SPIRIT OF ST. LOUIS, THE

(April 1957, U.S.)

Those of my generation may only be aware of Charles Lindbergh for two reasons. The first would be the infamous kidnapping and murder of his infant son Charles. Jr. in 1932, which at that time, was dubbed by the American media as the "Crime of the Century" (we in the 1990s would have bestowed that honor to the O.J. Simpson murders). Some of us may even recall the crime slightly fictionalized in Sidney Lumet's 1974 film version of Agatha Christie's MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS. The second would be James Stewart's performance as "Lindy" or "Slim" in Billy Wilder's THE SPIRIT OF ST. LOUIS, based on Lindbergh's autobiographical account of his 1927, thirty-three hour solo trans-Atlantic flight in a custom-built, single engine, single seat monoplane called "Spirit of St. Louis" from Roosevelt Field, Long Island across the Atlantic Ocean to Le Bourget Field in Paris, France; a flight that made aviation history.

Told in a rather non-linear format, the film not only chronicles the flight itself, but flashbacks and reminisces Lindbergh's early days in aviation, including his days as an airmail pilot, a flight instructor, a barnstorming pilot and a flying circus pilot. For the legendary flight itself, we see from its inception that it's an American undertaking that not only requires high finance, but also the necessary spirit that supports such historical undertakings. One cannot help but recall the 1983 film THE RIGHT STUFF, which chronicled the American spirit behind the space race of the 1960s. Unlike that film, though, Charles Lindbergh is alone on his journey and consequently, will die alone if the plane fails to reach its destiny. We're not just watching a pilot take command of a plane that he's come to know very well through design and weight calculations, but a man who's not slept in three days and struggles to maintain control over his fate, as well as his sanity. Even as he appears to be making social pleasantries with a fly that's determined to stay inside his plane for a while, we can surely appreciate the madness one must be facing traveling alone over the middle of the uncharted ocean and the subsequent need to talk to someone or something like a fly, or even himself.

As we travel alongside Lindbergh, it's easy to be overcome with feelings of not only dread for the inevitable dangers that face the place, but also the joys in realizing one's ultimate dream. From the moment he witness a flying seagull, we realize that land is close. From the moment he tries to hail fisherman below him to ask if the country of Ireland is nearby, we appreciate the humor as lighthearted measures in asking for directions. When he finally succumbs to sleepiness and conks out, we shudder at the sight of the plane flying off course and out of control, and then immediately breathe a sigh of relief when he regains his consciousness and perspective. The overhead shots of the lights of Paris are the physical signs of victory for not only Charles Lindbergh, but for the two hundred thousand French people who cheer his successful arrival and for the four million people of New York City who will honor him as a national hero with a ticker tape parade.

While not received too well in 1957, it impossible not to recognize now that THE SPIRIT OF ST. LOUIS deserves praise for not only a solid performance by a legendary actor like James Stewart (my favorite classic actor, by the way), but for Billy Wilder's ability to create a sense of suspense, tension, adventure and excitement in one man's spiritual determination to make history at a time when the 20th Century was still relatively new and the possibilities for man's historic achievements were still limitless. In fact, when I watch a film like this (or THE RIGHT STUFF, too, for that matter), I cannot help but become very cynical in my attitude toward human achievement in the 21st Century. What have we done? Where have we gone? What are we likely to do in the near future? If the answer to these important questions is merely the latest and greatest versions of the Apple iPhone and the money that phone addicts are willing to spend on it, then I fear we have no real future to look forward to. Sad!

Favorite line or dialogue:

Charles Lindbergh: "Did you wait in the rain all night?"
Girl: "Yes."
Charles: "Are you from New York?"
Girl: "No."
Charles: "Long Island?"
Girl: "No. I'm from Philadelphia."
Charles: "You came all the way from Philadelphia?"
Girl: "I had to. You needed my mirror."