I watched “The Flight of the Phoenix” on the recommendation of a friend, and I have to say, I found it fascinating. I also have to say, this is one that you’ll want to watch after the younger children are in bed – you can enjoy it with your teenagers, but the themes are a bit too intense for children under the age of twelve.
Jimmy Stewart stars as Frank Towns, a pilot with a second-rate airline. He’s flown with better outfits in the past, but his talent hasn’t diminished, just his job status. With him is Lew Moran, his navigator (Richard Attenborough) as they fly a mixed bag of passengers across the Sahara.
When a sandstorm comes up, the sand goes into the engine and causes it to seize up. They make an emergency landing which rips the back portion of the plane off and also takes the lives of a couple of the passengers. As they clear the remaining passengers from the plane, they find that one man’s leg has been completely crushed, and while he’s still alive, he’s not expected to remain that way for long.
They’re over a hundred miles off course and they only have enough water to last them for two weeks. Thankfully, they were carrying a cargo of dates, but with the water in such short supply, they know they have to be rescued soon. A couple of days go by without any search planes flying overhead, and soon they realize that it will be up to them to save themselves.
An army commander was on the flight, and he decides to set off to try to find help. He knows it’s risky, but he can’t just sit around doing nothing. He heads off into the desert, only to return several days later, near death.
Meanwhile, Capt. Towns discovers that an airplane designer is also one of the passengers, a man by the name of Dorfmann (Hardy Krueger). Dorfmann believes that they can create another plane using pieces from the first and the damaged back end of the plane, and be able to fly out of there. His idea gives the passengers the first hope they’ve had and they all pitch in to do the job. But as the water runs out and the temperature rises, their tempers flare and they lash out at each other. Only the task at hand keeps them sane, but then Capt. Towns makes another discovery. Dorfmann isn’t an airplane designer – he’s a model airplane designer. How will his idea ever work?
This film is gritty and it shows human nature stressed to the limits. But it also shows what you can do when you are truly determined to do it. I greatly enjoyed this film and appreciate the recommendation I was given.
This movie was not rated.
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