John Wayne stars as U.S. Air Force aviator Jim Shannon, who's tasked with escorting a Soviet pilot (Janet Leigh) claiming -- at the height of the Cold War -- that she wants to defect. After falling in love with and wedding the fetching flyer, Shannon learns from his superiors that she's a spy on a mission to extract military secrets. To save his new wife from prison and deportation, Shannon devises a risky plan in this 1957 drama.
Cinematography
Sublime aerial photography of real F-86 Sabres
Direction
Von Sternberg's last film, secretly personal
Practical Effects
Genuine supersonic jet footage, no green screen
Director
Josef von Sternberg
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
US
