Review of Only Angels Have Wings (1939) by Erik J — 26 Jul 2015

Only Angels Have Wings is a film about a crew of pilots who live in a South American town and fly the mail (and other items) in and out. Because of how dangerous their life is, they tend to turn away women and live somewhat solitary lives. Naturally when an attractive woman comes into town it becomes an event. I liked the journey for Jean Arthur's character, as she loses her innocence and starts to wonder where she belongs. Cary Grant is always brilliant and he gets to show some range here. It's also one of the better performances I've seen from Thomas Mitchell. The difficulty I had with Only Angels Have Wings is that it was somewhat slow-moving and repetitive. The slowness came out early in the film. It took awhile before I was interested in the story and I kept wishing a bit more would happen. Later on things picked up and I was more involved in the story. However the bigger problem was the repetition. The theme of the film is quite simple...flying a plane in those days and in that region was very dangerous, and yet these pilots would do it anyways. But every other scene was another guy hopping on a plane, scaring someone because he might be in danger, and then risking death in some fashion. The sound of the same words on the radios was getting really tedious by the end.

What really worked well in Only Angels Have Wings was the airplane effects. Whether they were using actual plane footage or miniatures, it looked really convincing and I was always able to follow what was happening. The birds weren't quite as realistic, but I didn't mind all that much. My other favorite aspect of this film was the romance between Cary Grant and Jean Arthur. It had a different feel to it than your typical romantic drama. Grant was noble and unwilling to break Arthur's heart, while simultaneously looking out for himself and refusing to be hurt again. The conclusion of their story was scripted perfectly and gave me the warm fuzzies that I look for from that kind of movie relationship. So there were real ups and downs in my experience with Only Angels Have Wings. At times I found the movie tedious, but then other moments I found it delightful. I can't say I'd recommend it, but if you enjoy the cast of actors you might like it more. Reflecting on it, the plot actually reminded me of the TV show Deadliest Catch, a bunch of people putting their lives on the line to get the job done. If you like to watch that kind of harrowing devotion to a career then Only Angels Have Wings might be right up your alley.