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List Price: $14.98 | | Label: Paramount
Salesrank: 12354
Released: August 2, 2005 |
| Our Price: $6.99 |
| Used Price: $4.37 |
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MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Starring the legendary John Wayne, better known as "The Duke," "Island in the Sky," comes to DVD for the first time and is loaded with special features. This rare classic has been meticulously restored and remastered. A riveting tale of bravery, hope and survival of the human spirit, "Island in the Sky" finds former army pilot Dooley (Wayne) and his men stranded in uncharted sub-arctic terrain when he is forced to crash-land his plane.
Description of Island In The Sky (Special Collector's Edition):
Out of circulation for a quarter-century following the death of producer-star John Wayne, Island in the Sky is a tale of survival focused on the pilot (Wayne) and crew of a DC-3 forced to crashland somewhere in the uncharted Canadian wilderness, and the fellow airmen (Lloyd Nolan, James Arness, Andy Devine, Paul Fix) determined to find them before hunger and the 70-below winter do them in. The movie, set in the post-WWII era when military and commercial aviation were still intertwined, was written by bestselling novelist Ernest K. Gann and directed by William A. Wellman, an aviation-movie veteran whose Wings won the first-ever Academy Award (1927–28).
Wellman resolutely downplays the histrionics and conventional heroics; Wayne indulges in none of the macho posturing that his detractors carelessly identify him with, and the crewman who breaks rank in a bid for salvation meets a grim, almost mythically absurd demise. But Wellman also condoned (and himself speaks) the ill-advised narration that aims to tell us what's going on inside the stoic characters. The director does better with throwaway details like the ice pick kept handily embedded in a barracks wall so that pilots can break the frozen skin on their morning wash water. And there's a distinctive war council among the search pilots when no one's quite sure what to do next--the wrong decision could doom the missing crew--and so no one looks anybody else in the face. The black-and-white cinematography by Archie Stout (dramatic scenes) and William H. Clothier (flying scenes) leaves nothing to be desired, and in this crisp restoration it sometimes literally glows.
DVD features
The extras include production reminiscences by William Wellman Jr., assistant director Andrew V. McLaglen, and supporting players Darryl Hickman and Harry Carey Jr.; a short essay on the art of aerial cinematography; and an intriguing profile of Ernest K. Gann, who in his teens directed and starred in a motion picture of sorts. Wayne, Wellman, and Gann reteamed to create The High and the Mighty, much nominated for 1954 Oscars. --Richard T. Jameson
Island In The Sky (Special Collector's Edition) Reviews:
low budget movie about air rescue 
2009-08-26 - A cargo air plane ( DC3) down on a frozen lake in Northern Canada
for six days is the subject of this film.
I say it was low budget because they only needed one location shot
and a lot of studio cockpit shots and some air base shots.
That economy allowed them to get some really good actors
in character roles, but the result was a film
that didn't have a whole lot of appeal to wider audiences.
I didn't really like the film much.
Full Screen vs. Widescreen 
2009-05-26 - Great movie and a great price (May 2009). Anyone know the history of why it wasn't shot in widescreen? The technology was there in 1953. Batjac used it in 1954 for High and the Mighty.
If you like the Duke, you'll like this one.
Dated, mostly boring 1950s aviation search and rescue film 
2009-02-03 - "Island In The Sky" tells the story of a crew - led by John Wayne - whose plane goes down in icy Labrador. The crew must try and survive under tough conditions meanwhile a search and rescue is mounted - but will they make it in time? Sounds like an interesting plot doesn't it? Sadly, "Island In The Sky" is corny, cliched, and artificial even by early 1950s Hollywood standards. The action is ho-hum and we don't really get to care about any of these characters. Long and boring. The heavy-handed religious references (that includes the musical score) also become somewhat tiresome. Wayne is OK.
Great Movie 
2008-06-30 - This is a great movie about camaraderie. If you like flying, then you'll probably like this movie. It's all about airmen looking out for other airmen.
COLORIZATION Strikes again!
2008-04-14 - This is what "A Classic Film" should mean. Men placed in danger against what seem to be insurmountable odds. Every member of the crashed crew adds another human element to the story. The rescuers search on with no Hollywood assurance that they will find the lost crew. I have watched this film innumerable times and thrill to every viewing. How unfortunate that the person that bought the "rights" to this movie did not understand there is no COLOR when you are lost in a world of snow. He "colorized" it and has deprived future generations from fully realizing the impact of this thrilling story. Shame, shame!
