Written by renowned playwright Sir Terence Rattigan, this is Lean’s fictional, meticulously researched depiction of British aerospace engineers and test pilots working to achieve the first supersonic flight (conveniently overlooking the fact that the feat was actually achieved in the U.S.A. in 1947 by Chuck Yeager, as depicted in Philip Kaufman’s 1983 epic The Right Stuff). Sir John Ridgefield (Ralph Richardson) owns the aircraft company involved, and his single-minded pursuit of his goal has a human cost, and he risks losing everything. Filled with stunning aerial photography, this is a well-drawn and nuanced portrait of the human impulse for progress.

Notes by Kevin Coyne.

Screening as part of The Films of David Lean season.