The Sky Pilot
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''The Sky Pilot'' is a 1921 American silent
drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...
based on the novel of the same name by
Ralph Connor Ralph (pronounced ; or ,) is a male given name of English, Scottish and Irish origin, derived from the Old English ''Rædwulf'' and Radulf, cognate with the Old Norse ''Raðulfr'' (''rað'' "counsel" and ''ulfr'' "wolf"). The most common forms ...
. It is directed by
King Vidor King Wallis Vidor (; February 8, 1894 – November 1, 1982) was an American film director, film producer, and screenwriter whose 67-year film-making career successfully spanned the silent and sound eras. His works are distinguished by a vivid, ...
and features
Colleen Moore Colleen Moore (born Kathleen Morrison; August 19, 1899 – January 25, 1988) was an American film actress who began her career during the silent film era. Moore became one of the most fashionable (and highly-paid) stars of the era and helped po ...
. In February 2020, the film was shown in a newly restored version at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival, as part of a retrospective dedicated to King Vidor's career.


Plot

The Sky Pilot (Bowers) arrives in a small rough-and-tumble cattle town in Canada, intent on bringing religion to its tough residents. At first they reject him, but in time he wins the residents over with his prowess. A plot to steal cattle is uncovered and disrupted. Gwen, daughter of the "Old Timer," is injured in a stampede, loses her ability to walk, but recovers thanks to the power of love.


Cast

* John Bowers as The Sky Pilot *
Colleen Moore Colleen Moore (born Kathleen Morrison; August 19, 1899 – January 25, 1988) was an American film actress who began her career during the silent film era. Moore became one of the most fashionable (and highly-paid) stars of the era and helped po ...
as Gwen * David Butler as Bill Hendricks *
Harry Todd Harry Todd (December 13, 1863 – February 15, 1935) was an American actor. He appeared in nearly 400 films between 1909 and 1935. On Broadway, Todd was a member of the ensemble in '' The American Way'' (1939). Todd died in Glendale, Cal ...
as The Old Timer *
James Corrigan James Corrigan (17 October 1867 – 28 February 1929), was an American actor. He appeared in 16 films between 1920 and 1927. He was born in Dayton, Ohio, and died in Los Angeles, California. Married to actress Lillian Elliott, Corrigan w ...
as Honorable Ashley * Donald MacDonald as The Duke *
Kathleen Kirkham Kathleen Kirkham Woodruff (April 15, 1895 – November 7, 1961) was an American actress on stage and in silent films. Career Kathleen Kirkham was born on April 15, 1895 to Mrs. L.B. Kirkham, who was a stage actress prior to her marriage. Kirkh ...
as Lady Charlotte


Production

''The Sky Pilot'' was filmed in part at Vidor's new studio, Vidor Village and marked a break from the “stage-bound” feature
The Family Honor ''The Family Honor'' is a 1920 American silent drama-romance film directed by King Vidor and starring Florence Vidor.First National exhibitors. Shot largely in the High Sierra near Truckee, California, this big budget western was plagued by bad weather. Costly efforts to create landscapes on location produced budget overruns diminishing the profitability of the film. First National released the picture but declined to finance any further film projects by Vidor. These financial setbacks signaled the demise of King Vidor Productions. Courts ordered the dismantling of Vidor Village, and though Vidor would briefly regain control of the studio operations there were not revived. He sold the property in January 1923. Vidor and his leading lady,
Colleen Moore Colleen Moore (born Kathleen Morrison; August 19, 1899 – January 25, 1988) was an American film actress who began her career during the silent film era. Moore became one of the most fashionable (and highly-paid) stars of the era and helped po ...
, fell in love during the filming of ''The Sky Pilot''. Vidor and Moore would pursue their love affair until 1924. Married at the time to his childhood sweetheart and film actress
Florence Vidor Florence Vidor (née Cobb, later Arto; July 23, 1895 – November 3, 1977) was an American silent film actress. Early life Vidor was born in Houston on July 23, 1895, to John and Ida Cobb. Her parents had married in Houston on March 3, 1894, bu ...
, Vidor and his spouse divorced in 1926.


Theme

The film serves to showcase Vidor's faith in the power of positive thinking, free of puritanism or Christian moralizing, which celebrates the virtues of self-reliance and the inherent vitality of rural communities. The precise theme of the film remains ambiguous. According to sources, Vidor attempts to entertain the audience with a light farce and sanctimoniously impress them with spectacular natural scenery, the latter "which is closest to Vidor’s heart." The redemptive value of "individualist" faith provides a subtext for the movie, as John Bowers as the manly Sky Pilot adroitly converts local ruffians to Christian-like virtues. When cowboy Bill Hendricks ( David Butler is bested by the Sky Pilot in a fist fight he confesses: "When a man’s religion will let him do what you done and live, there must something in it."


DVD release

''The Sky Pilot'' was also released on
Region 0 DVD region codes are a digital rights management technique introduced in 1997. It is designed to allow rights holders to control the international distribution of a DVD-Video, DVD release, including its content, release date, and price, all acc ...
DVD-R DVD recordable and DVD rewritable are optical disc recording technologies. Both terms describe DVD optical discs that can be written to by a DVD recorder, whereas only 'rewritable' discs are able to erase and rewrite data. Data is written ('burne ...
by Alpha Video on January 28, 2014.


Footnotes


References

*Baxter, John. 1976. ''King Vidor''. Simon & Schuster, Inc. Monarch Film Studies. LOC Card Number 75-23544. * Durgnat, Raymond and Simmon, Scott. 1988. ''King Vidor, American.'' University of California Press, Berkeley. * Higham, Charles. 1972. "Long Live Vidor, A Hollywood King" https://www.nytimes.com/1972/09/03/archives/long-live-vidor-a-hollywood-king-long-live-vidor-who-was-a-king-of.html Retrieved June 10, 2020 *Tonguette, Peter. 2011. ''Journey to Galveston: An Interview with Catherine Berge on King Vidor''. Senses of Cinema, June 2011 Feature Articles Issue 59. http://sensesofcinema.com/2011/feature-articles/journey-to-galveston-an-interview-with-catherine-berge-on-king-vidor-2/ Retrieved June 10, 2020


External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sky Pilot, The 1921 films 1921 drama films Silent American drama films American silent feature films American black-and-white films American aviation films Films based on Canadian novels Films directed by King Vidor First National Pictures films Films set in Alberta 1920s American films