THE SOUND BARRIER attempts to be one of those rousingly British true stories about a team of dedicated men working with science to achieve historical greatness. I'm not too sure about that, but it is directed by David Lean who makes this a nice-looking picture, and it has enough notable actors to make it worth a watch for fans of British cinema.
The thrust of the plot seems to be about sacrifice: the lives given up by young men in pursuit of a dream. Said dream is to create an aircraft with the ability to fly fast enough to break the sound barrier. Truth be told I found it all a little long-winded and dull, although the tragic scenes are certainly hard-hitting. One of the best things about it are the assured performances from the likes of Nigel Patrick, Ralph Richardson, and a very youthful Denholm Elliott.
The thrust of the plot seems to be about sacrifice: the lives given up by young men in pursuit of a dream. Said dream is to create an aircraft with the ability to fly fast enough to break the sound barrier. Truth be told I found it all a little long-winded and dull, although the tragic scenes are certainly hard-hitting. One of the best things about it are the assured performances from the likes of Nigel Patrick, Ralph Richardson, and a very youthful Denholm Elliott.