Airborne (1962): A Blast from the Past

So, I just watched “Airborne” from 1962, directed by James Landis. Now, this flick is sort of a time capsule, diving into the whole parachuting scene, which, I gotta say, feels a bit… niche. But hey, you’ve got some classic faces—Russ Bender and John Bryant, giving it their all, adding a touch of vintage charm.

Watching this took me back to a summer evening in the 80s when my cousin thought he was Evel Knievel. We rigged up some makeshift parachutes out of old bedsheets and decided the garage roof was the best spot for takeoff. Spoiler alert: Bedsheets ain’t the real deal, and neither were we. But boy, were those jumps a riot. In “Airborne”, they do it all proper-like, with parachutes that actually work.

The film’s got this grainy black-and-white aesthetic that really transports you to its era. It feels almost like flipping through grandma’s old photo albums, when everything seemed a little simpler, you know? There’s this element of thrill—like when you sit in a Stockholm café sipping your strong Swedish coffee, and a pigeon suddenly decides to get a bit too cozy. You know, that mix of excitement and a hint of anxiety?

Maybe “Airborne” doesn’t have the bombastic explosions or CGI of the latest Hollywood blockbusters, but there’s a certain charm to its authenticity. It’s not all skydiving glory, though; the pacing sometimes feels like watching treacle drip in a Swedish winter.

If you’re a fan of the quirky old-school touch and can handle some quirks, it might just be a perfect watch for a lazy Sunday. But if you’re searching for nonstop action, you might wanna keep that in mind.

watch the full movie on CinemaOneMovies on YouTube – if you are from Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark