The Spirit of St. Louis (1957) | |
| Director(s) | Billy Wilder |
| Producer(s) | Leland Hayward |
| Top Genres | Adventure, Biographical, Drama, Film Adaptation, Historical |
| Top Topics | Aviation, Book-Based, True Story (based on) |
Featured Cast:
The Spirit of St. Louis Overview:
The Spirit of St. Louis (1957) was a Adventure - Biographical Film directed by Billy Wilder and produced by Leland Hayward.
SYNOPSIS
This straightforward biopic with Stewart playing aviator Charles Lindbergh may be the least typical film of director Wilder's career. Concentrating on his famous 1927 solo flight across the Atlantic, the film presents in flashbacks moments from Lindbergh's early career as a barnstormer and mail pilot. Stewart, who at 49 was playing a man half that age, is genuine and engaging in what is essentially a one-person film. Notable for an outstanding score by Waxman.
(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).
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Quotes from
Charles Lindbergh:
Now, I don't propose to sit on a flagpole or swallow goldfish. I'm not a stuntman; I'm a flier.
[last lines]
Charles Lindbergh: [narrating] There were 200,000 people there that night. And when we came back home, there were 4 million people waiting.
Charles Lindbergh: [after politely trying to smoke a cigar given to him by an investment banker] The idea of committing suicide never crossed my mind except when I took this cigar.
read more quotes from The Spirit of St. Louis...
[last lines]
Charles Lindbergh: [narrating] There were 200,000 people there that night. And when we came back home, there were 4 million people waiting.
Charles Lindbergh: [after politely trying to smoke a cigar given to him by an investment banker] The idea of committing suicide never crossed my mind except when I took this cigar.
read more quotes from The Spirit of St. Louis...
Facts about
Average Shot Length = ~10.1 seconds. Median Shot Length = ~9.6 seconds.
James Stewart, who was portraying Charles Lindbergh at the age of 25, was 47 when the film was made.
After the film received bad notices from preview audiences, it was extensively re-edited with some new footage shot. Composer Franz Waxman was no longer available so veteran film composer Roy Webb was hired along with Warner Brothers Music Director Ray Heindorf to come up with new cues based on Waxman's original material. The Main Title was altered to add "La Marseillaise" to the tail end. Other cues were rewritten, especially the entire buildup to and including the landing at Le Bourget. This sequence had been more straight forward with Lindbergh landing his plane. In the revised version, he became disoriented and at one point asked for God's help. The Heindorf/Webb replacement cue utilized Waxman's themes interwoven into a stunning cue which was expertly conducted by Heindorf. The cue ends as Lindbergh shuts off the engine. All-in-all, about fifteen minutes of new music was mixed into the final film.
read more facts about The Spirit of St. Louis...
James Stewart, who was portraying Charles Lindbergh at the age of 25, was 47 when the film was made.
After the film received bad notices from preview audiences, it was extensively re-edited with some new footage shot. Composer Franz Waxman was no longer available so veteran film composer Roy Webb was hired along with Warner Brothers Music Director Ray Heindorf to come up with new cues based on Waxman's original material. The Main Title was altered to add "La Marseillaise" to the tail end. Other cues were rewritten, especially the entire buildup to and including the landing at Le Bourget. This sequence had been more straight forward with Lindbergh landing his plane. In the revised version, he became disoriented and at one point asked for God's help. The Heindorf/Webb replacement cue utilized Waxman's themes interwoven into a stunning cue which was expertly conducted by Heindorf. The cue ends as Lindbergh shuts off the engine. All-in-all, about fifteen minutes of new music was mixed into the final film.
read more facts about The Spirit of St. Louis...
