The Spirit of St. Louis

1927. A large prize has been offered to the first person to fly nonstop from New York to Paris. Charles Lindbergh is an airmail pilot; he has no money and is unknown. In St. Louis he persuades a few businessmen and raises the funds. He orders the aircraft and involves himself in the design: no radio, no parachute, no windscreen, because all of it is weight. After take-off he flies alone for thirty three hours. Most of the narrative takes place in the cockpit and the film watches a man trying to stay awake. Billy Wilder directs. James Stewart plays Lindbergh. The source is Lindbergh's own book and the pilot took part in the production. Stewart was in his forties when he played the part and the character was twenty five; that choice was criticised at the time. What is most striking is the structure; the narrative is almost entirely one man and uses inner voice and flashbacks in place of dialogue. Full size replicas were built for the flying and the aerial photography was advanced for the period. It failed at the box office and the studio took a large loss; the film was reassessed in later years. Wilder spoke of it as one of his own works he did not like. Who it is for: anyone curious about classic Hollywood production and the history of aviation. Who it is not for: the pace is slow, the narrative repeats, and the character's inner life is given only sparingly.