Still its an interesting documentary assembled from a bit removed position. A british point of view about breaking the sound barrier which at times minimizes the accomplishment. Breaking the sound barrier 1952 with a passion for aviation design and engineering, wealthy oilman john ridgefield ralph richardson is determined to break the sound barrier. It covers the breaking of the sound barrier by chuck yeager to the mercury 7 astronauts, showing that no one had a clue how to run a space program or how to select people to be in it. A good set of movies from the british perspective of world war 2.
Breaking the sound barrier womens film and television. Arresting story of aircraft designer whose visions of jet development result in the tragic death of test pilot who was daughters husband. Breaking the sound barrier in a land vehicle on january 12, 1948, a northrop unmanned rocket sled became the first land vehicle to break the sound barrier. It was david leans third and final film with his wife ann todd, but it was his first for alexander kordas london films. John derry became the first british pilot to break the sound barrier, during a record attempt exactly four years before. The films original british title was simply the sound barrier, but the american distributor apparently didnt want filmgoers to think the movie was about the record industry. It seems they had a program too which was cut so some brits interviewed were not happy about the americans doing it first. The sound barrier 1952 the sound barrier 1952 user. The sound barrier get up to speed with the rerelease of. In a career as magnificent as leans, its saying something to declare that one of his movies is among his best, but with breaking the sound barrier, that is indeed the case. A selfmade aircraft manufacturer is determined that his company will be the first to build a plane which flies faster than sound breaking the sound barrier. I suppose flying was a lot more foreign and exciting when the sound barrier was first released, but even still it seems fixated on discussing aircraft rather than actually showing anything worthwhile. British airways flight breaks transatlantic speed record. Stan barrett breaking the sound barrier live from edwards air force base in 1979 duration.
The sound barrier has a few fascinating moments but its ultimately an incredibly dull film, concerned with the technical aspects of aviation to the point of tedium. Some british and american fighters may have unintentionally exceeded the speed of sound in an evasive dive and there are unconfirmed reports that the german me 262 jet fighter managed to break the sound barrier. Dozens more were wounded at the farnborough air show in hampshire on 6 september 1952. The british air ministry signed an agreement with the united states to exchange all its highspeed research, data and designs and bell aircraft company was given access to the drawings and research on the m. So the sound barrier is a film i feel should be nudged up a little higher in the list of great british films. The film is an excellent dramas, but the aviation shouldnt be taken seriously. Breaking through the sound barrier alternative synopsis arresting story of aircraft designer whose visions of jet development result in the tragic death of test pilot. John derry was the first british pilot to break the sound barrier in september 1948.
The plane is anchored in place then revs its engines. The wealthy and influential aircraft industrialist is consumed by his desire to manufacture a plane capable of penetrating the inscrutable sound barrier. This is a classic film that describes the overall desire to break the sound barrier, as well as a personal story of obsession and desire to progress. David leans breaking the sound barrier 1952 is playing october 14 november, 2017 on mubi in the united states. A david lean production presented by london films and released here by lopert films corp.
The sound barrier known in the united states as breaking through the sound barrier and breaking the sound barrier is a 1952 british aviation film directed by david lean. The movie also implies that the vampire jet that is flown from england to egypt made the flight nonstop. Zvucna barijera je britanski crnobijeli film snimljen 1952. Breaking the sound barrier remains one of leans most underseen films and it shouldnt be. He was then in meet me tonight 1952 and the pickwick papers 1952. David leans 1952 hit film the sound barrier captured on film some of derrys flying feats and celebrated the fictional british attempts to break the sound barrier. In november 1945, a british jet fighter the gloster meteor set a new official world speed record of 606. Barriers are put in place to keep onlookers away from the plane. This success led to widespread criticism of the uk government throughout the british press, and many argued that the m. Its not bad acting, its just that some of it is obvious acting.
Fictionalized story of british aerospace engineers solving the problem of supersonic flight. Breaking through the sound barrier, story and screen play by terence rattigan. The sound barrier wikimili, the best wikipedia reader. Space program reads like a novel, and the film has that same fictional quality. Written by terrence rattigan and starring ralph richardson and ann todd, it tells the story of the obsessive aviators who took flight supersonic. The x1 was lifted to an altitude of 25,000 feet by a b29 aircraft and then released through the bomb bay, rocketing to 40,000 feet and exceeding 662 miles per hour the sound barrier at that. By the time the comet first flew, the breaking of the sound barrier was already several years in the past, whereas, in the movie, it hasnt been done yet. Tony successful fighter pilot during world war ii marries into the family of a wealthy oil magnate who also designs airplanes. British airways flight breaks transatlantic speed record the plane traveled from new york to london in 4 hours, 56 minutes. Ralph richardson plays a wealthy aircraft manufacturer, stubbornly determined to. Despite its technical flaws, the film was so effective that many in the general public of the time believed that the first pilot to breask the sound barrier was british. It is a fictional story about attempts by aircraft designers and test pilots to break the sound barrier. Women sounding out in british and irish film and television.
Breaking the sound barrier juxtaposes the history of jet aviation with an intensely personal fictional story. The race to break the sound barrier stephen poliakoff. Perhaps it would be better perceived if all the acting was up to the level of ralph richardsons performance. Breaking the sound barrier was a oneday event organised by the womens film and tv history networkukireland, in collaboration with bfi southbank and supported by meccsa womens media studies network. Unfortunately for the british, the americans soon proved this belief wrong when the x1 broke the sound barrier using a thin straight wing design very similar to that of the m. At a military test facility at muroc air force base now edwards afb, california, it reached a peak speed of 1,019 mph 1,640 kmh before jumping the rails. The movie shows the comet jetliner in testing before it went operational. The sound barrier is a fictional account of the breaking of the sound barrier in britain but the stock film of postwar british. British lion film corporation executive producer alexander korda. A great british film that celebrates technological achievement while also. Airplanes approaching the sound barrier mach 1 shell educational film 74842 duration. The dvd version of breaking the sound barrier 1952, a david lean production, that i watched is disk one of the world war collection may 27, 2008. Charting a british airplane companys bid to be the first to break the sound barrier the drama is defined as the cost of the danger is weighed against the triumph and potential of human ingenuity.
Thirtyone people, including pilot john derry, were killed. Its a beautifully tragic drama of loss and desire, as many lives are forever changed by the potential to fly fast. The film begins in 1947 at the muroc army air field in california, with civilian and military test pilots flighttesting highspeed aircraft, including the rocketpowered bell x1. A box office hit on release in 1952, david leans the sound barrier, which dramatises britains race to break the speed of sound, has since passed everyone by. Trivia there are major aviation errors in this movie.
The movie traces the companys attempt to break the sound barrier, as well as tensions between father and daughter. Due mostly to the sound barrier, exhibitors voted patrick the seventh most popular british film star with the public, in 1952. He was the most successful western allied ace in the mediterranean theatre, and. On the other hand this film is largely fictitious which.
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