Close-Up is a feature that spotlights films now playing on Mubi. David Lean's Breaking the Sound Barrier (1952) is playing October 14 - November 13, 2017 on Mubi in the United States.John (J.R.) Ridgefield is a man possessed. The wealthy and influential aircraft industrialist is consumed by his desire to manufacture a plane capable of penetrating the inscrutable sound barrier. This supersonic obsession is a blessing and a curse for the Ridgefield family, providing their ample fortune and triggering largely latent rifts in their ancestral relations. It’s an opposition at the heart and soul of David Lean’s 1952 film The Sound Barrier, a post-war endorsement of British ingenuity and determination, and an emotional, blazing depiction of sacrifice and scientific achievement. The opening of The Sound Barrier (also known as Sound Barrier and Breaking the Sound Barrier), spotlights Philip Peel (John Justin), one of the film’s principal test pilots. In just under two minutes,...
- 10/18/2017
- MUBI
Stars: John Mills, Richard Attenborough, Bernard Lee, Robert Urquhart, Ray Jackson, Ronald Hines, Sean Barrett, Roland Curram, Meredith Edwards, Michael Bates, Maxine Audley, Lionel Jeffries | Written by David Divine, W.P. Lipscomb | Directed by Leslie Norman
While this year’s Dunkirk brought an intensity to the screen conveying the horrors of what was experienced by the soldiers at Dunkirk, there was a version of that same story that was released back in 1958. Now digitally restored and available on DVD and Blu-ray, this Dunkirk is an interesting look at how the true events affected many people.
When Nazi Germany invaded France, the British army found themselves in retreat. Making their way to Dunkirk which was the only means of escape, Operation Dynamo was put into action to get the soldiers out of France and home.
What is interesting about this version of Dunkirk is the fact it is a darker look at...
While this year’s Dunkirk brought an intensity to the screen conveying the horrors of what was experienced by the soldiers at Dunkirk, there was a version of that same story that was released back in 1958. Now digitally restored and available on DVD and Blu-ray, this Dunkirk is an interesting look at how the true events affected many people.
When Nazi Germany invaded France, the British army found themselves in retreat. Making their way to Dunkirk which was the only means of escape, Operation Dynamo was put into action to get the soldiers out of France and home.
What is interesting about this version of Dunkirk is the fact it is a darker look at...
- 9/26/2017
- by Paul Metcalf
- Nerdly
Apart from the usual Powell & Pressburger and David Lean masterpieces, I have steered rather away from the great British war movie during my cinematic peregrinations. Growing up in the UK, one did get rather tired of hearing about these films, spoken of in terms of nostalgia and sentiment. This kind of admiration for movies based on their respectable subject matter rather than their artistry felt like exactly the kind of patriotic attitude to film culture that kept Michael Powell languishing in obscurity for so many years.But in my mellow senescence I can appreciate these movies a bit more. Dunkirk is an interesting flick. On the one hand it's an epic, with armies of extras, special effects, and a narrative sweep that takes almost the whole first act of WWII, from the British perspective. On the other hand, it's a product of Ealing Studios, best known for comedy but ideologically attuned to celebrating group efforts,...
- 6/2/2016
- MUBI
Fans of Christopher Nolan are eagerly waiting to find out what his next film project will be. The last movie he made what the mind-blowing sci-fi space exploration film Interstellar. Now it sounds like he'll be taking on a whole new genre. According to La Voix du Nord (via Nolan Fans), Nolan's next film will be a World War II drama.
The film is said to be inspired by Operation Dynamo, a mission in 1940 where nearly 340,000 Allied troops were rescued after being trapped by the Nazis in Dunkirk, France. There's no confirmation that this will be Nolan's next project, but if it turns out to be true, then I'll be very much looking forward to seeing it!
The film project was described as a “super-production” by Patrice Vergriete, the mayor of Dunkirk, almost two weeks ago, and the initial reports say that Nolan has traveled to Dunkirk several times with his brother,...
The film is said to be inspired by Operation Dynamo, a mission in 1940 where nearly 340,000 Allied troops were rescued after being trapped by the Nazis in Dunkirk, France. There's no confirmation that this will be Nolan's next project, but if it turns out to be true, then I'll be very much looking forward to seeing it!
The film project was described as a “super-production” by Patrice Vergriete, the mayor of Dunkirk, almost two weeks ago, and the initial reports say that Nolan has traveled to Dunkirk several times with his brother,...
- 12/28/2015
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
The Dunkirk evacuation, one of the biggest course changing moments of World War II, is set to be brought to the big screen in a new movie from Working Title UK.
Deadline say Oliver Parker is attached to direct Dunkirk, a spec script from Gavin Scott that will re-tell the story of courage from those British civilians who over nine days in May 1940 used hundreds of small boats to cross the English Channel to rescue 200,000 British and 140,000 French troops from the advancing Germans. In British Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s immortal We shall fight them on the beaches speech on June 4th, he hailed the rescue mission as a “miracle of deliverance”.
For Parker, this will be his most mature film for a while having previously shot the oddball adaptation of Dorian Gray and the two farcical comedies St. Trinian’s and most recently Johnny English Reborn, the latter which...
Deadline say Oliver Parker is attached to direct Dunkirk, a spec script from Gavin Scott that will re-tell the story of courage from those British civilians who over nine days in May 1940 used hundreds of small boats to cross the English Channel to rescue 200,000 British and 140,000 French troops from the advancing Germans. In British Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s immortal We shall fight them on the beaches speech on June 4th, he hailed the rescue mission as a “miracle of deliverance”.
For Parker, this will be his most mature film for a while having previously shot the oddball adaptation of Dorian Gray and the two farcical comedies St. Trinian’s and most recently Johnny English Reborn, the latter which...
- 2/14/2013
- by Matt Holmes
- Obsessed with Film
Cast your mind back to the pre-internet age (admittedly, a tough task) where film-related content was sparse, and finding out about the latest releases and industry news was an altogether frugal and challenging task. Luckily, there was one perennial TV figure who provided a regular means of getting your cinematic fix (providing your parents remembered to hit record on the video, or you caught the repeats on a Saturday morning).
For the better part of three decades, cinema lovers tuned in to watch Barry Norman report on forthcoming features, chat with the Hollywood elite and cast his critical eye over the weekly big-screen releases via the BBC’s revered Film programme. Norman was popular enough to spawn a famous, oft-quoted catchphrase (“and why not?”) and his reviews informed a whole generation of film fans.
We had the enviable opportunity to chat to the legendary figure recently over the phone and...
For the better part of three decades, cinema lovers tuned in to watch Barry Norman report on forthcoming features, chat with the Hollywood elite and cast his critical eye over the weekly big-screen releases via the BBC’s revered Film programme. Norman was popular enough to spawn a famous, oft-quoted catchphrase (“and why not?”) and his reviews informed a whole generation of film fans.
We had the enviable opportunity to chat to the legendary figure recently over the phone and...
- 11/14/2012
- by Adam Lowes
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Zoe’s continues her journey through the turbulent history of one of Hollywood’s most influential studios, as we arrive at MGM's post-war golden era. Plus, a bit of 3D, too...
As the end of World War II approached, a new world dawned for MGM – a world which had changed dramatically. Attitudes and lifestyles had changed, but most importantly audiences had changed. Here was an opportunity: MGM’s chance to start afresh. And so in 1944, MGM embarked on what would become the most successful period in its history. After the war, the slate was wiped clean.
Gone were the tired, tried-and-tested formulas, and gone were the aging names and stars, as a new unit was established at MGM. It was up to this unit, anchored by an experienced producer and made up of bright young talent, to transform MGM’s signature high-production style into something new and modern in order...
As the end of World War II approached, a new world dawned for MGM – a world which had changed dramatically. Attitudes and lifestyles had changed, but most importantly audiences had changed. Here was an opportunity: MGM’s chance to start afresh. And so in 1944, MGM embarked on what would become the most successful period in its history. After the war, the slate was wiped clean.
Gone were the tired, tried-and-tested formulas, and gone were the aging names and stars, as a new unit was established at MGM. It was up to this unit, anchored by an experienced producer and made up of bright young talent, to transform MGM’s signature high-production style into something new and modern in order...
- 1/24/2012
- Den of Geek
John Mills in Richard Attenborough‘s Gandhi John Mills on TCM: I Was Monty’S Double, Ryan’S Daughter, Hobson’S Choice Schedule (Pt) and synopses from the TCM website: 3:00 Am Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939) A cold-hearted teacher becomes the school favorite when he’s thawed by a beautiful young woman. Cast: Robert Donat, Greer Garson, Paul Henreid. Dir: Sam Wood. Bw-114 mins. 5:00 Am Hobson’s Choice (1954) A widower father fights to control the lives of his three strong-willed daughters. Cast: Charles Laughton, John Mills, Brenda De Banzie. Dir: David Lean. Bw-108 mins. 7:00 Am Dunkirk (1958) True story of the Allied evacuation of occupied France at the start of World War II. Cast: John Mills, Richard Attenborough, Bernard Lee. Dir: Leslie Norman. Bw-135 mins. 9:30 Am Way to the Stars, The (1945) A young flyer deals with the strains of wartime service and survivors’ guilt during World War II. Cast: Michael Redgrave,...
- 8/22/2010
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
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