Tonight's Movie: Captains of the Clouds (1942) - A Warner Archive Blu-ray Review

CAPTAINS OF THE CLOUDS (1942), out on Blu-ray this week, is another stunning Technicolor release from the Warner Archive Collection.

James Cagney leads a fine cast in a film which is almost two movies in one; the first section concerns a group of brawling Canadian bush pilots, while the second half depicts the men's experiences in the Royal Canadian Air Force.

Cagney plays Brian MacLean, a go-getter who steals jobs from other seasoned pilots, played by Dennis Morgan, Alan Hale (Sr.), George Tobias, and Reginald Gardiner.

The men eventually become friends, to the point that when Brian realizes that Johnny (Morgan) will ruin his life if he marries the inconstant Emily (Brenda Marshall), he marries her himself to spare his friend. Crazy tactics, but typical of the hotheaded, impulsive Brian.

The jilted Johnny joins the RAF, and as war in Europe gets underway, the other pilots try out to be RAF flight instructors. Scrounger (Gardiner) and Lebec (Tobias) make the grade, while Tiny (Hale) flunks out due to his fondness for the bottle. Brian isn't considered instructor material but is a good enough pilot he receives a different RAF assignment; unfortunately he eventually washes out of the service due to his impulsive behavior.

However, when the RAF urgently needs civilian pilots to ferry planes to Europe, Brian manages to get one of the jobs flying from Newfoundland to England along with Johnny and other RAF pilots.

I last saw this film in 2012 and had forgotten how entertaining it is. The movie was shot in the summer and fall of 1941 and released just a couple months after Pearl Harbor, so in addition to the entertainment value, it's also of interest for its historical context.

I continue to think it's overlong at 114 minutes, but for the most part it's an enjoyable watch thanks to a deep cast and the amazing Technicolor cinematography.

"Amazing" is not an understatement; even if this film were dull -- which it's not -- it would still be worth watching for the spectacular Technicolor. It's hard to come up with additional superlatives for how great Canada, Brenda Marshall, and the airplanes look. This fine Blu-ray presentation is a delight.

The main cinematography was by Wilfrid M. Cline and Sol Polito. A trio of additional cinematographers filmed the aviation sequences, including future three-time Oscar winner Winton C. Hoch.  Interestingly, despite a total of five photographers, Polito received a solo Oscar nomination for this film.

Director Michael Curtiz keeps things moving energetically along. The score is by Max Steiner.

The supporting cast includes Reginald Denny, Paul Cavanagh, J.M. Kerrigan, Clem Bevans, J. Farrell MacDonald, Willie Fung, Louis Jean Heydt, and Gig Young, then billed as Byron Barr.

Disc extras consist of the trailer; a Technicolor short, ROCKY MOUNTAIN BIG GAME (1942); the cartoons WHAT'S COOKIN' DOC? (1944) and HOLD THE LION, PLEASE (1942); and a brief 1942 newsreel.

Thanks to the Warner Archive for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray. Warner Archive Blu-rays may be ordered from the Warner Archive Collection Amazon Store or from any online retailers where Blu-rays are sold.

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