Wings of Courage is a 1995 American-French drama film directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud. The 40-minute film was written by Annaud with Alain Godard. It was the first dramatic film shot in the IMAX format.
Wings of Courage | |
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IMAX theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Jean-Jacques Annaud |
Produced by |
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Written by |
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Starring |
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Music by | Gabriel Yared |
Cinematography | Robert Fraisse |
Edited by | Louise Rubacky |
Production company | Iwerks Entertainment |
Distributed by | Sony Pictures Classics |
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Running time | 40 minutes (United States) 50 minutes (France) |
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Language | English |
Budget | $20 million |
Box office | $15,054,636 |
Wings of Courage is an account of the real-life story of early airmail operations in South America. The film stars Craig Sheffer, Val Kilmer, Elizabeth McGovern and Tom Hulce.
Screenplay
In 1920s South America, a small group of French pilots led by aviation pioneer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (Tom Hulce) struggle to prove they can offer a reliable airmail service over the Andes. When one of the young airmail pilots, Henri Guillaumet (Craig Sheffer), crashes on such a flight in the Andes, a search is started. Henri has to try and get back to civilization on foot. Back home, his wife Noelle (Elizabeth McGovern) and colleagues start to fear the worst.
- Craig Sheffer as Henri Guillaumet
- Elizabeth McGovern as Noelle Guillaumet
- Tom Hulce as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
- Val Kilmer as Jean Mermoz
- Ken Pogue as Pierre Deley
- Ron Sauvé as Jean-René Lefebvre
- Molly Parker as Jean's Dance Partner (uncredited)
- Ron Sauvé as Lefebvre (credited as Ron Sauve)
- Freddy Andreiuci as Young Pilot
Wings of Courage was the first IMAX 3-D short film created to be projected on the world's largest screens, with a process that uses a wider film gauge, more intense light and a brighter screen (covered with five coats of silver). The 3-D glasses were also a new type, liquid crystal lenses that are controlled by radio waves with each lens blinking 48 times a second, in sync with the projected image.
For Roger Ebert', Wings of Courage is "... a technical, rather than an artistic achievement." In the review in The New York Times, Caryn James had a similar evaluation: "'Wings of Courage' is a swooping, old-fashioned adventure tale that uses flashy newfangled technology. The first fiction movie made for IMAX 3-D (the format that makes everyone wear oversized, goofy-looking goggles), this 40-minute film plays to the strengths of its 3-D technique. It's a winning ploy. Film critic Leonard Maltin considered Wings of Courage, "Beautiful scenery aside, this is a lumbering, boring true-life adventure ... Dramatically speaking, it's about as lively as a 1930s Monogram programmer.