Wings of Courage is a 1995 American-French drama film directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud and starring Craig Sheffer, Val Kilmer, Elizabeth McGovern and Tom Hulce. The 40-minute film was written by Annaud with Alain Godard. It was the first dramatic film shot in the IMAX format.
| Wings of Courage | |
|---|---|
 IMAX theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Jean-Jacques Annaud |
| Written by |
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| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Robert Fraisse |
| Edited by | Louise Rubacky |
| Music by | Gabriel Yared |
Production company | Iwerks Entertainment |
| Distributed by | Sony Pictures Classics |
Release dates |
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Running time | 40 minutes (United States) 50 minutes (France) |
| Countries |
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| Language | English |
| Budget | $20 million[1] |
| Box office | $15,054,636[2] |
Wings of Courage is an account of the real-life story of early airmail operations in South America.[3]
Plot
editIn 1930 South America, a small group of French pilots led by aviation pioneer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (Tom Hulce) struggle to prove they can offer a reliable airmail service over the Andes. When one of the young airmail pilots, Henri Guillaumet (Craig Sheffer), crashes on such a flight in the Andes, a search is started. Henri has to try and get back to civilization on foot. Back home, his wife Noelle (Elizabeth McGovern) and colleagues start to fear the worst.
Cast
edit- Craig Sheffer as Henri Guillaumet
- Elizabeth McGovern as Noelle Guillaumet
- Tom Hulce as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
- Val Kilmer as Jean Mermoz
- Ken Pogue as Pierre Deley
- Ron Sauvé as Jean-René Lefebvre
- Molly Parker as Jean's Dance Partner (uncredited)
- Ron Sauvé as Lefebvre (credited as Ron Sauve)
- Freddy Andreiuci as Young Pilot
Production
editWings of Courage was the first IMAX 3-D short film created to be projected on the world's largest screens, with a process that uses a wider film gauge, more intense light and a brighter screen (covered with five coats of silver). The 3-D glasses were also a new type, liquid crystal lenses that are controlled by radio waves with each lens blinking 48 times a second, in sync with the projected image.[4] The film was shot on location over 50 days in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada with an additional 10 days of photography in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.[5]
Reception
editFor Roger Ebert', Wings of Courage is "... a technical, rather than an artistic achievement."[4] In the review in The New York Times, Caryn James had a similar evaluation: "'Wings of Courage' is a swooping, old-fashioned adventure tale that uses flashy newfangled technology. The first fiction movie made for IMAX 3-D (the format that makes everyone wear oversized, goofy-looking goggles), this 40-minute film plays to the strengths of its 3-D technique. It's a winning ploy.[3] Film critic Leonard Maltin considered Wings of Courage, "Beautiful scenery aside, this is a lumbering, boring true-life adventure ... Dramatically speaking, it's about as lively as a 1930s Monogram programmer.[6]
References
editNotes
edit- ^ Koerner. Brendan I."The Little Documentary That Could: What's IMAX's biggest hit? A schlocky NASA film." Slate Magazine website, 25 August 2006. Retrieved: 12 September 2011.
- ^ "Box office: 'Wings of Courage' (IMAX) (1995)." boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved: 28 May 2012.
- ^ a b James, Caryn. "Film Review: 'Wings of Courage' (1995)." The New York Times, 21 April 1995. Retrieved: 28 September 2012.
- ^ a b Ebert, Roger. "Review: 'Wings of Courage'." RogerEbert.com, 22 March 1996. Retrieved: 6 March 2017.
- ^ "Crash story scenes to be filmed in Alberta". Calgary Herald. 1994-01-30 [1994-01-30]. p. 23. ISSN 0828-1815. ProQuest 2466421056. Retrieved 2023-06-12.
- ^ Maltin 2011, p. 1562.
Bibliography
edit- Maltin, Leonard. Leonard Maltin's 2012 Movie Guide. New York: Signet, 2011. ISBN 978-0-451-23447-6.