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I saw The High and the Mighty by chance in a special showing after John Wayne's death, airing on September 8, 1979, a Wednesday. It was an enjoyable movie and I was just getting into my thrill of the seventies disaster movies. The second chance I had to see High and the Mighty, it was unfortunately subjected to annoying network bumpers spoofing and lampooning the movie's datedness, so now watching it on dvd, it is truly a much more enjoyable film and very effective of a bygone era. The movie is mainly character-driven, and upon seeing it again, I couldn't help but notice how every woman is fair-haired, blonde or redhead, while the only dark-haired woman on the plane is Asian (i.e., non-white) and she is just 'very very happy' about everything. Still, it's a fun movie for its era, an enjoyable watch. The fellow wanting revenge with the gun is the only really tarnished piece. I think I would have much rather six-foot-three Dorothy Ford had been on the plane and wonder how they missed out on having her on there. Ah, well. Truly the best part was Claire Trevor, tho many of the others were definite standouts, such as Jan Sterling, Robert Stack and I do get a kick out of watching a young William Campbell. I could really enjoy kicking back and watching this one on a hot summer day with the ac on.Read full review
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John Wayne was satisfactory in his performance. I had heard all the raves about the movie, but quite frankly, it was mediocre at best. Most of the cast appeared to be straining with their performance. I had thought this was a military movie, but found it to be a civilian pilot in trouble with a 4 prop aircraft losing an engine, and barely enough fuel to safely land on a runway, and not ditched at sea. It would have been a better story had they ditched on the high seas, and I fault the writers for that. The plot was simple, not challanging, and the ending was very predictable. I'd say at best, it was a situation drama with a less than compelling gesticulation. One view of this was marginally entertaining, and it was all I could do not to stop the movie, and put the DVD into storage. Far from riveting, and certainly not captivating, the best acting came from some less than headliner actors. It is not worth seeing a second time. I'm probably going to sell it, or give it away.Read full review
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There is no doubt that the legendary actor John Wayne provided a remarkable legacy of motion picture entertainment for generations of movie lovers to enjoy. Many people have a certain favorite film of his that they tend to classify as one of his very best. Titles such as "Stagecoach", "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance", "The Sands Of Iwo Jima", "McLintock!", or his Oscar-winning Best Actor role in "True Grit" are all great films. However, it is the 1954 classic "The High And The Mighty" that also remains a much-loved favorite. In this film, John Wayne portrays the role of Dan Roman, the first officer of a scheduled flight from Honolulu to San Francisco. Roman is a troubled 20,000+ hour veteran flyer who a few years earlier was the captain and only survivor of a DC-3 that crashed on takeoff in Colombia killing, among others, his wife and young son. Joining him in the cockpit is Captain John Sullivan (Robert Stack), an experienced, sober, and no-nonsense pilot, who nevertheless is also one whose "nerves are getting rusty". Photographed and presented in the Cinemascope format, the film went on to become one of the top grossing movies of the year, as well as earn 6 Oscar nominations. Dimitri Tiomkin's brilliant score won the Oscar for Best Original Music Score. Jan Sterling and Claire Trevor, who portray 2 of the plane's ill-fated passengers, recieved Best Supporting Actress nominations, as well. Long out of circulation, it is a great pleasure to finally be able to have this cinematic masterpiece available on DVD, restored to all its widescreen brilliance. This 2-disc set also contains bonus features, pertaining to the movie. "The High And The Mighty" deserves a place in every DVD library!Read full review
This film is one of the best all time airplane epic movies. I saw this movie when it was first released to the theaters back in 1954-55. We stood in a long line for tickets; the place was packed! Only John Wayne could have drawn a crowd like that. Anyone who ever flew a transoceanic flight back then, can attest to just how long it took, just how lonely it can be out there thousands of miles from any land, and that by the time that you finally landed, practically everybody knew everyone else. There usually were only dozens of passengers, not hundreds! The interpersonal relationships explored in this movie along with the drama of a potential life and death situation, steadily intensifies the tension. When the airplane captain, Robert Stack, melts down and can't handle the pressure, in steps the co-pilot, the rock, the old professional, John Wayne. He is the pillar of stone, the irrefutable voice of logic who knows that the only alternative to not being able to land safely, is death. He convinces the others that there is no option to not going on, and sets about to do so! In typical Wayne fashion, he takes over and with skill and bravado saves the day. The plane just barely makes it home safely, and there is a happy ending. The drama was such that you could cut the tension in this movie with a knife. Everything was shot in a sound stage except the opening and closing footage that was shot at SFO (San Francisco Intl Airport), so this movie surely isn't going to WOW you with cinematography, but all of the personal stories, the reflection of looking at ones self in the moment of death, and the evocative title song and musical score, are amazing. Dimitry Tiomkin won an Academy Award for his score. Everybody always wondered why Wayne never won an Academy Award for all of his different roles*. The truth is he never was that good of an actor. . . He always played "John Wayne"! That is the main role that everybody wanted to see, and he was great in that role! *He later did win for his role of Rooster CogburnRead full review
Takes place back in early 1950's when the U.S. was still a more friendly and simple place and people were not nearly so sensitive. A man with a gun on the plane and yet he walks free, for example. People, airlines "Stewardesses" (yes I said Stewardess....) actually knew passengers names. "People" in general were interested in "other people" - what a concept? Not likely to ever see that again. John Wayne played a magnificant role in this movie, he wasn't over-played and over-macho cast like in so many of his movies, he was much more "human" and showed guts, sense and valor that he's known for. The cast was great, some well-known characters for the time, sub-stories to go along with the challenge of this flight- almost like you could put yourself into their seats- if you'd dare...
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