BY DOUG OSWALD

Yul Brynner, Richard Widmark and George Chakiris share top billing in “Flight From Ashiya” a 1964 Japanese- American co-production originally released by United Artists. The movie is dedicated to and takes place within the world of the United States Air Force Air Rescue Service. Created in 1946, the Air Rescue Service mission is to rescue downed military aircrew. Their motto, which is displayed throughout the opening credits, reads: “That Others May Live.” In 1947 the mission was expanded to that of a special operations unit which later included Navy SEAL like Pararescuemen or “PJs” supporting everything from humanitarian rescue missions to NASA astronaut recovery.

The story of “Flight From Ashiya” is a mix of military themed clichés and melodrama which fans of this genre will find familiar. Two Air Rescue Service teams stationed at Ashiya Air Base in Japan depart on Air Force float planes to rescue a group of Japanese civilians who are clinging on to a make-shift raft after being shipwrecked during a typhoon. With the typhoon still raging, the first float plane crashes while attempting a landing on the choppy storm tossed water. The special effects are well done for the era and the aircraft models look realistic. For the new viewer today living in the era of over-used CGI effects, the models and water tank footage may appear old fashioned, but it all works if the viewer considers this movie was made decades before modern special effects.

The three men at the center of the story suffer from what we commonly refer to today as post traumatic stress syndrome. As they circle above the shipwreck survivors while the typhoon rages, we learn through a series of flashbacks that each man is opening up emotional baggage throughout the rescue which is packed with doses of love, pain, guilt, hate, sorrow and loss. Brynner, Widmark and Chakiris are convincing as military men and their performances allow us to forgive the limitations of the special effects.

George Chakiris plays Lt. John Gregg, a pilot stationed with Widmark and Brynner in Germany prior to their assignment in Japan. He feels responsible for the civilian avalanche victims he was unable to rescue in 1954. In his flashback, the team initially manages to land their rescue helicopter, drop off supplies and take back a few survivors. Brynner assists in delivering a baby and we see a hint of Widmark’s troubled past in a brief flashback within this flashback followed by a racially charged tirade toward Brynner, who we learn is half Japanese. Chakiris insists on returning and Widmark reluctantly agrees. Their helicopter can only carry a dozen people at a time and on the return trip the helicopter rotor blades cause another avalanche which kills the remaining survivors.

Widmark plays Lt. Col. Glenn Stevenson, a tough Air Force veteran and survivor of a Japanese prisoner of war camp. He was a civilian pilot and owner of a charter airline flying supplies out of Manila, Philippines. On the eve of the Japanese invasion of the Philippines and America’s entry in WWII, he meets his future wife, Caroline Gordon. She’s a journalist covering the victims of a recent earthquake for which Stevenson just happens to be flying supplies. Shirley Knight plays Caroline in a brief and understated role as Widmark’s soon to be wife. They end up in a Japanese prison camp and Widmark begs the Japanese camp commander for medicine, which is denied. Their baby and his wife die in the camp and Widmark carries this resentment to the other rescue missions.

Brynner plays Master Sgt. Mike Takashima, the senior paramedic of the team. He’s an Army corpsmen in North Africa in 1943 during WWII during his flashback where he meets a beautiful French speaking woman named Leila. He introduces himself with, “Mike Takashima... father Japanese, mother Polish.” We soon learn that she is Muslim and she and everyone else tells him their romance is not meant to be. Not willing to give up, Brynner tells her, “My father was a Buddhist, my mother a Seventh-day Adventist.” As Brynner searches for Leila on his departure, she comes running to him just as a demolition team detonates an unexploded bomb, killing Leila.

Chakiris sweats a lot during the typhoon rescue mission. He’s the co-pilot and his guilt over the avalanche deaths is relived when Widmark arrives as the replacement pilot at the start of the movie. Widmark is faced with his racism and resentment as he initially declines landing the float plane to rescue the Japanese civilians. Brynner drops to the survivors with a life raft and offers medical assistance. The three men wrap up their flashbacks and complete the mission.

Widmark is convincingly commanding whenever he plays military men and this movie is no exception. Likewise, Brynner is also terrific as Mike in spite of appearing more Polish than Japanese. Widmark and Brynner are compelling in all their films, this one included. They have a few key scenes together during the typhoon rescue and the avalanche flashback rescue, but do not upstage one another.

Chakiris is on hand for the younger audience members and is probably best remembered for his skill as a dancer in “West Side Story” for which he won a best supporting actor Oscar. He danced his way through other movies including the Jacques Demy musical “The Young Girls of Rochefort” featuring Catherine Deneuve and Gene Kelly. He also co-stared previously with Brynner in “Kings of the Sun,” and later appeared in a stage revival of “The King and I.” He worked with Charlton Heston in the drama “Diamond Head” and appeared in other military themed movies like “633 Squadron” “Is Paris Burning?” and McGuire Go Home.” He transitioned to TV roles in the 1970s and retired from acting in the late 1990s to focus on making handcrafted jewelry.

Shirley Knight is very good in her brief scenes with Widmark. Primarily a stage and TV actress with roles in dozens of TV series throughout her continuing prolific career, Knight was occasionally cast in high profile movies including “Sweet Bird of Youth,” “House of Women,” “Petulia,” “Juggernaut” and “As Good as it Gets.”

French model and actress Daniele Gaubert plays the beautiful Leila in the Yul Brynner flashback scenes. We see her briefly on the beach in a one-piece swimsuit and she speaks only French onscreen. She had a brief acting career and is probably best known as the star of Radley Metzger’s “Camille 2000.” She was married to Olympic skier Jean-Claude Killy until her death from cancer at age 44.

Suzy Parker plays Lucille Carroll in the third female role, but she has very little to do in the contemporary scenes back at the Air Rescue Service operations center. It’s not clear exactly why she’s there other than to give concerned commentary and look worried as radio reports come in. Parker was an American model and actress who had parts in a handful of high profile movies and TV series such as “Funny Face,” “Kiss Them for Me,” “The Best of Everything,” “The Interns” and appearances in the TV series “Twilight Zone,” “It Takes a Thief” and “Night Gallery.”

The movie was directed by Michael Anderson, who had a long and prolific career and is the director of many fan favorites. I remember watching his 1956 version of George Orwell’s “1984” in high school after we read the book. Despite its critics, I still enjoy his “Around the World in 80 Days” which was a broadcast TV “event” in the era before home video and cable TV. “The Dam Busters,” “The Wreck of the Mary Deare,” “Operation Crossbow,” “The Quiller Memorandum,” “The Shoes of the Fisherman” and “Logan’s Run” are a few of the highlights in Anderson’s prolific career.

“Flight From Ashiya” is predictable and melodramatic, but enjoyable and winds to a satisfying 100 minute conclusion. The widescreen Panavision image looks very well preserved and the audio is also more than satisfactory.. The DVD is made-to-order through the MGM Limited Edition Collection and has no extras.