death the way men should -- with denial and booze. Set in one of those remote, out-of-the-way jungle locales where miraculously everyone crosses paths, kind of like Casablanca but with a lot more rain. The pilot who bailed out and left his mechanic behind to die meets up with the brother of said mechanic, and the brother ain't too happy about it. But through an inevitable turn of events they end up together in a burning plane and have to bail, but one of them can't. What would you do? The pilot's wife is a real looker, Rita something, but our hero is shocked to realize she is the old flame who crushed his heart. Is that really you Judy, Judy, Judy? (yes, this is the movie where Cary Grant never actually says this). There are so many situations that make no sense. The girl from Kansas or Maine or golly geewillikers I'm not sure where spends about 10 minutes getting the cold shoulder from our hero, and then goes on to confide her worries about whether it is right to tie him down. Well, he is Cary Grant, so I guess it is these leaps of sudden commitment aren't too fanciful. When the "Kid" fails his eye test, Cary tells him he is through flying. That's right, there is not a single optician in all of South America.

In short, I loved this movie. Made me want to become a pilot and learn how to smoke. It will have the same effect on you too.

This movie makes much more sense when you put it in the context of early talkie World War I flying movies like Hawks' Today We Live or The Dawn Patrol or

Dieterle's The Last Flight (starring, not coincidentally, Richard Barthelmess). By 1939, with another war looming, audiences were long since sick of such tales, but by resetting the tale at a South American airport (where Cary Grant runs a mail service which is in danger of losing its contract), it was just barely possible to come up with a credible situation where Grant could again order his flyers to their deaths, and where death would be greeted with the callousness that

comes from knowing you're probably next and your best friend will eat your

steak for you. The reviewers who say Grant doesn't play it serious enough here are exactly missing the point-- his seemingly breezy, actually brittle facade IS the Lost Generation attitude, straight out of The Sun Also Rises.

This is one of the great tough romances, whose real romance is with death itself, which needless to say makes it several steps darker than Hawks' superficially similar To Have and Have Not, let alone Rio Bravo (which reproduces its main

characters almost exactly-- Grant as John Wayne, Arthur/Angie Dickinson as the woman trying to get into the boy's club, Barthelmess/Dean Martin as the guy

with a guilty past of failure, and Mitchell as the guy who age is catching up with/ Walter Brennan, old age fully caught up). In gleaming black and white on the DVD, the foggy, fake studio set and the silver skies might be the dreams of a pilot in the instant before his crash. Too grim a bite of caviar for the general, perhaps, but a testament for a generation that saw more than it could put on film, and one of the greatest works of art to sneak out of the studio system under

disguise of glamorous entertainment.

Howard Hawks directed this entertaining drama that stars Cary Grant as Geoff Carter, manager of an air freight service stationed in a remote trading post in South America, where his pilots routinely deliver the mail in dangerous and often foggy conditions between the mountains. Jean Arthur plays Bonnie Lee, a woman who finds herself stranded at his airport, and strangely attracted to the brash and aloof Geoff, whose life is further complicated by the arrival of an old flame(played by Rita Hayworth) and her unpopular flier husband. Thomas Mitchell plays Kid Dabb, an old friend who tries his best to keep Geoff happy and sober. Good film has exciting aerial scenes and amusing dialogue, even if the script has too many complications. Good cast and direction make it work well.

Only Angels Have Wings is the culmination of the 1930's aviation pictures (and boy there were a lot of them), helmed by director Howard Hawks who previously directed The Dawn Patrol and Ceiling Zero and even features the casting of Richard Barthelmess, star of such flying pictures The Dawn Patrol, The Last Flight and Central Airport. With World War II on the horizon this genre would never be the same again. Like in The Dawn Patrol, the pilots in Only Angels Have Wings have methods of dealing with reality as the film really examines the psychology of early aviators and the danger they went through to get the job done; Hawks called Only Angels Have Wings the truest film he ever made. Why do flyers do what they do? As Kid (Thomas Mitchell) puts it, "I couldn't give you an answer that'd make sense".

The first 30 minutes of the movie takes place in real time in what is my favourite section of the film in which a whole host of emotions are presented with a short period of time; a real piece of film magic. As we are introduced to the cast and become attached to pilot Joe Souther (Noah Beery Jr.) as he and his buddy become friends with an American tourist Bonnie Lee (Jean Arthur) only for him to be killed in a flying accidents moments later when he's called on short notice to deliver mail. Death is such a normal occurrence that the squadron leader Geoff (Cary Grant) has no problem eating the steak ordered by Joe prior to his death only moments ago while the pilots even sarcastically ask each other "who's Joe?" when Bonnie questions them on their ability to carry on like nothing happened; a denial of reality in order to deal with reality. Just how healthy is that? Well as Bonnie puts it, "All my life I've hated funerals, the fuss and bother never brings anyone back, just spoils remembering them as they really are". This 30-minute section of the film successfully goes from one emotion to the polar opposite from joy to tragedy and back to joy again. I still, however, can't find myself fully engaging in the joy of Jean Arthur and Cary Grant playing the piano knowing one of their flying comrades just died a horrible death. Likewise, at the beginning of the film, we also see an interesting method of getting free drinks from a bar if you're friendly with the owner; I must try that one out sometime.

Jean Arthur's role of Bonnie Lee, a lone adventuress from Brooklyn is a change of pace for the actress as she leaves her usual urban dwellings. Arthur differs from other Hawksain women due to her absence of sex appeal, she's simply not that kind of an actress but rather more inherently innocent and sweet hearted. Hawks wanted Arthur to play Bonnie subtly sexy way with Arthur stating, "I can't do that kind of stuff". The scene in which she invades Geoff's room in order to take a bath was never going to be Clark Gable or Jean Harlow in Red Dust with Arthur playing the role, resulting in a scene which is playful without being flirty of sexual. Just listen to her as speaks of how "It's so cold and rainy outside and nice and warm and cosy in here" - it couldn't be delivered in a more innocent manner. I feel Jean Arthur represents the way young boys will innocently feel about women before hitting puberty. I feel the rest of the film doesn't reach the emotional heights which the first forty minutes accomplished partially due to the lack of the Jean Arthur touch with her being absent for lengthy portions of the film but it is still blessed with a great cast of players. Cary Grant plays a Clark Gable type role, a no-nonsense leader under extraneous pressure in the part of Geoff Carter while silent era star Richard Barthelmess uses his greatly expressive face which carries the baggage of his character. Plus what's a Hollywood movie from the 30's without a central to east European comic relief character in the form of Sig Ruman. The one cast member who doesn't do anything for me is Rita Hayworth whom I've never particularly been a big fan off but there is still the bizarre amusement of Grant pouring water over her hair.

Only Angels Have Wings even opens up the potential to be The Wages of Fear of the air when Barthelmess is required to transport nitroglycerine by plane but the movie doesn't take this far creating a missed opportunity. Regardless the aerial footage of the plans is an impressive sight with long uncut shots as the camera moves along with the aircraft. The film doesn't identify what country the story takes place, however, I like when classic films leave details like that ambiguous; let your imagination fill in the blanks.

Thundering drama about aviators set in the Andes where encounters an aviation company , Barranca Airways , run by Gary Grant and in which each day a rendezvous with peril and each night a meeting with romance. Thrilling as love born amid a thousand fabulous adventures ! Romance as glorious as the towering Andes ! Powerful as a tropical storm ! Big as the Fog-shrouded Andes ! 1939´s Greatest Screen adventure ! Against the mighty tapestry of the snow-capped Andes , a breathtaking modern romance is born !

An adventure drama movie with action , thrills, suspense , dangerous aerial scenes and love stories . This exciting film focus on the group of people living and working in a small banana republic , containing the basic elements of the Howard Hawks's style films. As the brave team of flyers have to fly over the perilous Andes , hemmed in by impassable mountains , fog and blizzards , as the personal and work ethics of this little crew become magnified to epic proportions . Really , being a limited epic because the crew and flyers are played out in the confined space of the Dutchman's bar , the more claustrophobic due to these men are aviators and need the open sky . Gary Grat is very good , as always , playing in his usual style , while Jean Arthur is fine as the attractive adventurer who falls for him , being accompanied by a fabulous support cast such as gorgeous Rita Hayworth , Richard Barthelmess , Thomas Mitchell , Sig Ruman , Victor Kilian , John Carroll , Noah Beery Jr , Don Barry , among others.

The motion picture was competently directed by the great master Howard Hawks . He directed all kinds of genres with intelligence and skillness enough , making some masterpieces . Hawks made Wartime : Air Force , Sergeant York ; Westerns : Barbary Coast , Big Sky , The Outlaw , Rio Bravo , Red River , El Dorado Rio Lobo ; Comedy : His Girl friday , Bringing up Baby , Ball of Fire , Gentlemen prefer Blondes , Monkey Business ; Noir genre : Scarface , Criminal Code, Big Sleep, To Have or Have not , and Adventure : Hatari, Only angels have wings . The flick will appeal to Gary Grant , Jean Arthur and Rta Hayworth fans . This is a mythical and epic drama at his best.

In the South American banana port of Barranca, Bonnie Lee (Jean Arthur) arrives to be befriended by a couple of hound dogs local pilots Les Peters and Joe Souther. It's a dangerous job and Joe dies in a crash. Geoff Carter (Cary Grant) runs the mail delivery outfit. He's a cold hard man and then his ex Judy MacPherson (Rita Hayworth) shows up with her husband Bat (Richard Barthelmess) who has a checkered past as a pilot.

There is no doubt that these are great stars. Director Howard Hawks brings a bit of humor but this suffers from the rambling romance. Jean Arthur starts as a funny bombshell and she's completely overshadowed as soon as Rita Hayworth walks in. All of a sudden, Jean is the frumpy second thought. It breaks up a nice rom-com and the movie struggles to recover the story. It also has too many things going on. There's an action thriller. There's a backstory of conflicts with the second in command. There is just too much going on.

If this film was made today, it would no doubt involve a great deal more sex and a great deal more CGI - it would be a terrible film

Fortunately, this film was made in 1939 and is a superb example of the era - I won't go into the details of the plot (its not that important) but rather i will describe the people involved (more important) - Grant is cynical, distant and seemingly unemotional, he doesn't want to be tied down, he simply wants to get the job done -

Arthur is sassy, talented and independent, she knows what she wants or at least she thinks she does - one kiss from Grant changes her mind (as it would)

Then there's the pilot carrying the guilt of another mans death (we never find out how responsible he was) no one likes him and he's given the hardest flying jobs that no one else will take - on the up-side, he's married to Rita Hayworth but she doesn't know what his secret is (oh....and she used to have a thing with Grant)

The new pilot finds redemption, his wife finds happiness, Grant finds a woman that can handle him, Arthur finds a man that deserves her and some people die along the way

Fabulous stuff - i recommend watching it late at night (preferably when it's raining)

Cary Grant is terribly miscast as Jeff Carter, who heads a mail flying outfit out in an area filled with bad weather.

Jean Arthur comes off the boat and falls for Grant. What else is new?

Grant looks ridiculous in a sombrero like hat and is always asking for a light. Even a bigger joke is his sidekick Thomas Mitchell. The latter is called The Kid. Some kid. This is the same year that Mitchell starred as Gerald O'Hara in the true classic "Gone With the Wind." He also copped a supporting Oscar that year for "Stagecoach."

After Noah Beery Jr. is killed in bad weather, the group goes around a piano and Grant and Miss Arthur lead them in an absolutely awful rendition of "Some of these Days." Where was Sophie Tucker when she was badly needed?

Arthur loves Grant so much that she points a gun at him and when she places it down on the table, the gun offs off popping Cary in the arm. The writer of this nonsense needed some popping as well.

Of course, the characters become resolute at the end. Cary flies off and Jean will be waiting for him. The other thing they needed to wait for was much better projects than this which thankfully they got in the years ahead.