Oldie, But Goody Movie Review

Wingnut and I have a Netflix membership for those times when we just want to relax and watch a good movie.  We lean toward old classics, especially anything by David Lean, Alfred Hitchcock, or Frank Capra.  Last evening we began watching an old movie, neither one of us had ever heard of before, directed by David Lean entitled World War: The Sound Barrier.  As the title suggests it is an account of the quest to break the elusive sound barrier.  The story is the fictionalized retelling of the British super sonic pursuit.  We may all be familiar with our own national hero, Chuck Yeager, who did finally break the speed of sound in 1947, but I was unfamiliar to the knowledge that this was a world wide quest.

I had planned on watching only half the movie last night, as I did not want to stay up past my bedtime, but the movie was riveting.  As with most David Lean movies, the acting was superb(classic British austerity, just for you Sarah), the filming was incredibly realistic, and according to Wingnut, the aviation technicalities addressed were mostly accurate(for an movie depicting aviation, that is high regards for Wingnut).  It was so well done, Wingnut had to research whether what we had just watched was a true story or fiction.

The film does not only address the technical aspects of the pursuit of the sound barrier, but also the personal sacrifices made in that pursuit.  Men lost their lives pursuing a complete unknown and for inexplicable reasons. This is poignantly portrayed and questioned by the main characters in the movie.

This is a great homeschool family movie (holding the attention of children approximately 9 and up), especially after studying the historic subject.

*A description and explanation of the above photo can be found here.