Die tollkühnen Männer in ihren fliegenden Kisten (1965)

Die tollkühnen Männer in ihren fliegenden Kisten: Directed by Ken Annakin. With Stuart Whitman, Sarah Miles, James Fox, Alberto Sordi. Hoping to push Britain to the forefront of aviation, a London publisher organizes an international air race across the English Channel, but must contend with two entrants vying for his daughter, as well as national rivalries and cheating.

“Iu0026#39;m one of the biggest fans of old newsreels and I donu0026#39;t think there are too many of us who havenu0026#39;t seen some of that ancient footage with all those odd contraptions showing manu0026#39;s attempt to fly in the early 20th century. I guess it was only a matter of time before someone got the bright idea to do a comedy from those attempts.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSome of them werenu0026#39;t all that funny, people did in fact get killed, a lot of them in trying to master the air. But by 1910 there were all kinds of airplanes and even some early helicopters and a lot are shown in Those Magnificent Men. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe plot centers about an international race from London to Paris sponsored by one of the English press lords played in true John Bull style by Robert Morley. Heu0026#39;s got a spirited suffragette daughter in Sarah Miles and a most proper member of the Kingu0026#39;s Coldstream Guards in James Fox courting her.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eBut along comes another flier, an American cowboy, Stuart Whitman who becomes Foxu0026#39;s air and romantic rival. But the filmu0026#39;s got more than that. Itu0026#39;s got Italian hopeful Alberto Sordi who can impregnate his wife with a dirty look. Itu0026#39;s got Frenchman Jean Pierre-Cassel who keeps running into Irina Demick every place he goes. Itu0026#39;s even got another English contestant in Terry-Thomas whou0026#39;s busy trying to sabotage everyone else.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eHowever my favorite is the German entry, Gert Frobe. Poor Frobe has to pinch hit for the original German flier who partied too hardy. But as he tries to prove as long as you follow the instruction book, the German Army can accomplish anything. Seeing him try to fly his airplane while reading the instruction book is my favorite memory of Those Magnificent Men.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThat and that incredibly catchy title song. I defy anyone to watch this film and not come away humming that tune for weeks. It will embed itself in your subconscious forever.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThose Magnificent Men is good entertainment and a gentle tribute to those early air pioneers.”