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The Spirit of St. Louis (film)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Spirit of St. Louis | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Billy Wilder |
| Produced by | Leland Hayward |
| Written by | Charles Lederer Wendell Mayes Billy Wilder |
| Starring | James Stewart |
| Music by | Franz Waxman |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
| Release date(s) | 20 April 1957 |
| Running time | 103 min. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $6 M (US, est.) |
| IMDb profile | |
The Spirit of St. Louis is a 1957 biographical film directed by Billy Wilder and starring James Stewart and adapted by Charles Lederer, Wendell Mayes and Billy Wilder from Charles Lindbergh’s autobiography. The film follows the life and career of Lindbergh, specifically his historic transatlantic flight, and is named for the aircraft Lindbergh flew.
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The film is a biography of famous aviator Charles Lindbergh (based on his autobiography), and follows Lindbergh (James Stewart) through the early days of aviation, when he worked as a mail carrier through his flight to fame. The film especially focuses on his 1927 transatlantic flight from New York City to Paris.
When production began in August 1955, Jack Warner offered the role to John Kerr who turned it down. [1][2]Numerous sources indicate that Stewart despite his age of 47 was lobbying Warner Bros. executives for the role of Lindbergh as early as 1954 [3] and even underwent a strenuous diet and regime to look more like Lindbergh in 1927 (he was 25 when he made his transatlantic flight). Stewart was ultimately cast as Lindbergh but his age was pointedly an issue in post-production reviews.
In order to accurately depict the transatlantic flight, three replicas were made of the "Spirit of St. Louis" for the various film units stateside, in Europe, and for studio work. Two of the replicas are still in flightworthy condition, with one currently on display at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan and a second replica at the EAA AirVenture Museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. [4]
When released in April 1957, after being in production for 20 months, the film was a box-office failure mainly due to its huge budget (running at $6 million, more than twice the original budget) and garnered mixed reviews. However, the film was commended for its special effects and James Stewart’s competent performance. In 1957, Time magazine described the film in these words, "Stewart, for all his professional, 48-year-old boyishness, succeeds almost continuously in suggesting what all the world sensed at the time: that Lindbergh's flight was not the mere physical adventure of a rash young 'flying fool' but rather a journey of the spirit, in which, as in the pattern of all progress, one brave man proved himself for all mankind as the parraclete of a new possibility." [5] At the 1958 Academy Awards, Louis Lichtenfield earned a nomination for Best Effects.
In later years, the film has regained some of its lustre and a modern re-evaluation has centered on the characterization of Lindbergh and the methodical depiction of the preparations for the momentous flight. The Smithsonian Institute has recently screened the film as part of its "classic" series and the DVD re-release has evoked commentary such as "captivating" and "suspenseful."
- James Stewart as Charles Augustus "Slim" Lindbergh
- Murray Hamilton as Bud Gurney
- Patricia Smith as Mirror Girl
- Bartlett Robinson as Benjamin Frank Mahoney
- Marc Connelly as Father Hussman
- Arthur Space as Donald Hall
- Charles Watts as O.W. Schultz
- Notes
- ^ Pickard 1993, p. 176.An urban myth has developed involving James Dean After completing the film Giant in mid-1955, James Dean was reputedly asked to play the role of Charles Lindbergh, but Dean died in an auto accident on 30 September 1955, before filming on Spirit of St. Louis could begin. At the time of his death, Dean was 25, the same age as Lindbergh was when he made the famous flight across the Atlantic.
- ^ IMDB entry and DVD liner notes
- ^ Pickard 1993, p. 176.
- ^ Hardwick and Schnepf 1989, p. 60.
- ^ Jones, McClure and Twomey, 1970, p. 189.
- Bibliography
- Hardwick, Jack and Schnepf, Ed. "A Viewer's Guide to Aviation Movies." The Making of the Great Aviation Films, General Aviation Series, Volume 2, 1989.
- Jones, Ken D., McClure, Arthur F. and Twomey, Alfred E. The Films of James Stewart. New York: Castle Books, 1970.
- Pickard, Roy. Jimmy Stewart: A Life in Film. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1992. ISBN 0-312-08828-0.
- The Spirit of St. Louis DVD
- NY Times 1957 Bosley Crowther Review
- Article at Turner Classic Movies website
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