Thursday, January 7, 2016

Reach for the Sky War Drama 1956 Kenneth More, Muriel Pavlow & Lyndon Brook

Reach for the Sky.jpgDespite his undim
In 1941, Bader has to bail out over France. He is caught, escapes, and is recaptured. He then makes such a nuisance of himself to his jailers, he is repeatedly moved from one POW camp to another, finally ending up in Colditz Castle. He is liberated after four years of captivity. The war ends (much to Thelma's relief) before Bader can have "one last fling" in the Far East.In 1941, Bader has to bail out over France. He is caught, escapes, and is recaptured. He then makes such a nuisance of himself to his jailers, he is repeatedly moved from one POW camp to another, finally ending up in Colditz Castle. He is liberated after four years of captivity. The war ends (much to Thelma's relief) before Bader can have "one last fling" in the Far East.inished skills, he is re
In 1941, Bader has to bail out over France. He is caught, escapes, and is recaptured. He then makes such a nuisance of himself to his jailers, he is repeatedly moved from one POW camp to another, finally ending up in Colditz Castle. He is liberated after four years of captivity. The war ends (much to Thelma's relief) before Bader can have "one last fling" in the Far East.fused flying duties simply because there are no regulations covering his situation. Offered a desk job instead, he leaves the RAF and works unhappily in an office. He and Thelma marry.
As the Second World War starts, Bader talks himself back into the RAF. He is soon given command of a squadron comprising mostly dispirited Canadians who had fought in France. Improving morale and brazenly circumventing normal channels to obtain badly needed equipment, he makes the squadron operational again. They fight effectively in the Battle of Britain. Bader is then put in charge of a new, larger formation of five squadrons. Later, he is posted to RAF Tangmere and promoted to wing commander.
In 1941, Bader has to bail out over France. He is caught, escapes, and is recaptured. He then makes such a nuisance of himself to his jailers, he is repeatedly moved from one POW camp to another, finally ending up in Colditz Castle. He is liberated after four years of captivity. The war ends (much to Thelma's relief) before Bader can have "one last fling" in the Far East.

Reach for the SkyOn 15 September 1945, the fifth anniversary of the greatest day of the Battle of Britain, Bader, now a group captain, is given the honour of leading eleven other battle survivors and a total of 300 aircraft in a flypast over London.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, see Reach for the Sky (disambiguation).
Reach for the Sky
Reach for the Sky.jpg
original theatrical poster
Directed byLewis Gilbert
Produced byDaniel M. Angel
Written byPaul Brickhill (book)
Lewis Gilbert(screenplay)
Vernon Harris
(add'l scenes)
StarringKenneth More
Muriel Pavlow
Lyndon Brook
Lee Patterson
Alexander Knox
Music byJohn Addison
CinematographyJack Asher
Edited byJohn Shirley
Distributed byThe Rank Organisation
Release dates
  • 5 July 1956(world premiere, London)

  • 30 April 1957
(US)
Running time
136 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget£365,000[1]
Reach for the Sky is a 1956 Britishbiographical film about aviatorDouglas Bader, based on the 1954 biography of the same name byPaul Brickhill. The film starsKenneth More and was directed byLewis Gilbert. It won the BAFTA Award for Best British Film of 1956.


It's a great pity that the Big Wings contoversy played a significant part in the sad demise of New Zealander Air Vice Marshall Park after the Battle of Britain was over.At the time from mid August to mid September 1940 protecting the 3 Sector Station airfields (Hornchurch ,North Weald and Debden) north of London from German bombing was vital to keeping the RAF in the battle and preventing the Nazis from gaining air superiority in the south east of England as Hitler's important pre-requisite to Invasion.This task Park gave to 12 Group to do but was constantly let down in the process. The Air Ministries' handling of Park and Dowding after the Battle was a terrible stain on the British normal sense of fair play and justice. As a Kiwi I am glad that at long last a statue to Park has been erected in London commemorating "the Man who saved London


Bader, a hero, an icon, a leader of men who rightly deserved his Knighthood. But the reason he lost his legs is the same reason that made great, his arrogance. This film is not particularly accurate, but it does give a good measure of the character of the man. Bader swore like a trooper and had little respect for rank. He did however epitomise what Britain needed during those lonely days. He and his "tin legs" inspired those who flew with him. I met a number of the dam-buster crews, although none are now living, but I truly would have wanted to meet Bader,


This is VERY well written.  The way he communicated with others was very functional. Like when he said he wanted the one guy to expedite his spare parts and things...he didn't say how fast he wanted the supplies, he just said that he needed him to move FASTER.....and let the person do the best they can. People will surprise you, they may even move faster than your own imagined deadline. When he communicated with the superior officer in his office, he was very straight forward without being insubordinate. It's just that the other officers had gotten used to stonewalling requests for supplies and Bader saw the need to break through that wall....and he did it in an assertive but functional way. This is really well written.

Plot[edit]

In 1928, Douglas Bader joins the Royal Air Force (RAF) as a cadet. Despite a friendly reprimand fromAir Vice-Marshal Halahan for his disregard for service discipline and flight rules, he successfully completes his training and is posted to No. 23 Squadron at RAF Kenley. In 1930, he is chosen to be among the pilots for an aerial exhibition.
Later, although his flight commander has explicitly banned low level aerobatics (as two pilots have been killed try
In 1941, Bader has to bail out over France. He is caught, escapes, and is recaptured. He then makes such a nuisance of himself to his jailers, he is repeatedly moved from one POW camp to another, finally ending up in Colditz Castle. He is liberated after four years of captivity. The war ends (much to Thelma's relief) before Bader can have "one last fling" in the Far East.ing just that), he is goaded into it by a disparaging remark by a civilian pilot. He crashes.
Mr Joyce, surgeon at the Royal Berkshire Hospital, has to amputate both legs to save Bader's life. During his convalescence, he receives encouragement from Nurse Brace. Upon his discharge from the hospital, he sets out to master prosthetic legs. At a stop for some tea, he meets waitress Thelma Edwards. Once he can walk on his own, he starts courting her.