The Way to the Stars, Film 4, 15:00 today.

Repeated at 15:00 Saturday 26 Aug on Film 4 (get those Blenhiems, Bostons and B-17’s and Lanc’s on Tape or DVD boys).

You could always keep livestock; just 1 animal will trigger an avalanche of paperwork, and ministerial visits that will bury you (probably quite literally!!)

I haven’t seen the film in ages, but distinctly remember the Blenheim MkI flying overhead and thinking “Where did they get that from?!” at the time!

The film *is* available to buy on R2 DVD, via Amazon.co.uk

I put the film on yesterday afternoon but was unable to take a lot of it in due to a constant stream of phone calls in connection with the new planning requirements, but that’s another story.
The film was released in 1945, but you would think it was made later due to the initial and final scenes of a derelict airfield, perhaps the ending of the war during production caused a revision to the plot.
First a/c in view were Hurricanes, 3 of them, presumably there were still quite a few around at that time, even if not in front line service.
The main a/c in use were Blenheims, ok, no doubt a few still about then, but I’m sure that one of them was a Mk1 with it’s distinctive nose, I’m surprised that any of those had survived in flying condition till 1945, perhaps it’s the one that has provided the nose for our DX Bolingbroke, via a caravan site.
The next switch was to 3 Bostons, nice to see those in a film for a change, were they still in use operationally over here in 1945?
I wish I could have concentrated on the film and tried to get serial numbers, the American sequence I mainly missed, I don’t know whether it was all stock footage or B-17’s were flown into Catterick where the film was made.
All in, it seemed quite a good film that took in the realities of arial warfare and wasn’t as ‘Gung Ho’ as most films of the period, but I suppose that’s because it was made when we were winning.
Incidentally, I work mainly from home, I have a nice office with a wide screen telly in front of my drawing board and a permanently connected computer, this protects my sanity in the constant battle against new planning and building regulations legislation that I can’t cope with anymore, I’m an artist not a beurocrat, I’m on the point of packing it all in, and so are a few of my pals in the same business, anyone got any good job offers.

Watched it on Film 4 a couple of weeks ago. A good movie too. Spookily hadn’t seen it since the 80’s. I was discussing it with my wife the previous week as I visited parents in Leeming, North Yorkshire, drove past the Golden Lion in Northallerton, the market cross in Bedale and Catterick Airfield where it was all filmed. Couldn’t remember the name of the movie. Anyway got back home on the Thursday morning, put on the TV hopped to Film4 and there it was……..