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Wings of Courage

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Wings of Courage
IMAX theatrical release poster
Directed byJean-Jacques Annaud
Written by
Produced by
  • Jean-Jacques Annaud
  • Richard Briggs
  • Antoine Compin
  • Charis Horton
Starring
CinematographyRobert Fraisse
Edited byLouise Rubacky
Music byGabriel Yared
Production
company
Iwerks Entertainment
Distributed bySony Pictures Classics
Release dates
  • April 21, 1995 (1995-04-21) (United States)
  • September 18, 1996 (1996-09-18) (France)
Running time
40 minutes
(United States)
50 minutes
(France)
Countries
  • France
  • United States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$20 million[1]
Box office$15,054,636[2]

Wings of Courage is a 1995 American-French drama film directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud and starring Craig Sheffer, Val Kilmer, Elizabeth McGovern and Tom Hulce. The 40-minute film was written by Annaud with Alain Godard. It was the first dramatic film shot in the IMAX format.

Wings of Courage is an account of the real-life story of early airmail operations in South America.[3]

Plot

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In 1930 South America, a small group of French pilots led by aviation pioneer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (Tom Hulce) struggle to prove they can offer a reliable airmail service over the Andes. When one of the young airmail pilots, Henri Guillaumet (Craig Sheffer), crashes on such a flight in the Andes, a search is started. Henri has to try and get back to civilization on foot. Back home, his wife Noelle (Elizabeth McGovern) and colleagues start to fear the worst.

Cast

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Production

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Wings of Courage was the first IMAX 3-D short film created to be projected on the world's largest screens, with a process that uses a wider film gauge, more intense light and a brighter screen (covered with five coats of silver). The 3-D glasses were also a new type, liquid crystal lenses that are controlled by radio waves with each lens blinking 48 times a second, in sync with the projected image.[4] The film was shot on location over 50 days in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada with an additional 10 days of photography in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.[5]

Reception

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For Roger Ebert', Wings of Courage is "... a technical, rather than an artistic achievement."[4] In the review in The New York Times, Caryn James had a similar evaluation: "'Wings of Courage' is a swooping, old-fashioned adventure tale that uses flashy newfangled technology. The first fiction movie made for IMAX 3-D (the format that makes everyone wear oversized, goofy-looking goggles), this 40-minute film plays to the strengths of its 3-D technique. It's a winning ploy.[3] Film critic Leonard Maltin considered Wings of Courage, "Beautiful scenery aside, this is a lumbering, boring true-life adventure ... Dramatically speaking, it's about as lively as a 1930s Monogram programmer.[6]

References

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Notes

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  1. ^ Koerner. Brendan I."The Little Documentary That Could: What's IMAX's biggest hit? A schlocky NASA film." Slate Magazine website, 25 August 2006. Retrieved: 12 September 2011.
  2. ^ "Box office: 'Wings of Courage' (IMAX) (1995)." boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved: 28 May 2012.
  3. ^ a b James, Caryn. "Film Review: 'Wings of Courage' (1995)." The New York Times, 21 April 1995. Retrieved: 28 September 2012.
  4. ^ a b Ebert, Roger. "Review: 'Wings of Courage'." RogerEbert.com, 22 March 1996. Retrieved: 6 March 2017.
  5. ^ "Crash story scenes to be filmed in Alberta". Calgary Herald. 1994-01-30 [1994-01-30]. p. 23. ISSN 0828-1815. ProQuest 2466421056. Retrieved 2023-06-12.
  6. ^ Maltin 2011, p. 1562.

Bibliography

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