Angels One Five (1954)

A Major Disappointment

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

The acting in this movie is really good.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Producers: John W. Gossage, Derek Twist. A Templar Production, released in the U.K. by Associated British. Released in Australia by 20th Century-Fox on 25 November 1953. Released in the U.S.A. by Stratford, May, 1954. Copyright in the U.S. by Stratford Pictures Corp., 25 February 1953. New York opening simultaneously at the Beekman, Gramercy and 8th Street Playhouse: 29 April 1954. U.K. release: May 1954. Sydney opening at the Embassy. Location scenes filmed at Kenley Aerodrome, Surrey. 98 minutes. 8,820 feet.(Available on an Optimum DVD).NOTES: Number ten at British ticket windows for 1952.COMMENT: Far above Mr. O'Ferrall's usual standard, thanks to solid acting and an interesting script that provides plenty of action. Some of the miniature work (particularly the closing shot) is not the best but generally special effects and production values are first-class.OTHER VIEWS: Despite the high-sounding title (it means that aircraft are flying at a height of 15,000 feet), this is a routine drama of the wartime R.A.F. True, better films have been made about war in the air, but rarely have I seen one which is more sincere. To an ex-serviceman, the feeling is there, strong and indefinable, that these were the men he knew, fought with and laughed with. The sensation of reality is well maintained throughout the film with the exception of the few air combat scenes which are rather artificial. "Angels One Five" tells the story of some of the "Few," the men who flew the Hurricanes and Spitfires during the Battle of Britain in 1940. These were the men, who, outnumbered six to one by the Germans, managed to stave off the Luftwaffe. - Leo Basser.

I don't know why I can't stop watching this film. It certainly has its moments of high "corn," although the British have never been as dedicated to the requisite happy ending as American filmmakers, which is again the case with this one. I think it's the peek into life at an English aerodrome during World War Two that keeps me coming back again and again to view this picture. In my opinion ANGELS ONE FIVE is a kind of mini war classic.

Typical fare for post-war British cinema-goers - stiff upper lips versus the might of the Nazi war machine. Told over a few short weeks in 1940, the plot follows Pilot Officer 'Septic' Baird (John Gregson) as a fledgling Hurricane pilot posted to an operational squadron during the Battle of Britain. 'Septic' struggles stoically in the face of his boisterous comrades, an earnest would-be girlfriend and impossible numbers of enemy raiders. The Station Commander (Jack Hawkins) puts a human face on the RAF hierarchy, burdened by the knowledge that the fate of the nation really does depend on the skill of his young pilots. 'The few' eventually grasp victory but it doesn't come cheap.Admittedly wooden by today's standards but, through films like this, a whole generation built up their Saturday afternoon understanding of the RAF's 'finest hour'.

Any film that contains such immortal lines as " They've really caught us with both pairs of trousers at the cleaners this time!" definitely deserves a 10.