High Road To China

High Road To China was released in 1983. Directed by Brian G. Hutton. Based on the novel with the same name by John Cleary. The film was the first appearance for Tom Selleck as the main character. The movie was released at a time dominated by the adventures of Indiana Jones, with many such films being produced due to the popularity of the theme. It is believed the film was handed to Selleck, as consolation for missing the role of Indiana Jones. Originally the role was marked for Roger Moore of the 007 fame. After two would-be directors and two sets of would-be actors, filming of the movie eventually commenced.

High Road To China had a budget of $16 million. It grossed a total of $28,5 million. Filming took place in Yugoslavia, at various locations across the country. The movie was released by Warner Brothers.

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The Movie

Co-starring in the film is the lovely Bess Armstrong (Eve Tozer). Eve enjoys the nightlife of 1920’s Istanbul, while she needs to find her father before he is declared dead. She hires Patrick O’Malley (Selleck) to help her and they set off with Patrick’s two biplanes. Both of them being seasoned pilots.

They track down her father in China, where he is helping a village defend itself against a warlord. Needless to say, the couple gets involved in the battle, and the two biplanes came in handy against the attackers. The planes in the movie were two Stampe SV-4 aircraft, supplied by Bianchi Aviation Film Services. The two original custom-built planes were deemed to be too dangerous.

After beating off the warlord and his savages, Eve had to get her father back to Istanbul to stop his partner from declaring him dead and inherit the whole business.

Movie Trailer

References

Wikipedia. 2020. High Road to China. [ONLINE] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Road_to_China. [Accessed 14 December 2020].