Director Howard Hawks, one of Hollywood’s most celebrated auteurs to emerge from Hollywood’s golden age, was, if nothing else, diverse. He is celebrated for well-regarded westerns like Rio Bravo, but was also adept at frothy musicals like Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. On the surface, one could easily peg Hawks as one of the most masculine of directors. His films tended, in a very general way, to deal with the problems and mindsets of males and the brooding machismo therein. This notion extended into an analysis of occasional boorish cynicism and bitterness that is very much of the male mindset.
A slightly closer look, however, reveals that Hawks was seeking to undo a lot of that machismo, usually in the hands of a resolute and forthright female romantic lead who was, at least in the case of Only Angels Have Wings, more rich and interesting that her male counterpart. The Criterion Collection has recently released a Blu-ray of Hawks’ 1939 film, and we might want to take this opportunity to celebrate not only the film itself but also Jean Arthur, a Hollywood star of the highest caliber.
Columbia
In Only Angels Have Wings, Arthur plays Bonnie, an American performer who has to make a stop in an out-of-the-way South American airport called Barranca. There, she meets a pair of chummy delivery pilots who, thanks to the area’s extremely inclement weather and rocky terrain, work very close to death. Bonnie also meets the pilots’ boss, an embittered charmer named Geoff played by Cary Grant. When a pilot dies, Bonnie gets to witness Geoff’s aloof bitterness firsthand, and spends the first 45 minutes of the film reconciling the dangers – and the thrills – of this line of work.
Bonnie eventually elects to stay in Barranca. Partly to prove that she, too, can be tough and aloof when the situation calls for it, but also to figure out what makes Geoff tick. No big surprise: It turns out Geoff was burned by an old flame (Rita Hayworth), who will eventually reinsert herself into Geoff’s life, and get her husband a job flying for Geoff.
Columbia
On the surface, Only Angles Have Wings sounds like a rollicking romantic adventure film, and its amazing special effects (you won’t see much better miniature work) belie that. Indeed, the film inspired a 1983 adventure TV series called Tales of the Golden Monkey, which was then adapted into the 1990s Disney animated series TaleSpin. The two shows are lighthearted and fun and highlight the thrill of being a delivery pilot. Only Angels Have Wings is, conversely, wet, atmospheric, and even a bit tragic. These men live close to death, and, as such, have to live quickly. There is a sadness hanging over these people.
The most fascinating character, though, is Bonnie, played brilliantly by the always-underrated Jean Arthur. Here is a woman who sees thrills, tastes the death, and elects to move under that umbrella of sadness. Not because she seeks a darkened, depressed life, but because she is seeking a fuller experience out of life. When she first appears in the film, she is all smiles and naïveté. She’s an adult, and a smart one at that, but almost immediately recognizes that she can acquire more emotional texture. She vanishes for great portions of the film’s second half as the plot kicks in, and we’re treated to a few subplots and supporting characters (not to mention one great flying sequence involving nitroglycerin), but she is the film’s emotional core. She holds Geoff’s redemption. Just ask her, Geoff.
Columbia
Jean Arthur (1900 – 1991) has worked with some of cinema’s greatest directors (she appeared in several Frank Capra films), and is, if we’re going to come right down to it, one of the better actresses of her generation. Possessed of a sweet face and a small voice, Arthur was immediately approachable as an everyday type of sweetheart. Once you got close, however, you saw that she was a free-spirited ball-buster who was often ready to play with the boys, and possessed a whip-smart wit. She was certainly on the same plane as Katherine Hepburn. She stopped acting in 1953 and vanished from the public eye. The loss may be the public’s.
Thanks to The Criterion Collection, though, we now have a new chance to appreciate Only Angels Have Wings again.
The Blu-ray is stuffed with great stuff, as is par for the course with Criterion, including the radio adaptation of Only Angels Have Wings with Grant, Arthur, and Hayworth. The radio version is at least as good as the film version. Also, and this doesn’t need mention, but the film looks amazing. Whistle-clean, and right up front.
Top Image: Columbia
Witney Seibold is a contributor to the CraveOnline Film Channel, and the co-host of The B-Movies Podcast. He also contributes to Legion of Leia and to Blumhouse. You can follow him on “The Twitter” at @WitneySeibold, where he is slowly losing his mind.
