The Spirit of St. Louis

A misfire for all concerned, The Spirit of St. Louis can be chalked up as a courageous failure. At age 48, James Stewart was far too old to be convincing as 27-year-old "Lone Eagle" Charles Lindbergh. Director Billy Wilder, a past master of cynical pessimism, was clearly the wrong choice to helm ...more

Charles Lindbergh was an American icon between the two World Wars, a dashing aviator who made history with the first trans-Atlantic flight from New York to Paris in 1927. Thirty years later, Hollywood snatched up his autobiography and cast James Stewart, himself an icon of American heroism, in the lead role. The film might have been formulaic if not for the combined writing and directorial talents of Billy Wilder, the eccentric Hollywood filmmaker who provided the Lindbergh character with ...more