While it took four years for this completed documentary with documented footage of world history concerning man's desire to fly to reach the United states, it did have a 1936 Christmas release in England. Certainly there were a lot of advancements over the next four years before it came out in the United States, so perhaps that's why it wasn't a critical hit at the time, already dated especially with the war on the way that would involve flying machines. Between man-made wings, odd looking contraptions, balloons flying through different means and of course zeppelins, there were devices other than airplanes, and in just 70 minutes, this covers as much as it can in a short period of time.
One of the things that most likely kept this from flying over to the United States was its lack of film stars, but by 1940, Laurence Olivier (who has a big part) was famous for his role in "Wuthering Heights" and now a top star thanks to the recent release of "Rebecca". He is only in the film for about a minute (if that), as are a bunch of other familiar British character actors playing historical characters such as Roman emperor Nero, Leonardo Da Vinci and Orville and Wilbur Wright, as well as other real-life figures who attempted but failed to fly, usually flopping painfully.
Most of the filmed docudrama is in the first half, and newsreel footage is intertwined with fictionalized accounts of advancements in modern flying in the second half. When we get to that point, it becomes a bit scientific and that slows it down just a little bit. It's well done and entertaining, but probably too broad of a subject to really cover in 70 minutes. Still, it's fun to watch this with the song from the famous '60s comedy in your mind, although the segment of that film featuring Red Skelton as various attempted flyers in the opening of that is perhaps more entertaining and a greatly condensed version of what is seen here.
One of the things that most likely kept this from flying over to the United States was its lack of film stars, but by 1940, Laurence Olivier (who has a big part) was famous for his role in "Wuthering Heights" and now a top star thanks to the recent release of "Rebecca". He is only in the film for about a minute (if that), as are a bunch of other familiar British character actors playing historical characters such as Roman emperor Nero, Leonardo Da Vinci and Orville and Wilbur Wright, as well as other real-life figures who attempted but failed to fly, usually flopping painfully.
Most of the filmed docudrama is in the first half, and newsreel footage is intertwined with fictionalized accounts of advancements in modern flying in the second half. When we get to that point, it becomes a bit scientific and that slows it down just a little bit. It's well done and entertaining, but probably too broad of a subject to really cover in 70 minutes. Still, it's fun to watch this with the song from the famous '60s comedy in your mind, although the segment of that film featuring Red Skelton as various attempted flyers in the opening of that is perhaps more entertaining and a greatly condensed version of what is seen here.