SPIRIT OF ST. LOUIS is a tour de force for JAMES STEWART, although I can't say it wouldn't have been a better film with a director other than Billy Wilder. Someone like Henry Hathaway would have been a more likely choice to direct a film that has to do so extensively with air flight.
What really helps make the story fascinating, is the widescreen CinemaScope photography enhanced by WarnerColor to give the full panoramic views of ocean and sky which magnifies the enormity of what Lindberg's solo flight must have felt like. At the same time, with the camera lingering so long on Stewart's cramped quarters inside the plane, there's a tendency for the film to give the viewer a claustrophobic feeling. Wisely, the fragmented flashbacks make it possible to expand the viewing experience and give background information on events leading up to the famous solo flight which ended in Paris.
The name Lindbergh is also associated with one of the most famous kidnappings in American history--his baby son taken directly from his bedroom and found murdered before ransom could be paid, an event which had newspaper headlines all over the world buzzing about the event and led to "the trial of the Century" when Bruno Hauptman was found guilty. This fascinating story might have been an invaluable addition to the screenplay which is very limited in scope, but the screenwriters have chosen to concentrate only on Lindy's achievement as a navigator.
Stewart is convincing enough as Lindy, but his make-up can't conceal the fact that he's more than twenty years older than Lindy was at the time of the "event".
Biggest asset: The impressive background score by Franz Waxman gives added dimension to the story throughout.
What really helps make the story fascinating, is the widescreen CinemaScope photography enhanced by WarnerColor to give the full panoramic views of ocean and sky which magnifies the enormity of what Lindberg's solo flight must have felt like. At the same time, with the camera lingering so long on Stewart's cramped quarters inside the plane, there's a tendency for the film to give the viewer a claustrophobic feeling. Wisely, the fragmented flashbacks make it possible to expand the viewing experience and give background information on events leading up to the famous solo flight which ended in Paris.
The name Lindbergh is also associated with one of the most famous kidnappings in American history--his baby son taken directly from his bedroom and found murdered before ransom could be paid, an event which had newspaper headlines all over the world buzzing about the event and led to "the trial of the Century" when Bruno Hauptman was found guilty. This fascinating story might have been an invaluable addition to the screenplay which is very limited in scope, but the screenwriters have chosen to concentrate only on Lindy's achievement as a navigator.
Stewart is convincing enough as Lindy, but his make-up can't conceal the fact that he's more than twenty years older than Lindy was at the time of the "event".
Biggest asset: The impressive background score by Franz Waxman gives added dimension to the story throughout.