Captains of the Clouds (1942) It's always a bit weird to see semi-propaganda films made with mainstream talent, as if it's just another movie. It kind of eats into the credibility of movies in that period in general, as distinctive art forms as opposed to commercial vehicles. So this has (for example) songs by Harold Arlen (Over the Rainbow fame) and Johnny Mercer, and some photography by the great Sol Polito (though there were four shooters involved, due to the range of situations required). And the director is the indisputably excellent Michael Curtiz, who was making "Casablanca" at roughly the same time. This is a movie about the Canadian air effort in the war. The lead by James Cagney is slightly odd in this regard, but it gives the movie creds. The leading woman (reddish hair and very red lipstick for the Technicolor production) is a more suitable Brenda Marshall. The scene is in an isolated lake country, dependent on small planes for getting everything they need in and out (including teams of huskies, at the beginning). It's all quite beautiful, and if the characters are back woods caricatures, that's part of the whole shtick with this kind of film. So this is a manly world with people dickering over money, but showing a kind of integrity that makes them dependable and ready to support the war effort once it gets going. The speech by Winston Churchill heard by radio (halfway through the film) is the key turning point, and the men rise above their petty small town rivalries. The "girl" is what really matters behind all their arguments. But war, of course, changes even love. Devotees of war films will appreciate the accuracies in the training and the aircraft used. Of course, this was shot not long after it actually was happening (a year or two) and legitimacy is almost unavoidable on some level. But finally I have to get to the actual plot, the human interactions that make up the story, because this is a weakness overall. The attempts to give personal relatability to the events are natural, but not all that convincing. So seeing it sixty years later it can't be watched quite for the story itself, but for the many parts that make up the overall arc. Curtiz is great and he makes the most of it all. Max Steiner's music helps though it is a little overblown for a lot of what a mount to documentary sections. The fact it's in color is interesting (for the expense) and it's actually part of what makes it interesting-and it's quite believable, clean, not oversaturated color, brilliantly controlled.

"Captains of the Clouds" was the first technicolour film James Cagney made and it is a pretty good one. The photography showing the airplanes is the main attraction here but Cagney's performance is good. He, along with four other pilots based in Canada, specialise in transporting various goods across the country. Being typically cocky and slightly arrogant, Cagney rubs his fellow pilots up the wrong way by stealing their business. Events take a more serious turn as Cagney sustains a serious head injury. Dennis Morgan has to fly a surgeon to where Cagney is holed up in the middle of a fierce storm. Those scenes are well done. Eventually, the five pilots are drafted into the Canadian Air Force. Cagney fooling around lands him in serious trouble and he finally begins to mature, assuming some responsibility for his actions. I think Cagney's performance got better after he is officially disciplined by his superiors. He begins to realise the trouble he had caused and this is highlighted in the way he delivers his lines more slowly. The scene where he has a private chat with Dennis Morgan is well done. A pretty good film.

"Captains of the Clouds" seems to be a big-budget production that splurged on a star like Cagney, color film, and lots of exciting flight footage. There must not have been any money left for a cohesive screenplay.The story never gains traction, and instead ends up being a series of episodes. First, we're in the backwoods, beginning to learn about the life of Canada's bush pilots. Then we're off to a big city hotel. A love triangle of sorts is introduced, then a third of the way through is abandoned. At an odd point in the plot's progression, we're off to prepare for flying planes in the war, and then Cagney is back in his bush plane, buzzing an airfield.The performances are weak, too, with the actors relying on overly broad strokes and lots of mugging and strutting.

The comments of earlier folks were appreciated .As a Canadian viewer I too appreciated it's accurate parts.And I also thought that Jimmies New Yawk accent was funny for a Canadian .The sentiment was great and the overall picture was good for the times .In the scene in a pub where the boys sang "Bless Them All" and two of them lamented being rejected from flight school , it was interesting to note (along with the wonderful nostalgia throughout)the long necked beer bottles they drank from.We old timers knew that they were the originals,before stubby bottles. I say this after recently hearing young people refer to the fact that there used to be stubby beer bottles before the present long neck bottles .Or ,was that only here in B.C.?Thanks to one commenter for the aircraft info too . And another , for the location of the lake .