Should have focused more on the the plane, tightening the screws on whether the aircraft will make it or not and test bed scenes with scoffing aircraft designers mocking the boffin. Instead got sidetracked into long winded love interest scenes ruining the pace altogether.
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I thought there was plenty of suspense since there was the possibility of the tail doing what Honey thought it might do during his flight or subsequent ones. For an extended portion of the film his reputation and future were up in the air, so to speak.
I liked the character development. Honey was socially underdeveloped -- but developed enough to deeply love and miss his wife (I got the impression he was still mourning her and not entirely dealing with it effectively) and to be a decent father to Elspeth -- better than some other fathers -- despite his lack of warmth.
Marjorie understood the type of person Honey was. She was wise enough to know it was a unique situation in which she would have to aggressively decide that they would be married. She knew it was for the best for her, Honey and Elspeth. I imagine that eventually Marjorie would help balance out both Honey and Elspeth's lives and possibly bridge some gaps between the two of them.
Mag, Darling, you're being a bore.
The one thing this movie certainly has is suspense, in spades.
I also agree that Honey does grow into a more rounded character, out of his shell and more cognizant of his responsibilities to others, personally and professionally.
Even so, I would have liked a few more scenes of discussion or debate about the mechanical side of things. Not at the expense of the personal side, but in addition to it. Otherwise I've liked this film very much for many years, one of Stewart's best of the 50s.
I also agree that Honey does grow into a more rounded character, out of his shell and more cognizant of his responsibilities to others, personally and professionally.
Yes, his callous indifference to people -- clearly born not of malice but of self-pity following his wife's death -- cracks somewhat when he finds himself facing his likely death aboard the transatlantic flight. Of course his initial concern seems to be at least as much over his own fate as anybody else's, but this does broaden a bit to include Miss Teasdale and Marjorie...though I think any concern for the other passengers is still abstract and incidental to him. Even when he wrecks the plane he says all he could think of were the two women lying dead somewhere.
But Marjorie does finally have an impact on him by getting him to face his shortcomings and come to grips with reality. This change does seem a bit hurried and contrived, but it does happen. But even at the very end Honey still seems pretty introverted and detached.