The ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ show is one that we have hardly seen before when it comes to aviation. It is even tempting to canonize him as a pinnacle when it comes to airplane-themed movies. With such a display, the desire to see something done before it is almost removed.
But not so fast. Classic cinema can provide us with great and epic aerial-themed films, which do not need the impressive unlimited resources of Tom Cruise to leave a mark on the viewer. These three films, samples of classic cinema that we can find in streaming, offer a different experience but that we can also call high-flying.
‘Wings’ (‘Wings’, 1927)
Director: William A. Wellman. Distribution: Clara Bow, Charles ‘Buddy’ Rogers, Richard Arlen, Gary Cooper, Jobyna Ralston.
A remarkable war piece that has the honor of being the first film to win the Oscar for Best Picture in history, premiering the year prior to the creation of these awards. But beyond that, here we find an exquisite film that combines the First World War with melodrama and romance.
A beautiful silent film that makes a nice love triangle around the Air Force, combining emotional drama with stunning action scenes for the time. A great example of how an old movie can cause great sensations that are not exclusive to modern big shows.
See in Filmin
‘Only Angels Have Wings’ (‘Only Angels Have Wings’, 1939)
Director: Howard Hawks. Distribution: Cary Grant, Jean Arthur, Rita Hayworth, Thomas Mitchell, Richard Barthelmess.
It is almost impossible not to give birth to a classic when you bring together Howard Hawks Y Cary Grant, one of the couples of director and actor who have delivered the most masterpieces together. It is difficult to stay with only one, but it is possible that this one has many ballots to be the best of all.
‘Only Angels Have Wings’ reserves the high-flying action until the final moments, before building into an exquisite romantic drama between Grant and Jean Arthur, which deliver well-crafted and witty dialogue to bring these characters to life. And when it’s time to take off, Hawks deploys a formidable action that shows his immeasurable talent as a filmmakercapable of shining both making spectacular moments and creating intimate moments.
See in Filmin
‘A life or death’ (‘A Matter of Life and Death’, 1946)
Director: Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger. Distribution: David Niven, Kim Hunter, Roger Livesey, Raymond Massey, Richard Attenborough.
Powell and Pressburger formed The Archerstheir production company behind which they wrote and directed several of the films that can be considered strong candidates to be among the best of all time. ‘A vida o muerte’ is just one of his major films, full of emotional force, visual mastery and beautiful writing.
Aviation has been a recurring theme in his filmography, when he made several propaganda films during World War II. After the war, they still had something left to spice up this masterful fantasy drama, where an aviator about to crash suddenly finds himself on the threshold between life and death. While in reality he is at the hands of doctors trying to save his life, he has to do the same before a divine tribunal.
See on Amazon Prime Video, on Filmin and on FlixOlé | Criticism in Espinof