''Reach for the Sky'' is a 1956 British

biographical film A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or group of people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from Docudrama, docudrama films ...

about aviator

Douglas Bader Group Captain Sir Douglas Robert Steuart Bader, (; 21 February 1910 – 5 September 1982) was a Royal Air Force flying ace during the Second World War. He was credited with 22 aerial victories, four shared victories, six probables, one shared ...

, based on the 1954 biography of the same name by

Paul Brickhill Paul Chester Jerome Brickhill (20 December 191623 April 1991) was an Australian fighter pilot, prisoner of war, and author who wrote '' The Great Escape'', '' The Dam Busters'', and ''Reach for the Sky''. Early life Brickhill was born in Melbou ...

. The film stars

Kenneth More Kenneth Gilbert More (20 September 1914 – 12 July 1982) was an English actor. Initially achieving fame in the comedy ''Genevieve (film), Genevieve'' (1953), he appeared in many roles as a carefree, happy-go-lucky gent. Films from this period ...

and was directed by

Lewis Gilbert Lewis Gilbert (6 March 1920 – 23 February 2018) was an English film director, producer and screenwriter who directed more than 40 films during six decades; among them such varied titles as '' Reach for the Sky'' (1956), '' Sink the Bismarck! ...

. It won the

BAFTA Award for Best British Film The BAFTA Award for Outstanding British Film is a film award given annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and presented at the British Academy Film Awards. The award was first given at the 1st British Academy Film Awards, fi ...

of 1956. The film's composer

John Addison John Mervyn Addison (16 March 19207 December 1998) was a British composer best known for his film scores. Early life Addison was born in Chobham, Surrey to a father who was a colonel in the Royal Field Artillery, and this influenced the de ...

was Bader's brother-in-law.

Plot

In 1928, Douglas Bader joins the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

(RAF) as a Flight Cadet. Despite a friendly reprimand from Air Vice-Marshal Halahan for his disregard for service discipline and flight rules, he successfully completes his training and is posted to No. 23 Squadron at

RAF Kenley Royal Air Force Kenley, more commonly known as RAF Kenley, is a former List of former Royal Air Force stations, station of the Royal Flying Corps in the First World War and the Royal Air Force, RAF in the Second World War. It played a significa ...

. In 1930, he is chosen to be among the pilots for an aerial exhibition. Later, although his flight commander has explicitly banned low level

aerobatics Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in conventional passenger-carrying flights. The term is a portmanteau of "aeroplane" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and gl ...

(as two pilots had been killed trying just that), he is goaded into it by a disparaging remark by a civilian pilot. The wing tip of his bi-plane touches the ground during his flight and he crashes dramatically, and is clearly badly injured. Mr Joyce, surgeon at the

Royal Berkshire Hospital The Royal Berkshire Hospital (RBH) is an NHS hospital in the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. It provides acute hospital services to the residents of the western and central portions of Berkshire, and is managed by the Royal ...

, has to amputate both legs to save Bader's life. During his convalescence, he receives encouragement from Nurse Brace. Upon his discharge from the hospital, he sets out to master prosthetic legs. Out for a drive with two other RAF pals, they stop at a tearoom, and here he meets waitress Thelma Edwards. Once he can walk on his own, he asks her out. Despite his undiminished skills, he is refused flying duties simply because there are no regulations covering his situation. Offered a desk job instead, he leaves the RAF and works unhappily in an office. He and Thelma marry at a registry office on a wet afternoon. As

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

starts, Bader talks himself back into the RAF. He is soon given command of a squadron comprising mostly dispirited

Canadians Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

who had fought in France. Improving morale and brazenly circumventing normal channels to obtain badly needed equipment, he makes the squadron operational again. They fight effectively in the

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain () was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defended the United Kingdom (UK) against large-scale attacks by Nazi Germany's air force ...

. Bader is then put in charge of a new, larger formation of five squadrons. Later, he is posted to

RAF Tangmere Royal Air Force Tangmere or more simply RAF Tangmere is a former Royal Air Force (RAF) station located in Tangmere, England, famous for its role in the Battle of Britain. It was one of several stations near Chichester, West Sussex. The Seco ...

and promoted to

wing commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr or W/C) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Wing commander is immediately se ...

. In 1941, Bader has to bail out over France. He is caught, escapes, and is recaptured. He then makes such a nuisance of himself to his jailers, he is repeatedly moved from one POW camp to another, finally ending up in

Colditz Castle Colditz Castle (or ''Schloss Colditz'' in German) is a Renaissance architecture, Renaissance castle in the town of Colditz near Leipzig, Dresden and Chemnitz in the States of Germany, state of Saxony in Germany. The castle is between the towns o ...

. He is liberated after four years of captivity. The war ends (much to Thelma's relief) before Bader can have "one last fling" in the Far East. On 15 September 1945, the fifth anniversary of the greatest day of the Battle of Britain, Bader, now a

group captain Group captain (Gp Capt or G/C) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many Commonwealth of Nations, countries that have historical British influence. Group cap ...

, is given the honour of leading eleven other battle survivors and a total of 300 aircraft in a

flypast ''FlyPast'' is an aircraft magazine, published monthly, edited by Tom Allett, Steve Beebee and Jamie Ewan. History and profile The magazine started as a bi-monthly edition in May/June 1981 and its first editor was the late Mike Twite. It is ow ...

over London.

Cast

Credited

as Flight Cadet (later Group Captain) Douglas Bader *

Muriel Pavlow Muriel Lilian Pavlow (27 June 1921 – 19 January 2019) was a British actress. Her mother was French and her father Russian. Early life Muriel was born in Lewisham, south-east London, to Boris Pavlov, a Russian émigré and salesman, and his ...

as Thelma Edwards (later Bader) *

Lyndon Brook Lyndon Brook (10 April 1926 – 9 January 2004) was a British actor, on film and television. Family and early life Lyndon Brook was born on 10 April 1926 in Los Angeles, California, to British parents. He came from an established acting fami ...

as Flight Cadet (later Wing Commander) Johnny Sanderson, who also supplies linking narration *

Lee Patterson Lee Patterson (March 31, 1929 – February 14, 2007) was a Canadian film and television actor. British career He moved to the UK, where he specialised in playing virile American types in British films. He appeared in a number of films during ...

as Flying Officer (later Group Captain) Stan Turner *

Alexander Knox Alexander Knox (16 January 1907 – 25 April 1995) was a Canadian actor and writer. He appeared in over 100 film, television, and theatrical productions over a career spanning from the 1920s until the late 1980s. He was nominated for an Oscar ...

as Mr J. Leonard Joyce, surgeon at Royal Berkshire Hospital *

Dorothy Alison Dorothy Alison (4 April 1925 – 17 January 1992) was an Australian stage, film and television actress. Biography Dorothy Alison was born in the New South Wales mining city of Broken Hill and educated at Sydney Girls High School. She moved ...

as Nurse Brace, Royal Berkshire Hospital * Michael Warre as Flight Lieutenant (later Group Captain) Harry Day *

Sydney Tafler Sydney Tafler (31 July 1916 – 8 November 1979) was an English actor who after having started his career on stage, was best remembered for numerous appearances in films and television from the 1940s to the 1970s. Personal life Tafler was bor ...

as Robert Desoutter, prosthetics expert *

Howard Marion-Crawford Howard Marion-Crawford (17 January 1914 – 24 November 1969), was an English People, English character actor, best known for his portrayal of Dr. Watson in the Sherlock Holmes (1954 TV series), 1954 television adaptation of Sherlock Holmes ...

as Wing Commander (later Group Captain) Alfred "Woody" Woodhall *

Jack Watling Jack Stanley Watling (13 January 1923 – 22 May 2001) was an English actor. Life and career Watling was born 13 January 1923 in Chingford, Essex, England. The son of a travelling scrap metal dealer, Watling trained at the Italia Conti Academy ...

as Peel *

Nigel Green Nigel McGown Green (15 October 192415 May 1972) was an English actor. Because of his strapping build, commanding height () and regimental demeanour he would often be found playing military types and men of action in such classic 1960s films as ...

as Streatfield * Anne Leon as Sister Thornhill * Charles Carson as Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding *

Ronald Adam Ronald Adam may refer to: * Ronald Forbes Adam, British Army officer * Ronald Adam (actor), actor, theatre director and RAF officer See also * Ron Adam Ron Adam (December 16, 1933 – October 27, 2014) was a Canadian football quarterback w ...

as Air Vice-Marshal (later Air Chief Marshal Sir) Trafford Leigh-Mallory *

Ernest Clark Ernest Clark MC (12 February 1912 – 11 November 1994) was a British actor of stage, television and film. Early life Clark was the son of a master builder in Maida Vale, and was educated nearby at St Marylebone Grammar School. After leaving ...

as Wing Commander W. K. Beiseigel *

Walter Hudd Walter Hudd (20 February 1897 – 20 January 1963) was a British actor and director. Stage career Hudd made his stage debut in ''The Manxman'' in 1919, and later toured as part of the Fred Terry Company; first attracting serious attention pla ...

as Air Vice-Marshal Frederick Halahan * Basil Appleby as Flying Officer (later Air Marshal Sir) Denis Crowley-Milling *

Philip Stainton Philip Stainton (9 April 1908 – 1 August 1961) was an English actor. Stainton appeared in several Ealing comedies and major international movies. He specialized in playing friendly or exasperated uniformed policemen, but also appeared in ot ...

as Police Constable *

Eddie Byrne Eddie Byrne (31 January 1911 – 21 August 1981) was an Irish actor. Career His stage work included many appearances with Dublin's Abbey Theatre, and also work with the National Theatre in London. Outside of Ireland, he is probably best k ...

as Flight Sergeant Mills, RAF Cranwell instructor * Beverley Brooks as Sally, Bader's girlfriend *

Michael Ripper Michael George Ripper (27 January 1913 – 28 June 2000) was an English character actor who appeared in many British horror and science fiction films. Career Ripper began his film career in quota quickies in the 1930s and until the late 195 ...

as Warrant Officer West, 242 Squadron crew chief *

Derek Blomfield Derek Blomfield (31 August 1920 – 23 July 1964) was a British actor who appeared in a number of stage, film and television productions between 1935 and his death in 1964. Career He trained at LAMDA and made his first stage appearance a ...

as Civilian Pilot at Reading Aero Club *

Avice Landone Avice Landone (1 September 191012 June 1976) was an English actress who appeared in British television and film. She was born in Quetta, British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, pres ...

as Douglas Bader's Mother *

Eric Pohlmann Eric Pohlmann (; born Erich Pollak; 18 July 1913 – 25 July 1979) was an Austrian theatre, film and television character actor who worked mostly in the United Kingdom. He is known for voicing Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the primary antagonist of t ...

as Adjutant at Prison Camp *

Michael Gough Francis Michael Gough ( ; 23 November 1916 – 17 March 2011) was a British actor who made more than 150 film and television appearances. He is known for his roles in the Hammer horror films from 1958, with his first role as Sir Arthur Holmwoo ...

as Flying Officer W. J. "Pissy" Pearson, RAF Cranwell flying instructor *

Harry Locke Harry Locke (10 December 1913 – 7 September 1987) was an English character actor. He was born and died in London. He married Joan Cowderoy in 1943 and Cordelia Sewell in 1952. He was a good friend of the poet Dylan Thomas. Their friendship i ...

as Bates, Bader's batman *

Sam Kydd Samuel John Kydd (15 February 1915 – 26 March 1982) was a British actor. Most of his film roles were very small but he appeared in more than 290 films, more than any other British actor, including 119 between 1946 and 1952. His best-known ro ...

as Warrant Officer Blake, Air Ministry medical clerk

Uncredited

* Frank Atkinson as Tullin, Desoutter's assistant * Balbina as Lucille Debacker, nurse at St Omer hospital * Michael Balfour as Orderly *

Trevor Bannister Trevor Gordon Bannister (14 August 193414 April 2011) was a British actor. He was best known for having played the womanising and wisecracking junior salesman Mr Lucas in the sitcom ''Are You Being Served?'' from 1972 to 1979, and for his role ...

as Man Listening to Radio *

Victor Beaumont Victor Beaumont (born Peter Wolff; 7 November 1912 – 21 March 1977) was a German-born British film and television actor. Biography Beaumont billed under his birth name of Peter Wolff, appeared in a number of German films (''Revolt in the ...

as German Doctor at St Omer hospital *

Peter Burton Peter Ray Burton (4 April 1921 – 21 November 1989) was an English film and television actor. Early life Peter Ray Burton, was born in Bromley, Kent, to Frederick Ray Burton and Gladys Maude (née Frazer). Career Burton played Major Boothr ...

as Peter, officer at RAF Coltishall * Peter Byrne as Civilian Pilot at Reading Aero Club * Paul Carpenter as Hall, 242 Squadron *

Hugh David Hugh David (17 July 1925 – 11 September 1987) was a British actor and television director. His directorial credits include ''Compact'', ''Z-Cars'', '' The Pallisers'' and ''Doctor Who'', for which he directed two stories in the Patrick ...

as Flight Cadet Taylor, RAF Cranwell *

Stringer Davis James Buckley Stringer Davis, generally known as Stringer Davis (4 June 1899 – 29 August 1973), was an English character actor on the stage and in films, and a British army officer who served in both world wars. He was married to actress Marg ...

as Cyril Borge * Guy du Monceau as Gilbert Petit, French Resistance *

Anton Diffring Anton Diffring (born Alfred Pollack; 20 October 1916 – 19 May 1989) was a German actor. He had an extensive film and television career in the United Kingdom from the 1940s to the 1980s, latterly appearing in international films. Primarily a c ...

as German

Stabsfeldwebel ''Stabsfeldwebel '' (StFw or SF; ) is the second highest Non-commissioned officer (NCO) rank in German Army and German Air Force. It is grouped as OR-8 in NATO, equivalent to a First Sergeant in the United States Army, and to Warrant Office ...

in French Village *

Basil Dignam Basil Dignam (24 October 1905 – 31 January 1979) was an English character actor. Basil Dignam was born in Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire. Before the acting, he tried many jobs, from a company clerk to a journalist. He acted on film and ...

as Air Ministry Doctor *

Raymond Francis Raymond Francis (6 October 1911 – 24 October 1987) was a British actor best known for his role as Detective Chief Superintendent Tom Lockhart in the Associated-Rediffusion detective series ''Murder Bag'', ''Crime Sheet'' and ''No Hiding Place' ...

as Wing Commander Hargreaves * Alice Gachet as Madame Hiecque, French Resistance *

Philip Gilbert Philip Gilbert (March 29, 1931 – January 6, 2004) was a Canadian actor. Background Gilbert was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, and educated at Vancouver College. He was a player with the Rank Organisation, appearing in many films duri ...

as Canadian Pilot with 242 Squadron * Fred Griffiths as Lorry Driver * Alexander Harris as Don Richardson *

Charles Lamb Charles Lamb (10 February 1775 – 27 December 1834) was an English essayist, poet, and antiquarian, best known for his '' Essays of Elia'' and for the children's book '' Tales from Shakespeare'', co-authored with his sister, Mary Lamb (1764� ...

as Walker, Desoutter's assistant * Jack Lambert as

Adrian Stoop Adrian Stoop (27 March 1883 – 27 November 1957)
Scrum.com was an

Barry Letts Barry Leopold Letts (26 March 1925 – 9 October 2009) was an English actor, television director, writer and producer, best known for being the producer of ''Doctor Who'' from 1969 to 1974. Born in Leicester, he worked as an actor in theatre, ...

as Tommy *

Richard Marner Richard Marner (born Alexander Pavlovich Molchanoff; ; 27 March 192118 March 2004) was a British actor. He was best known for his role as Colonel Erik von Strohm in the British sitcom Allo 'Allo!''. Early life Born in Petrograd (now St Peter ...

as German Officer in Staff Car * Roger Maxwell as Man at the Pantiles * Rene Poirier as Monsieur Hiecque, French Resistance *

Clive Revill Clive Selsby Revill (18 April 1930 – 11 March 2025) was a New Zealand actor, best known for his performances in musical theatre and the London stage. A veteran of the Royal Shakespeare Company, he also starred in numerous films and television ...

as RAF Medical Orderly at RAF Uxbridge * George Rose as Squadron Leader Edwards, staff officer, Fighter Command * John Stone as Limping Officer * Jack Taylor as British Pilot with 242 Squadron *

Russell Waters Russell Waters (10 June 1908 – 19 August 1982) was a British film actor. Waters was educated at Hutchesons' Grammar School, Glasgow and the University of Glasgow. He began acting with the Old English Comedy and Shakespeare Company then app ...

as Pearson *

Gareth Wigan Gareth Wigan (2 December 1931 – 13 February 2010) was a British agent, producer and studio executive known for working on such films as George Lucas's ''Star Wars''. His early recognition of the power of the global entertainment market allowed ...

as Woodhall's Assistant

Production

Lewis Gilbert said Daniel Angel wanted to buy the rights for the book even without having read it, before it had been published, because he sensed it was going to be a best seller. Angel bought the film rights for £15,000 and showed the book to Lewis Gilbert while they were making ''

The Sea Shall Not Have Them ''The Sea Shall Not Have Them'' is a 1954 British war film starring Michael Redgrave, Dirk Bogarde and Anthony Steel. It was directed by Lewis Gilbert and is based on the 1953 novel by John Harris, about a North Sea rescue during the Second Wo ...

'' together. Gilbert and

Vernon Harris Vernon Harris (26 February 1905 – February 1999) was a British screenwriter. He often worked with the film director Lewis Gilbert who said: arrisworked with me in some way on almost every film I did over nearly forty years. In those early day ...

started writing the script but Harris dropped out. Terence Rattigan turned down the job. H Bates started writing it and turned it down. William Alec Douglas tried then gave it up. Lewis Gilbert wrote the script in collaboration with Paul Brickhill who wrote the book. The film was made through Angel's own company though financed by Rank.

Richard Burton Richard Burton (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. Noted for his mellifluous baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s and gave a memor ...

was the first choice for the lead and he was considering it but he dropped out when he was offered the lead in ''

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon (; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), most commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip ...

'' at what Gilbert describes as "three or four times the salary". The second choice was Laurence Olivier who turned it down – Gilbert later admitted Olivier would have been miscast. Kenneth More was cast instead at a fee of £25,000. Producer Daniel Angel recalled:

My wife said to me, 'Kenneth More is Douglas Bader.' And so he was! He was a good actor, but, looking back, I don't think he was all that versatile and he wasn't physically a very attractive man. He couldn't play love scenes. He was more of a playboy type. He was Douglas Bader! Bader wasn't a technical adviser but I suppose Kenny More modelled himself physically on Bader.

More arranged to meet Bader to prepare for the role. They played a round of golf; much to More's surprise (as he was a good golfer), Bader beat him decisively. Lewis Gilbert said Douglas Bader was difficult to deal with and did not help at all during filming:

When he read the script he said I had made a terrible hash of it because I'd cut out a lot of his friends. I pointed out that the book contained hundreds of names and I had to cut it down or else the film would run for three days. He said, 'That's your problem. If you don't get my friends in, I won't double for the film,' because he was going to double for Kenneth More in long shots. I explained to him that that wouldn't stop the film being made; I said that we would undoubtedly find someone with a disability similar to his – which he did. In fact a number of his friends had helped me with the script, although we didn't tell Douglas that. Douglas wasn't in the film at all.

To depict the various Royal Air Force bases realistically, principal filming took place in Surrey at

, and around the town of Caterham. The cricket match was filmed at nearby Whyteleafe recreation ground. Studio work was completed at

Pinewood Studios Pinewood Studios is a British film and television studio located in the village of Iver Heath, England. It is approximately west of central London. The studio has been the base for many productions over the years from large-scale films to t ...

. Available wartime combat aircraft including

Hawker Hurricane The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s–40s which was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. for service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was overshadowed in the public consciousness by ...

and

Supermarine Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and other Allies of World War II, Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. It was the only British fighter produced conti ...

fighters were arranged to take on the aerial scenes. Angel later said that his favourite part of the film was when Bader was trying to learn how to walk again in hospital. "I've been in hospital myself, on and off since the war, and I'd seen a lot of that sort of thing," he later said. "It was a very touching performance from Dorothy Alison, who seemed to sum up so much in a few moments." Alison received a

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

nomination for Best British Actress. The film's composer

was Bader's brother-in-law. The book was also adapted for Australian radio in 1954.

Reception

The film fared well with the public, being the most popular film in the UK for 1956. When the film was released in North America in 1957, the American release version was slightly altered with 12 minutes edited out. The Rank Organisation, the film's distributor, made a concerted effort to ensure the film was successful in America, sending

over to do a press tour, and setting up Rank's own distribution arm in North America, but the public was not enthusiastic. Because Bader had fallen out with Brickhill over the split of royalties from the book, he refused to attend the premiere, and only saw the film for the first time eleven years later, on television. When the film was released, people associated Bader with the quiet and amiable personality of actor More. Bader recognised that the producers had deleted all those habits he displayed when on operations, particularly his prolific use of bad language. Bader once said, "

hey Hey, HEY, or Hey! may refer to: Music * Hey (band), a Polish rock band Albums * ''Hey'' (Andreas Bourani album) or the title song (see below), 2014 * ''Hey!'' (Julio Iglesias album) or the title song, 1980 * ''Hey!'' (Jullie album) or the ...

still think 'mthe dashing chap Kenneth More was." It won the

of 1956. ''Filmink'' later argued the film "became acknowledged as a classic, unfairly mocked by Gen-X critics who were forced to watch it on television too many times, and who forget that the film was made by people and for audiences who had been through that conflict, many of whom had seen people die, and could view it in proper context."

Aircraft

References

Notes

In the scene where Bader is attempting to rejoin the RAF at the beginning of the war, Stephenson's name and rank may be seen on the door from which Sanderson emerges.

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * * * *

External links

* * *
Original Vintage Quad Poster for ''Reach for the Sky'' at Picture Palace Movie Posters
{{Supermarine Spitfire 1956 films 1956 drama films British aviation films British biographical drama films British black-and-white films British war drama films Battle of Britain films Best British Film BAFTA Award winners Biographical films about aviators Films about amputees Films about the Royal Air Force Films about shot-down aviators Films based on non-fiction books Films based on works by Paul Brickhill Films directed by Lewis Gilbert Films set in the 1920s Films set in the 1930s Films set in England Films scored by John Addison Films shot at Pinewood Studios World War II films based on actual events World War II prisoner of war films 1950s biographical drama films 1950s British films 1950s English-language films 1950s war films English-language biographical drama films Films about disability in the United Kingdom English-language war films