| Release Date: | Jun 1965 |
|---|---|
| Genres: | Comedy / Adventure / Action |
| Awards: | Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 6 nominations |
| Runtime: | 138 min |
| Cast: | 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) Jean-Pierre Cassel (Pierre Dubois) Irina Demick (Brigitte / Ingrid / Marlene /...) Eric Sykes (Courtney) Red Skelton (Neanderthal Man) 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 Rumpelstoss) Sam Wanamaker (George Gruber) Eric Barker (French Postman) Maurice Denham (Trawler Skipper) Fred Emney (Colonel) Gordon Jackson (MacDougal) Davy Kaye (Jean) John Le Mesurier (French Painter) Jeremy Lloyd (Lieutenant Parsons) Zena Marshall (Countess Sophia Ponticelli) Millicent Martin (Airline Hostess) Eric Pohlmann (Italian Mayor) Marjorie Rhodes (Maid) Norman Rossington (Assistant Fire Chief) William Rushton (Tremayne Gascoyne) Graham Stark (Fireman) Jimmy Thompson (Photographer) Michael Trubshawe (Niven) Tony Hancock (Harry Popperwell) James Robertson Justice (Narrator (voice)) Gerald Campion (Fireman (uncredited)) Robin Chapman (Postman (uncredited)) Cicely Courtneidge (Colonel's Wife (uncredited)) Vernon Dobtcheff (Member of the French team (uncredited)) Maurice Dunster (French Policeman (uncredited)) Gary Graham (Child at Air Show (uncredited)) Nigel Kingsley (Youngest Child of Ponticelli...) Ferdy Mayne (French Official (uncredited)) Bill Nagy (American Journalist (uncredited)) Steve Plytas (Continental Journalist (uncredited)) Nicholas Smith (Fireman (uncredited)) Ronnie Stevens (R.A.C. Officer (uncredited)) |
This extraordinary comic version of the historic 1910 London-to-Paris air race features the greatest aviators from around the world. They all come together when a stuffy, but very rich, newspaper publisher decides to sponsor an airplane race across the English Channel. Convinced it will give his newspaper worldwide publicity, the publisher offers 10,000 pounds to the winner. The escapades between the American, British, French, German, Italian and Japanese teams result in the most darling and hilarious in-flight acrobatic stunts ever caught on film. But the film's greatest triumph is the amazing re-creation of the vintage airplanes which did the actual flying.
