Out of circulation for a quarter-century following the death of producer-star John Wayne, Island in the Sky is a tale of survival focused on the pilot (Wayne) and crew of a DC-3 forced to crashland somewhere in the uncharted Canadian wilderness, and the fellow airmen (Lloyd Nolan, James Arness, Andy Devine, Paul Fix) determined to find them before hunger and the 70-below winter do them in. The movie, set in the post-WWII era when military and commercial aviation were still intertwined, was written by bestselling novelist Ernest K. Gann and directed by William A. Wellman, an aviation-movie veteran whose Wings won the first-ever Academy Award (1927–28).

Wellman resolutely downplays the histrionics and conventional heroics; Wayne indulges in none of the macho posturing that his detractors carelessly identify him with, and the crewman who breaks rank in a bid for salvation meets a grim, almost mythically absurd demise. But Wellman also condoned (and himself speaks) the ill-advised narration that aims to tell us what's going on inside the stoic characters. The director does better with throwaway details like the ice pick kept handily embedded in a barracks wall so that pilots can break the frozen skin on their morning wash water. And there's a distinctive war council among the search pilots when no one's quite sure what to do next--the wrong decision could doom the missing crew--and so no one looks anybody else in the face. The black-and-white cinematography by Archie Stout (dramatic scenes) and William H. Clothier (flying scenes) leaves nothing to be desired, and in this crisp restoration it sometimes literally glows.

ISLAND IN THE SKY

WHAT CAN I SAY ABOUT JOHN WAYNE WONDERFULL I ENJOY ALL HIS MOVIES THANK GOD AMOZON HAS SUCH A GREAT VARIETY AND GREAT SERVICE TO US ALL HERE IN AUSSIE

A very good thriller

This is NOT a disaster movie.It's an excellent study of survival about the crew of a downed military transport plane and the efforts to rescue them.Strikingly filmed in black and white,the movie benefits enormously
from Ernest K..Gann's solid,well-constructed script and William Wellman's
powerful direction,with Emil Newman's great score also a major plus.And the cast is marvelous.John Wayne is in brilliant form,while Lloyd Nolan steals the movie as his best friend.This is a great film worth seeing.

Island in the sky1953 (Special Collector's Edition)

The Frozen , unforgiving terrain of subartic Canada is the setting as Screen Giant John Wayne (1907-1979) heads an all-star cast in this meticously restored adventure drama . Set adter World War II , Wayne play's Dooley , a former army pilot flying transport mission , who is forced to Crash-land his fuel-starved plane plane on a frozen lake after it stays from it course . A desperate game of survival begins Dooley and his men confort a meager food supply , limited shelter , impending arctic . Meanwhile , Dooley fellow pilots and their crew lauch a seemigly overwhelming air serach of a bleak uncharted landscape - grimly realizing that the rescue of the missing men dimishes with each tick of the clock . Lloyd Nolan (1902-1985) , Walter Abel (1898-1987) , James Arness (1923 - ), Andy Divine (1905- 1977) , Harry Carey , Jr (1921- ) Also Star in this engrossing tale of bravery , hope and survival of the human spirit .High Quality Remastred & Restored .