The Sound Barrier

Ralph Richardson - John Ridgefield
Ann Todd - Susan Garthwaite
Nigel Patrick - Tony Garthwaite
John Justin - Philip Peel
Dinah Sheridan - Jess Peel
Joseph Tomelty - Will Sparks
Denholm Elliott - Christopher Ridgefield
Jack Allen - Windy Williams
Ralph Michael - Fletcher
Douglas Muir - Controller
Leslie Phillips - Controller

The Sound Barrier is a semi-documentary about the men who challenged the speed of sound, told from the central character Sir John Ridgefield's (Ralph Richardson) viewpoint. Richardson plays an oil tycoon and aircraft constructor determined to manufacture a supersonic jet that will travel faster than the speed of sound. Richardson's desire to reach this goal has already led to the death of his test pilot son (Denholm Elliot), and his daughter Susan’s (Ann Todd) fighter-pilot husband (Nigel Patrick). Shocked at the death of her husband and her fathers heartless approach to his test pilots dangers, Susan walks out on her father and goes to live with the wife (Dinah Sheridan) of another pilot (John Junkin). Unperturbed Richardson approaches this pilot as well with the challenge of piloting his test craft – yet this time the experiment is successful and the sound barrier is broken without loss of life. Accepting her fathers determination was in the interest of scientific advancement, Susan and her new unborn child are reconciled with her father.