Billy Wilder's biopic "The Spirit of St. Louis" (1957) about the historic transatlantic flight by Charles Lindbergh from New York to Paris in 1927 is not among the director's most well-known or highly evaluated films. Back in the day, it was a box office failure and many critics were not pleased. In the course of time, however, the film's reputation has experienced a slight increase, though one can hardly talk of a sleeper, and especially the performance of James Stewart has come to be seen in a different light. Even as a weaker film of its director, "The Spirit of St. Louis" still holds up well, and stands strong as a portrayal of a man, an era, and the power of the spirit.
The film follows the months leading to Charles Lindbergh's flight over the Atlantic as he recalls them in his bed unable to sleep before the big day. This frame of narrative is important in establishing the use of the flashback sequence as a narrative device for the second half of the film which focuses on the long and lonely flight itself. During the second half, the spectator follows the protagonist's physical and emotional struggle, his thoughts and memories through the ordeal both public and private. Apart from the flashbacks, the only pieces of dialogue are exchanged between Lindbergh and a fly in the plane.
As a consequence, one might call the film boring when having to watch a man in a small plane for an hour or so. To this I would reply that it might be boring if it was any man, but not if it is James Stewart who plays Lindbergh in the film. It is indeed Stewart's performance -- although playing a character much younger than he was at the time -- which elevates the film. There is something absurdly realistic about his performance, his enduring boyishness. Stewart considered this as one of his favorite roles and he, as a former pilot himself, identified strongly with the character of Charles Lindbergh. It seems to me that this character may trigger another complaint since he is presented to us as an all American man without dark secrets or perversions, thus possibly making for poor drama. I would, once again, disagree and point out that in simply giving the character to us, Wilder does make him interesting. The viewer follows the development of the protagonist's determination, his obsession if you will, to try the transatlantic flight. He is lonely in this passion of his which, on the one hand, isolates him but, on the other, grants him immortality.
A major challenge for the film -- any historical film, I suppose -- is to recreate the historical circumstances in which a sense of wonder and importance could be attached to this kind of an event which now might seem trivial to some. Wilder manages to establish the magic of flight, the feeling of awe before a historical event taking place in front of our eyes. An integral role in this task is played by the narrative. It is of paramount importance that the film doesn't show Lindbergh as an older man, retelling his legendary experience; instead a sense of time is created by a flashback structure, but the present doesn't exceed the main event itself, and thus the viewer is held in suspense in the diegetic world despite knowing the facts of history in the other world. Typically for the director, the film relies heavily on the screenplay, and it is very well structured indeed. The protagonist's experience is associated with ordinary characters, making the event even more universal in its human meaning. It is, after all and above all, a miraculous tale of magic and wonder, a piece of cinema celebrating the power of the human spirit.
The film follows the months leading to Charles Lindbergh's flight over the Atlantic as he recalls them in his bed unable to sleep before the big day. This frame of narrative is important in establishing the use of the flashback sequence as a narrative device for the second half of the film which focuses on the long and lonely flight itself. During the second half, the spectator follows the protagonist's physical and emotional struggle, his thoughts and memories through the ordeal both public and private. Apart from the flashbacks, the only pieces of dialogue are exchanged between Lindbergh and a fly in the plane.
As a consequence, one might call the film boring when having to watch a man in a small plane for an hour or so. To this I would reply that it might be boring if it was any man, but not if it is James Stewart who plays Lindbergh in the film. It is indeed Stewart's performance -- although playing a character much younger than he was at the time -- which elevates the film. There is something absurdly realistic about his performance, his enduring boyishness. Stewart considered this as one of his favorite roles and he, as a former pilot himself, identified strongly with the character of Charles Lindbergh. It seems to me that this character may trigger another complaint since he is presented to us as an all American man without dark secrets or perversions, thus possibly making for poor drama. I would, once again, disagree and point out that in simply giving the character to us, Wilder does make him interesting. The viewer follows the development of the protagonist's determination, his obsession if you will, to try the transatlantic flight. He is lonely in this passion of his which, on the one hand, isolates him but, on the other, grants him immortality.
A major challenge for the film -- any historical film, I suppose -- is to recreate the historical circumstances in which a sense of wonder and importance could be attached to this kind of an event which now might seem trivial to some. Wilder manages to establish the magic of flight, the feeling of awe before a historical event taking place in front of our eyes. An integral role in this task is played by the narrative. It is of paramount importance that the film doesn't show Lindbergh as an older man, retelling his legendary experience; instead a sense of time is created by a flashback structure, but the present doesn't exceed the main event itself, and thus the viewer is held in suspense in the diegetic world despite knowing the facts of history in the other world. Typically for the director, the film relies heavily on the screenplay, and it is very well structured indeed. The protagonist's experience is associated with ordinary characters, making the event even more universal in its human meaning. It is, after all and above all, a miraculous tale of magic and wonder, a piece of cinema celebrating the power of the human spirit.