High Road to China
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| High Road to China | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster |
|
| Directed by | Brian G. Hutton |
| Produced by | Fred Weintraub |
| Written by | Jon Cleary S. Lee Pogostin Sandra Weintraub |
| Starring | Tom Selleck Bess Armstrong Jack Weston Wilford Brimley Robert Morley |
| Music by | John Barry |
| Cinematography | Ronnie Taylor |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
| Release date(s) | March 18, 1983 |
| Running time | 105 min |
| Country |  Yugoslavia United States |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
High Road to China is a 1983 adventure-comedy film, set in the 1920s, starring Tom Selleck as a hard-drinking biplane pilot hired by society heiress Bess Armstrong to find her missing father (Wilford Brimley). The supporting cast includes Robert Morley and Brian Blessed. The Golden Harvest film (released by Warner Bros.) was directed by Brian G. Hutton, very loosely based on a novel by Australian author Jon Cleary. The musical score was composed by John Barry. It was the 27th highest grossing film of 1983, bringing in $28,445,927 at the domestic box office.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Cast
- Tom Selleck as Patrick O'Malley
- Bess Armstrong as Eve 'Evie' Tozer
- Jack Weston as Struts
- Wilford Brimley as Bradley Tozer
- Robert Morley as Bentik
- Brian Blessed as Suleman Khan
[edit] Plot
Eve Tozer (Bess Armstrong) is a society heiress and flapper living the high-life in 1920s Istanbul. She needs to find her father (Wilford Brimley) before he is officially declared dead or risk losing her inheritance to his scheming partner Bentik (Robert Morley). She hires WWI ace-pilot Patrick O'Malley (Tom Selleck) and his planes to locate her father. O'Malley is eager to take the job as he needs to leave town rather urgently himself. However, Eve, an accomplished pilot herself, is determined to accompany him in his other aircraft, which causes the first of many arguments between London and China.
Their journey in two biplanes (named Dorothy and Lillian) through six countries leads them to finally find the eccentric Bradley Tozer in China, where he is helping a small village to fight against an invading warlord. O'Malley and Eve help them to win the final battle, but Eve's father refuses to return with her to London.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
The scenes with 'Robert Morley' and Timothy Bateson were added after previews.
In the scene where they first arrive in Afghanistan, Tom Selleck really slaps Bess Armstrong in the face hard enough to knock her to the ground.
Naming the planes Dorothy and Lillian is a reference to actress sisters 'Dorothy Gish ' and Lillian Gish. The biplanes, Dorothy and Lillian, are French-built Stampes, which were built after WW II. Actual Stampes were civilian aircraft without armament. This explains the high mounting positions of the Lewis guns. The machine guns on Dorothy and Lillian are Lewis Automatic Machine Rifles, chambered in .303 British caliber. Although the weapon was invented by an American Army captain, it was adopted by almost every other Allied army in WW1 prior to being adopted by the US in 1917. The guns were inexpensive and reliable, explaining why O'Malley could afford a pair.
