The Man in the Sky

"Dare-devil test pilot takes you on a nerve-tingling adventure!"

1957 1h 27m EN

🙌

7.5

BANGER

★7.5TMDB · 12

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The efforts of test pilot John Mitchell to make a better life for his wife Mary and their two children seem doomed to failure and he blames himself. At the Conway Aero-Manufacturing Company of Wolverhampton, Mitchell is to take the company's new rocket-propulsion transport plane up for tests, fully loaded and carrying two important passengers - Ministry official Crabtree and buyer's representative Ashmore. Mitchell learns from his boss, Reg Conway, that if Ashmore does not recommend the plane, the company will be out of business and Mitchell out of a job, since the plane is not even insured as the firm's entire capital is tied up in the plane. Aloft, an engine catches fire and the passengers and other crew bail out, but Mitchell refuses to obey orders to jettison the plane in the Irish Sea.

“Dare-devil test pilot takes you on a nerve-tingling adventure!”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Cast

Jack Hawkins
John Mitchell
Elizabeth Sellars
Mary Mitchell
Walter Fitzgerald
Reginald Conway
Eddie Byrne
Ashmore
John Stratton
Peter Hook
Victor Maddern
Joe Biggs
Lionel Jeffries
Keith
Donald Pleasence
Crabtree

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Charles Crichton
Writers: John Eldridge, William Rose, William Rose
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

87 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

69 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Charles Crichton, shot by Douglas Slocombe. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Original score by Gerard Schurmann. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Peter Tanner shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Jack Hawkins and Elizabeth Sellars and Walter Fitzgerald carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Dare-devil test pilot takes you on a nerve-tingling adventure!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0049475 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Charles Crichton directs. Douglas Slocombe behind the camera. Gerard Schurmann scores. Peter Tanner cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

187 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
269 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Charles Crichton, shot by Douglas Slocombe. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Gerard Schurmann. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Peter Tanner shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Jack Hawkins and Elizabeth Sellars and Walter Fitzgerald carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Dare-devil test pilot takes you on a nerve-tingling adventure!".
8IMDB entry: tt0049475 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 12 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Douglas Slocombe
Original score: Gerard Schurmann
Editing: Peter Tanner
Makeup / hair: Harry Frampton
Runtime: 87 min · 1h 27m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): U
IMDB: The Man in the Sky (1957)

Also by

Charles Crichton

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Community reviews

What people are saying

Eskyman2022-03-10
★ 10/10
What an absolute ripper of a film! I wasn't expecting it to be so very tense; the title character, the Man in the Sky, played wonderfully well by Jack Hawkins, is a test pilot with much on his mind. He seems to feel that he's reached the end of the line, that he has nowhere to go, because the company he works for is one month away from bankruptcy and soon he'll be out of a job with nothing to fall back on. His wife is disappointed, she wants a home of her own badly to bring up their two sons, but it looks like that too won't happen because her test pilot husband can't bring himself to finance the house they both want, since he knows he may soon be in financial straits. The only hope they have is that the plane he's testing is purchased, which will save the company. In this last flight, the plane (a cargo plane) is fully loaded, with the prospective buyer aboard as well as a complete crew. Everything is going well until the port engine starts on fire! All the others on board the plane bail out, leaving only our test pilot; he's subjected to the strain of deciding whether to bail out himself, as the company owner & everyone else is telling him to do, or to try to land the plane. The fire has left the plane with only one engine & has damaged the operation of the wings, so attempting to land may well be fatal. At risk is his life, the company & all its employees, his marriage, and his future; what a decision to have to make! I just loved the character development in this film, the acting was superb, and the actual aircraft was incredible too. This movie has very little action, but a lot of tension, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! 5 stars is my rating!

Production companies