Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 hours 11 minutes (1965)

Sabotage efforts damage an international air race.

Director:

Ken Annakin

Writers:

Jack Davies, Ken Annakin

Stars:

Stuart Whitman, Sarah Miles, James Fox

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Stuart Whitman	...	Orvil Newton
Sarah Miles	...	Patricia Rawnsley
James Fox	...	Richard Mays
Alberto Sordi	...	Count Emilio Ponticelli
Robert Morley	...	Lord Rawnsley
Gert Fröbe	...	Colonel Manfred Von Holstein (as Gert Frobe)
Jean-Pierre Cassel	...	Pierre Dubois
Irina Demick	...	Brigitte / Ingrid / Marlene / Françoise / Yvette / Betty
Eric Sykes	...	Courtney
Red Skelton	...	The Neanderthal Man / Passenger on Airport
Terry-Thomas	...	Sir Percy Ware-Armitage
Benny Hill	...	Fire Chief Perkins
Yûjirô Ishihara	...	Yamamoto (as Yujiro Ishihara)
Flora Robson	...	Mother Superior
Karl Michael Vogler	...	Captain Rumpelstrosse

Storyline

In the early days of the 20th century, a British Newspaper offers a prize for the winner of a cross channel air race which brings flyers from all over the world. There are many sub-plots as the flyers jockey for position and the affections of various women.

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Plot Keywords:

london england | competition | air race | prize | english channel | 

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Taglines:

20th Century-Fox Presents The Motion Picture That Sets Comedy Ahead 100 Years!

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Family

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English French German Italian Japanese

Release Date:

16 June 1965 (USA)

Also Known As:

Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines

Filming Locations:

Fulmer Hall, Fulmer, Slough, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$5,600,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$31,111,111

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century-Fox Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

138 min

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (35 mm prints) 70 mm 6-Track (Westrex Recording System) (70 mm prints)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Mays' comment that "... Thursday, uh, well, we like to end up at Romano's" is a reference to a restaurant in the Strand in London. Romano's was a restaurant where people from many walks of life met, where the upper crust could meet some of the more Bohemian members of London society, where liaisons could occur, where lords could meet boxers, where authors could meet bankers, where "officers and gentlemen" could encounter actresses and artists. It was not a place that a gentleman would give up merely because he had married.

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Goofs

When the Japanese kite fliers land you can see the wires suspending them.

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Quotes

Sir Percy Ware-Armitage: You dirty rotter! I had hoped I'd be dealing with a gentleman.
Trawler Skipper: So had I.

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Crazy Credits

Closing credits: Those Magnificent Men - and Women - were ...

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Connections

Referenced in Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Giant Gila Monster (1992)

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Soundtracks

La Marseillaise
(uncredited)
Written by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle
Played on the phonograph prior to the balloon duel and at the finish line

User Reviews

A Magnificent film!

One of the best films of 1965, and a spectacular wide-screen Stereorama epic of a fictional 1910 air race held in Merrie Olde England, TMMITFM is an unqualified success in all departments. Excellent in every way! Released circa late June 1965 at the same time as its similar-themed colorful competitor, Blake Edwards' boffo comedy The GREAT RACE, this pair of old-time era comedies were highlights of the international cinema experience in the summer of 1965 with the exception of The Beatles' brilliant farce HELP! and Michael Caine's first appearance as Harry Palmer in The IPCRESS FILE. Originally presented in 70mm Todd-AO Wide Screen 2:20:1 and 6-Track Magnetic Stereo, filmed in 65mm Todd-AO, this superb film features awesome DeLuxe Color cinematography, surround sound Stereo, a fine cast of dramatic and comic performers, a marvelously rousing music-hall style vocal theme song and brilliant vintage music and symphonic orchestral soundtrack score by Ron Goodwin (The BATTLE OF Britain), and a dozen or so absolutely meticulously maintained vintage aircraft from the early days of aviation, along with period costumes, makeup and antique automobiles including a marvelous Rolls Royce Silver Ghost. Also over-the-top is the cleverly-done vintage sepiatone nickelodeon-newsreel style film intro prologue featuring Red Skelton as comical characters seeking to fly and hilariously flopping. Brilliantly conceived and directed by British director Ken Annakin. Production Design and Art Direction are flawlessly crafted. Acting kudos to lovely British ingenue Sarah Miles, with the proper Edward Fox, American cowboy Stuart Whitman, stuff-shirt Robert Morley, dastardly Terry-Thomas and bombastic Gert Frobe (GOLDFINGER) heading a sparkling cast of internationals. Fox wisely released this blockbuster comedy available on Wide-Screen surround-sound Stereo DVD in 2003, and it should still be available. (The flat-ratio VHS tape just doesn't do it justice. We want to see ALL the picture!!!) Absolutely highly recommended for ALL ages! A Magnificent film!