Relaxed entertainment for plane films fans dealing with three pilots , US Air Force operating in Japan ; they carry out a rescue attempt over Pacific . Exciting flick with overwhelming aircraft scenes , pyrotechnics , some silly and boring romances and including a moving final . This interesting picture packs big stars , intrigue , action , love stories and historic deeds ; however being deliberately narrated and predominates the melodrama . A helicopter rescue team piloted by Lt. Col. Glenn Stevenson (Richard Widmark), TSgt. Mike Takashima (Yul Brynner) and 2nd Lt. John Gregg (George Chakiris) tries to save the survivors of a shipwreck off the coast of Japan during a raging typhoon . As they are plunged into hell with the most fearless breed of men on earth . Later on , there take place various flashbacks about the aviators ; as 1954 Germany where the Air Rescue Service pull off operations piloted by Glen Stevenson and John Gregg ; Manila during WWII where Stevenson (Richard Widmark) falls in love for a beautiful girl (Shirley Knight , though Tuesday Weld originally announced for this role) and Tunisia 1942 where Mike Takashima (Yul Brynner) to win the heart a gorgeous Arabian woman (Daniele Gaubert) with tragical consequences . Thrilling film in which there are nail-biting action scenes , drama interlaced with breathtaking aerial scenes , love stories , intrigue , suspenseful set pieces and almost overloaded with stars . The movie gets a simple emotional appeal , professionalism , though being regularly shot and slow-moving . Stiff as well as excessively melodramatic screenplay by Waldo Salt based on the novel by Elliott Arnold . Good trio protagonist as Yul Brynner , Richard Widmark , George Chakiris along with the beauties Suzy Parker , Danièle Gaubert and Shirley Knight . Nice special effects interwoven with impressive aerial scenes and excellent production design by expert Eugene Lourie , though including excessive maquette and scale model . Filmed on splashy color and brilliant cinematography in Panavisión by excellent cameramen Burnett Guffey and Joseph MacDonald . Rousing as well as evocative musical score by Frank Cordell. The motion picture was middlingly directed by Michael Anderson . This is one of various and professional works of his long career as filmmaker . He was a craftsman with reputation for making a variety of commercial and amusing films , it's well demonstrated in ¨Flight from Ashiya¨. Anderson did most of his best work in the thriving British cinema of the 50s . Anderson was quickly a man with a reputation for making a variety of commercial , entertaining movies . As his films from 1953-58 were all quite well received , his cycle ended with the best of them , the suspense/thriller ,¨Chase a crooked shadow¨ . Latterly resident in Canada , he has continued to direct , mainly in lower-profile projects and TV adventure movies . Anderson has filmed all kind of genres as cinema as TV ; such as Adventure : ¨Around the world in 80 days¨ , ¨Doc Savage¨ , ¨The sea Wolf¨ , ¨20.000 leagues under the sea¨ ; Sci-Fi : ¨Logan's run¨, ¨The martian chronicles¨ , ¨Milennium¨ ; Thriller: ¨The Quiller Memorandum , ¨Dominique is dead¨ , ¨The naked edge¨ , ¨The wreck of the Mary Deare¨ , ¨Murder by phone¨ and Wartime : ¨Battle hell¨, ¨Shake hands with the devil¨, ¨Damm Busters¨, and ¨Operation Crossbow¨ . ¨Flight from Ashiya¨ is an interesting as well as tedious film at times , though it will attract to Yul Brynner and Richard Widmark fans .

Flight from Ashiya is a melancholy adventure story about 3 valiant military aviators, starring Yul Brynner, Richard Widmark, and George Chakiris in the United States Airforce Air/Sea Rescue Service. Set in post World War II 1950's Japan at the US Airforce base at Ashiya, the men of the Air/Sea Rescue Service repeatedly risked their lives, and sometimes gave their lives, "So That Others May Live". The US Airforce vehicle of choice to perform these rescues was a seaplane made by Grumann aircraft named the Albatross. This airplane was designed to make open ocean landings, even during inclement weather conditions. Flying these missions was considered very hazardous peace time duty. In fact this was so dangerous that the US military no longer performs fixed wing open ocean rescue landings. This movie is one of the few films ever to feature the Grumann Albatross in action.Flight From Ashiya is a character study of what motivates these three individuals to risk their lives daily in the service of humanity. Through the cinematic technique of "flashback", the viewer is able to see the individual stories of TechSgt Mike Takashima(Yul Brynner), LtCol Glen Stevenson (Richard Widmark), and 2ndLt John Gregg(George Chakiris) and the dark secrets that both whittle away at their collective confidences, yet simultaneously spur them on to conquer their fears en route to a very difficult and deadly mid-ocean rescue mission.Seaplane buffs will enjoy the Albatross footage, and the special effects were just good enough to show how difficult open-ocean landings were without overwhelming this story of human courage, and coming to terms with "personal demons" in the face of implacable odds.

The film is about 3 men flying rescue in the Pacific, just after WWII. A Japanese ship has gone down in a storm, with the survivors clinging to rafts in storm tossed seas.Airplane aficionado's will like the Martin PBM Mariner footage of flying through the storm to attempt to find the survivors. Yes there is a lot of flashbacks for Richard Widmark's character, as he wrestles with the decision as whether to attempt a landing in the storm tossed seas or not. However, in fairness he was a civilian pilot married to a beautiful photographer, when both were captured by the Japanese and place in an internment (read "work until you die") camp.Japanese soldiers are usually depicted as introspective souls that carry out their duties only after tortuous reflections on their lives as in "Bridge Over the River Kwai". This movie didn't follow that formula, but didn't get into the real details of camp life either.Yule Bryner doesn't appear to be Japanese, but then he didn't like the King of Siam either. His character was in French occupied North Africa (Algeria?), and who knows how to accurately depict that torturous time period and mess.All, in all not a bad picture, and one I remember enjoying staying up late to watch in my childhood in the late 60's, early 70's.

If you want to see this film it helps being not too attentive. This film has a nice surface which promises an entertaining, adventurous film but unfortunately "Flight from Ashiya" instead is full of clichés, stereotypical characters and of often unintentionally funny story lines. "Highlight" is the story of Yul Brynner which takes part in Africa and which involves a super-exotic woman and a doll's house's Africa. The end of this part of the film is ridiculous and at the same time disgusting and a perfect example of the exploitation of a character for a very cheap effect. The most funny is the pathetic narrative voice-over commentary which claims that everything in this film really happened - which indeed would surprise me... All in all "Flight from Ashiya" unfortunately is a perfect argument for all the people who despises classic Hollywood films for being stereotypical and false, which this film surely is.