In the 1940s and 1950s, Ealing Studios periodically released films which offered an almost anatomical view of various institutions or locations. This led to fare like "The Square Ring" and "Out of the Clouds", with their behind-the-scenes looks at airports and boxing clubs, "Painted Boats", which delved into the world of Britain's canal systems, or "Dance Hall" and to a lesser extent "The Cruel Sea", with their naval corvettes and dance clubs.
The best example of this trend was 1955's "Out of the Clouds". Directed by Basil Dearden, and taking place over the course of almost twenty four hours, the film is composed of several sub-stories, each dealing with the passengers, crew and support-staff working at or passing through London Airport.
The vignettes in "Out of the Clouds" are mostly trite. We observe the anxieties of pilots, we watch as passengers fall in love and we watch as various radar operators, duty officers and stewardesses go about their business. Others struggle to forge romantic relationships in a job that hinges on transience. Though these sub-stories are uninteresting, the way the film juggles all its subplots is somewhat sophisticated. Evocative of Robert Altman, with its criss-crossing lives and its suggestions of a sprawling world in flux, the film's style is fairly atypical of its era. It also utilises huge sets to simulate the interior of airport terminal buildings, some of which are impressive.
In the post-war years, Ealing Studios released a number of films which attempted to both glorify working-class men and women and convey pride in what it deemed to be "Britishness". We see this in "Clouds", with its proud workers, and its pride in British institutions (Heathrow Airport was then state owned), workforces and systems. Today British cinema is mostly a joke. Anonymous and vacuous, its once unique identity has long been destroyed by Hollywood mores and the almighty dollar. Anthony Steel and future Bond-girl, Eunice Gayson, star.
6/10 - Worth one viewing.
The best example of this trend was 1955's "Out of the Clouds". Directed by Basil Dearden, and taking place over the course of almost twenty four hours, the film is composed of several sub-stories, each dealing with the passengers, crew and support-staff working at or passing through London Airport.
The vignettes in "Out of the Clouds" are mostly trite. We observe the anxieties of pilots, we watch as passengers fall in love and we watch as various radar operators, duty officers and stewardesses go about their business. Others struggle to forge romantic relationships in a job that hinges on transience. Though these sub-stories are uninteresting, the way the film juggles all its subplots is somewhat sophisticated. Evocative of Robert Altman, with its criss-crossing lives and its suggestions of a sprawling world in flux, the film's style is fairly atypical of its era. It also utilises huge sets to simulate the interior of airport terminal buildings, some of which are impressive.
In the post-war years, Ealing Studios released a number of films which attempted to both glorify working-class men and women and convey pride in what it deemed to be "Britishness". We see this in "Clouds", with its proud workers, and its pride in British institutions (Heathrow Airport was then state owned), workforces and systems. Today British cinema is mostly a joke. Anonymous and vacuous, its once unique identity has long been destroyed by Hollywood mores and the almighty dollar. Anthony Steel and future Bond-girl, Eunice Gayson, star.
6/10 - Worth one viewing.