Burbank, Calif., February 14, 2011 – Unseen since it was pulled from circulation in 1942, the MGM all-star extravaganza, Night Flight (1933) makes its long-awaited debut on DVD June 7 from Warner Home Video. Orders are due May 3 (SRP $19.98).
Directed by Clarence Brown (Angels in the Outfield, National Velvet), Night Flight stars John Barrymore (Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, Dinner at Eight, Twentieth Century), Oscar®-winner Helen Hayes (Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Airport, 1970; Best Actress in a Leading Role for The Sin of Madelon Claudet, 1931; Anastasia, Herbie Rides Again), Academy Award®-winner Clark Gable (Best Actor in a Leading Role for It Happened One Night, 1934; Gone with the Wind, Mutiny on the Bounty, The Misfits), Academy Award®-winner Lionel Barrymore (Best Actor in a Leading Role for A Free Soul, 1931; Key Largo, It’s a Wonderful Life), Robert Montgomery (June Bridge, Once More My Darling), and Myrna Loy (The Best Years of Our Lives, received an honorary Academy Award® in 1991 for her career achievement).
“Only MGM, with their incredible ‘more stars than there are in the heavens’ slogan, could assemble a cast like this one,” said George Feltenstein, senior vice president, Theatrical Catalog Marketing, Warner Home Video. “This remarkable film boasts the same kind of overwhelming star power the studio deployed for success in creating Grand Hotel and Dinner at Eight. Movies with more than one big star are commonplace in our industry now, and have been for years, but in the 1930s, having more than two big stars in one movie was very rare, which makes this film a true cinematic treasure.”
Building momentum for its inaugural DVD release, Night Flight will be screened at the second annual TCM Classic Film Festival, which takes place April 28 through May 1 in Hollywood.
Night Flight will also be available day and date on Video on Demand from cable and satellite providers and for electronic download from online retailers including Amazon Video on Demand.
ABOUT THE FILM
“With its excellent acting by an imposing list of players and the meticulous attention to details of flying, both on land and in the air, the film translation of the prize novel, “Night Flight,” written by the French air-mail pilot, Antoine de Saint-Exupery, is a vivid and engrossing production.”
– Mordaunt Hall.b.r.c., The New York Times (October 7, 1933)
One of the most authentic flying movies to grace the silver screen and a must own for classic movie fans, the suspense-filled drama is an adaptation of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s international best-seller “Vol de Nuit.” Best remembered for his novella “The Little Prince” (“Le Petit Prince”), Night Flight is based on the author’s harrowing experiences as an airmail pilot and director of the Aeroposta Argentina airline.
SYNOPSIS
Polio breaks out in Rio de Janeiro, the serum is in Santiago and there’s only one way to get the medicine where it’s desperately needed: flown in by daring pilots who risk the treacherous weather and forbidding peaks of the Andes. A Grand Hotel-worthy cast – John and Lionel Barrymore (in their final film together), Clark Gable, Helen Hayes, Robert Montgomery, Myrna Loy – headline this thrilling adventure from the novel by Antoine de Saint-Exupèry. Forceful men clash, lovely women wait and fragile biplanes challenge the sky “with special effects that feel downright revolutionary [including] gorgeous, convincing shots of aircraft during nocturnal voyages and a magnificent storm sequence.” (Nathan Southern, allmovie.com).
SPECIAL FEATURES:
· Vintage Sports Champions Series Short Swing High
· Classic Cartoon When the Cat’s Away
· Subtitles: English & Français (Main Feature. Bonus Material/Trailer May Not Be Subtitled.).
