Reaching for the Skies
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| Reaching for the Skies | |
| Image:Rfts.jpg Reaching for the Skies DVD cover |
|
| Picture format | 4:3 |
|---|---|
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Episode duration | ~55 minutes |
| Narrated by | Anthony Quayle |
| Music by | Misc |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom/United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| Original channel | CBS Fox / BBC |
| First shown on | BBC Two |
| Original run | 12/9/1998 - 28/11/1988– |
| No. of episodes | 12 |
| IMDb profile | |
Reaching for the Skies was a groundbreaking television series made by the BBC Pebble Mill in association with CBS Fox. First transmitted in the UK on 12/9/1988 and in the US on..., it is widely acclaimed as one of the best aviation series ever made.
Narrated by British actor Anthony Quayle, It was divided into 12 programs (each of around 55 minutes' duration). The series producer was Ivan Rendall[1]. Music used was sourced from a number of composers.
[edit] Filming techniques
The series included many aerial sequences specifically filmed for the series, together with archieve footage. This was combined with interviews of those involved, the aerial footage was usually accompanied by music sequences.
[edit] Interviews
The series was notable for the large number of famous aviators that were interviewed. Normally interviewed against a black backdrop, a selection of those interviewed include; Chuck Yeager, Scott Crossfield, Jimmy Doolittle, Bob Hoover, Sir Frank Whittle, Hanna Reitsch, Captain Eric "Winkle" Brownto mention but a few.
[edit] Music
The series blended impressively shot aerial footage with a wide variety of music from different composers. Combined with Anthony Quayles narration, this is one of the factors that contributed to making the series so popular.
[edit] Episodes
12 episodes were filmed, first transmitted in the UK on BBC2 on the 12/9/1988[2]. The episodes are listed below, along with accompanying background text from the VHS Videos:
[edit] 1. "The Pioneers"
Form the Cover: "From the Wright Brothers' first controlled-powered flight in 1903 to the advent of the space shuttle - come to know the key figures in aviation history - the people and the machines that pushed the limits of daring and technology to find ways to fly faster, higher and farther. Her is a chronicle of the raw determination and pioneer spirit that carries Louis Bleriot across the Channel in 1909, and, more recently, carried Rutan and Yeager around the world in their 'Voyager' on a single tank of fuel
[edit] 2. "The Adventures Of Flight"
This is the account of the master aviators who pushed back the frontiers and found new ways to use aircraft...of test pilots, who displayed that rare combination of qualities: coolness under pressure, courage, flying skill, technological knowledge, and military acrobatics. About pilots who pushed their aircraft to the peak of performance...and of the barnstormers and flying circus performers who demonstrated their daring from country airfields to Hollywood film reels, where all the world could witness their dazzling magic.
[edit] 3. "The Aeroplane goes to War"
Over France in WWI, where man and flying machines were first forged into a formidable fighting unit. At the start of the war, the adversaries could muster only a few hundred frail aircraft between them. Yet, in less than 4 years, Britain had commissioned an independent Air Force, had built over 50,000 aircraft and trained 26,000 pilots for observation, strafing, bombing and whatever was necessary to protect its air space. Then, when Anthony Fokker mounted a machine gun on an aeroplane, he changed the face of war forever.
[edit] 4. "Victory over the Sea"
Since the Second World War, aircraft have played an important role in naval operations...defending the fleet against attack by making it possible for pilots to spot the enemy beyond the horizon. The advantages of naval air power became indisputable with the advent of the aircraft carrier - and the expanded capability to deploy this tactical asset across the vast stretches of the ocean. Having proven themselves from the sinking of the Bismarck to the Pacific War, from Suez and Vietnam to the Falklands, here is military air technology at its most daring, where precision is crucial, and the interface between man and machines reaches the ultimate intimacy
[edit] 5. "Bombers"
Dresden...London...Vietnam...Tokyo..their names alone are dramatic testimony to the awesome power of the bomber. These aircraft came to dominate military strategy during WWII, and still played a critical role in the cold world. Even today, one side finds new ways for the bomber to do its jobs, as the other side seeks ways to stop it. From the activity on board to the devastation below, reaching for the skies looks at the bombers, the pilots who fly them, and the struggle between nations to maintain the ultimate combination of weaponry and technology...a chilling reminder of the ability aviation has given to society to annihilate itself.
[edit] 6. "Fighters"
Few aspects of the history of aviation match the vitality, drama and scale of the World Ware 2 Fighter planes. As the strategists discovered the advantages of these warships of the skies, armies rarely moved across the battlefield without the security of air cover. This episode evokes the life and times of the fighter pilot and his aircraft, from World Ware 2 to the present...of individual determination and technological innovation working together in synchronous perfection. From Korea to the Middle East, to Vietnam, here is the testing ground for skill, technology,and, above all, human courage and self-sacrifice.
[edit] 7. "Giants of the Air"
Broadcast,
[edit] 8. "Rivals over the Atlantic"
Broadcast,
[edit] 9. "Trail Blazers"
Broadcast,
[edit] 10. "The Quest for Speed"
Broadcast,
[edit] 11. "Lighter than Air"
Broadcast,
[edit] 12. "Vertical Flight"
Broadcast,
[edit] VHS and book
The series was available as a 6 volume VHS set
The book, Reaching for the Skies: The Adventure of Flight by Ivan Rendall (who was also the TV Series Producer) was published in 1990 and made to accompany the series. ISBN-10: 0563209135 ISBN-13: 978-0563209133
[edit] References
- ^ http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/420986
- ^ http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/491735/credits.html
