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 (Technicolor) (uncredited)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Theatrical movie debut of Tim Pigott-Smith (Stoppard).

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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

Edited into Blackadder Goes Forth: Private Plane (1989)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

Eton College memories - Jim Monck

I was among the Eton College boys filmed when the headmaster (Sir John Gielgud) introduced Gresham (Malcom McDowell) to the boys. There must be many of us out there. It was filmed on a school holiday, and we were given the choice of an excursion or taking part in the film. I seem to remember that we were not terribly well behaved, but the director eventually sorted us out. We were thoroughly amused when the make-up artists re-arranged the hair of some of the boys. We each got £10, which was quite a lot for a schoolboy in 1976! Sir John was gracious enough to give me his autograph when I knocked on the door of his caravan between lessons. I also got Malcolm McDowell's. I think this was when they were filming the romantic bit at the beginning, because he persuaded me to get hers as well! I am sure that all of us who were there still feel very privileged to have been associated with such a great film. It was of course based on the classic WW1 play, 'Journey's End'.