The Flight of the Phoenix is a 1965 survival drama film directed by Robert Aldrich and starring James Stewart, Richard Attenborough, and Hardy Kruger. The film is based on the 1964 novel of the same name by Elleston Trevor.
The story follows a group of men who are on a cargo plane flying over the Sahara Desert, transporting workers and their supplies to an oil field in Benghazi, Libya. They encounter a severe sandstorm that causes the plane to crash, leaving the survivors stranded in the middle of the harsh desert.
The group is led by Captain Frank Towns (played by Stewart), a seasoned pilot with a gruff demeanor. Among the passengers is Heinrich Dorfmann (played by Kruger), an aircraft designer who suggests that they build a new aircraft out of the undamaged wing of the crashed plane. The idea is initially met with skepticism by Towns and the others, but with limited resources and dwindling supplies, they ultimately decide to attempt the risky plan.
The group works together to build the new aircraft, facing various challenges such as sandstorms, harsh temperatures, and internal conflicts. As they struggle to survive and build their new plane, tensions rise as Towns clashes with Dorfmann over the plan's feasibility and leadership of the group.
The film builds up to an exciting and suspenseful climax as the group attempts to make a successful takeoff in their makeshift plane and escape the desert before their water and supplies run out.
The Flight of the Phoenix explores themes of survival, leadership, and the human will to overcome extreme adversity. It garnered critical acclaim upon its release and became a classic of the survival film genre.