Firstly, a massive thank you to our Patreon supporters. Your generosity touches me deeply. These supporters have become the single biggest contributing factor to the survival of DVDBeaver. Your assistance has become essential.

 

What do Patrons receive, that you don't?

 

1) Our weekly Newsletter sent to your Inbox every Monday morning!
2)
Patron-only Silent Auctions - so far over 30 Out-of-Print titles have moved to deserved, appreciative, hands!
3) Access to over 20,000 unpublished screen captures in lossless high-resolution format!

 

Please consider keeping us in existence with a couple of dollars or more each month (your pocket change!) so we can continue to do our best in giving you timely, thorough reviews, calendar updates and detailed comparisons. Thank you very much.


 

Search DVDBeaver

S E A R C H    D V D B e a v e r

directed by Robert Aldrich
USA 19
65

 

A downed airplane is a motley group of men’s only protection from the relentless desert sun, in this psychologically charged disaster epic, one of the all-time great survival movies. James Stewart is the veteran pilot whose Benghazi-bound plane—carrying passengers played by an unshaven ensemble of screen icons including Richard Attenborough, Ernest Borgnine, Ian Bannen, Dan Duryea, Peter Finch, and George Kennedy—crash-lands in the remote Sahara. As tensions simmer among the survivors, they find themselves forced to trust a coldly logical engineer (Hardy Krüger) whose plan to get them out may just be crazy enough to work—or could kill them all. Directed with characteristic punch by Hollywood iconoclast Robert Aldrich, The Flight of the Phoenix balances adventure with human drama as it conducts a surprising and complex examination of authority, honor, and camaraderie among desperate men.

***

I'm a little appalled , yet not surprised, that a remake of this magnificent film has reared its ugly head. It is also fascinating to me how many incredible films Jimmy Stewart has starred in - no I won't compare the two films... it is unnecessary. Perhaps the 2004 edition will ignite some interest in the older, significantly more polished gem.

 

Robert Aldrich's 1965 "The Flight of the Phoenix" rates as one of the best psychological adventure films of the 60's (which is saying a whole heap!). The premise, though simple, resonates to an astounding tale of survival, male bonding, fortune and hope. A twin-engine propeller plane (circa 1940) takes off from a mining operation in the Middle East piloted by Capt. Frank Towns (Jimmy Stewart) with inexperienced co-pilot Lew Moran (Sir Richard Attenborough). When the harsh desert sandstorms stands up on its hind legs the plane crashes in the middle of nowhere... with no hopes of being found or rescued. Now survival mode kicks in - rationing - slim chances of trekking the desert - waiting. A key reason for the success of this film, aside from a marvelous narrative, are the strength of the cast including some of the greatest supporting players ever available: Peter Finch, Hardy Krüger, Ernest Borgnine, Ian Bannen, Christian Marquand, Dan Duryea and George Kennedy. Stewart, always excellent, may actually be at the zenith of his onscreen charisma as the disgruntled pilot looking for a reason to lose. With all the characters getting slightly touched in the head by the circumstances and the sun, they decide to build a new plane from the wreckage of the old. This is more in line with keeping themselves busy before death slowly arrives. The interaction between male characters here is like a keynote in sociology - ever gripping and consistently degrading their humanity as time wears on. This film is beyond a mere adventure story - it is a tale of survival, courage and most of all - communication.

 

NOTE: The plane they leave on at the end of the film was to be a C-82 Boom. The stunt of taking off was too dangerous, so legendary stunt pilot Paul Mantz was asked to merely come in low, run his landing gear along the ground, then take off again, simulating a take-off. On the second take the plane crashed and was destroyed, killing Mantz. As all main footage had already been shot, a North American O-47A observation plane from the Air Museum was substituted for the remaining close-ups.

 

  Posters

Theatrical Release: December 15th, 1965 - USA

Reviews                                                                  More Reviews                                                            DVD Reviews

 

Comparison:

20th Century Fox - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' - Blu-ray vs. Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

Box Covers

BONUS CAPTURES:

Distribution 20th Century Fox - Region 1- NTSC Masters of Cinema - Spine # 149
Region 'B' - Blu-ray
Criterion Spine #1116 - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Runtime 2:21:45 2:22:00.011 2:22:03.097
Video 1.83:1 Original Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 7.11 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s 

1.85:1 Aspect Ratio Disc

Size: 49,422,588,951 bytes

Feature Size: 42,752,665,152 bytes

Total Bitrate: 34.83 Mbps

Dual-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4 Video

1.85:1 Aspect Ratio Disc

Size: 48,222,117,007 bytes

Feature Size: 42,299,430,912 bytes

Total Bitrate: 35.57 Mbps

Dual-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4 Video

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Bitrate:

Bitrate MoC Blu-ray:

Bitrate Criterion Blu-ray:

Audio English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), English (mono), DUBs: French (mono) , Spanish (mono)   LPCM Audio English 1536 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1536 kbps / 16-bit
Isolated Score: LPCM Audio English 1536 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1536 kbps / 16-bit
LPCM Audio English 1152 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1152 kbps / 24-bit
Subtitles English, Spanish, None English (SDH), None English (SDH), None
Features

Release Information:
Studio: 20th Century Fox

Aspect Ratio:
Original aspect Ratio 1.83:1

Edition Details:

• Theatrical Trailer
• Spanish Trailer
• Portuguese Trailer

DVD Release Date: May 20th, 2003

Keep Case
Chapters: 36

Release Information:
Studio: M
asters of Cinema

 

1.85:1 Aspect Ratio Disc

Size: 49,422,588,951 bytes

Feature Size: 42,752,665,152 bytes

Total Bitrate: 34.83 Mbps

Dual-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4 Video

 

Edition Details:
• 
Isolated music and effects track
• New video interview with film historian Sheldon Hall (25:32)
• Original theatrical trailer (3:08)
• PLUS: A booklet featuring a new essay by film scholar Neil Sinyard and archival images

Blu-ray Release Date: September 12th, 2016
Transparent Blu-ray case

Chapters 11

Release Information:
Studio:
Criterion

 

1.85:1 Aspect Ratio Disc

Size: 48,222,117,007 bytes

Feature Size: 42,299,430,912 bytes

Total Bitrate: 35.57 Mbps

Dual-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4 Video

 

Edition Details:
• 
New conversation between filmmaker Walter Hill and film scholar Alain Silver (19:17)
• New interview with biographer Donald Dewey on actor James Stewart and his service as a bomber pilot(18:08)
• Trailer (3:09)
PLUS: An essay by filmmaker and critic Gina Telaroli


Blu-ray Release Date: March 22nd, 2022
Transparent Blu-ray case

Chapters 20

 

 

 

Comments:
NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Criterion Blu-ray (February 2022): Criterion have transferred Robert Aldrich's The Flight of the Phoenix to Blu-ray. It is cited as being from a "2K digital restoration". The 1080P image looks quite different from the Masters of Cinema transfer from 6 years ago. This has much cooler colors and less prominent contrast. It has lost the golden yellow hue that are present on both original DVD and UK Blu-ray looking far more natural. The Criterion is also slightly cropped beside the Masters of Cinema counterpart (and the Fox DVD) with a surprising amount removed from all four sides. I can't deny the Criterion looks very pleasing despite the strong differences - detail seems to rise and the image may have more depth. It's always nice to see differences to give us more purchase options.

NOTE: We have added 54 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Criterion use a 1.0 channel linear PCM mono track (24-bit) in the original English language. The Flight of the Phoenix has aggressive moments, loud plane engines noises etc. as well as quiet calms. The score is by Frank De Vol's (The Dirty Dozen, Kiss Me Deadly, The Big Knife (1955), What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?, McLintock) memorable score is able to advance the film's despair, tension and reserved elation plus we get the beautiful The Phoenix Love Theme "Senza Fine" sung by Connie Francis. It sounds superb in the uncompressed audio transfer. Criterion offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A'-locked Blu-ray.

Criterion don't have a commentary either, but they do add a couple of important extras. There is a new 20-minute conversation, recorded by the Criterion Collection in 2021, with filmmaker Walter Hill and Robert Aldrich biographer Alain Silver (What Ever Happened to Robert Aldrich?: His Life and His Films) who share their appreciation for Aldrich and his sunbaked achievement The Flight of the Phoenix. There is also a new 18-minute interview, recorded by Criterion in 2021, with James Stewart biographer Donald Dewey (James Stewart: A Biography) who reflects on Stewart's service in the United States Air Force and how it colored his choices as an actor. Lastly, is a trailer and the package has a liner notes booklet with an essay by filmmaker and critic Gina Telaroli.

Robert Aldrich's 1965 "The Flight of the Phoenix" is an incredibly well-made survivalist drama film. It's a totally intriguing story with an incredible cast; James Stewart, Richard Attenborough, Peter Finch, Hardy Krüger, Ernest Borgnine, Ian Bannen, Ronald Fraser, Christian Marquand, Dan Duryea and George Kennedy. It is one of my favorite films. It should be noted that the flying sequences were flown by famous stunt pilot Paul Mantz, who died performing touch-and-go landings as the mock-up model broke apart and cart-wheeled. The final credit on the screen was, "It should be remembered... that Paul Mantz, a fine man and a brilliant flyer, gave his life in the making of this film..." I was so pleased so see "The Flight of the Phoenix" again. The Criterion has a new look and new, very relevant, extras. What a fabulous film - great to be a part of the Criterion collection in Region 'A' Blu-ray. This masterpiece film is strongly recommended!

***

ADDITION: Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' Blu-ray August 2016': My initial reaction is - AMAZING! That's how the MoC, max'ed out bitrate, dual-layered image quality compares to the old DVD from 13 years ago. This 1080P looks fabulous - richer colors, far superior contrast and some impressive detail on the film's many close-ups. 

NOTE: I noticed two very abrupt, unusual cuts, but believe they were also like that on the DVD.

Audio is likewise impressive. Frank De Vol's (The Dirty Dozen, Kiss Me Deadly, The Big Knife (1955), What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?, McLintock) memorable score is able to advance the film's despair and tension - shifting between the two - and sounds superb in the linear PCM, lossless, audio transfer (also available in an isolated track option.) Plane engine noise adds intensive depth. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles and the Blu-ray disc is region 'B'-locked.

As well as offering the isolated music and effects track, there is a new 25-minute video interview with film historian Sheldon Hall who has written Zulu: With Some Guts Behind It about the 1964 film. He gives some nice insights and I quite enjoyed it. There is also an original theatrical trailer and the package has a liner notes booklet featuring a new essay by film scholar Neil Sinyard and archival images.

This Blu-ray presentation is magnificent and the film is a masterpiece. This has our highest recommendation!

***

ON THE DVD: Not a bad image at all. Minor softness, but true filmic experience with no digital manipulations. Colors may be slightly washed, but contrast is very good. Subtitles are excellent, audio gives 4 choices (English stereo and mono) and 2 DUBs in mono. No extras save the trailers. It seems to have been a forgotten film - but a true gem so I doubt it will be SE'ed soon. It deserves it though.

Gary W. Tooze

 


DVD Menus


 

 

Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' - Blu-ray

 

 

Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

 

 


CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

Subtitle Sample

 

 

1) Fox - Region 1 - NTSC TOP

2) Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' - Blu-ray MIDDLE

Criterion Spine #1116 - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 

 

1) Fox - Region 1 - NTSC TOP

2) Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' - Blu-ray MIDDLE

Criterion Spine #1116 - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


 

1) Fox - Region 1 - NTSC TOP

2) Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' - Blu-ray MIDDLE

Criterion Spine #1116 - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


 

1) Fox - Region 1 - NTSC TOP

2) Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' - Blu-ray MIDDLE

Criterion Spine #1116 - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


 

1) Fox - Region 1 - NTSC TOP

2) Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' - Blu-ray MIDDLE

Criterion Spine #1116 - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


 

1) Fox - Region 1 - NTSC TOP

2) Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' - Blu-ray MIDDLE

Criterion Spine #1116 - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


More full resolution (1920 X 1080) Blu-ray Captures for DVDBeaver Patreon Supporters HERE


 

Box Covers

BONUS CAPTURES:

Distribution 20th Century Fox - Region 1- NTSC Masters of Cinema - Spine # 149
Region 'B' - Blu-ray
Criterion Spine #1116 - Region 'A' - Blu-ray


 


 

Search DVDBeaver

S E A R C H    D V D B e a v e r

 

Hit Counter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DONATIONS Keep DVDBeaver alive:

 CLICK PayPal logo to donate!

Gary Tooze

Thank You!