Grant and Arthur in Only Angels Have Wings
It had been probably fifteen maybe twenty years since I’d watched Only Angels Have Wings (1939) Hawks. I’d never been impressed by it but it’s such a highly regarded film that I thought I should give it another shot. I do that occasionally, re-watch a much lauded movie that I didn’t like the first time or even the second. Sometimes my dislike for a film is confirmed, other times I discover something in it. L’Aventurra, Cries and Whispers and Picnic at Hanging Rock are all films that I didn’t enjoy the first time but later fell in love with.
No, I didn’t full in love with Only Angels upon re-visiting it, but I did like it a lot and wondered what my problem with it had been before.
It’s directed by Howard Hawks one of the ten greatest directors of all time and stars Cary Grant one of the ten greatest actors of all time, so that’s a helluva start right there. Also in the cast are Jean Arthur and Thomas Mitchell both of whom were in many an outstanding film. A very young Rita Hayworth also appears and, as the cliche goes, lights up the screen.
Grant was playing a less charming character than one has grown custom to seeing him play. But then again his characters in Notorious and Suspicion were not exactly warm and cuddly and he was brilliant in both. But perhaps the past version of me was put off by Grant’s gruffness and his curious relationship with Ms. Arthur. Speaking of whom….It is remarkable that Jean Arthur had chemistry with ever male actor she played opposite. This includes, Grant, James Stewart, Joel McCrea, Herbert Marshall, Robert Cummings, Ray Milland, Charles Boyer and Gary Cooper. I’m probably missing someone from that list. Arthur was not beautiful. She was the proverbial girl next door but a streetwise and sometimes cynical one. She could have a certain vulnerability but played strong, independent women. Ms. Arthur was not a great actress but she was damn good in everything she did and made a lot of really good films even better (examples include Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Easy Living, Talk of the Town and The More the Merrier).
Thomas Mitchell was another actor who made good films better. He could be a drunk (Stagecoach) perpetually befuddled (It’s A Wonderful Life) and world weary (Mr. Smith). He was the consummate professional and his performance in Only Angels is a good example.
Sig Ruman is also in the cast and though he certainly played a type he did it well. As the owner of a small air freight company this to me is one of his better roles.
Only Angels is about honor and bravery and comradeship with a dollop of romance. It’s very much of its time — pre second world war — in its depiction of men and for that matter women. In the days in which the film takes place the weather is uncooperative creating peril for the flyers in what is a fictional South American country that is Andes adjacent.
Two of our favorite characters die, another breaks an arm, one suffers series burn and still another is accidentally shot. One of the points of the film is that real men, professionals, simply move on after tragedy strikes. There is too much that can and does go wrong to dwell on it.
The film emphasizes that motions are for women to deal with. Cary Grant is in the middle of it all setting the tone for how to be unruffled and stoic in the face of anything. Fair enough it's reflective of times. I should add that the flying scenes are really well done, as you would expect from a Hawks picture.
I don’t think Only Angels is as inspiring as it’s supposed to be. I didn’t find myself overly impressed by the men’s bravery. I didn’t worry for them or weep over them either. To be succinct the screenplay could have used a little punching up.
However I enjoyed the cast and their interactions. I avoided the overall story and its arc and simply enjoyed the details and each character. I still don’t know why I didn’t like all those years ago but I do know why I didn’t love it. At it’s heart there’s not enough heart.
Your mileage may vary. Many people love the movie and find things in it that I can’t. If someone told me they consider it a great film I’d not think a wit less of them. Same if they told me they thought it stunk. I’m glad I gave it another go and managed to enjoy it.
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