Lawbolisted Powerful

CommentsXp Best movie ever!

FirstWitch A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Allison Davies The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

utgard14 James Cagney's first color film is a formulaic but entertaining effort about a bush pilot who joins the Royal Canadian Air Force during WWII. The Technicolor is beautiful -- rich, luscious, vibrant colors that just pop out at you. It really brings the photography of the Canadian wilderness to life. This was also the first Hollywood movie shot on location in Canada. The cast is made up of solid WB contract stars. In addition to Cagney, there's Dennis Morgan, Alan Hale, Brenda Marshall, and the annoying George Tobias.I'll admit, as much as I like Cagney, in some of his pictures I just can't stand his characters. The plot here is very similar to previous Cagney films. He plays a cocksure jerk who "steals" friend Dennis Morgan's girl (Brenda Marshall). The movie does mix things up a bit by having him do this to HELP Morgan, if you can believe that! At least the altered formula allows Morgan to keep some dignity, unlike poor Pat O'Brien who played runner-up to Jimmy in several earlier films like this. Of course, this alteration to the formula is at the expense of Brenda Marshall's character. So if you're looking for a strong female character, look elsewhere. All in all, it's an enjoyable picture that's really nice to look at. Watch it for the fine cast and stunning Technicolor.

edwagreen A rather slow starts leads in to an interesting film.In comparison to his other films, James Cagney is rather subdued here; his inability to follow through on instructions with his attitude is par for him, but still he gives another wonderful performance.He and Dennis Morgan vie for flying business and when Cagney is injured, he is aided by Brenda Marshall, the former Mrs. William Holden. Marshall plays the fiancé of Morgan who is taken by Cagney and she goes ahead and marries him. Of course, Cagney leaves her a day after the wedding. He knew that she wasn't right for Morgan and the only way he saw to convey this was to marry her.The aerial flight scenes are excellent and Cagney just can't seem to stay out of trouble with the RAF, which leads to his dismissal. Movies being the way they are, he is given the opportunity, under the false pretenses that he created, to redeem himself.The film is a definite tribute to all flyers, not just the RAF. It is well done.

classicsoncall Throughout most of the story, Brian MacLean (James Cagney) flies by the seat of his pants, and at times it seems the movie does too. The film starts out about a handful of Canadian bush pilots attempting to learn the identity of a sneaky, job stealing rival, and ends up with the bunch of them joining the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II. In between there's a love triangle between Cagney's character and his main rival Johnny Dutton (Dennis Morgan) over the affections of Emily Foster (Brenda Marshall). Emily turns out to be a self promoting opportunist who shows her true colors by eloping with MacLean since he showed up with a bankroll first. It seems the only thing Emily has going for her is her fiery good looks, as even her father bemoans her integrity when Johnny comes back for her.You're probably best served while watching the film to stop questioning the believability of the events on screen and just kick back to enjoy the natural beauty of the Canadian wilderness and the great display of era war planes. I'm no aviation buff, but the sight of all those colorful planes at the various flight training schools was incredible. Hard to believe though that nations actually carried out a World War in such machines when considering today's science and technology.The rest of the film's cast almost makes it seem like like they might have been going for a comedy, with a lively Alan Hale leading the way, along with George Tobias and Reginald Gardner as fellow bush pilots. Scrounger Harris (Gardner) gets some mileage out of a running gag as a penny pincher; Cagney nails his character with the line "I have no money and he's trying to borrow it". Cagney and Hale ham it up by briefly dancing with each other in another lighter scene before things get somber in the finale.Apparently many of the RCAF fliers in the movie's graduation scene wound up heading for the War in Europe shortly after filming, receiving their wings from real life Canadian war hero, Air Marshal William 'Billy' Bishop. He appeared comfortable in his brief on screen role, perhaps in the knowledge that the film might have inspirational propaganda value.Cagney's character has a lot to redeem himself for, and does so in the film's climactic ending. It just struck me how many times he portrays a character that dies at the end of the story, this time realizing that he has a lot to atone for. True to his character, flier MacLean turns a deaf ear to his former buddy and now commanding officer Dutton - "I'm not disobeying orders, I just can't hear you."

northbaypatsy Having grown up in North Bay Ontario Canada, I would like to point out that the first part of Captains of the Clouds was set on Trout Lake near North Bay . The Actors stayed at The Empire Hotel in North Bay.All of the people of North Bay were excited about this movie and many of us crowded around the entrance to the Hotel and every other place the Stars were sighted. It was certainly a memorable time for the residents of North Bay!! There are more details I would love to add but at this point I would like to ask if there are any reviews that include ALL the areas where Captains of the Clouds was set? Thank you.Patricia Kennedy