Rent Conquest of the Air (1936)
3.2 of 5 from 49 ratings
1h 3min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
One of the Korda Brothers' most unusual and extraordinary collaborations, "Conquest of the Air" is a gripping British documentary celebration of flight from the earliest Greek myths to the dark, early days of the Second World War. Combining spectacular dramatic reconstructions with rare historic film, photographs, prints and schematics, 'Conquest of the Air' begins with the legend of Icarus and chronicles man's dream of rivalling the birds in the air. From the foolhardy attempts at flight by zealots and madmen, through to the first serious scientific studies by Leonardo and others during the Renaissance, to the Montgolfier Brothers and the great age of ballooning, the film sweeps you through thousands of years of history. From steam and then electric motor-driven airships, it then recreates the first powered flight by the Wright Brothers, Bleriot's historic 1909 crossing of the Channel and offers a splendid collection of rare early footage featuring record-breaking flights and pioneering aviators. The growth of civil aviation is celebrated with coverage of the great airships including the Hindenburg and R101, as well as British flying boat services to South Africa. Although completed in 1935, the film was updated to include early footage of RAF aircraft including the rarely seen Harrow Bomber for its release in 1940. Man's dream of flight had been realised... but few could have anticipated how aircraft would forever change the world. As the film opened in theatres in London, humanity was beginning to learn just what air power meant... - Actors:
- Frederick Culley, Laurence Olivier, Franklin Dyall, Henry Victor, Hay Petrie, John Turnbull, Charles Lefeaux, Bryan Powley, Alan Wheatley, John Abbott, Edward Ashley, Memo Benassi, Denville Bond, Andrea Checchi, Bryan Coleman, Derrick De Marney, Don Gemmell, Cameron Hall, Pearl Hay, Ronnie Hepworth
- Directors:
- Alexander Esway, Zoltan Korda, John Monk Saunders, Alexander Shaw, Donald Taylor
- Producers:
- Alexander Korda
- Narrated By:
- Charles Frend
- Writers:
- Peter Bezencenet, Hugh Gray, John Monk Saunders, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
- Studio:
- DD Home Entertainment
- Genres:
- Classics, Documentary, Drama
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Reviews (1) of Conquest of the Air
Fun - Conquest of the Air review by SC
This is a fun, light-hearted review of the history of aviation up until the end of the 1930s. The scripted recreations in the first half are corny but still watchable, and it is educational even if only in directing you to relevant Wikipedia pages.
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