Captains of the Clouds (1942)Inspired by Churcill's Dunkirk speech, brash, undisciplined bush pilot Brian MacLean and three friends enlist in the RCAF but are deemed too old to be fliers. Director:Michael Curtiz |
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Captains of the Clouds (1942)Inspired by Churcill's Dunkirk speech, brash, undisciplined bush pilot Brian MacLean and three friends enlist in the RCAF but are deemed too old to be fliers. Director:Michael Curtiz |
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| James Cagney | ... |
Brian MacLean
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Dennis Morgan | ... |
Johnny Dutton
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| Brenda Marshall | ... |
Emily Foster
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| Alan Hale | ... |
'Tiny' Murphy
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| George Tobias | ... |
Blimp Lebec
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Reginald Gardiner | ... |
Scrounger Harris
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W.A. Bishop | ... |
Himself
(as Air Marshal W.A. Bishop)
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| Reginald Denny | ... |
Commanding Officer
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Russell Arms | ... |
Louis 'Alabama' Prentiss
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Paul Cavanagh | ... |
Group Captain
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Clem Bevans | ... |
Sam 'Store-Teeth' Morrison
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J.M. Kerrigan | ... |
Foster
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J. Farrell MacDonald | ... |
Dr. Neville
(as J. Farrell Macdonald)
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Patrick O'Moore | ... |
Fyffe
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Morton Lowry | ... |
Carmichael
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Brian McLean is a ruthless bush-pilot in Canada. He offers some other pilots an opportunity of earning a lot of money, but he marries the girl-friend of one of them. After listening to Churchill's famous "Blood, Sweat and tears" radio address he and some other pilots decide to join the RCAF - and his superior is always the pilot who's girlfriend he has married. Due to this and the fact, that McLean doesn't like to obey he gets troubles. Written by Stephan Eichenberg <eichenbe@fak-cbg.tu-muenchen.de>
Okay, I'll admit that this film is NOT Shakespeare! In fact, at times the plot is VERY VERY formulaic and silly but somehow the overall package is still quite entertaining.
Jimmy Cagney is the main lead of the film, though it actually has an ensemble cast consisting of Dennis Morgan and other Warner Brothers regulars. And unfortunately, the worst part of this film is Cagney's character, as he plays essentially the exact same character he played in so many Warner films. You know,...the brash and obnoxious guy who seems greatly in need of a comeuppance (such as in THE FIGHTING 69th and MANY other films). It's too bad, as the rest of the plot is very very good and this is a wonderful propaganda film meant to bolster support for the war. In fact, the more I think about it, Cagney's character and how it was written so derivatively is the only real problem in the film. It's a shame really, as apart from this the acting is excellent and the Technicolor scenes of the Canadian wilderness and flying are beautiful.