Reach for the Sky (1956)

Regisseur:

Lewis Gilbert

Drehbuchautoren:

Paul Brickhill (book)
Lewis Gilbert (screenplay)

Premierendatum:

15. Oktober 1956 (Denmark)

Genre:

Biographie | Drama | Kriegsfilm

Werbezeile:

10,000,000 Americans Have Thrilled to This Stirring Story in Reader's Digest!

Plot:

The true story of airman Douglas Bader who overcame the loss of both legs in a 1931 flying accident...

Plot Keywords:

Airfield | Hospital | Plane Crash | German Officer | Canadian

Filmpreise:

Won BAFTA Film Award. Another 4 nominations

Nutzerkommentare:

The Right Stuff!

Besetzung

Kenneth More	...	Douglas Bader
Muriel Pavlow	...	Thelma Bader
Lyndon Brook	...	Johnny Sanderson
Lee Patterson	...	Turner
Alexander Knox	...	Mr. Joyce
Dorothy Alison	...	Nurse Brace
Michael Warre	...	Harry Day
Sydney Tafler	...	Robert Desoutter
Howard Marion-Crawford	...	'Woody' Woodhall (as Howard Marion Crawford)
Jack Watling	...	Peel
Nigel Green	...	Streatfield
Anne Leon	...	Sister Thornhill
Charles Carson	...	Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding
Ronald Adam	...	Air Vice-Marshal Leigh-Mallory
Walter Hudd	...	Air Vice-Marshal Halahan

Alternativ:

Allen Gewalten zum Trotz (Bundesrepublik Deutschland) [de]
Flickflack auf dem Schwebebalken (Bundesrepublik Deutschland) [de]

Länge:

135 Min | USA:123 Min

Produktionsland:

UK

Sprache:

Englisch

Farbe:

Schwarzweiss

Seitenverhältnis:

1.85 : 1

Tonverfahren:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Altersfreigabe:

UK:U | Iceland:L | Australia:G | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15

Drehorte:

Bagshot, Surrey, England, UK

Firma:

Angel Productions

Dies und das:

Kenneth More had his legs cased in Aluminium in order to accuratly convey Bader's style of walking with his metal legs.

Pannen:

Anachronismus: The scenes set in the days leading up to the onset of the Second World War feature late model Mark XVI Spitfires with 'teardrop' canopies, four-bladed propellers and cannon in the wings. In addition, the serial number on one aircraft (VT151) was an unused number from a block allocated to Gloster for a batch of Meteor F Mk 4's. (The serial can't be V7151 either, as this was an unused number from a block allocated to Gloster for a batch of Hawker Hurricanes - Gloster being part of the Hawker group).

Dialogzitate:

[Bader refuses to perfom some low flying for a trio of civilian pilots]
Civilian Pilot: Typical, these Air Force boys only perform when there's a crowd!

Bezüge zu anderen Titeln:

Verweis/Anspielung/Erwähnung in A Profile of 'A Town Like Alice' (2001) (V)

The Right Stuff!

It's always encouraging to see the indomitable human spirit gain control against all odds. How easy it would have been for pilot Douglas Bader, played by Kenneth More here, to simply give in to circumstances, drop out of active life, and lead a limited existence all because of a dreadful plane accident in which he lost both legs. But he didn't choose to go that way, and with the advent of WW2 he managed to resume his active pilot career despite the fact of having artificial legs, and had more than a few adventures which he survived. I like this movie for its positive grasp of life and living, and shows that you can create your world if you have singleminded determination. Also of interest were the real life film footage of aerial manoeuvrings used from the war. I'd recommend this war movie any time.