High Flight (film)
| High Flight | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | John Gilling |
| Screenplay by | Ken Hughes Joseph Landon John Gilling Jack Davies (story) |
| Produced by | Irving Allen Albert R. Broccoli Phil C. Samuel |
| Starring | Ray Milland Kenneth Haigh Anthony Newley Bernard Lee |
| Cinematography | Ted Moore |
| Edited by | Jack Slade |
| Music by | Douglas Gamley Eric Coates (High Flight March)[1] Kenneth V. Jones Walford Davies (composer) Anthony Newley (composer)[N 1] |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release date | 12 September 1957 (World Premiere) |
Running time | 89 minutes colour (Europe) 86 minutes black and white (US) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
High Flight is a 1957,
Plot
A group of
During the
Winchester doesn't learn the meaning of teamwork and is nearly killed when he disobeys orders, flying into a storm. Rudge demands his resignation but reconsiders, remembering his own rash behaviour had been the cause of the death of Winchester's father. Rudge ultimately selects Winchester to fly in a precision aerial team training for the Farnborough Airshow. When the squadron is temporarily posted to a forward base in West Germany, Winchester flies close to hostile territory near the inner-German border and is nearly shot down by East German anti-aircraft guns firing across the border. The wounded airman and his stricken aircraft are rescued by Rudge, who brings him back safely to a crash landing at his home base. Finally, Winchester comes to understand his role in the RAF and that he is part of a team effort.
Cast
As appearing in screen credits (main roles identified):[5]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Ray Milland | Wing Commander Granite Rudge |
| Bernard Lee | Flight Sergeant Harris |
| Kenneth Haigh | Anthony "Tony" Winchester |
| Anthony Newley | Cadet Roger Endicott |
| Kenneth Fortescue | John Fletcher |
| Sean Kelly | Cadet Day |
| Helen Cherry | Louise Dawson |
| Leslie Phillips | Squadron Leader Blake |
| Duncan Lamont | Weapons Corporal |
| M. E. Clifton James | Field Marshal Montgomery |
| Kynaston Reeves | Air Minister |
| John Le Mesurier | Commandant |
| Jan Brooks | Diana |
| Jan Holden | Jackie |
| Frank Atkinson | Parker |
| Ian Fleming | Bishop |
| Nancy Nevinson | Bishop's Wife |
| Grace Arnold | Commandant's Wife |
| Hal Osmond | Barman |
| Bernard Horsfall | Radar Operator |
| George Woodbridge (actor) | Farmer |
Production
Photography was originally scheduled around
The use of RAF Percival Provost piston and de Havilland Vampire T.11 jet training aircraft and operational Hawker Hunter fighter aircraft heightened the authenticity of the film.[10] During the course of production at RAF Leuchars, a Hunter "wheeled up" which allowed the film crew to use the wreck to simulate a Hunter crash. When the RAF did not allow the film crew to use an operational airframe as a camera aircraft, one Hunter was converted into a "PR" version, specially modified at great cost, to carry a forward-facing Cinemascope camera. A screen was drawn on the front windscreen of the camera Hunter with a chinagraph crayon. The pilot was instructed to fill the windscreen with aircraft. Additional air-to-air shots were taken from an Avro Lincoln bomber.[11][N 3] Other aircraft visible in the film include Handley Page Hastings transport aircraft and Bristol Sycamore helicopters.
The casting of Ray Milland was typical of the Warwick Films productions, in using the star power of a Hollywood actor but in the case of Milland, he was also well suited to the film and its subject matter. During the 1930s and into the 1940s, the Welsh-born actor had moved to Hollywood and during the Second World War, had served as a civilian instructor for the United States Army Air Forces.[3]
Reception
The film had a Gala World Premiere on 12 September 1957 at the
Home video release
Although rarely seen on television and at times the US version, only in black and white, is broadcast, a DVD in colour is now available.[14]
See also
References
Notes
- ^ Newley composed and sang "The Open Boat Song", his first major song credit. Originally written as a ballad; it was performed in a small stage review in 1952.[2]
- ^ The poem, "High Flight" has endured as a favourite poem among aviators and recently, astronauts; even President Ronald Reagan, on the occasion of the loss of the Challenger Space Shuttle. It serves as the official poem of the Royal Canadian Air Force and Royal Air Force and it is required to be recited by memory by fourth class cadets (freshmen) at the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) where it is also depicted in its Field House.[4]
- ^ A blatant continuity error occurs in Winchester's solo flight in a Vampire T.11 when stock in-flight and landing footage of a single-seat Vampire fighter are interspersed with live-action and animation shots of the jet trainer.
Citations
- ^ Mullenger, Len. "Eric Coates: Thoughts on and Recollections of his Music." Classical Music on the Web. Retrieved: 2 December 2011.
- YouTubeRetrieved: 2 December 2011.
- ^ a b Landazuri, Margarita. "High Flight (1958)." Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved: 2 December 2011.
- ^ Boswell, Randy. "High Flight: Renowned RCAF pilot who penned famous poem to receive tribute." Montreal Gazette, 11 November 2011.
- ^ "Credits: High Flight (1957)." IMDb. Retrieved: 29 November 2011.
- ^ Davies, Jack. "A and B Won't Let Them Down". Kinematograph Weekly, 31 May 1956, pp. 16–17.
- ^ Vagg, Stephen (14 November 2020). "Ken Hughes Forgotten Auteur". Filmink.
- ^ Paris 1995, p. 177.
- ^ Goold, Ian. "60 years of Farnborough air shows." Flight, 3 July 2008.
- ^ a b Hardwick and Schnepf 1989, p. 57.
- ^ a b "A Fine Flying Film in Prospect." Flight, 6 September 1957.
- ^ Mackenzie 2001, p. 155.
- ^ Maltin, Leonard. "Leonard Maltin Movie Review." Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved: 2 December 2011.
- ^ "High Flight DVD." Rare movies UK. Retrieved: 2 December 2011.
Bibliography
- Granfield, Linda. High Flight: A Story of World War II. Toronto, Ontario: Tundra Books, 1999. ISBN 978-0-88776-469-1.
- Hardwick, Jack and Ed Schnepf. "A Viewer's Guide to Aviation Movies." The Making of the Great Aviation Films, General Aviation Series, Volume 2, 1989.
- Mackenzie, S.P. British War Films, 1939–1945: The Cinema and the Services. New York: Continuum International Publishing Group, 2001. ISBN 978-1-85285-586-4.
- Paris, Michael. From the Wright Brothers to Top gun: Aviation, Nationalism, and Popular Cinema. Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press, 1995. ISBN 978-0-7190-4074-0.
External links
- High Flight at IMDb
- High Flight at the TCM Movie Database
