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Man in the Sky |
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Man in the Sky - 1957 | 87 mins | Drama | B&WThe Production TeamDirector: Charles
Crichton. Producer: Michael Balcon. Associate Producer: Seth Holt. Script: William Rose and John Eldridge. (from a story by William Rose) Cinematography: Douglas Slocombe. Art Direction: Jim Morahan. Editing: Peter Tanner. Music: Gerbrand Schurmann. Conductor: Dock Mathieson. |
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The CastJack Hawkins - John Mitchell Elisabeth Sellars - Mary Mitchell Catherine Lacey - Mother Jeremy Bodkin - Nicholas Mitchell Gerald Lohan - Philip Mitchell John Stratton - Peter Hook Walter Fitzgerald - Conway Eddie Byrne - Ashmore Donald Pleasence - Crabtree |
Plot SynopsisMan in the Sky, was the last Michael Balcon production directed by Charles Crichton. A suspenseful drama about a test pilot in trouble with a blazing plane over a built-up area, it was very much a vehicle for Jack Hawkins. The cliff-hanging element was well-handled; less sure however was the psychological battleground and it now seemed to be official policy to saddle the harassed professional with a shaky home life. On his return from his harrowing experience, Hawkins is asked by his
wife (Elisabeth Sellars) how his day has been, and tries to pass it
off as routine. But she has been watching the drama played out in the
air, and bitterly attacks him for putting his job before her and the
children. Hawkins then delivers a six minute speech, a masculine justification
for doing a job and staying with it, making the point that if he had
not tried to do his best he would never have been able to face her again.
In 1957, with Women's Lib then but a whisper, this sort of sentiment
was just about acceptable. In the event, the film helped to establish
the type of characters that Hawkins was called upon to play - solid,
quietly determined, stubborn and ultimately caring, decent men. |
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