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Reviews
The Crowded Sky (1960)
Ephram Zimbalist Jr. and his co-pilot: no 'closure' on their deaths
My husband and I enjoyed "The Crowded Sky", with all of its idiosyncracies and cultural datedness. However, it was troubling, to say the least, that Rhonda Fleming and Ephram Zimbalist Jr.--key stars in the film--had no closure at the end. The fate of the pilot, the co-pilot, the pilot's complex wife and daughter: they were left loose ends.
I had hoped the pilots were going to eject. What finally happened was never dealt with--it was as if they didn't exist. Only the happy endings of the passengers were explained, described.
In spite of the flashbacks' awkwardness, at times, the characters' lives were all quite interesting. All the more disappointing that we did not have enough follow up for the others.
The Technicolor is lush. Ann Francis is beautiful. The WPA renditions of art and meaning gave a special dimension.
The Christmas Wife (1988)
A Love Story
All of the above reviews offer an insight I can understand. I wish to add that this is so very rare a film, for me, because there is romance, in the sense that one can feel real chemistry between these two great performers. There is the real feeling of the possibility of desire, of a physical attraction that emerges, unexpectedly, really, between elderly people.
This possible couple had grace, charm, and, delightfully, both became more desirable as one watched. The film had credibility, warmth, charm, and an ending that can best be understood by those who have lived a little.