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Aces High

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5.9/10 • 73

1976-05-191h 54m

ActionDramaWar

High above the trenches 14 days is a long life...This is the 15th day!

The first World War is in its third year and aerial combat above the Western Front is consuming the nation's favored children at an appalling rate. By early 1917, the average life-span of a British pilot is less than a fortnight. Such losses place a fearsome strain on Gresham, commanding officer of the squadron. Aces High recreates the early days of the Royal Flying Corps with some magnificently staged aerial battles, and sensitive direction presents a moving portrayal of the futilities of war.

Directors
Jack Gold
Writters
Howard Barker
Editors
Howard Barker, Anne V. Coates

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Malcolm McDowell

    Malcolm McDowell

    Maj. John Gresham

  2. Christopher Plummer

    Christopher Plummer

    Capt. 'Uncle' Sinclair

  3. Simon Ward

    Simon Ward

    Lt. Crawford

  4. Peter Firth

    Peter Firth

    Lt. Stephen Croft

  5. David Wood

    David Wood

    Lt. 'Tommy' Thompson

  6. John Gielgud

    John Gielgud

    Headmaster

  7. Trevor Howard

    Trevor Howard

    Lieutenant Colonel Silkin

  8. Richard Johnson

    Richard Johnson

    Major Lyle

  9. Ray Milland

    Ray Milland

    Brigadier General Whale

Reviews2

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Wuchak Avatar

Wuchak

Nov 28, 2019

7/10

What was it like to be a fighter pilot in WW1? An inexperienced young Brit straight from the academy (Peter Firth) arrives on the Western front in northern France to assist in the air war against the Germans during WW1. One week in the lives of the pilots of a Royal Flying Corps squadron is chronicled as they struggle with the stresses & risks intrinsic to their profession. Malcolm McDowell plays the Major, Christopher Plummer the Captain and Simon Ward an anxiety-stricken colleague. "Aces High" (1976) came out a decade after the exceptional “The Blue Max” (1966) with the former addressing British pilots and the latter Germans. While “Blue Max” is all-around superior and more epic, “Aces High” ain’t no slouch. It successfully brings you back in time to see what it was like for men in the brand new profession of fighter piloting. This is a “man’s movie” in the manner of, say, “Lawrence of Arabia” (1962), but a few females show up in the last act. The film runs 1 hour, 54 minutes, and was shot in England (Buckinghamshire, Essex & Eton College with studio work done in Hertfordshire). GRADE: B/B-

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
$1,250,000.00
Revenue
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Keywords
post-traumatic stress disorder (ptsd)world war ipilotroyal flying corps (rfc)dogfightsquadronair battleflying acehorrors of warwestern front1910sfear of deathfighter pilotsleadership and pressure