Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines

Inside the gatefold jacket is an informative essay on the history of flight and a complete index of the 62 Chapter Stops plus the contents of the CAV supplemental section. This section presents the annotated history of the production and a good amount of stills of the cast and their credits. There is a frame-by-frame special effects analysis, production photos, storyboards and behind-the-scenes stills, plus various original advertising materials. Director Ken Annakin’s running commentary is heard throughout the film’s 138 minutes on Analog Track 1 and is a joy with his diligent and insightful descriptions of the production. 

This British production about the seminal days of flight in the early 1900’s was first released in England on June 3, 1965. The story, based on real events, is set upon a day in 1909 when Lord Northcliffe (a fictional Lord Rawnsley played by Robert Morley), owner of London’s Daily Mail, offered a prize of £1,000 to the first person who crossed the English Channel by airplane. So takes flight the topsy-turvy race amongst mostly French, British, German and American aviators who were the toast of their respective homelands.