The Flight of the Phoenix (1965 film)
The Flight of the Phoenix is a 1965 American drama film starring James Stewart, produced and directed by Robert Aldrich, and based on the 1964 novel The Flight of the Phoenix by Elleston Trevor. The story describes several men struggling to survive their aircrafts emergency landing in the Sahara desert, and stars Richard Attenborough, Peter Finch, Hardy Krger and Ernest Borgnine. The ensemble cast includes Ian Bannen, Ronald Fraser, Christian Marquand, Dan Duryea and George Kennedy as other passengers on the aircraft.
Meanwhile, Dorfmann has been working on a radical idea He believes they can build a new aircraft from the wreckage. The C82 has twin booms extending rearwards from each engine and connected by the horizontal stabilizer. Dorfmanns plan is to attach the outer panel of the right wing to the left engine, left boom and left wing outer panel, discarding the center fuselage and both inner wing panels of the aircraft. Harris and Moran believe he is either joking or deluded, and the animosity between Towns the veteran pilot and Dorfmann the aircraft designer increases. PostWorld War II antiGerman sentiment also simmers under the surface. The struggle is complicated by a personality clash between Towns, who is a proud old traditionalist aviator, and Dorfmann, a young, equallyproud technician. Moran, a goodnatured man suffering from alcoholism, struggles to keep the peace. The tension only gets worse when Dorfmann bluntly explains that Gabriel will die before the aircraft flies.Although Towns is resistant, Renaud points out that activity and any hope will keep the mens morale up and so Towns agrees with the plan. Dorfmann supervises as the workers cut, haul and weld parts of the aircraft. Towns is doubtful that the plans will succeed. During the work, Gabriel takes his own life by slitting his wrist with a knife. The men are so depressed by the loss they contemplate giving up the new planes construction. Things seem even bleaker when Towns discovers that Dorfmann has taken extra rations of water. His explanation is that he alone has been working continuously. However, Dorfmann promises to not do so again if they all work equally hard. Moran talks Towns into resuming work on the aircraft. ........
Source: Wikipedia
