Pilotes de haut-vol

The files of the English military is teeming with war stories. Some are true, some not, but most often based on the experiences of the men who created their impressive history. This movie is called " High Flight " and stars Ray Milland as Wing Commander Rudge. It tells the story of an experienced W.W.II, commander who is now a flight school instructor. His task is to train young men to fly combat missions against the enemy. The job is made more difficult when Anthony Winchester (Kenneth Haigh) a superior, but quite arrogant and reckless cadet insists on trying the school's patience. Bernard Lee and Anthony Newley make for surprising roles. The movie is interesting enough with the cadet's school year is seen in stages. Milland is at his best in this movie. ****

Back in the 1940s, Hollywood made a few films about cadets in the air corps, such as "I Wanted Wings" and "Captains of the Clouds". "High Flight" is very much like these films but it is set in the UK and was made a decade later.

The story follows a group of cadets through training with particular emphasis on a young, cocky and very talented man who has a connection to the commander (Ray Milland). Again and again, the commander makes allowances for the cocky jerk but you wonder how long all this is going to happen until something dreadful occurs.

The best thing about this film are the aerial sequences...which look great, especially in color. But the film is also a bit clichéd and the sequence involving the UFO and the party is just god-awfully bad. Worth seeing but awfully familiar.

I saw this movie when it was released in Paris. I was 16 and after watching the movie a whole afternoon, at that time in Paris you could enter a theater and stay as long as you wished, I wanted to become a pilot. Circumstances made it that I've never been one...

I think Robert J. Maxwell here is very unjust with this movie. Just try to put yourself in the situation of movie making of the late 50s. The movie was shot in Cinemascope and released either in color or B&W as stated here. Cinemascope required a huge equipment especially lighting as at the time the sensitiveness of 35mm film was not very high if you wished to have the best definition possible. The camera used were also heavy and not easy to move, just like television cameras at that time.

You cant compare the conditions of shoot in those days with the extraordinary conditions we have today with light cameras, CGI and all the computer devices at the disposal of the movie teams today.

It's a pity on youtube that the movie has been cropped to fit the 16:9 ratio. It's a betrayal of all the work of the Director of photography as well as of the director. This kind of adjustments should not be tolerated.

I'd never heard of or seen this film until recently on You Tube. Yes it's there! I've seen a lot of aviation films, some poor and some very good and others in between. This one copped a "9" on my scale.

They don't get much better then this, the perfect proportion of humor and drama that always keeps you wanting more! What else could you ask for in a genre film about aircraft and the men that man them.

Great acting and the aerial photography is excellent. Seeing the RAF in the 50's in glorious Technicolor and Cinemascope is not to be missed!

I can't recommend this film too highly! It's on You Tube and there's no excuse to miss it! Happy landings!

I just watched this film for the first time on cable channel TCM (US). I had never heard of it.

The presence of Ray Milland is a plus, and I found Anthony Newley quite amusing though the runaway toy flying saucer scene is perhaps just too goofy.

Any effort to develop the story or characters is somewhat half-hearted. What little plot there is seems to exist mainly to fill time between the flying sequences. But what great sequences they are! The formation flying is impressive, the aerial photography very well done, helped along by some beautiful writing by the film composer, and the planes are just great to look at.

Over on this side of the pond we haven't had much chance to see these British aircraft. I don't know if there was any jet in the 1950's more beautiful then the Hawker Hunter. This plane is featured in the latter stages of the film. At the end, Ray Milland guides a wounded plane down to a belly landing. On the way, there is impressive camera work that follows these two planes bounce along in the air, just above the countryside.