Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this pageThe Spirit of St. Louis (1957)
Director: Billy Wilder
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
Charles Lindbergh, 'Lucky Lindy', made the world's first solo transatlantic flight in 1927. Either this is Wilder's most cynical picture or his most purely affirmative one, as he takes the notoriously aloof, pro-Nazi aviator and magics him into the person of good ol' Jimmy Stewart, just plain folks, bumbling along against all odds, triumphing almost by accident, or perhaps with a little help from the Lord. The narrative is non-chronological but very simple: raising the cash, building the plane, flying the flight. It's quite engrossing, with the period trappings lovingly presented. Perhaps that was the project's real attraction for Wilder: the 1920s, an era he seems drawn to above all others.Author: BBa
Cast & crew
Director: Billy Wilder
Producer: Leland Hayward
Cast: James Stewart, Murray Hamilton, Patricia Smith, Bartlett Robinson, Marc Connelly, Robert Burton full cast
Duration: 135 mins
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Time Out's 101 Films of the Decade
Ten years, thousands of movies and millions of dollars in international box office, and it all boils down to this
Jim Jarmusch on 'The Limits of Control'
Jim Jarmusch has followed ‘Broken Flowers’ with an esoteric crime mystery. Dave Calhoun speaks to him from his New York office
Richard Linklater on 'Me and Orson Welles'
Dave Calhoun meets the 49-year-old, Houston-born filmmaker Richard Linklater to discuss his new comedy
Our verdict on Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones
Peter Jackson ends a triumphant decade with a sentimental misfire with this lush Alice Sebold adaptation
On the set of Ken Loach's 'Route Irish'
Dave Calhoun meets Ken Loach on the set of his forthcoming Iraq war movie
Is 'Paranormal Activity' the new 'Blair Witch'?
How does a film go from DIY experiment to box-office smash? 'Paranormal Activity' director Oren Peli explains
A gateway to all things 'New Moon'
In anticipation of 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon', Time Out is offering the chance to pick up a limited edition pack with three exclusive magazines and a free poster.
The films that deserve a TV spin-off
With Roland Emmerich suggesting he'd like to make a '2012' TV spin-off, we propose some more movie-to-TV serialisations
Time Out's 50 greatest animated films with commentary by Terry Gilliam
In celebration of the release of Pixar's 'Up' and Wes Anderson's 'Fantastic Mr Fox', read our rundown of fifty classic feature length animations
What do you think?
Post your review now