Customer Reviews

World War Collection: Captive Heart, Angels One Five, Sound Barrier, King and Country

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I had been looking for "The sound barrier" for quite some time and that's why I bought this set. I was very pleased to find out that all the films are excellent: great set for WW2 movie lovers. The quality of the transfers is excellent, again something I was not expecting. Apparently they have been digitally restored by Studio Canal +: great picture and excellent, clean sound.
Great value for money!

Some interesting films here, especially 'Breaking the Sound Barrier' and 'Angels One Five' spread over three discs. Unfortunately, my order contained a duplicate of the second disc instead of the actual third disc.
Fortunatley for me, the two movies I listed above were the ones I actually ordered this boxed set for.
You are SOL trying to find those two films elsewhere, so you have no choice but to order this boxed set.

This dvd set contains Sound Barrier(1952)with Ralph Richardson, Angels One Five(1952)with Jack Hawkins, King and Country and Captive Heart(1946)with Michael Redgrave. Captive Heart is the only one I have seen. It is very well done. Michael Redgrave portrays an concentration camp escapee impersonating a dead British soldier. He must correspond with the soldier's wife when he becomes a POW so they will not suspect his real identity. The wife is played by Rachel Kempson who was Sir Michael's wife in real life.

These were all enjoyable clasic. Even though the acting at times was some what 'woody' this was easy to overlook because for me the main action stars were the machines (aircraft in particular)that only a few years earlier were engaged in world conflict, resulting in them being close to their orginal operational configuration. Therefore making these movies are a good source of technical information.

THE SOUND BARRIER (1952) Produced and directed by David Lean.

Starring Ralph Richardson, Ann Todd and Denholm Eliott.

In the aftermath of the Second World War, a driven British Aviation
company owner strives to build a jet plane that will finally break the
much dreaded sound barrier. However to do so, he must risk the love
and lives of those he loves. What is the cost of human progress?

An odd film on multiple levels that confuses both Science Fiction and
melodrama film fans as to what genre the thing belongs to. On one
hand, it is a David Lean film---well directed, acted and with glorious
photography concerned with the angst and suffering of a visionary as
well as that of his daughter. So it cannot be ....GASP!!!...a science
fiction film! Say it is not so David!!! Those are for the
unsophisticated lumpen proletariat and not the...ah...sniff....better
sort of film fan.

On the other hand, this is VERY much like a 1930s British Sci Fic film
like FLOATING PLATFORM 1 DOES NOT ANSWER and TRANSATLANTIC TUNNEL or an
early 50s effort by George Pal like DESTINATION MOON in which a science
fiction type problem is explored solely in moral, social and human
terms rather than involving aliens and monsters. It is also a very
positive film looking forward eagerly to the day when man will journey
to the moon. These types of films are rarely made today anymore as
nihilism and negativity seem to have possessed the modern artistic
community.

The cause of all the confusion is that what the film ACTUALLY is a
British fantasy. Post war Britian, by chosing to go socialist,
promptly turned itself into an unimportant third word backwater so much
of its filmic work of the 50s/60s were desperate attempts to make
themselves believe that they still mattered. The James Bond films are
the most blatant examples. So here we have a film where the British
invent the jet plane(It was really the Germans) and then break the
Sound Barrier(It was really the Americans). And amazingly they made
this film in blatant defiance of the known facts and yet did it so
effectively that, much to Chuck Yeager's annoyance, there are people in
Britain who think that they....along with winning the Second World War
singlehandedly with some help from Communist Russia........actually DID
break the Sound Barrier. As admirable as the British are in many ways,
this aspect of their character is most unattractive and practically
Greek in its hubris.
As has been endlessly pointed out by others, the film's science is pure
fantasy as well.
Keeping all of that in mind, this is certainly a well done effort and
an aircraft cultist's dream film to the extent that the aircraft are
actually listed in the cast list as playing themselves. One wonders
what SAG made of that? How does one get an airplane to pay actor union
dues?

The flying footage IS fantastic as is seeing all that now vintage
aircraft. This WAS the first film to use actual jets. The plot does
have some genuine character surprises and Richardson gives a
fascinating performance. Obviously his character, who lives only for
his aircraft and his dreams, has problems dealing with his fellow
humans. Notice how he almost never makes eye contact with the other
characters always looking slightly to the side. Yet he is obviously a
man who feels deeply the pain his loved ones must endure as mankind
reaches to the sky and eventually to the stars beyond.

A good film but a very weird one. The poor Brits need to work on
those self esteem issues.