Le mur du son

Original title: The Sound Barrier

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

Fictionalized story of British aerospace engineers solving the problem of supersonic flight.Fictionalized story of British aerospace engineers solving the problem of supersonic flight.Fictionalized story of British aerospace engineers solving the problem of supersonic flight.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.7/10

2.5K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Won 1 Oscar
- 9 wins & 5 nominations total

Photos25

+ 19

Top cast18

Edit

Ralph Richardson

J.R.

Ann Todd

Susan Garthwaite

Nigel Patrick

Tony

John Justin

Philip

Dinah Sheridan

Jess

Joseph Tomelty

Will

Denholm Elliott

Chris

Jack Allen

'Windy'

Ralph Michael

Fletcher

Rodney Goodall

Little Boy
(uncredited)

Donald Harron

ATA Officer
(uncredited)

Vincent Holman

Factor
(uncredited)

Jolyon Jackley

Susan's Baby
(uncredited)

Douglas Muir

Controller
(uncredited)

Leslie Phillips

Controller
(uncredited)

Anthony Snell

Peter Makepeace
(uncredited)

Sally-Jane Spencer

Daughter of Philip
(uncredited)

Robert Brooks Turner

Test Bed Operator
(uncredited)

‘Snow White’ Stars Test Their Wits

Rachel Zegler, Gal Gadot, and director Marc Webb take our Ultimate Disney Quiz.

Watch now

9:57

More like this

6.9

Madeleine

7.2

Les amants passionnés

7.2

Ceux qui servent en mer

7.7

7.3

6.8

7.0

7.0

7.0

7.6

7.1

7.1

Une bombe pas comme les autres

Storyline

Edit

Did you know

Edit

Trivia
The flying sequences under the direction of Anthony Squire, were based at the Vickers aerodrome at Chilbolton near Nether Wallop in Hampshire. Squire managed to secure one of the last airworthy Avro Lancaster bombers for the task. The cameramen were positioned in the front and rear turrets while Squire conducted proceedings from the central astrodome. The Lancaster was replaced by a Vickers Valetta after all the crew except Squire fell asleep due to an oxygen supply failure. Luckily as he recalled, "They all woke up on the way down, like people in a fairy wood, but I didn't bother with the Lancaster again."

Goofs
In the observatory, John tells Tony that the Andromeda galaxy is 700,000 light-years away; The best estimate since 1940 (when the known Cepheid variables were separated in two types by Baade) is 2.54 million light-years, BUT: this corresponds to 778,000 parsecs! So, it seems that parsecs and light years were somehow switched here in the movie.

Quotes
Susan Garthwaite: [regarding an image of the surface of the moon, displayed via JR's telescope] What's that?
John Ridgefield: It's the moon.
Susan Garthwaite: I never knew it could look so unfriendly.
John Ridgefield: It's an unfriendly universe.
Susan Garthwaite: Do you believe that?
John Ridgefield: Unfriendly only because it's unconscious of our existence.

Crazy credits
In the opening credits, immediately after the human actors, are listed four British aircraft: The de Havilland COMET The Vickers-Supermarine ATTACKER The de Havilland VAMPIRE 113 The Vickers-Supermarine SWIFT Rolls-Royce 'Avon' Engine

Connections
Featured in Jet! When Britain Ruled the Skies: Military Marvels (2012)

Soundtracks
With Sword and Lance
(uncredited)
Music by Hermann Starke

User reviews38

Featured review

8/10

A haunting memory

I saw "The Sound Barrier" in 1952 and it had a great impact on this young moviegoer. The opening sequence on an abandoned air base and the theme music have stayed with me for 50 years. Apparently this film is not available in the USA at present, but I hope it will return to our shores. The technical side of the movie may be less relevant now, when men and women fly far beyond the speed of sound and far beyond the earth's atmosphere. But the story of the characters is what I remember best: the closeness of the small band of test pilots and their loved ones, how they are inspired by the promise of supersonic flight, and how they react when things go wrong.