The Flight of the Phoenix (1965)

Director:

Robert Aldrich

Writers:

Lukas Heller (screenplay)
Trevor Dudley Smith (novel)

Release Date:

15 December 1965 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama

Tagline:

One of the most startling twists of fate you have ever experienced in a motion picture!

Plot:

After a plane crash in the Sahara, one of the survivors says he's an airplane designer and they can make a flyable plane from the wreckage.

Plot Keywords:

Airplane | Sahara | Sandstorm | Cargo Plane | Manic Laughter

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 4 nominations

Cast

James Stewart	...	Frank Towns
Richard Attenborough	...	Lew Moran
Peter Finch	...	Captain Harris
Hardy Krüger	...	Heinrich Dorfmann (as Hardy Kruger)
Ernest Borgnine	...	Trucker Cobb
Ian Bannen	...	Crow
Ronald Fraser	...	Sergeant Watson
Christian Marquand	...	Dr. Renaud
Dan Duryea	...	Standish
George Kennedy	...	Bellamy
Gabriele Tinti	...	Gabriel
Alex Montoya	...	Carlos
Peter Bravos	...	Tasso
William Aldrich	...	Bill
Barrie Chase	...	Farida
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Stanley Ralph Ross	...	Arab Singer (uncredited) (voice)

Directed by
Robert Aldrich

Writing credits
Lukas Heller		(screenplay)
Trevor Dudley Smith		(novel) (as Elleston Trevor)

Produced by
Robert Aldrich	....	producer
Walter Blake	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Frank De Vol		(as DeVol)

Cinematography by
Joseph F. Biroc		(as Joseph Biroc)

Film Editing by
Michael Luciano

Art Direction by
William Glasgow

Set Decoration by
Lucien Hafley

Costume Design by
Norma Koch

Makeup Department
Edwin Butterworth	....	makeup artist (as Ed Butterworth)
Terry Miles	....	makeup artist
Ben Nye	....	makeup supervisor
Jack Stone	....	makeup artist
William Turner	....	makeup artist
Frank Westmore	....	makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Alan Callow	....	assistant director
Clifford C. Coleman	....	assistant director (as Cliff Coleman)
Oscar Rudolph	....	second unit director
William F. Sheehan	....	assistant director

Art Department
John La Salandra	....	construction coordinator (as John LaSalandra)
John Orlando	....	property master

Special Effects by
L.B. Abbott	....	special photographic effects
Howard Lydecker	....	special photographic effects

Stunts
Ted Mapes	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Homer Plannette	....	gaffer (uncredited)
Ronald Vidor	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Music Department
Albert Woodbury	....	orchestrator (as Al Woodbury)

Transportation Department
Chris Haynes	....	driver (uncredited)
Frank Khoury	....	driver (uncredited)

Other crew
Adell Aldrich	....	script apprentice (as Adell Aldrich Bravos)
Michael Audley	....	dialogue supervisor
Robert Gary	....	script supervisor
Paul Mantz	....	aerial sequences
Don Niehaus	....	title designer: main titles
Robert Sherman	....	dialogue supervisor

Thanks
Paul Mantz	....	in memory of

Production Companies

• Associates & Aldrich Company, The

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1965) (USA) (theatrical)
• Centfox (1966) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1969) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• CBS/Fox (1985) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Fox Film (1966) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Key Video (19??) (USA) (VHS)

Other Companies

• National Screen Service  main title

Runtime:

142 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian | Arabic

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (certificate #21017) | West Germany:12 (f) | Finland:K-12 | Norway:15 (re-rating) | Norway:16 (original rating) | Sweden:15 | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Buttercup Valley, California, USA

Company:

Associates & Aldrich Company, The

Trivia:

At least one of the aircraft used once flew for the US Marine Corps. The passenger information board inside the fuselage shows VMR-253, a USMC transport squadron, and R4Q-1, the military type designation, and the military serial, BuNo, 126580.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Captain Towns refers to having cleaned the carburetor jets thoroughly. The Pratt and Whitney R-2800 has a pressure carburetor that could not be disassembled in that desert without contaminating it. Also, it could not have been reassembled correctly without use of a pressure bench to recalibrate all the regulating springs and diaphragms.

Quotes:

Lew Moran: Maybe Frank Towns, who's flown every crate they've ever built and could fly in and out of a tennis court if he had to, maybe that great hell-for-leather trailblazer's nothing more than a back number now. And maybe men like Dorfmann can build machines that can do Frank Towns's job for him, and do it better

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The A-Team: Holiday in the Hills (#1.8)" (1983)

Soundtrack:

Senza Fine

A true "classic". Please, please don't miss this film.

I have seen this film maybe, 20 times over the last 30 years. It's one of the rare movies that entertains each and every time. Seeing movies like Flight Of The Phoenix only reminds me just how bad "Hollywood" has gotten.

The plot. It is quite simple really. Survival. But how the writers, producers and directors mold the basic premise into a complex and compelling 2 hours of cinema is a delight.

To watch Stewart, Finch, Attenborough, Kruger and company work in this movie is to see the difference between actors of yesteryear and movie stars of today.

I am watching the movie as I type this and I'm watching Attenborough react to finding out Kruger's "secret". His laughter is both hilarious and pitiable. And the look of shock and confusion on Stewart's face says it all.

As you can tell, I love this movie. I cannot vote it or recommend it highly enough. You would be well served to find this on DVD. Enjoy and happy flying.