I first watched this film on television as a child in the 1970s but didn't remember much apart from the fact that it featured several rather implausible aircraft crashing in hilarious fashion; mostly before the opening credits! Watching it again I can see why they were the most memorable scenes for a child however there is more to the film than that. Set in 1910 in the early days of aviation a news paper proprietor offers a prize of £10,000 for the winner of an air race from London to Paris. The first half of the film introduces us to the various competitors who come from a variety of countries including America, Germany, Italy, France, Japan and of course England and with the exception of the Japanese pilot they live up to their national stereotypes; thankfully this is done in playful rather than an offensive way. Once in England they get to practice their flying and get into various scrapes... many of which leave the poor pilots splashing into the sewage works next to the aerodrome. While this is going on a romantic subplot develops involving the proprietor's daughter Patricia who is being courted English pilot, Richard Mays, but she takes a shine to the American Orvil Newton. The race takes place in the second half of the film and somewhat inevitably the main competition seems to be between the Newton and Mays; although one can't count out the Italian.
This film is a bit too long but contains some good laughs and fine performances; often from the secondary characters; personal favourites being Gert 'Goldfinger' Fröbe who plays the by-the-book German and Terry Thomas who plays the cheating Sir Percy Ware-Armitage. One will also spot several well known comic actors of the time including Benny Hill, Eric Sykes and Tony Hancock all putting in amusing performances. The flying sequences are impressive and while some stunts were obviously blue screen others looked surprisingly realistic. As well as the various amusing problems with the planes there are a couple of nice running gags; Patricia ends up losing her skirt the first couple of times she meets Newton and the French pilot keeps bumping into women who look identical... and are indeed played by the same actress. Overall this film is good innocent fun; there is nothing that one wouldn't want a child to see.
This film is a bit too long but contains some good laughs and fine performances; often from the secondary characters; personal favourites being Gert 'Goldfinger' Fröbe who plays the by-the-book German and Terry Thomas who plays the cheating Sir Percy Ware-Armitage. One will also spot several well known comic actors of the time including Benny Hill, Eric Sykes and Tony Hancock all putting in amusing performances. The flying sequences are impressive and while some stunts were obviously blue screen others looked surprisingly realistic. As well as the various amusing problems with the planes there are a couple of nice running gags; Patricia ends up losing her skirt the first couple of times she meets Newton and the French pilot keeps bumping into women who look identical... and are indeed played by the same actress. Overall this film is good innocent fun; there is nothing that one wouldn't want a child to see.