Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Sight & Sound Challenge: Only Angels Have Wings (1939)

Film: Only Angels Have Wings (125/250) 
First Time/Rewatch: First Time


Cary Grant. Jean Arthur. Planes. A piano. Young super gorgeous Rita Hayworth. What more do you need? Okay, I know I've gone on record as saying Cary Grant doesn't quite work for me as a romantic lead, but this movie has more going for it than a flimsy romance. The setting is great, and there's a great lived-in feeling...it feels like a real place with real inhabitants. This is especially evident in the scene of Jean Arthur's character Bonnie leading everyone in song. There's a camaraderie between the patrons, a real sense of joy. The plot is inconsequential, full of past and present and potentially future romances, although seeing Rita Hayworth looking more stunning than ever was a treat...she's just....*sigh*

Having said all that, I kept waiting for this movie to really impress me, and while I enjoyed it, it didn't particularly blow me away. I think another viewing will be in order someday, when I can sit back and enjoy it without worrying about particulars of the plot. Just to be temporarily transported to another place and time is nice enough. 

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