Only Angels Have Wings

"BIG As The Fog-Shrouded Andes!"

1939 2h 1m EN

👍

7.3

SOLID

★7.3TMDB · 290

RomanceAdventureDrama

Synopsis

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A traveling performer arrives at a remote South American port town where the head of an air freight service must risk his pilots' lives to earn a major contract.

“BIG As The Fog-Shrouded Andes!”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Cary Grant
Geoff Carter
Jean Arthur
Bonnie Lee
Richard Barthelmess
Bat MacPherson
Rita Hayworth
Judy
Thomas Mitchell
Kid Dabb
Allyn Joslyn
Les Peters
Sig Ruman
Dutchy
Victor Kilian
Sparks

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Howard Hawks
Writers: Jules Furthman, Howard Hawks
Languages: Spanish, English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

87 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Spanish, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Howard Hawks, shot by Joseph Walker. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Dimitri Tiomkin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Viola Lawrence shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Cary Grant and Jean Arthur and Richard Barthelmess carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "BIG As The Fog-Shrouded Andes!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0031762 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Howard Hawks directs. Joseph Walker behind the camera. Dimitri Tiomkin scores. Viola Lawrence cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in Spanish, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

187 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Spanish, English.
3Directed by Howard Hawks, shot by Joseph Walker. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Dimitri Tiomkin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Viola Lawrence shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Cary Grant and Jean Arthur and Richard Barthelmess carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "BIG As The Fog-Shrouded Andes!".
8IMDB entry: tt0031762 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 8 themes, including "airplane", "pilot", "flyer", "south america".

The technical file

Cinematography: Joseph Walker
Original score: Dimitri Tiomkin
Editing: Viola Lawrence
Costume design: Robert Kalloch
Runtime: 121 min · 2h 1m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Only Angels Have Wings (1939)

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Howard Hawks

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2019-01-02
★ 8/10
Howard Hawks on familiar territory with this aeroplane adventure/drama. Geoff Carter is the head of a small run down air freight company in Barranca, one of his best pilots (and friend) is killed, but this is merely only one of the problems he has to deal with as ex flames, potential new sweethearts, and dissension in the camp, all fuse together to test him to the limit. Howard Hawks was the perfect man for this film because of his aviation background, the result is a very well crafted character study set in a very small locale. Looking at it from the outside you would think that the film was lining up to be a soft soap romantic fable, but here the emotion is channelled into a sort of character bravado that is flawed - yet something that makes for a viewing experience that draws you in deep with the finely etched characters. The cast are on fine form. Cary Grant gets to flex his non comedic muscles with great results as Carter, the film relies on Grant to glue the story together which he does with great aplomb. Jean Arthur & Rita Hayworth are the girls in amongst this strongly male orientated story, and it's a testament to both of the ladies ability that they don't get bogged down by all the macho heroism pouring out in the plot. Smart camera work and exciting aerial sequences further up the quality that is dotted within the piece, and were it not for some terribly twee dialogue, Only Angels Have Wings would surely be ranked as a classic of the 1930s. As it is, it's a wonderfully involving film that shows Hawks at his most humane. 8/10
Skubic2019-04-23
★ 10/10
Holy Smokes. And they do smoke a lot in this film. Geoff as the prototypical "man's man" who runs a struggling air freight company near a difficult to pass mountain. I don't want to give too much away, but between a handful of airplane crashes and a new beau and ex lover showing up there is a lot going on. I can't remember the last time I teared up from pure joy from a film. But this movie has about a perfect an ending I've ever seen.
CinemaSerf2024-03-09
★ 7/10
Jean Arthur gets off to a flying start here as the no-nonsense "Bonnie" who arrives in a remote village in South America. It's a small but lively location where "Carter" (Cary Grant) runs an air-freight business from a runway with more holes and puddles than actual ground upon which to land! The business is being backed by the engaging bar owner "Dutchy" (Sig Ruman) and they are approaching the critical point of their trial period with the mail service - a contract that they need to keep if they are to stay in the air. Problems, like buses, do tend to come along at once and quite quickly "Carter" finds himself employing a new pilot "Bat" (Richard Bathelmess) who comes with a great deal of baggage, a baggage that irks his best pal "Kid" (Thomas Mitchell) who doesn't have his own issues to seek - his eyesight isn't what it was. Their delivery route takes them through a perilous canyon that is prone to bad weather, so with their available number of planes and pilots steadily dwindling, what chance they can keep their business going? This isn't really one of Grant's more stand-out roles - he does just about enough but we can all enjoy the rapport he develops with an on-form Arthur. The story does go for a bit of a wander, though, when his ex "Judy" (Rita Hayworth) turns up, just happening to be married to their newly acquired pariah to boot. Mercifully, though, Howard Hawks keeps this from turning into too much of a romantic mess, it's more of a foggy airborne adventure with the romance kept to a minimum. This film also serves as an interesting reminder of just how perilous some of these early air missions could be, with planes made of little more substantial than balsa wood at the mercy of climatic conditions that could turn hostile in the blink of an eye. It's a solid story with an equally solid cast and I enjoyed it.