The 2004 remake of “Flight of the Phoenix” was mostly dreck except for the sublime opening scene.
10 thoughts on “I’ve Been Everywhere”
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The 2004 remake of “Flight of the Phoenix” was mostly dreck except for the sublime opening scene.
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The original Flight of the Phoenix is an overlooked classic. Jimmy Stewart, the pilot who one would suppose is the hero, is actually responsible for their plight because of his slapdash planning and upkeep of the plane. He also routinely gives up and has to be pushed to do everything by his alcoholic navigator Richard Attenborough. Also, Hardy Krüger as Dorfman, the incredibly arrogant German plane ‘designer’, is great.
If you haven’t seen that version rent it. I won’t spoil anything, but the scene where Stewart and Attenborough discover the truth behind Herr Dorfman is one of the best plot twists you’ll ever see.
Yes, I had not realized that it had been remade. The original was not bad although suspension of disbelief was pretty much required,.
Manufactured in beautiful Hagerstown, Maryland.
It’s also a reminder that there are still places that are very empty. This looked like this was in the Gobi Desert in possibly Mongolia, the original book and the first movie took place in the Sahara. Hard to decide which would be worse.
By the way, the airplane is a Fairchild C-119, nicknamed the Flying Boxcar.
Great scenes with the Flying Boxcar – first time I’ve seen one of those in flight!
To perhaps add to your warbirds-in-flight videos, this one shows a B-17 and B-25 in flight over the Superstition Mountains in Arizona, east of Phoenix.
https://vimeo.com/18135369
The C-119 was the first plane I jumped out of in Airborne School. I had no idea they were manufactured in Hagerstown, just 40 miles down the road from where I live. Notice the lack of windows for the passengers. That was a great advantage for people who are afraid of heights, like me. You weren’t confronted by the crazy thing you were about to do until you were practically standing in the door.
Helian,
My brother was a Flight Engineer on C-141’s. He told a story about a practice jump they were flying. He went back to the cargo compartment and a Sargent had his arm around the Load Master and was telling his troops how brave he was because he actually intended to land in that airplane and how fortunate they were that they wouldn’t be taking that risk.
@MCS
I jumped out of C-141’s a few times. One thing I remember is how loud the engines were as you stepped out the door. They were big birds, and when a few of them flew over the DZ at once the sky was full of chutes. It was a beautiful sight, like blossoms in the sky. I’d love to see a jump like that again. Maybe I’ll take my grandkids down to Bragg to see one sometime.
That opening scene was truly beautiful on the big screen.
I’ve watched it since on a 55″ Hi Def TV, and it just doesn’t compare.