Always (1989)

The spirit of a recently deceased expert pilot mentors a newer pilot while watching him fall in love with the girlfriend that he left behind.

Director:

Steven Spielberg

Writers:

Jerry Belson (screenplay), Dalton Trumbo (screenplay "A Guy Named Joe")

Stars:

Richard Dreyfuss, Holly Hunter, Brad Johnson

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Dreyfuss	...	Pete Sandich
Holly Hunter	...	Dorinda Durston
Brad Johnson	...	Ted Baker
John Goodman	...	Al Yackey
Audrey Hepburn	...	Hap
Roberts Blossom	...	Dave
Keith David	...	Powerhouse
Ed Van Nuys	...	Nails
Marg Helgenberger	...	Rachel
Dale Dye	...	Don
Brian Haley	...	Alex
James Lashly	...	Charlie
Michael Steve Jones	...	Grey
Kim Robillard	...	Air Traffic Controller
Jim Sparkman	...	Dispatcher

Storyline

Pete Sandich and buddy Al Yackey are daredevil aerial forest-fire fighters. Pete finds True Love with Dorinda but won't give up the job. When he takes one risk too many, Dorinda faces deep grief and cannot easily put her life back together.

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Plot Keywords:

pilot | ghost | grief | airplane | afterlife | 

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Taglines:

They couldn't hear him. They couldn't see him. But he was there when they needed him... Even after he was gone.

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Genres:

Fantasy | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 December 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Siempre

Filming Locations:

Libby, Montana, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$31,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$43,858,790

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$74,134,790, 31 December 1990

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures,United Artists,Amblin Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

122 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The incident where Dorinda mistakes Ted's John Wayne imitation for Henry Fonda actually occurred between Holly Hunter and Brad Johnson during filming. Steven Spielberg found the incident so comical that he reproduced it in the film.

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Goofs

Pete's plane has the registry number N9425Z. Later in the film, the same number is visible on a different plane when Dorinda takes it out to aid the smoke jumpers; and before her splashdown, her plane now has registry number N4818E.

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Quotes

Pete Sandich: Love! Ain't what it used to be.
Al Yackey: Oh there's only ever been two kinds: There's lash fires, which are all flame, burn themselves out and leave nothing. Then there's the long burning. That is nature's burn. Even when you think it's out, the forest floor is warm to the touch. That's the kind you and Dorinda got.
Pete Sandich: You're a poet, Al. You're a really bad poet, but you're a poet.

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Crazy Credits

On the Blu Ray release, at the very end of the end credits, there is a warning. It reads, in quotation marks: "Caution: Inhaling of helium from balloons is dangerous, and can cause serious injury or death."

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Connections

Referenced in Animation Lookback: Don Bluth Part 2 (2011)

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Soundtracks

Garryowen
(uncredited)
traditional
whistled by Richard Dreyfuss while flying

User Reviews

Excellent movie for aviation buffs

My husband asked me to marry him after we saw this movie. He was a helicopter pilot and we had met at an air show. We both loved vintage aircraft so this seemed to be just the movie to see. We both laughed and cried so hard during the movie. Little was I to know that 13 years later I would lose my husband while he was flying. It took me some years to watch this movie again and I too cried through the whole thing. It is so personal to me. There are times when I feel, like Holly did, that I can hear my husband talking to me and guiding me. There is a lot to be learned from this picture about life and love. I highly recommend this picture.