Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines
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| Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines | |
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| Directed by | Ken Annakin |
| Produced by | Stan Margulies |
| Written by | Ken Annakin Jack Davies |
| Starring | Stuart Whitman Sarah Miles James Fox |
| Music by | Ron Goodwin |
| Cinematography | Christopher Challis |
| Editing by | Anne V. Coates |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
| Release date(s) | 1965 |
| Running time | 138 min. |
| Country | UK |
| Language | English French German Italian Japanese |
| Followed by | Monte Carlo or Bust |
| IMDb profile | |
Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes, usually referred to as Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines, is a 1965 British comedy film directed by Ken Annakin. The story is set in 1910, at the dawn of aviation, when Lord Rawnsley, an English press magnate, offers a prize of £10,000 to the winner of an air race from London to Paris to prove that Britain is "number one in the air".
The original screenplay, written by Ken Annakin and Jack Davies, was nominated for an Academy Award. The film was photographed in 70 mm Todd-AO by Christopher Challis.
The success of the film prompted Annakin to write (again with Jack Davies) and direct another race movie, Monte Carlo or Bust (aka Those Daring Young Men in Their Jaunty Jalopies), released in 1969, this time involving vintage cars with the story set around the Monte Carlo Rally.
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[edit] Plot
Sarah Miles plays the daughter of Lord Rawnsley (Robert Morley), a newspaper magnate whose favourite to win his race is his daughter's fiancé, Richard Mays (James Fox), flying an Antoinette monoplane. An international cast plays the array of contestants, most of whom live up to their national stereotypes, including the fanatical monocle-wearing Prussian officer (Gert Fröbe), flying a British Eardley-Billing biplane; a sexy Frenchman (Jean-Pierre Cassel) in a Santos-Dumont Demoiselle; and the brash American (Stuart Whitman), flying a Bristol Boxkite, who falls for Lord Rawnsley's daughter.
The main entertainment comes from the amusing dialogue and characterisations and the daring aerial stunts, with a dash of heroism and gentlemanly conduct thrown in for good measure. Terry-Thomas plays the cheating Sir Percival Ware-Armitage, an Avro Triplane-flying rogue who "never leaves anything to chance". With the help of his bullied and downtrodden servant Courtney (Eric Sykes), he sabotages other aircraft or drugs their pilots - only to get his comeuppance in the end.
[edit] Planes
The film is notable for its use of specially constructed reproductions of monoplanes and biplanes, including the Bristol Boxkite flown by stunt pilots (in one case an aviatrix). Several of the unsuccessful aircraft shown were also reproductions of actual designs of the time.
Many of the aircraft employed wing warping for directional control, the system originally used by the Wright Flyer in which there are no ailerons -- the structure of the wing itself is twisted to bank the plane. Nearly all planes since 1910 movable control surfaces, including the planes with which the film's pilots were familiar. It was necessary for them to learn how to fly this "new" type of plane. Several of the aircraft had dangerous flaws and the pilots had a number of narrow escapes, but the realism and the attention to detail in the replicas of vintage machines add to the enjoyment of the film (although a few of the flying stunts were achieved through the use of models and cleverly disguised wires).
The small plane flown by the French pilot, a Santos-Dumont Demoiselle, was one of the forerunners of today's ultralight aircraft.
[edit] Cast
The film featured a host of stars, including:
- Gerald Campion
- Jean-Pierre Cassel
- Cicely Courtneidge
- Irina Demick
- Fred Emney
- James Fox
- Gert Fröbe
- Tony Hancock
- Benny Hill
- Yujiro Ishihara
- Gordon Jackson
- John Le Mesurier
- Zena Marshall
- Millicent Martin
- Sarah Miles
- Flora Robson
- Norman Rossington
- Willie Rushton
- Red Skelton
- Alberto Sordi
- Eric Sykes
- Terry-Thomas
- Michael Trubshawe
- Karl Michael Vogler
- Sam Wanamaker
- Stuart Whitman
[edit] Crew
- Directed by Ken Annakin
- Produced by Stan Margulies
- Written by Jack Davies and Ken Annakin
- Cinematography by Christopher Challis
- Editing Gordon Stone and Anne V. Coates
- Music Ron Goodwin
- Titles Ronald Searle
- Art direction by Tom Morahan
- Special effects Richard Parker
- Stunt pilot Derek Piggott
