Reach for the Sky
1956 · 135 min · ★ 6.9 · War, Drama
The true story of airman Douglas Bader who overcame the loss of both legs in a 1931 flying accident to become a successful fighter pilot and wing leader during World War II.
Directed by Lewis Gilbert · Written by Lewis Gilbert
Your Rating
Where to Watch
Cast
-
Kenneth More Douglas Bader -
Muriel Pavlow Thelma Bader -
Lyndon Brook Johnny Sanderson -
Lee Patterson Turner -
Alexander Knox Mr. Joyce -
Dorothy Alison Nurse Brace - M Michael Warre Harry Day
-
Sydney Tafler Robert Desoutter -
Howard Marion-Crawford 'Woody' Woodhall -
Jack Watling Peel -
Walter Hudd Air Vice-Marshal Halahan -
Ernest Clark Wing Commander Beiseigel
Trailers & Videos
Make it a double feature
3h 46m togetherBoth from Lewis Gilbert.
More from Lewis GilbertSee all →
The Sea Shall Not Have Them · 1954The Sea Shall Not Have Them
★ 7.21954
MovieDramaWar
During the autumn of 1944, RAF Hudson, carrying a VIP passenger in possession of highly secret information, is shot down and ditches in the North Sea. Fighting the elements and trying to keep up morale, the occupants of the aircraft's dinghy talk about their lives awaiting the rescue they hope will come. The film's title reflects the motto of the RAF's Air Sea Rescue Service, one of whose high speed launches battles against its own mechanical problems, enemy action, time and the weather to locate and rescue the downed crew and the vital secret papers they carry.
Whicker's World · 1959Whicker's World
★ 7.21959
SeriesDocumentary
Whicker's World is an award-winning British television documentary series that ran from 1958 to 1994, presented by journalist and broadcaster Alan Whicker.
Originally a segment on the BBC's Tonight programme in 1958, Whicker's World became a fully-fledged television series in its own right in the 1960s. The series was first shown by the BBC until 1968, and then by ITV from 1969 to 1983, when it was produced by Yorkshire Television, in which Whicker himself was a shareholder. The series returned to the BBC in 1984, and to ITV again in 1992.
A Cry from the Streets · 1958A Cry from the Streets
★ 7.11958
MovieDrama
Bittersweet story about London's unwanted children and the good people trying to help them. Ann is a social worker, while Bill is an electrician whose contract with the local care home introduces him to the children and Ann. Events start to escalate out of control when a child takes possession of a loaded gun.
Once a Sinner · 1950Once a Sinner
★ 7.11950
MovieDrama
Impoverished British bank clerk John Ross is hopelessly in love with drop-dead gorgeous Irene James. Ross will do anything to win Irene's affections - including embezzlement. She ends up marrying him, but she can't give up her true love, slimy counterfeiter Jimmy Smart...
Educating Rita · 1983Educating Rita
★ 6.91983
MovieDramaComedy
Rita, a witty 26-year-old hairdresser, wants to 'discover' herself, so she joins the Open University where she meets the disillusioned professor of literature, Dr. Frank Bryant. His marriage has failed, his new girlfriend is having an affair with his best friend and he can't get through the day without downing a bottle or two of whisky. What Frank needs is a challenge... and along comes Rita.
Sink the Bismarck! · 1960Sink the Bismarck!
★ 6.91960
MovieWarDrama
The story of the breakout of the German battleship Bismarck—accompanied by the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen—during the early days of World War II. The Bismarck and her sister ship, Tirpitz, were the most powerful battleships in the European theater of World War II. The British Navy must find and destroy Bismarck before it can escape into the convoy lanes to inflict severe damage on the cargo shipping which was the lifeblood of the British Isles. With eight 15 inch guns, it was capable of destroying every ship in a convoy while remaining beyond the range of all Royal Navy warships.
Operation: Daybreak · 1975Operation: Daybreak
★ 6.91975
MovieActionWar
Czechoslovakia, 1942. Three brave Czech patriots risk everything to rid their country of its brutal Nazi leader, SS-General Reinhard Heydrich.
The Spy Who Loved Me · 1977The Spy Who Loved Me
★ 6.81977
MovieAdventureAction
Russian and British submarines with nuclear missiles on board both vanish from sight without a trace. England and Russia both blame each other as James Bond tries to solve the riddle of the disappearing ships. But the KGB also has an agent on the case.
The Admirable Crichton · 1957The Admirable Crichton
★ 6.81957
MovieAdventureComedy
Lord Loam has modern ideas about his household, he believes in treating his servants as his equals - at least sometimes. His butler, Crichton, still believes that members of the serving class should know their place and be happy there. But when the Loam family are shipwrecked on a desert island with the self-reliant Crichton and lady's maid Tweeny, the class system is put to the test.
H.M.S. Defiant · 1962H.M.S. Defiant
★ 6.61962
MovieAdventureHistory
Defiant's crew is part of a fleet-wide movement to present a petition of grievances to the Admiralty. Violence must be no part of it. The continual sadism of Defiant's first officer makes this difficult, and when the captain is disabled, the chance for violence increases.
You Only Live Twice · 1967You Only Live Twice
★ 6.61967
MovieActionThriller
A mysterious spacecraft captures Russian and American space capsules and brings the two superpowers to the brink of war. James Bond investigates the case in Japan and comes face to face with his archenemy Blofeld.
There Is Another Sun · 1951There Is Another Sun
★ 6.51951
MovieCrime
Story of romance between a young boxer in fairground boxing booth and a chorus girl, and how 'Racer', a 'Wall of Death' rider in the same fairground, involves them in a robbery.
Alfie · 1966Alfie
★ 6.51966
MovieComedyDrama
A young man leads a promiscuous lifestyle until several life reversals make him rethink his purposes and goals in life.
The 7th Dawn · 1964The 7th Dawn
★ 6.51964
MovieAdventureDrama
Political and personal intrigues surround a group of characters in Malaya, after the close of the Second World War.
Shirley Valentine · 1989Shirley Valentine
★ 6.31989
MovieRomanceComedy
Wondering what has happened to herself, now feeling stagnant and in a rut, Shirley Valentine finds herself regularly talking to the wall while preparing her husband's chips and egg. When her best friend wins a trip-for-two to Greece Shirley begins to see the world, and herself, in a different light.
The Good Die Young · 1954The Good Die Young
★ 6.31954
MovieThrillerCrime
An amoral, psychotic playboy incites three men who are down on their luck to commit a mail van robbery, which goes badly wrong.
More Like This
Bloody Sunday · 2002Bloody Sunday
★ 7.22002
MovieDramaHistory
The dramatised story of the Irish civil rights protest march on January 30 1972 which ended in a massacre by British troops.
Atonement · 2007Atonement
★ 7.62007
MovieDramaRomance
A young girl irrevocably changes the course of several lives when she accuses her older sister's lover of a crime he did not commit.
Triple Cross · 1966Triple Cross
★ 6.11966
MovieAdventureWar
Safecracker Eddie Chapman is languishing in prison on the island of Jersey when the Nazis arrive. An adept manipulator of situations, Chapman convinces the Germans to use him to spy on the British. And when the would-be traitor arrives home, he convinces the English to use him as a double agent -- in exchange for a full pardon.
Decision Before Dawn · 1951Decision Before Dawn
★ 6.81951
MovieWarAction
WWII is entering its last phase: Germany is in ruins, but does not yield. The US army lacks crucial knowledge about the German units operating on the opposite side of the Rhine, and decides to send two German prisoners to gather information. The scheme is risky: the Gestapo retains a terribly efficient network to identify and capture spies and deserters. Moreover, it is not clear that "Tiger", who does not mind any dirty work as long as the price is right, and war-weary "Happy", who might be easily betrayed by his feelings, are dependable agents. After Tiger and another American agent are successfully infiltrated, Happy is parachuted in Bavaria. His duty: find out the whereabouts of a powerful German armored unit moving towards the western front.
Blow · 2001Blow
★ 7.42001
MovieCrimeDrama
The story of how George Jung, together with the Medellín Cartel led by Pablo Escobar, established the billion-dollar cocaine empire in the United States in the 1970s.
Breach · 2007Breach
★ 6.62007
MovieDramaThriller
Eric O'Neill, a low-level surveillance expert with the FBI, believes he is accomplishing his dream of becoming a full-fledged agent, with his unexpected promotion and assignment to clerk for Robert Hanssen, a renowned senior agent with 25 years in the FBI. However, he soon learns the reason for his promotion is to gain Hanssen's trust and find proof that he is a traitor to the country. Determined to draw the suspected double-agent out of deep cover, O'Neill finds himself in a lethal game of spy vs. spy, where nothing is as it seems.
Spellbound · 1945Spellbound
★ 7.41945
MovieDramaCrime
When Dr. Anthony Edwardes arrives at a Vermont mental hospital to replace the outgoing hospital director, Dr. Constance Peterson, a psychoanalyst, discovers Edwardes is actually an impostor. The man confesses that the real Dr. Edwardes is dead and fears he may have killed him, but cannot recall anything. Dr. Peterson, however is convinced his impostor is innocent of the man's murder, and joins him on a quest to unravel his amnesia through psychoanalysis.
Danton · 1983Danton
★ 6.91983
MovieDramaHistory
Danton and Robespierre were close friends and fought together in the French Revolution, but by 1793 Robespierre was France's ruler, determined to wipe out opposition with a series of mass executions that became known as the Reign of Terror. Danton, well known as a spokesman of the people, had been living in relative solitude in the French countryside, but he returned to Paris to challenge Robespierre's violent rule and call for the people to demand their rights. Robespierre, however, could not accept such a challenge, even from a friend and colleague, and he blocked out a plan for the capture and execution of Danton and his allies.
