Only Angels Have Wings
Blu-ray | DVD
Directed by Howard Hawks
Starring: Cary Grant, Jean Arthur, Rita Hayworth, and Richard Barthelmess
Criterion Collection Release Date: April 12, 2016

The treacherous landscape of a South American village is where our adventure takes off. Nothing new here. Chameleonic director Howard Hawks has an unmatched affinity with environments that have such an immediate influence on his characters. Sometimes rendering them helpless and other times it influences his characters to rise to the occasion. Think of the ruthless wild west evidenced in Rio Bravo, the unforgiving terrains in Red River, the extraordinarily corrupt neighborhood in The Big Sleep, or the abundance of violence running amuck everywhere in Scarface. All of his films are completely disparate when it comes to genres and themes. The one commonality all of them abide by is the ferociousness of their landscape. 1939’s Only Angels Have Wings is no different.

Every year since 1989 the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry has selected twenty-five short films and full-length features to be recognized, in the words of the librarian of Congress James H. Billington, as “cultural, historical, or aesthetic cinematic treasures.” From Citizen Kane and Star Wars to Woodstock and This is Spinal Tap, each year’s list contains some of the most beloved and significant films ever made, and now the Dude and Ferris Bueller get to join their ranks.

Joel and Ethan Coen’s 1998 comic thriller The Big Lebowski, which has become a certified cult classic in the sixteen years since its theatrical, Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-winning World War II drama Saving Private Ryan, and John Hughes’ endlessly quotable high school comedy Ferris Bueller’s Day Off are among this year’s additions to the National Film Registry, bringing the total amount of films in the Registry to 650.

In a remake/reboot/sequel/prequel–happy Hollywoodland, nothing should come as shock or surprise anymore. That said, it still doesn’t mean people will be thrilled to hear about one of these popular types of movie, especially when it involves a classic…or in this case, two of them.

It’s being reported that Universal Pictures is developing a new updated take on Scarface, which has had two previous versions of the story made: the 1932 classic starring Paul Muni and directed by Howard Hawks, and the 1983 hit starring Al Pacino and directed by Brian De Palma.