Rent The Flight of the Phoenix (1965)
3.8 of 5 from 95 ratings
2h 16min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- James Stewart heads an impressive cast that includes Richard Attenborough, Peter Finch and Ernest Borgnine in this gripping tale of courage and suspense. When their cargo plane crashes in the Sahara Desert, the only hope for a crew of oilmen and military personnel is to try to rebuild the craft before they all perish from heat and deprivation. Based on Elleston Trevor's popular novel of the same name, and artfully directed by Robert Aldrich, "The Flight of the Phoenix" is a riveting combination of finely honed character studies and an exciting story line.
- Actors:
- James Stewart, Richard Attenborough, Peter Finch, Hardy Krüger, Ernest Borgnine, Ian Bannen, Ronald Fraser, Christian Marquand, Dan Duryea, George Kennedy, Gabriele Tinti, Alex Montoya, Peter Bravos, William Aldrich, Barrie Chase
- Directors:
- Robert Aldrich
- Producers:
- Robert Aldrich
- Voiced By:
- Stanley Ralph Ross
- Writers:
- Lukas Heller, Trevor Dudley Smith
- Others:
- Michael Luciano
- Studio:
- 20th Century Fox
- Genres:
- Action & Adventure, Classics, Drama
- Collections:
- Richard Attenborough: A Centenary Special Instant Expert's Guide, The Instant Expert's Guide, The Instant Expert's Guide to: Robert Aldrich, Top 10 Films About Planes and Pilots, Top Films
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 12/09/2016
- Run Time:
- 142 minutes
- Languages:
- English LPCM Mono
- Subtitles:
- None
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 1.85:1
- Colour:
- Colour
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- Bonus:
- New video interview with film historian Sheldon Hall
- Original theatrical trailer
- A 20-page booklet featuring a new essay by film scholar Neil Sinyard and archival imagery
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Reviews (2) of The Flight of the Phoenix
Solid Classic Action/Adventure - The Flight of the Phoenix review by GI
A good ol' action adventure survival film that benefits from Robert Aldrich's clever subversive and quirky traits. Considering when this was made and contrary to Hollywood standard there are no women or children here to sentimentalise the narrative (the only woman in the film is a mirage) and the cast are all great character actors who play against type, for example George Kennedy and Dan Duryea, normally screen heavies, are surprisingly lightweight and pleasant. Some are killed off early and main star, James Stewart, plays a deeply flawed character who struggles with his self esteem and displays a psychological instability that was often seen in his 1950s westerns. Here he's the pilot of a small oil company owned cargo plane travelling across the Sahara desert with an assortment of oil workers, a couple of soldiers and others. A sudden sand storm causes them to crash land in the desert with little chance of survival until one of them, Dorfmann (Hardy Kruger), claims he knows how they can make a serviceable aircraft from the wreckage. With a terrific narrative twist towards the end this is a watchable, entertaining and riveting film that focuses as much on the characters as they struggle with dealing with the dire situation (they as much build the ramshackle aeroplane to keep busy than hope it will fly them safety). Whilst it appears to be one of Aldrich's most mainstream of films it's actually a much more neurotic and suspenseful one that warrants a detailed textual analysis. It's certainly a great film and a definite one to seek out if you've never seen it.
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Well rated but disappointing - The Flight of the Phoenix review by CD
This film seems to have grown in ratings over the years and was recently shown at the British Film Institute again. To be honest, I was disappointed. I found the characters a bit wooden and the humour and lines in general have not stood the test of time well. The overall plot is straightforward - a crash in the desert in an aeroplane- and unfortunately despite the efforts of James Stewart and Richard Attenborough it remains not much more interesting than that
0 out of 1 members found this review helpful.