Aces High (1976)

In World War I, the high casualty rate amongst the rookie pilots of the Royal Flying Corps puts an enormous strain on the survivors.

Director:

Jack Gold

Writers:

Howard Barker (screenplay), R.C. Sherriff (play)

Stars:

Malcolm McDowell, Christopher Plummer, Simon Ward

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Malcolm McDowell	...	Gresham
Christopher Plummer	...	Sinclair
Simon Ward	...	Crawford
Peter Firth	...	Croft
David Wood	...	Thompson
John Gielgud	...	Headmaster
Trevor Howard	...	Silkin
Richard Johnson	...	Colonel Lyle
Ray Milland	...	Brigadier Whale
Christopher Blake	...	Roberts
Gilles Béhat	...	Beckenauer (as Gilles Behat)
Elliott Cooper	...	Wade
David Daker	...	Bennett
Barry Jackson	...	Joyce
Jacques Maury	...	Ponnelle

Storyline

A naive young officer straight from school arrives on the Western front to fight the air war against the Germans. However, the life expectancy of green pilots is not very good.

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Plot Keywords:

airplane collision | burning airplane | fighter plane | airplane shot down | airplane crash | 

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Taglines:

High above the trenches 14 days is a long life...This is the 15th day!

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Genres:

Action | Drama | War

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

UK France

Language:

English French German

Release Date:

December 1977 (USA)

Also Known As:

Aces High

Filming Locations:

EMI Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

£1,250,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

S. Benjamin Fisz Productions, Les Productions Jacques Roitfeld, Cine Artists Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The pilots sing a song "A handsome young pilot lay dying . . . ". This was based on "The Old Stable Jacket" or "Tarpaulin Jacket" (words by 'G. J. Whyte-Melville', music by Charles Coote).

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Goofs

Sinclair informs Croft that Gresham uses a Nieuport "that he swears by", but every time we see Gresham aloft he is flying an SE5 like the rest of the squadron.

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Quotes

Mess Corporal Bennett: [as the pilots set off early in the morning on a dangerous mission] How many for breakfast? Any of them?

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits prologue: England October 1916

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Alternate Versions

Some DVD releases feature a shorter print which reduces the French restaurant scene and misses out shots of the officers looking at a slideshow of nude photographs. These appear to have been made by the distributor, as the film has never been cut by the BBFC.

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Connections

Featured in The World According to Smith & Jones: War (1988)

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Soundtracks

Roses of Picardy
(uncredited)
Written by Haydn Wood and Frederick Edward Weatherly

User Reviews

Excellent

This is an excellent film about WWI Royal Flying Corps and their fights against the Germans over the trenches.

Fantastic cast - McDowell, Trevor Howard, Peter Firth, Simon Ward and Christopher Plummer - they are all some of the best in the business at portraying English upper classes. Especially the mean McDowell (with his ironic speech at Eton 'we are caning them' when they're not really) and the callow Peter Firth, all Boys Own enthusiasm.

Shows the pious nature of the English elite, with John Gielgud as the headmaster spouting out empty platitudes about decency and 'playing the game' while, meanwhile, McDowell is playing dirty tricks on German pilots (the scene where he gets his opponent to land in the field and then destroys him as he walks towards his plane to offer help).

Fantastic aerial shots.