is this movie very accurate? or did the producers take the liberty to tighten up the story to make it more appealing..
shareIt seems to match up with what I have read, but I never really questioned the level of truth to the movie. I'll have to take a look.
shareSupposedly, this movie is based on Lindbergh's book. Try reading it.
shareProbably very accurate, you can't make stuff like this up. Did he barely miss the wires on takeoff? Yes. Did he fall asleep at the controls? Yes. Did he struggle with ice on the wings? Yes. Did he have severe problems with fuel management? Yes.
It's just an incredible story. To do what he did and then to land in a foreign country with 100,000 spectators waiting for you (at night, with no runway lights no less!) only can happen once to one person. They should remake this movie, it could be even better!
No, don't remake it with crappy CGI and bad acting.
Let it remain like it is, a classic.
Saaw this today for the first time, and at the end, I cried.
signature :
...something deep and overwhelming...
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I would love to see this movie remade. It could spark a lot of badly needed patriotism. I love the original, but it's extremely dated with the droning, overbearing music and some of the stock footage is kinda lame.
Of course, Jimmy Stewart is perfectly cast as Lindbergh. I have no idea who could pull it off today. God, you can see every emotion on Jimmy Stewarts face, it would be fantastic if they could find another actor to portray Lindbergh in a great adventure movie like this. A young Tom Hanks could have done it.
They wont remake this movie because there has been a connection made between Lindberg and the Nazi regime. He believed in Eugenics and keeping the purity of the white race and many felt he was a Nazi sympathizer. Rabidly anti-war and an isolationist his comments regarding Jews during the war had many people believing he was bigoted and an antisemite.
shareThere should be a law against remaking any movie that stared Jimmy Stewart.
"Like I know where to find people in this bum *beep* town" Jessica Hamby
Well said. Aside from Flight of the Phoenix, has any other Jimmy Stewart films been remade? Offhand I can't think of any.
shareAside from Flight of the Phoenix, has any other Jimmy Stewart films been remade?
As a side note, it should be mentioned that the remake of "Rear Window" was made AFTER Christopher Reeve's fall.
shareJust discovering your post these four years later. Other Stewart films that have been remade:
Rose-Marie (1936) - Rose Marie (1954)
Destry Rides Again (1939) - Destry (1954)
The Shop Around the Corner (1940) - In the Good Old Summertime (1949)
The Philadelphia Story (1940) - High Society (1956)
Harvey (1950) - Harvey (1972) and Harvey (1996)
Poe! You are...avenged!
Philadelphia Story was remade as High Society, with Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, and Frank Sinatra
Little Shop Around the Corner was remade as You've Got Mail, with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan
Harvey was remade.
shareI'd love to see a remake. Nothing to do with Jimmy Stewart, because he made a Jimmy Stewart movie with his funny voice that sounded 60 at 20, and he looked 50 in this particularly when the gray whiskers grew in on the flight....
What I'd like made is a brand new movie about Charles Lindbergh--a real aviator!--that tells everyone about what this flight was 1st doing--some of us (and I'm sure lots of young people) have no clue what had and had not been done before. There is a huge educational opportunity to teach everyone about the beginnings of flight, but with a lot of excitement, taking us up in the planes barnstorming IMAX style. I loved all the French people showing up to greet him--the French helped our country beyond measure when we were fighting for our independence, and the way certain elements used them to bash to get air time, get their followers worked up etc is despicable. I love to see the opportunity to show them in a great light, too.
When a young actor comes along who is right for the part, I hope they do an accurate story of Lindbergh's accomplishment and show the area he traversed more accurately, whether there were mountains or trees, or not. And show NO hokey things like the mirror story UNLESS they really happened. For example, is he fell asleep next to the plane after landing--THAT's what I'd get a big kick out of.
Personally, I'd love to see the film open after he completes his flight, show what happened with his child and his war record in the Pacific, whatever he did then for decades, and his ending his days on Maui, I believe....then return to his flight and slow how he put it together, lots about designing a plane for it--audiences now are far more interested in technology than in the 50s, and in the business reality of getting the money, and the horse race to be first....what was the mood of the country, before the Depression and Germany, WWII, etc. This movie assumed everyone knew that, but audiences now would not.
It's remarkable such a young guy accomplished this--we need a young actor, as sophisticated as Lindy thought he was, ok, but still we need someone who is nonetheless well under 30. Too many young people think they can't do anything....this would be a great inspiration for them.
There is NO "connection", whatever you actually meant by that, between Lindbergh and the Nazi regime. Would you care to divulge your "connection" that I've never seen documented. Do you mean the many trips he made to Germany 1936-1938 at the request of our War Dept. to provide intelligence about the Nazi military build-up and aircraft advancements? Or at the request of Ambassador Joseph Kennedy, warning Britan and France to build up their military airfleets to thwart a Nazi invasion? I've never read a word of Lindbergh ever doing any service for or profiting in any way from Germany. What is this "connection" you'd have to document if Lindbergh were alive to sue you for libel? And what about your "Nazi sympathizer"? I guess he's a Nazi sympathizer who for years before the war did whatever he was asked by our government agencies and representatives to work against the Nazis. I also guess you don't know Eugenics was a commonly accepted and studied science before WWII. It was taught at universities and there is nothing sinister about it at that time as many educated and prominent people studied it. It had nothing to do with exterminating people if that is what you're implying by saying Lindbergh "believed in Eugenics". If you are implying that Lindbergh "believed in Eugenics" as practiced by Nazis, again, what is your secret evidence I've never seen a hint of? You call Lindbergh "rabidly anti-war and an isolationist". If in your opinion he was rabid then millions of other Americans must have been rabid also and many much more rabid. Lindbergh did not get involved in the movement to keep us out of the war until late 1940, more than a year after the war started and months after Hitler had overrun all of Western Europe and all combat had finished in the western theatre on the continent. The clear majority of Americans at that time did not want us to go to war right up until Hitler declared war on us. That Lindbergh became the most prominent face of the anti-war organization America First, he was attacked unfarily then as he still is now. If by connecting his anti-war activities with the reference to anti-semitism in the same sentence you're implying his anti-war stance was motivated by anti-semitism, then you might as well accuse the tens of millions of Americans who were anti-war of anti-semitism, including future President John Kennedy, who openly supported and donated to America First. Lindbergh was a serious, straight foward and logical speaker, without the guile of a politician. Of all the many speeches he gave, even the one speech where there are comments that are cited as controversial and anti-semitic, Lindbergh continues in the same speech to condemn anti-semitism. I think you can see the full comments together at www.wikipedia.org to a get a thorough understanding of the "worst" words attributed to him. To sum up, your commentary was ill-informed, often recklessly unfounded and irresponsible, without any context or depth of understanding of those times to mitigate your rabidly (to use your word) anti-Lindbergh opinion and giving no credit for his lifetime of good deeds and words to do likewise.
shareIt's sad that a lot of people harbor misconceptions about Charles Lindbergh.
Like every one else, he was a man of his time. Yes, he did believe in the separation of the races, but so did the very large majority of Americans then. Yes he was an isolationist, but so were a majority of Americans before December 1941. After Pearl Harbor he volunteered for duty but FDR refused. He and FDR didn't like each other. It went back to the early 1930s and had to do with air mail. Then too, FDR was wary of Lindbergh's enormous popularity and fame through the 1930s. FDR quite rightly saw him as a potential competitor. Later, Lindbergh did get to fly combat missions in the Pacific.
As for the Nazi regime, there was no connection at all. In the mid 1930s he and Anne toured all over the world, including Germany. They were impressed with how well everything seemed to worked in Germany.
After Kristallnacht (November 1938) they were both horrified by the Nazis.
As others have said, this film seems to be relatively accurate. I was especially pleased by the accurate depiction of the fact that Lindbergh's airplane was (finally) built in San Diego, California by the Ryan corporation.
I agree with lewis-51 above, and others who decry any pre-WWII "Nazi" connections of Lindbergh.
The main airport in San Diego is named "Lindbergh Field" to this day.
Apparently there were several "Ryan" corporations. I just discovered today that Ryan Airlines, who built the "Spirit of St. Louis," was started by Ryan and Mahoney. But Ryan sold out his share to Mahoney and may, or may not, have been involved with the company when it built the "Spirit." Ryan then went on to start a new company called Ryan Aeronautical. Because he started several companies with his name, it is confusing when trying to attach the company with the "Spirit." I would not be surprised if Ryan included references to the "Spirit" in his advertising, but he may have had little or nothing to do with the it.
Meanwhile, "Ryan Airlines" faded away. I have not yet researched what happened to Mahoney. I hope he didn't choke on a sand dab. I'm sure that he and the chief designer of the "Spirit," Douglas Hall went on to other companies and airplanes.
As for Charles Lindbergh and the Nazis, I agree, he was never a supporter of fascism or Nazism. He was tied to the America First organization and he had questionable views on race, especially for a modern audience. However, it is clear that his attitude changed overnight from isolationism to patriotic support for America's role in the war. This happened for many Americans at the time. In my opinion, President Franklin Roosevelt took Mr. Lindbergh's politics personally and was unnecessarily cruel in his reaction to the man.
The best diplomat I know is a fully charged phaser bank.
This movie didn't do too well at the box office so I think Hollywood's been a little afraid to remake it. I have my misgivings. Love the original, would hate for a remake to come out with lots of technical glitz and not much real acting.
A heart can be broken, but it still keeps a-beatin' just the same.
> Jimmy Stewart is perfectly cast as Lindbergh.
Yes and no. The main problem is that he is too old! Lindbergh was barely 25. Jimmy Stewart was about 48 when he filmed this.
My sentiments exactly!
Absolutely NO REMAKE.
The actors today are crap!
Jimmie Stewart was made for that movie, a classy actor.
Too bad they can't even pronounce NewfoundLAND right in this movie instead of what sounded like Newfinlund. There aren't any mountains here in NL but just old rolling hills. The movie should be edited over.
shareI've never heard an American pronounce "Newfoundland" the way people who live there do. We all pronounce it the way they do in the movie.
I never knew it was wrong until I started watching Republic of Doyle.
I remember reading a statement by Jimmy Stewart when he was asked about portraying Charles Lindberg before the movie was even started. He expressed some concern about the age difference. At the time ( 1927 ) Charles Lindberg was only 24 years old when he made the crossing and Jimmie was 49 when the movie was made. He did however did his usual great job.
shareThe fundamentals of the flight and the building of the Spirit are basically accurate, but the movie has a lot of unnecessary padding, with stuff that's either made up (the fly in the cockpit, for example) or isn't very accurate. A lot of the flashback stuff is there more for its heavy-handed "humor" than any sense of reality or of Lindbergh's life or character. The scenes about buying his first plane, landing at the Army air field and the rest look very contrived, even if there is some basis in fact.
Stewart was way too old for this role: 49 vs. Lindbergh's 25. They did do a pretty good job making Stewart up to look younger but the problem is everyone knew he was in his late 40s and he just isn't convincing.
Beyond that, Stewart's performance is one of his worst. I'm a huge fan of his and I think he was one of the best actors of his time but even great actors can deliver poor performances. Stewart didn't capture a thing about the real Lindbergh: the mannerisms, voice, look, everything was just Jimmy Stewart, not Charles Lindbergh. What you got in the movie was James Stewart playing Jimmy Stewart playing Charles Lindbergh. I basically like this movie and have seen it for decades but Stewart's gotten less and less convincing each time I watch it.
The film is all right but I'm not surprised it was a major flop. Studios never learn that trying to popularize a true story by adding silly moments and contrived sequences doesn't work. The film is best in the scenes of how Lindbergh got the project off the ground, the plane built, and the flight itself. But the many lame and irrelevant flashbacks and Stewart's unsuitability to the part hurt the movie a lot. They would have done better with a less-well-known actor and keeping the film focused on those things directly related to the flight.
Incidentally, some earlier poster said the film would have been better without the intrusive music and all the stock footage. Franz Waxman was a brilliant composer, one of Hollywood's finest, and his music was one of the best elements in this film. And what stock footage? The only stock shots were at the very end, showing Lindbergh's parade in New York. It lasts about 25 seconds, it's hardly intrusive, it closes the story appropriately, so why get rid of it? A silly comment.
Part of the real Mr. Lindbergh's timeline is not quite accurate and some of the scenes are made up for comedic/dramatic effect. However:
1) Charles Lindbergh dropped out of engineering school in college to buy a used JN (Jenny), taught himself to fly, and took up "barnstorming."
2) He also enlisted into the US Army Reserve through the flying cadet program.
3) He became an airmail pilot in DH-4's and had to bail out at least twice due to weather conditions. He delivered the mail by train, and on one of these trips he did meet a salesman. (I forget what he sold)
4) He has said that he never fell asleep during the flight to Paris, though he slept poorly the night before, was very tired during the flight, and fell asleep hard next to the hangar with the "Spirit..." shortly after landing.
James Stewart, BGen, USAFR was a colonel at the time this move was made and type rated in the B-17, B-24, B-36, B-47, and B-52.
Charles Lindbergh was anti-Semitic and a member of America First, an isolationist group. He opposed American involvement in the European war until Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and Germany declared war on the United States. At that point, he did a 180 degree turn and wanted to be recalled to active duty. President Roosevelt denied him. Still, he traveled to the Pacific Theater of Operations and provided specialized training to pilots there.
Thank you, dannieboy, all quite true and informative.
His flight made Lindbergh a hero to Stewart as it did to millions of others (and no mistake, that flight was heroic), and it was supposedly the event that made Stewart want to become a pilot in the first place.
Stewart desperately wanted to play Lindbergh but I think he let too much of his hero-worship color his performance. But his own heroism as a bomber pilot in WWII as well as his love of flying in general are what made Stewart so keen on starring in movies based on planes and flying: not just The Spirit of St. Louis, but No Highway in the Sky, Strategic Air Command, The Flight of the Phoenix...even Airport '77!
I think you are right about Mr. Stewart and the effect that his interest in flying had on his pursuit of some of his roles. As much as I like him as an actor and as much as he looks like Charles Lindbergh, I will also will admit that I think Mr. Lindbergh himself complained that Mr. Stewart played him as "too boyish" in the movie. Charles Lindbergh took great pride in his pilot skills and approached flying with a very professional, business attitude.