''The Sound Barrier'' is a 1952 British aviation

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

David Lean Sir David Lean (25 March 190816 April 1991) was an English film director, producer, screenwriter, and editor, widely considered one of the most important figures of Cinema of the United Kingdom, British cinema. He directed the large-scale epi ...

. It is a fictional story about attempts by aircraft designers and

test pilot A test pilot is an aircraft pilot with additional training to fly and evaluate experimental, newly produced and modified aircraft with specific maneuvers, known as flight test techniques.Stinton, Darrol. ''Flying Qualities and Flight Testin ...

s to break the

sound barrier The sound barrier or sonic barrier is the large increase in aerodynamic drag and other undesirable effects experienced by an aircraft or other object when it approaches the speed of sound. When aircraft first approached the speed of sound, th ...

. It was David Lean's third and final film with his wife Ann Todd but it was his first for

Alexander Korda Sir Alexander Korda (; born Sándor László Kellner; ; 16 September 1893 – 23 January 1956)

London Films London Films Productions is a British film and television production company founded in 1932 by Alexander Korda and from 1936 based at Denham Film Studios in Buckinghamshire, near London. The company's productions included '' The Private Li ...

, following the break-up of Cineguild. ''The Sound Barrier'' stars Ralph Richardson, Ann Todd, John Justin and Nigel Patrick. It was known in the United States as ''Breaking Through the Sound Barrier'' and ''Breaking the Sound Barrier''. ''The Sound Barrier'' was a box-office success on first release but it has become one of the least-known of Lean's films. Following on '' In Which We Serve'' (1942), the film is another of Lean's ventures into a genre of film making where impressions of

documentary film A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

are created.

Plot

After his aircraft company's groundbreaking work on jet engine technology in the

Second World War 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 ...

, John Ridgefield, its wealthy owner, employs

Tony Garthwaite, a successful wartime fighter pilot, to fly new jet-powered aircraft. Garthwaite is hired by Ridgefield after marrying Ridgefield's daughter, Susan. Tensions between father and daughter are accentuated by Garthwaite's dangerous job of test flying. In a noteworthy illustration of the new technology, Susan accompanies Garthwaite on a ferrying assignment of a two-seater

de Havilland Vampire The de Havilland DH100 Vampire is a British jet fighter which was developed and manufactured by the de Havilland, de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was the second jet fighter to be operated by the Royal Air Force, RAF, after the Gloster Meteo ...

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

, Egypt, returning later the same day as passengers on a

de Havilland Comet The de Havilland DH.106 Comet is the world's first commercial jet airliner. Developed and manufactured by de Havilland in the United Kingdom, the Comet 1 prototype first flew in 1949. It features an aerodynamically clean design with four ...

. Ridgefield's plan for his new jet fighter, "Prometheus", has placed the company in jeopardy. The problems faced by the new

jet aircraft A jet aircraft (or simply jet) is an aircraft (nearly always a fixed-wing aircraft) propelled by one or more jet engines. Whereas the engines in Propeller (aircraft), propeller-powered aircraft generally achieve their maximum efficiency at much ...

in exceeding the

speed of sound The speed of sound is the distance travelled per unit of time by a sound wave as it propagates through an elasticity (solid mechanics), elastic medium. More simply, the speed of sound is how fast vibrations travel. At , the speed of sound in a ...

, the so-called "sound barrier", are ever present. Trying to break the sound barrier, Garthwaite crashes and is killed. Shocked at the death of her husband and at her father's apparently single-minded and heartless approach to the dangers his test pilots face, Susan walks out on her father and goes to live with friends Jess and Philip Peel, another company test pilot. Ridgefield later engages Peel to take on the challenge of piloting "Prometheus" at speeds approaching the speed of sound. In a crucial flight and at the critical moment, Peel performs a

counterintuitive A paradox is a logically self-contradictory statement or a statement that runs contrary to one's expectation. It is a statement that, despite apparently valid reasoning from true or apparently true premises, leads to a seemingly self-contradictor ...

action (foreshadowed in the opening scene of the film) which enables him to maintain control of the aircraft and to break the sound barrier. Eventually accepting that her father did care about those who died in tests, Susan changes her plan of moving to London and takes her young son with her back to live with Sir John.

Cast

* Ralph Richardson as John Ridgefield * Ann Todd as Susan Garthwaite * Nigel Patrick as Tony Garthwaite * John Justin as Philip Peel * Dinah Sheridan as Jess Peel *

Joseph Tomelty Joseph Tomelty (5 March 1911 – 7 June 1995) was an Irish actor, playwright, novelist, short-story writer and theatre manager. He worked in film, television, radio and on the stage, starring in Sam Thompson's 1960 play ''Over the Bridge''. ...

as Will Sparks * Denholm Elliott as Christopher Ridgefield * Jack Allen as 'Windy' Williams * Ralph Michael as Fletcher * Sally-Jane Spencer as Daughter of Philip (uncredited) * Rodney Goodall as Little Boy (uncredited) * Donald Harron as ATA officer (uncredited) * Vincent Holman as Factor (uncredited) * Jolyon Jackley as Baby (uncredited) * Douglas Muir as Controller (uncredited) *

Leslie Phillips Leslie Samuel Phillips (20 April 1924 – 7 November 2022) was an English actor. He achieved prominence in the 1950s, playing smooth, upper-class comic roles utilising his "Ding dong" and "Hello" catchphrases. He appeared in the '' Carry On'' ...

as Controller (uncredited) * Anthony Snell as Peter Makepeace (uncredited) * Robert Brooks Turner as Test Bed Operator (uncredited)

Production

The strong relationship to aviation history in ''The Sound Barrier'' has led to its being characterised as a "semi-documentary". The film pays tribute to the British effort in the historic advance in aviation of the development and final perfecting of the

jet engine A jet engine is a type of reaction engine, discharging a fast-moving jet (fluid), jet of heated gas (usually air) that generates thrust by jet propulsion. While this broad definition may include Rocket engine, rocket, Pump-jet, water jet, and ...

Frank Whittle Air Commodore Sir Frank Whittle, (1 June 1907 – 8 August 1996) was an English engineer, inventor and Royal Air Force (RAF) air officer. He is credited with co-creating the turbojet engine. A patent was submitted by Maxime Guillaume in 1921 fo ...

and Power Jets Ltd and others following. David Lean had begun to gather research based on media reports of jet aircraft approaching supersonic speeds, interviewing British aeronautic designers. He even managed to fly with test pilots as he produced a 300-page notebook that he turned over to dramatist Terence Rattigan. The subsequent screenplay concentrated on the problems of flying at supersonic speeds and is also loosely based on the story of aircraft designer

Geoffrey de Havilland Captain (British Army and Royal Marines), Captain Sir Geoffrey de Havilland, (27 July 1882 – 21 May 1965) was an English aviation pioneer and aerospace engineer. De Havilland, The aircraft company he founded produced the de Havilland Mosquit ...

and the loss of his son.

Geoffrey de Havilland, Jr. Geoffrey Raoul de Havilland Jr., Order of the British Empire, OBE (18 February 1910 – 27 September 1946) was a British test pilot. He was the son of Geoffrey de Havilland, the English aviation pioneer and aircraft designer. Early life Geoff ...

was the

de Havilland The de Havilland Aircraft Company Limited (pronounced , ) was a British aviation manufacturer established in late 1920 by Geoffrey de Havilland at Stag Lane Aerodrome Edgware on the outskirts of North London. Operations were later moved to ...

company test pilot who was killed on 27 September 1946 attempting to fly faster than the speed of sound in the DH 108.

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 ...

tested for the role of Tony. He says the part was offered to David Niven, with whom More was making ''Appointment with Venus'' but Niven turned it down. The role went to Nigel Patrick, who was more strongly established than More. John Derry, another de Havilland test pilot, has been called "Britain's first supersonic pilot", because of a dive he made on 6 September 1948 in a DH 108. Contrary to what is depicted in the film, the first aircraft to break the sound barrier was the rocket-powered

Bell X-1 The Bell X-1 (Bell Model 44) is a rocket engine–powered aircraft, designated originally as the XS-1, and was a joint National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics– U.S. Army Air Forces– U.S. Air Force supersonic research project built by B ...

flown by

Chuck Yeager Brigadier general (United States), Brigadier General Charles Elwood Yeager ( , February 13, 1923December 7, 2020) was a United States Air Force officer, flying ace, and record-setting test pilot who in October 1947 became the first pilot in his ...

of the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

in 1947. His feat was portrayed in the 1983 film '' The Right Stuff''. As Yeager, who was present at the US premiere, described in his first biography, ''The Sound Barrier'' was entertaining, but not that realistic – and any pilot who attempted to break the sound barrier in the manner portrayed in the film (forcing the

centre stick A centre stick (or center stick in the United States), or simply control stick, is an aircraft cockpit arrangement where the control column (or joystick) is located in the center of the cockpit either between the pilot's legs or between the pil ...

forward to pull out of a dive) would have been killed. Because the 1947 Bell X-1 flight had not been widely publicised, many who saw ''The Sound Barrier'' thought it was a true story and that the first supersonic flight was made by a British pilot.Yeager and Janos 1986, pp. 206–207. Studio filming was completed at

Shepperton Studios Shepperton Studios is a film studio located in Shepperton, Surrey, England, with a history dating back to 1931. It is now part of Pinewood Group, the Pinewood Studios Group. During its early existence, the studio was branded as Sound City (not ...

, but the flying sequences were filmed at Chilbolton Aerodrome, Nether Wallop, Hampshire, under the direction of

Anthony Squire Jack Francis Anthony Squire (5 May 1914 – 15 May 2000) was an English film and television screenwriter and Film director, director. He was married for a time to the actress Shelagh Fraser. Born in London, he is best known for his work on ...

. A Vickers Valetta and

Avro Lancaster The Avro Lancaster, commonly known as the Lancaster Bomber, is a British World War II, Second World War heavy bomber. It was designed and manufactured by Avro as a contemporary of the Handley Page Halifax, both bombers having been developed to ...

bomber served as camera platforms for the aerial sequences. With the assistance of the British Aircraft Constructors Association, aircraft featured in ''The Sound Barrier'' were loaned by

Vickers Vickers was a British engineering company that existed from 1828 until 1999. It was formed in Sheffield as a steel foundry by Edward Vickers and his father-in-law, and soon became famous for casting church bells. The company went public in 18 ...

and other British aerospace companies.Pendo 1985, p. 135. Footage of early 1950s British jet technology used in the film includes scenes of the

, the world's first jet passenger airliner, the Supermarine Attacker and the

. A Supermarine 535 prototype for the later Swift (''VV119'') featured as the experimental ''Prometheus'' jet fighter. Not unlike its screen persona, the Swift was an aircraft design that underwent particularly difficult teething problems during development.

Malcolm Arnold Sir Malcolm Henry Arnold (21 October 1921 – 23 September 2006) was an English composer. His works feature music in many genres, including a cycle of nine symphonies, numerous concertos, concert works, chamber music, choral music and music f ...

(later knighted) composed the music score, for this, the first of his three films for David Lean. The others were '' Hobson's Choice'' (1954) and '' The Bridge on the River Kwai'' (1957).

Reception

Critical

''The Sound Barrier'', in its American title as ''Breaking the Sound Barrier,'' was reviewed by

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though some ...

in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''. According to Crowther, "this picture, which was directed and produced in England by David Lean from an uncommonly literate and sensitive original script by Terence Rattigan, is a wonderfully beautiful and thrilling comprehension of the power of jet airplanes and of the minds and emotions of the people who are involved with these miraculous machines. And it is played with consummate revelation of subtle and profound characters by a cast headed by Ralph Richardson, Nigel Patrick, and Ann Todd". Film historian Stephen Pendo further described the "brilliant aerial photography. ... Along with the conventional shot of the aircraft there is some unusual creative camera work. To illustrate the passage of a plane, Lean shows only the wheat in a field being bent by air currents produced by the unseen jet. ... Even the cockpit shots are very good, with the test pilots in G-suits and goggles framed by the plexiglass and sky backgrounds."

Box office

''The Sound Barrier'' was the 12th most popular movie at the British box office in 1952 and also did well in the United States, making a comfortable profit.

Accolades

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* Brown, Eric. ''The Miles M.52: Gateway to Supersonic Flight''. Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK: The History Press, 2012. . * Brown, Eric. ''Wings on my Sleeve''. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2006. . * Carlson, Mark. ''Flying on Film: A Century of Aviation in the Movies, 1912–2012''. Duncan, Oklahoma: BearManor Media, 2012. . * Davies, R.E.G. and Philip J. Birtles. ''Comet: The World's First Jet Airliner''. McLean, Virginia: Paladwr Press, 1999. . * de Havilland, Geoffrey. ''Sky Fever: The Autobiography of Sir Geoffrey De Havilland''. Ramsbury, Marlborough, Wiltshire, UK: Crowood Press Ltd., 1999. . * Hamilton-Paterson, James. ''Empire of the Clouds: When Britain's Aircraft Ruled the World''. London: Faber & Faber, 2010. . * Hardwick, Jack and Ed Schnepf. "A Viewer's Guide to Aviation Movies." ''The Making of the Great Aviation Films''. General Aviation Series, Volume 2, 1989. * Kulik, Karol. ''Alexander Korda: The Man Who Could Work Miracles''. London: Virgin, 1990. . * Paris, Michael. ''From the Wright Brothers to Top gun: Aviation, Nationalism, and Popular Cinema''. Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press, 1995. . * Pendo, Stephen. ''Aviation in the Cinema''. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 1985. . * Porter, Vincent. "The Robert Clark Account." ''Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television'', Vol. 20 No. 4, 2000. * Pratley, Gerald. ''The Cinema of David Lean''. Aurora, Colorado: Oak Tree Publications, !974. . * Winchester, Jim. ''The World's Worst Aircraft: From Pioneering Failures to Multimillion Dollar Disasters''. London: Amber Books Ltd., 2005. . * Wood, Derek. ''Project Cancelled''. Indianapolis: The Bobbs-Merrill Company Inc., 1975. . * Yeager, Chuck, Bob Cardenas, Bob Hoover, Jack Russell and James Young. ''The Quest for Mach One: A First-Person Account of Breaking the Sound Barrier''. New York: Penguin Studio, 1997. . * Yeager, Chuck and Leo Janos. ''Yeager: An Autobiography''. New York: Bantam Books, 1986. .

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sound Barrier, The 1952 films British aviation films British black-and-white films British Lion Films films Films about test pilots Films directed by David Lean Films shot at Shepperton Studios Films that won the Best Sound Mixing Academy Award Films with screenplays by Terence Rattigan Best Film BAFTA Award winners Best British Film BAFTA Award winners Films scored by Malcolm Arnold London Films films 1950s English-language films 1950s British films