aviation

It’s both Air Force propaganda and a failed Howard Hughes vanity piece.  It’s the final released film of legendary fallen director Josef von Sternberg.  It began at one major studio and ended up at another.  It’s got a redressed, drab, muddy Western set doubling for Russia in the film’s second half.  It might be silly at times, but it’s never dull.  There’s so, so, so much red meat here for a film historian to chew on.