TOWARD THE UNKNOWN

US, 1956, 115 minutes, Colour.
William Holden, Lloyd Nolan, Virginia Leith, Charles McGraw? Murray Hamilton, L. Q. Jones, James Garner, Paul Fix, Karen Steele.
Directed by Mervyn Le Roy.

Toward the Unknown is a film about the American Air Force, the type of film popular in the mid?'50s e.g. Strategic Air Command, The McConnell? Story. William Holden is, as usual, the hero. Lloyd Nolan has a stronger character study as the commanding Brigadier General. There are character sketches from people like Charles McGraw? and Murray Hamilton. The film is an early vehicle for actors like Jones and James Garner.

The film was directed by Mervyn Le Roy, a director of taut thrillers at Warner Brothers in the '30s and longer romantic melodramas at MGM in the '40s. At Warner Brothers in the '50s and '60s, he directed a number of somewhat inflated vehicles like A Majority of One, Gypsy, Mary Mary. A film of its period.

1. Interesting study of the American Air Force of the '50s? Character study and clashes?

2. Colour photography, Californian locations? The importance of the aerial photography? Its excitement? Musical score?

3. The title and the indication of the Air Force testing new planes, rocket programmes? (The British title was: Brink of Hell).

4. The situation in the '50s, the experience of World War Two, the Korean War? Test pilots and their skills and courage? The Californian air bases? Planes, rockets?

5. William Holden as Linc Bond? His imprisonment in Korea, the germ warfare confession, the visit to California, his hopes for his career as a test pilot? His persuading General Banner? His going on routine flights? His discovering the faults in the programme? His being on the X2 rocket programme? The test, his saving the life of McKee? His awareness of the dangers? The clashes with Banner? Experimenting with rocket power? Ignoring orders? The firing of the rockets? Bailing out? The response of Banner? His success in testing? The personal story, the love for Connie? Clashes, reconciliation?

6. Banner and his role as commanding officer, the plans, the faults, the tests, McKee’s? life being saved, Banner and his age, health, wanting to do the tests himself? His going to a new assignment?

7. The portrait of the various pilots, interactions, friendships, suspicions, rivalries: McKee?, Lee, Sweeney, Craven? The authorities?

8. The film as a record of the kind of activity of the American Air Force during the '50s? A fictional tribute?