HIGH AND THE MIGHTY - DVD review

John Wayne is an American cinema icon. Everyone knows The Duke; his cocky swagger, stilted dialogue delivery and strong presence. Growing up, my father would regale me with stories of his experiences watching Wayne's films as a youth and the impact he had on his own life. I felt like John Wayne was a member of my own family. When we would get together with a few dozen members of my extended family for Christmas, the television would invariably flash between football and whatever cable network was airing a Wayne western.

What may amaze you, then, is that "The High and the Mighty" is only the second complete Wayne movie I've ever seen. And the other was "The Green Berets," which I used as part of an analysis of the cinematic presentation of the Vietnam War over the decades. "Stagecoach," "Hondo" and "McLintock" are familiar to me in name only. I know the work of John Wayne through clips and reputation alone.

Perhaps that's why I was able to accept him quite simply as a copilot with a tragic history in "The High and the Mighty." I don't have the baggage or need to see him as a leading man or oppressively strong figure like those familiar with his staring roles in the past. In "THatM," Wayne is relegated to a supporting role as part of a larger ensemble. He has an admittedly tragic backstory, one which is force-fed to the audience as the film opens. Suffice it to say that "Whistling Dan Roman" would have every right to walk away from aviation, but his drive to continue provides a strength to the crew when they need it the most.

As I said, however, this movie is certainly not a John Wayne vehicle; rather it is an ensemble piece that focuses more on the interrelationships of the crew and passengers during a tense 13-hour flight from Hawaii to San Francisco. The cast list reads like a veritable "Who's Who" of b-list actors: Phil Harris (Baloo in "The Jungle Book"), Robert Stack and Claire Trevor (who played opposite Wayne in "Stagecoach"). A lot of their portrayals are over the top, as was the style of the period, and overtly stereotypical. Having a cast of 25 in a two-hour movie means that not all the characters will be completely developed, but by and large I felt satisfied with the work that was done in the script.

The essential story of "THatM" surrounds an engine that goes bad during a transpacific flight. The result is a compression of the emotional range that an ordinary person would experience in a half-day. People who may be manic or depressive have their conditions accentuated. Conflicts, like between a jealous husband and a philanthropist who he perceives cheated with his wife grow hostile quickly. People's emotions are readily worn on their sleeves, often to melodramatic conclusions.

Despite the contentions to the contrary in Leonard Maltin's upbeat introduction, a lot of the ideas in "The High and the Mighty are quaint at best. A man fires a smuggled gun in the cabin of the plane and suffers no consequences. Broad stereotypes are perpetrated for the sake of simplifying the storytelling. The film is definitely mired in a bygone era and my enjoyment of it was completely dependent upon my ability to take the mindset of a viewer of that time.

"The High and the Mighty" does some great things, cinematically speaking. The contrast of the open ocean the plane is sailing over as compared to the claustrophobia of the cabin is wonderful. As you can imagine, a cloistered airplane is hardly a varied environment and could grow old rather quickly. Fortunately director William Wellman is able to use a variety of camera angles to cast some diversity on the proceedings and breaks up the narrative to focus on different members of the cast to prevent the story from getting stagnant.

Is "The High and the Mighty" any good? That's a completely subjective question. I think the movie does a lot of things right… but a similar number of elements simply have not aged well. This is a film that has a place in history. One of the first to fully utilize the sweeping vistas made available through the extra-wide lenses used during filming. A John Wayne movie that brings out a tragic hero who ultimately is only the lynchpin in a larger story. He is a catalyst… but not the kind of dynamic, central figure he is in the majority of his films. Enjoy this as a piece of nostalgia, but don't expect it to hold up as well as most Wayne movies.

Video:
The video quality on this DVD is outstanding. Considering the age of the print; over fifty years, it looks marvelous. The Anamorphic widescreen presentation has a nice saturated color palate and there are few artifacts of its previous five decades in storage. There is an extra feature that goes into the restoration process for this movie which will make you all the more appreciative.

Audio:
The audio comes in two flavors for your enjoyment. The first is an original Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo track that represents the theatrical sound. The second is an expanded 5.1 track. By and large the two are indistinguishable, aside from a few gimmicky airplane noises in the rear speakers. Don't expect a tour de force of audio. However the dialogue, limited music cues and sound effects are as clear as the video. Nary a hiss, click or pop to be found anywhere in the transfer. One of the wonders of the film is its Academy Award winning soundtrack, and it's beautifully recreated on this DVD.

Extras:
As you would expect with a 2-disc set for a movie that hasn't been seen in decades staring one of the most recognizable movie stars in history, there is a good bit of information on here. The first piece is a feature-length commentary with uber film historian Leonard Maltin and William Wellman, Jr., the director's son. Maltin is his usual ebullient self, full of verve and espousing a ton of knowledge. He also brings in special guests, the original cast, during specific scenes through pre-recorded bits. It's a great, well-structured commentary that has a ton of information. Wellman, Jr. seems to remember a lot about a movie shot over fifty years ago by his father and is willing to share under Maltin's tender guidance. It's well-structured and almost more interesting than the film itself. I rarely listen to entire commentaries (simply because of time constraints) but sat and took in every word Maltin and Wellman had to share. It's that good.

The second disc begins with another introduction by Leonard Maltin. He gives a broad overview of what's coming up in the special features and duplicates a lot of the comments made during the (appropriately titled) commentary.

"The Making of The High and the Mighty" is a series of small documentaries that discuss a host of issues starting with Wayne's production company Batjac. The documentary focuses on a major, yet little discussed, part of Duke Wayne's life as a producer. It leads up to his taking on different projects and ultimately "The High and the Mighty." It discusses everything you could possibly want to see, from the translation of book to film and the selection of the cast to the scoring and fallout after its release. I like good documentaries about film… and this is a great one. It is an exhaustive and complete documentary that sets the bar for its sort on DVD. I'm sure it'll also fit in with the remainder of the John Wayne Collection.

There is also a documentary that focuses on the preservation and restoration of the film "The High and the Mighty. You'll really appreciate just how incredible this movie looks and sounds. It's intense and beautiful.

Maltin takes "A Critic's Perspective" of "The High and the Mighty." He repeats a lot of information in the commentary and goes on to gush about the film. He takes a historical, more than critical, perspective.

"Flying in the Fifties" talks about the place that "The High and the Mighty" holds in cinema history. Flying has become routine for many people and this extra takes us back to the era when flying was exotic and fantastic. It's a pseudo-period documentary that's pretty interesting… and a lot of retrospective interviews from pilots who flew during that time.

There are three trailers, one theatrical (which looks incredibly washed out and rough and will make you appreciate how good the movie looks), a trailer designed to pull people out of the comfort of their homes and away from their televisions, and one for the works of Batjac productions.

Film history buffs will enjoy the red carpet footage from the premiere. It's short and sweet. There is also a photo gallery with tons of behind-the-scenes moments.

Film Value:
"The High and the Mighty" is as quaint as they come. It's completely mired in its time period and if you can get into that mindset and ignore the broadly drawn characters you'll probably find a lot to love. The audio and video presentations are absolutely stellar, reflecting the glory of Cinemascope and the wonderful score. The extras are extensive and help round out a thoroughly fulfilling package.