The High and the Mighty (DVD, 2005, 2-Disc Set/The John Wayne Collection/ Checkpoint)

This has been one of my favorite movies since I first saw it in the 50's, and I am thrilled to see that the John Wayne Estate has authorized a remastered DVD of that old classic! This is one of the MOST-pirated motion pictures in movie history...about time the family of the late, great Duke decided to allow the fans of this wonderful classic to legally own it! Where to start in listing the reasons this wonderful motion picture captures the imagination and holds the viewer spellbound? What caught my imagination the most was the theme song...that hauntingly beautiful and evocative theme that stayed on the top of the charts for some time after the movie came out! Dimitri Tiomkin surpassed himself with this one! And the special effects photography...far ahead of its time. The views of the plane in flight were carefully reconstructed and exceptionally well done. The quality of the cast was amazing. Every person on that flight was a top-billed actor or actress of the day. It is like watching a smorgasbord of famous faces! And each personal vignette was exceptionally well done. You laughed, and you cried. You LIVED this one, hanging on by the nails every time that plane cabin jerked or shook! I had not seen this movie since I was about 10, and that haunting whistling was as familiar when I bought it earlier this year as it was back then. A winner! Two thumbs and eight fingers up on this one! Beautifully restored and digitally remastered to make it a classic for another 50 years!