THE WAY TO THE STARS [1945 / 2020] [Blu-ray] [UK Release]
Thrills In The Sky! Romance Below!
An outstanding wartime drama featuring compelling lead performances from Michael Redgrave and Sir John Mills, this box office hit co-stars Stanley Holloway, Basil Radford, Rosamund John and Douglass Montgomery. Scripted by Terence Rattigan and directed by Anthony Asquith, The Way to the Stars is featured here as a brand-new High Definition remaster from original film elements in its as-exhibited theatrical 1.37:1 aspect ratio.
In 1940, during the Battle of Britain, rookie pilot Peter Penrose is assigned to serve with Flight Lt David Archdale at RAF Station Halfpenny Field. By 1942 Flight Lt David Archdale has become acting C.O. but Peter Penrose [Sir John Mills] is beginning to show signs of combat fatigue a situation that Flight Lt David Archdale cannot leave unresolved. The title ‘THE WAY TO THE STARS’ is often assumed to have been taken from the Latin motto of the RAF, “Per ardua ad astra.”
FILM FACT: During the war, Terence Rattigan served in the Royal Air Force as a tail gunner and used his wartime experiences to help inspire his earlier stage play, Flare Path. In 1945 he was released from the service to help rewrite it with Anatole De Grunwald as ‘THE WAY TO THE STARS’ screenplay. Although Michael Redgrave and John Mills were the leads, the film offers very early performances of two actors, who would become international film stars in later years: Jean Simmons and Trevor Howard. Filming was mainly in North Yorkshire, and some of the locations remain little changed. RAF Catterick was used to film the RAF Halfpenny Field scenes, and Bedale, which is a market town and civil parish in the district of Hambleton, North Yorkshire, England was used for street scenes outside the pub in the local small town, the Golden Lion Hotel in Northallerton was used as the pub and Constable Burton Hall was used as the USAAF headquarters. On its initial British release, the film was popular, with one reviewer in June 1945 stating that "it must rank as one of the outstanding British films of the war years." However, it performed poorly in the USA, where it was released post-war under the title ‘Johnny in the Clouds,’ with a prologue added. There were two units by that name during the Second World War: No 720 Squadron RAF was a non-flying, airfield defence unit of the RAF Regiment. The only British flying unit known as 720 Squadron was a Fleet Air Arm squadron; during the war it was a flying boat unit attached to the Royal New Zealand Navy. The film was made at the Gainsborough Film Studios and D & P D. & P. Studios, ENGLAND.
Cast: Michael Redgrave, Sir John Mills, Rosamund John, Douglass Montgomery, Renée Asherson, Stanley Holloway, Basil Radford, Felix Aylmer, Bonar Colleano, Joyce Carey, Trevor Howard, Nicholas Stuart, Bill Owen, Grant Miller, Jean Simmons [A Singer], Johnnie Schofield, Charles Victor, David Tomlinson, Hartley Power, Vida Hope, Hugh Dempster, Charles Farrell, Anthony Dawson, Bill Logan, John Howard, Murray Matheson, John McLaren, Jacqueline Clarke, Alf Goddard, Caven Watson, Sydney Benson, Peter Cotes, Ian Warner McGilvray, Ann Wilton, Anna Davis, Tyron Nichol, Anthony Buckley (uncredited), Harvey Golden (uncredited), George Lorenze (uncredited) and Alan Sedgwick (uncredited)
Director: Anthony Asquith
Producers: Anatole de Grunwald, Gordon Parry and Herbert Smith
Screenplay: Anatole de Grunwald (story), Richard Sherman (scenario) (as Capt. Richard Sherman), Terence Rattigan (story/screenplay) (scenario) (as F/Lt Terence Rattigan) and John Pudney (poems)
Composer: Nicholas Brodszky (composed film score)
Conductor: Charles Williams
Cinematography: Derick Williams (Director of Photography)
Image Resolution: 1080p (Black-and-White)
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1
Audio: English: 2.0 LPCM Stereo Audio
Subtitles: English
Running Time: 108 minutes
Region: Region B/2
Number of discs: 1
Studio: UNITED ARTISTS / A TWO CITIES FILM / Network
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: With the film ‘THE WAY TO THE STARS’ [1945], we are informed “Our thanks are due to the R.A.F. and U.S.A.A.F. – with whom the idea of the film originated – for their full and enthusiastic co-operation.
At the start off the film ‘THE WAY TO THE STARS’ we get an unknown narrator who sets up the scenario and informs us “This was an airfield, now, not a soul is here, empty, empty hangers, the control tower, once the very nerve centre, and now, derelict, no more happy landings, the crew room, telephone numbers scribbled on the wall, a pin-up girl, a name “Johnny,” as sign on the floor [German], all that is left of people who lived here, and now, sheep are returning to this English Halfpenny Field that is mentioned in the "Doomsday Book" in 1086, it was very different in 1940, and this is where the film begins.
‘THE WAY TO THE STARS’ is one of the most effective and understated films about the conflict made during the Second World War, though it features no combat scenes and only three brief shots from inside a cockpit. Taking its title from the Latin script on the Royal Air Force coat of arms “Per ardua ad astra” and its genesis lay in the RAF experiences of playwright Terence Rattigan, which he initially used in his play Flare Path. Terence Rattigan eventually re-shaped this material into a screenplay in collaboration with producer Anatole de Grunwald and director Anthony Asquith.
The film is told in flashback and is set between 1940 and 1944. This approach was later emulated in the Hollywood film ‘Johnny In The Clouds’ [1945] about American bombing raids over Germany. Seen today, the film's reserve and low-key approach could make some viewers dismiss it as merely another example of the “stiff upper lip” school of filmmaking. However, like ‘Brief Encounter’ [1945], ‘THE WAY TO THE STARS’ effectively comments on the traditional emotional reticence of the British by weaving a critique of it into the fabric of the story, turning it into a theme of the film. The introduction in the film's second half of the American flyers as exemplified by the wise-cracking Joe Friselli [Bonar Colleano], making his film debut, further emphasises this. It also puts into relief the film's main focus Peter Penrose [Sir John Mills] and his development from callow youth into a burned-out, emotionally detached pilot, and his eventual return to life and love. In this respect at least the film has much in common with the more flamboyant ‘A Matter of Life and Death’ [1946].
Although attributed to Michael Redgrave and his character David Archdale, the poems in the film were the work of John Pudney, who served in the RAF and who wrote For Johnny during an air raid in 1941. Its popularity inspired the American release of the film, ‘Johnny in the Clouds,’ taken from the poem's opening lines: "Do not despair, For Johnny-head-in-air, He sleeps as sound, As Johnny underground, Fetch out no shroud and For Johnny-in-the-cloud."
What is also impressive is not just the performances but the number of well-known names and faces who star often in quite minor roles. At the centre of the story there is Sir John Mills as Peter Penrose, also Rosamund John as Miss Todd, then you also have such greats as Michael Redgrave as David Archdale, Trevor Howard as Squadron Leader Carter, Basil Radford as "Tiny" Williams, Stanley Holloway as Mr. Palmer, David Tomlinson as "Prune" Parsons and fans of the BBC Television Series "Last of the Summer Wine" will instantly recognize a young Bill Owen as "Nobby" Clarke (credited as Bill Rowbotham). I could go on because there are a lot of other known names and all them do a terrific job be it delivering the humour or the emotion of dealing with the loss of a friend or loved one.
What this all boils down to is that ‘THE WAY TO THE STARS’ is a beautifully crafted and clever little Second World War film which whilst featuring numerous well-known names is really the story of an airfield and the people who were stationed there during the war. So all in all, this is a very enjoyable British film and has some great performances.
BONUS: Before the film starts, we get the original BRITISH BOARD OF CENSORS Certificate and informs us: This is to Certify the ‘THE WAY TO THE STARS’ has been passed for GENERAL EXHIBITION. The film was given a “U” rating.
Please Note: The two poems supposedly written by David Archdale that were used in the film. They were written by John Pudney earlier in 1941 or 1942. The first poem is “Missing.” David Archdale is portrayed as reciting it to Toddy Archdale shortly before their marriage, after his close friend Squadron Leader Carter is killed in action. David Archdale tells Toddy Archdale that "I try and say things I feel that way sometimes. Sort of hobby" and tells her she's the only one who knows he writes poetry.
MISSING
Less said the better.
The bill unpaid, the dead letter,
No roses at the end,
Of Smith, my friend.
Last words don't matter,
And there are none to flatter
Words will not fill the post
Of Smith, the ghost.
For Smith, our brother,
Only son of loving mother,
The ocean lifted, stirred
Leaving no word.
The second and better known of the two poems in the film is “For Johnny,” depicted as having been found by Peter Penrose on a piece of paper after David Archdale's death. Penrose gives it to Toddy Archdale, who later in the film gives it to Johnny Hollis' friend Joe Friselli to read after Johnny Hollis is killed.
FOR JOHNNY
Do not despair
For Johnny-head-in-air;
He sleeps as sound
As Johnny underground.
Fetch out no shroud
For Johnny-in-the-cloud;
And keep your tears
For him in after years.
Better by far
For Johnny-the-bright-star,
To keep your head
And see his children fed.
* * * * *
Blu-ray Image Quality – UNITED ARTISTS, A TWO CITIES FILM and Network presents the film ‘THE WAY TO THE STARS’ with a stunning brand-new 1080p Black-and-White image remastered from the 35mm dupe negative original film elements and is exhibited in the theatrical 1.37:1 aspect ratio. Additional image restoration work was carried out and unfortunately the picture still displays many faults, including dirt, scratches, density fluctuations, film movement, light drops, and missing image frames, amongst other issues. Blacks are absolutely solid and the image is nicely balanced with good highlights and a finely delineated grey fall-off. No edge-enhancement or compression artefacts mar the presentation. Despite some of the anomaly, it is still a joy to view this classic British Second World War film and definitely get a five star rating for the overall image presentation. Please Note: Playback Region B/2: This will not play on most Blu-ray players sold in North America, Central America, South America, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. Learn more about Blu-ray region specifications.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – UNITED ARTISTS, A TWO CITIES FILM and Network brings this film ‘THE WAY TO THE STARS’ with one standard 2.0 LPCM Stereo Audio experience. The audio is nicely rounded and also gives us a good dynamic range and is also very clear is the dialogue with the actors, well-modulated sound with no distortion or age-related surface noise, pops, or crackles. Subtleties, such as the delicate chirping of birds and all the action sounds related to airplanes and the bombs being dropped on the airfield provide some good audio presentation. While still limited in their frequency response, the audio presentation is never overly harsh and nicely brings back the lively theme of all four films. The robust dramatic composed film music score from Nicholas Brodszky is totally outstanding.
* * * * *
Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Special Feature: Image Gallery [1945] [1080p] [1.78:1] [5:44] Here we get to view a plethora of colourful cinema posters for the film ‘THE WAY TO THE STARS’ and the American release ‘Johnny In The Clouds.’ Lobby Cinema Promotion, ‘Johnny In The Clouds’ advertisements, black-and-white promotion photographs of the main actors in the film ‘THE WAY TO THE STARS’ and especially behind-the-scene images from the film ‘THE WAY TO THE STARS.’
PLUS: FIRST PRESSING ONLY: A collector’s 8 page booklet entitled ADVERTISING and features a plethora of black-and-white USA cinema posters of the alternative film title ‘Johnny and the Clouds.’
BONUS: Reversible printed Blu-ray cover featuring original artwork and full colour cinema posters.
Finally, ‘THE WAY TO THE STARS’ is a well-judged Second World War drama concerns the stiff-upper-lipped activities of an RAF squadron, and its members' relationships with their loved ones and the flashy flyboys who have recently arrived from America. The first joint project of what became the regular team of director Anthony Asquith, producer Anatole de Grunwald and writer Terence Rattigan perfectly captures the spirit of Britain at a time when loss was perhaps even more agonising, simply because victory was so close at hand. Michael Redgrave and Rosamund John are straight out of the Noël Coward school of British bourgeoisie, but Sir John Mills and Renée Asherson are closer to reality as the couple dallying over whether to have a wartime wedding, which you will have to view the film to find out what really happens. Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
