OUT OF THE CLOUDS
UK, 1955, 88 minutes, Colour.
Anthony Steele, Robert Beatty, David Knight, Margot Lorenz, James Robertson Justice, Eunice Gayson, Isabel Dean, Gordon Harker, Bernard Lee, Marie Lohr, Esma Cannon, Abraham Sofaer, Sid James.
Directed by Basil Dearden.
Out of the Clouds attempts a great deal in a running time of under 90 minutes. It focuses on a day at a London airport, several central characters, especially Anthony Steele as Gus Randall and Robert Beatty as Nick Milbourne. It concerns romance, a pilot trying to get his wings back, people having to make decisions.
Along with the central stories there are a whole lot of smaller stories all interconnecting, using a large number of celebrated British character actors. The film is of interest – visualising life in the 1950s, but, of course, surpassed by many similar films in succeeding decades.
The film was directed by Basil Dearden who had established a reputation for tough films like The Blue Lamp. During this period he made The Rainbow Jacket as well as The Ship That Died Of Shame. He was to make several significant social-minded films in the late 50s and early 60s especially Sapphire, Victim, Life for Ruth, The Mindbenders. He made some more spectacular films like Khartoum and Monte Carlo or Bust before his untimely death at age 60 in a car accident.
1. How interesting and entertaining a film?
2. Its picture of the 1950s contrasting with the present? An aspect of the history of aviation? People the same, methods the same, machines changed? A type of anticipated Airport?
3. The emphasis of the title and the flying? The phrase and having, one's feet on the ground? Indication of themes?
4. The importance of the colour, the airport detail, the technical know-how for example, talking the plane down?
5. The structure and the interwoven stories? How did it retain interest?
6. The characters, were they real persons?
7. The Milbourne story, waiting for the doctor, groundwork, Milbourne at work and the detail of this, the talk about the importance of his job, the crises, his relationship with Penny and the final happy ending? The moral of this story?
8. The Randall story? His skill, the ten percent bad, the smuggling, his decision not to smuggle, to settle down?
9. Bill and Leah? How real? The visualising of their coming together, the artificial nature of their meeting, the growth in awareness and love, the explanation of their background, the ironies of their going off and returning? A credible love story?
10. The importance of incidentals? The comic elder women and their tablets, James Robertson Justice and his way as a pilot, the hostess looking after people and her own private life, the lady at the counter with her holidays?
11. The quality of the human interest in flying and airports? The values behind the film?
