"In 1927 the "Aeropostale Company"" "pioneered the first airmail service between Europe and Buenos Aires." "After 3 years, 26 airmen had crashed and died on the treacherous route." "Nevertheless, having to fight new competitors, the company decided to extend the line to Santiago, over the impassable Andes." "Mermoz!" "No!" "Look!" "What are we going to do?" " Do?" "We're going to land!" " Land?" "Land!" "Are you mad?" " If we crash we'll never be found!" " Don't worry, don't worry." "Here, look at this!" "The best landing field in South America!" "Mermoz!" "Mermoz!" "We're going too fast!" "We're not stopping, Mermoz!" "We're not stopping!" " Come on!" "We're doing great!" " Where are you going?" "I'll be the brakes." " Push!" " I'm pushing!" "Again!" "Now!" "He'll be OK, Noëlle." "Mermoz has crossed it dozens of times." "He even found places to land." "I know, but I worry." "Well, the flying will be tough, but that's part of the promotion." "Hey, there's no need to worry, if Mermoz did it, I can do it." "Why couldn't I have fallen in love with the milkman!" "Alright, I'll show you." "Here is Santiago, and over here, is Buenos Aires." "And in between, we save the most difficult part for you: the Cordillera." "I've flown all over this mountain range, you can't find a pass through here at less than 12,000 ft." "You have to keep the plane as light as possible." " Do you know what that means?" " That I'll be flying alone." "Mermoz!" "You know that Henri flew solo over the Sahara for a year?" "Señor Mermoz." "Please, it's for my daughter." "Her name's Consuelo." "She's a big fan." "Maybe, but the Sahara is not the Cordillera." "There's no place to land, if you drop... pfff!" "Remember what the locals say." ""The Andes don't give men back"." "Never." "If you break down, you're dead!" " What's all this paperwork?" " His contract, his insurance policy, his, err, work permit." "Insurance policy?" "I'd sure sign that one if I were you!" "Olé!" "To the Atlantic!" " Why the Atlantic?" " You see, Antoine..." "I'm crossing it next month." "First time." "First time in history." "And to you, Henri, the new mailman of the Cordillera!" "Don't let it bother you, Henri." "He's right, you know, it's gonna be tough." "The competition is waiting for us to fail." "We have to prove that we can make this run dependably, every day, whatever the weather." "At the first slip up, Lufthansa will bury us." "It's crucial we succeed." "You can count on him." "WINGS OF COURAGE" "12 June 1930." "What do we do, Monsieur de Saint-Exupéry?" "I have to leave without the Santiago mail." "He shouldn't be long now." "Let's wait." "If it's this bad here," "I can't imagine what it's like up there in the mountains." " Henri's seen a lot worse." " But what if he couldn't get through?" "What if he had to turn around?" "Lufthansa will have beaten us by a whole day!" "In a half hour, I can't get up." "We wait." "It's Henri's plane!" "He turned back!" "The watering cans!" "Quick, light the watering cans!" "Oh, Henri." "Why couldn't you make it?" "Why?" "Saint Ex, yes, he's here with me in Santiago." "He just landed." "He had to turn back." "The storm started as soon as he left." "He couldn't find a hole." " But he always gets through." " I know, it's never happened to him before." "He says he tried 8 times." "The pass was blocked, it was hailing." "As long as he's OK." "How did the plane hold up?" "Deley?" "We had to change the propeller and re-canvas the right wing." " It really got knocked through." " Yeah, there's quite a lot of damage." "Will it be ready for tomorrow?" "Renée says it could be repaired overnight." "Listen, I'm holding 2 days of mail." "I need to be sure that he'll be able to get here tomorrow." "Deley?" "Saint Ex has made the European mail wait." "He's asking if you're sure you'll be able to get there." "I'll be there." " Yes, it's OK for tomorrow." " Good." "Good." "Henri wants to speak with Noëlle." "Ah, very important." "I'll get the operator." "Right, he'll hold." "Hello?" "Hello?" "Loup de Loup, go get Noëlle." " Hello?" " Hello, Noëlle." " Hello, Saint Ex." " Henri is in Santiago." "I'll connect you." " Yes." "What are you today, sweetheart?" "I'm wearing the little sweater you like, the one with the butterflies." "Remember?" "The one you bought me in Barcelona." " It's nice." " Loup de Loup's dancing, he's happy it's you." " Henri, be careful." " Of course I will." "Well I'll, uh, I'll see you tomorrow, Noëlle." "See you tomorrow, my love." "See you tomorrow, Saint Ex." " Good night, Saint Ex, thank you." " Good night, you love birds." "I wonder..." "No." "Don't think, Henri." "Just fly." " Henri, be careful." " Of course I'll be careful." "What's going on?" "There's too much power!" "Come on!" "Pull back!" "Come on!" "Bring it back!" "Bring it back!" "We'll start the search as soon as it calms down." "We'll use every man we've got." "Well, let's just hope he hasn't crashed into a mountain and was able to land somewhere." "Mmm." "And that he doesn't stray from the plane." "Of course not, won't stray from the plane." "Don't worry." "I promise I'll be back." "Go to sleep, dear." "Be strong, Loup." "Good night." "14 June 1930." "Better get ready." "They'll be here in the morning." "Forget it." "They'll never find you." "Deley!" "Here, Deley." "Here!" "Deley!" "Deley!" "I'm down here!" "Deley!" "Let's see." "I'm exactly halfway across the range, on the border between Chile and Argentina." "I have to cross over 1, 2, 3... 6 passes at about 12,000 ft." "It can't be done." "It simply can't be done." "Well." "Let's go." "Since the airplane didn't spot me I'm heading east towards Argentina." "And to you, Henri." "The new mailman of the Cordillera." "Don't worry, fellas." "I'll tell them where you are." "We'll be back for you." "3 or 4 more days of good weather." "What do you think?" "3 at most." "Ah, what do you know." "I'm walking, I'm walking..." "I'm not stopping, I'm walking..." "I'm walking, I'm walking..." "I'm not stopping." "He knew that if he fell asleep the cold would turn him numb." "And he said to himself, "If I fall asleep I'm a dead man."" ""I'm a dead man."" "So he kept repeating and walking, walking..." "Walking!" "I'm in the ant, and I'm walking." "16 June 1930." "17 June 1930." "I'm walking, I'm the ant who's walking..." "I'm walking." "Noëlle." "I'm walking." "I'm the ant who's walking..." "I'm walking." "18 June 1930." "This is "Radio Argentina", it is 1 o'clock." "Weather conditions throughout the country are shifting rapidly." "Winter storms are expected to reach the Andes by mid-afternoon and Govt. authorities have decided to end the search for the French pilot who disappeared five days ago." "The novelist, Antoine de Saint Exupéry, manager of the Aeropostale company, and himself a pilot, is still searching the mountain range, but will likely return by evening." "Despite this new tragedy, the valiant pioneers of postal aviation carry on." "Dauntless aviator, Mermoz, who last month crossed the..." "It's no use, Saint Ex." "You can't see an ant." "Remember what the locals say:" ""The Andes don't give men back"." "Never!" "You're never gonna make it, Henri." "Forgive me, Saint Ex." "Forgive me, Saint Ex." "Forgive me." "I know you were counting on me." "I know the... the company was counting on me, but I can't go on." "Think of us and of our faith in you." "Think of what Mermoz would do." "Arggh..." "But I'm not Mermoz!" "I'm an ant." "And I can't make it." "Look at the map." "Look at the map!" "It's obvious nobody could make it!" "Henri..." "Look, you'll never die in our memory." "You'll remain an example to us all." ""Another hero dies for mail"." "Help me, Noëlle." "I'm not gonna make it." "I'm gonna die." "Please help me." "Farewell to all." "My last thought will be for my wife." "With a kiss, Henri." "Goodbye, my love." "Madame Guillaumet," "I'm sorry to have to talk to you about such matters." "I have brought you his life insurance contract." "It's all in perfect order." "Easy." "Everything in order now." "There's just one detail... the money cannot be paid, unfortunately, there's no exception for pilots, until his body has been found." "My body." "They'll never find my body." "Here, honey." "I found a place." "They'll find me here, when the weather clears." "I can be spotted very easily here." "Now there's no way they can't find me." "So, tell me the word." "The word only you can say." "Tell me I can die." "I'm waiting for you to give me the word." "No, I know him." "If he has crashed, he's walking." "Noëlle!" "I'm coming home, Noëlle!" "19 June 1930." "Look at me, Mermoz!" "Look at me!" "The Andes don't give men back, huh?" "Well, they'll give me back!" "Señor?" "Señor?" "Noëlle..." "Deley!" "There!" " Did you find them?" " What?" " Did you find the plane?" " No, we didn't find the plane." "34º 20' South." "69º 35' West." "No." "He couldn't have done it." "But I did." "Even Mermoz couldn't have done it." "Noëlle, it's me." "I'm coming home, Noëlle." "Yes, my sweet." " Noëlle." " Yes?" "Noëlle..." "I owe my life to you." "I love you." "Ten days later, Henri, his hands still swollen from frostbite, was back on duty above the Andes." "He saw from the sky the many summits, chasms and gorges that reminded him of his stunning victory." "He also flew over the promontory where he had been tempted to surrender, to abandon the will to fight, to live." "Following Henri's indications, the damaged plane was recovered and the mail delivered to the European addresses." "Admittedly, the letters arrived several months late but, after all, this is a true story, and cannot be perfect."