Les prisonniers du ciel

And it isn't until all the necessary back stories are told that we get to the crux of the matter--the fact that an airliner and a two-man jet plane are on a collision course. DANA ANDREWS is the tense pilot at the controls of the airliner and EFREM ZIMBALIST, JR. is in the small plane with TROY DONAHUE.

Unfortunately, none of the back stories are really interesting enough to invoke anything more than moderate interest, but at least we get to see ANNE FRANCIS as an attractive stewardess saddled with some bad dialogue and a lifeless romance with JOHN KERR.

The story only gets into high gear late in the proceedings and by that time you'll notice that the storytelling technique is the same one used to even lesser advantage in THE HIGH AND THE MIGHTY.

Summing up: Nothing special but worth a look as an example of what eventually led to all those Airport movies of the '70s.

Trivia note: A diner scene with Troy Donahue and Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. has the juke box playing "The Theme from A Summer Place," Donahue's hit film from the year before.

Drama , emotion and tension in a hazardous voyage on a trans-airline flight . Disaster and nail-biting movie about a Navy jet and a commercial airliner heading for a mid air catastrophe , as passengers fasten your belts to a strong disaster . As a navy jet (piloted by Efrem Zimbalist Jr , Troy Donahue) with a defective radio system and a passenger plane (piloted by Dana Andrews , John Kerr) get in danger of collision. As crew , passengers (Keenan Wynn , Jean Willes , Joe Mantell , Patsy Kelly..) , flight attendant (Anne Francis) gripping their seats for the bumpy ride ahead . During the initial scenes , characters are shown describing some life scenes prior to boarding the airplane . And in flashbacks we learn about the personal problems of the pilots and most of the crew. From the suspense packed best seller and the great international tradition of ¨The High and the Mighty¨. The most fascinating people the gods of chance ever swept up into high adventure!

The picture contains drama , suspense , moderate tension and is quite entertaining although with some flaws and gaps .This is a predecessor in the "Airport" series that achieved splendor in the 70s and 80s . It's exciting and entertaining but heavily paced , full clichés and stereotypes with passable acting by all star cast , including a great deal of unexpected zooms . Based on the novel by Hank Searls and screenplay by Charles Schnee , it blasts to the screen with every kind of love , thrills , and intrigue . Plastic acting and stock characters detailing a hectic flight . The film is dealing with a tumultuous flight and the relationship among passengers . All clichéd and stock roles with regurgitation of all usual stereotypical situations from disaster films . This thrilling tale may remind some spectators ¨The High and the Mighty¨ written by Ernest Kann , directed by William A Wellman with John Wayne , to which , especially with its star-studded casting and plot , it bears a more than coincidental resemblance . It matches the notorious talents of prestigious actors , some of then old TV favourite as Efrem Zimbalist Jr. of 77 Sunset Strip against those of the more screen-seasoned as Dana Andrews , John Kerr , Rhonda Fleming . And a long support cast , such as : Keenan Wynn , Troy Donahue , Jean Willes , Troy Donahue , Joe Mantell , Patsy Kelly, Paul Genge , Donald May , Louis Quinn , among others

It contains a colourful cinematography in Technicolor , CinemaScope by Harry Stradling Sr . Emotive as well as atmospheric musical score by Leonard Rosenman . This old-fashioned motion picture was professionally directed by Joseph Pevney . The craftsman Pevney shot all kinds of genres as Comedy , Film Noir , Mystery , Drama , such as : ¨Who is the black Dahilia ?¨, ¨The strange door¨, ¨Man of a thousand faces¨, ¨Mysterious Island of beautiful women¨, ¨Cash McCall¨, ¨Tammy and the bachelor¨, ¨Istanbul¨, ¨Because of you¨ , and especially Wartime movies : ¨Torpedo run¨, ¨Away all boats¨ , and Westerns as ¨Night of Grizzly . At the end of his long career he made a lot of episodes of famous TV series , such as : High Chaparral , Rockford cases , Marcus Welby , Petrocellli , The Fugitive , Alfred Hitchcock presents , Executive suite , Mission imposible , Monster family , The loner , Star Trek , Virginian , Sam Cade , Bonanza . Rating : 5.5/10

One of the first modern day airline disaster movies, this 1961 film contains all the elements of suspense, humor and drama that one would expect of its genre. With the only drawback of a weak supporting cast, the story line is a solid one.

In this film, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. plays a navy pilot on a collision course with a commercial jet piloted by Dana Andrews. Years later, in one of the later Airport series, the roles are reversed and Andrews plays the pilot of a small plane on a collision course with a commercial aircraft piloted by Efrem Zimbalist.

Troy Donahue does a creditable job as a young sailor hitching a ride with Zimbalist to get home. An interesting device in this film is the close-up thought technique, particularly when used with the character played by Keenan Wynn.

If you consider this film only among the other members of its generation, it comes out well.

Yes I loved it. What a gem of a movie.

I taped this just on a whim as it was on a very late night run here and I have to say I loved it. I found it a treat and a gem. My favourite part of the film is when a character is thinking out loud the camera focuses in on that person and the lighting around them dims as we head into their world either via voice over or a flashback scene.

I would not mind adding this movie to my collection if it ever comes out on DVD. This is one of the movies, no doubt that paved the way for movies like "Airport" and all those awful disaster movies of the 70s and 80s. Good going I'll give it 7/10

A mother lode of clichés mined by Jim Abrahams and the Zucker brothers for their 1980 classic, "Airplane," "The Crowded Sky" is entertaining in its own right. A shameless pastiche of flashbacks erupts when two planes find themselves on a collision course in the skies over the American heartland. Dying wives, vengeful mistresses, love-starved spinsters, marriage-crazy stewardesses, and tough agents spar with lovelorn husbands, ham actors, marriage-shy co-pilots, unforgiving fathers, and cads on the make. Director Joseph Pevney juggles the familiar sub-plots competently, and viewers are unlikely to be bored, although they may have to stifle a giggle or two.

While not as stellar as "The High and the Mighty" or "Airport," the cast does include some solid actors from the period. Characters rarely develop in films like this, and most are little more than stereotyped sketches. Not surprisingly, the performances run the gamut from professional to embarrassing. The pros fare best led by Dana Andrews, the by-the-book TransState captain; Patsy Kelly, a blowzy chain-smoking agent; and Rhonda Fleming, a sexy scheming wife. Although the film's credits include Efrem Zimbalist, Troy Donahue, Keenan Wynn, and Anne Francis, many of the rest never became names.

The special effects use obvious model airplanes on wires and are a dated delight. Also dated and delightful is the depiction of flying. The passengers all dress in suit and tie; the stewardesses take tickets aboard the plane; the captain personally points out the oxygen canister to an interested passenger; a smiling stewardess cracks jokes about false teeth while instructing passengers on emergency procedures; air traffic controllers work 40 hours without a break; passengers board without security checks. What a wonderful experience flying used to be; beyond slick obvious entertainment, "The Crowded Sky" has the added dimension of evoking nostalgia for a vanished way of travel.