Drama

The Man in the Sky

- Dare-devil test pilot takes you on a nerve-tingling adventure!

The efforts of test pilot John Mitchell to make a better life for his wife Mary and their two children seem doomed to failure and he blames himself. At the Conway Aero-Manufacturing Company of Wolverhampton, Mitchell is to take the company's new rocket-propulsion transport plane up for tests, fully loaded and carrying two important passengers - Ministry official Crabtree and buyer's representative Ashmore. Mitchell learns from his boss, Reg Conway, that if Ashmore does not recommend the plane, the company will be out of business and Mitchell out of a job, since the plane is not even insured as the firm's entire capital is tied up in the plane. Aloft, an engine catches fire and the passengers and other crew bail out, but Mitchell refuses to obey orders to jettison the plane in the Irish Sea.

Release Date : 1957-01-24

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Ealing Studios

Production Country : United Kingdom

Alternative Titles : Decision Against Time

Cast

Character Name : John Mitchell

Original Name : Jack Hawkins

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mary Mitchell

Original Name : Elizabeth Sellars

Gender : Female

Character Name : Reginald Conway

Original Name : Walter Fitzgerald

Gender : Male

Character Name : Ashmore

Original Name : Eddie Byrne

Gender : Male

Character Name : Peter Hook

Original Name : John Stratton

Gender : Male

Character Name : Joe Biggs

Original Name : Victor Maddern

Gender : Male

Character Name : Keith

Original Name : Lionel Jeffries

Gender : Male

Character Name : Crabtree

Original Name : Donald Pleasence

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mary's mother

Original Name : Catherine Lacey

Gender : Female

Character Name : Mrs. Snowden

Original Name : Megs Jenkins

Gender : Female

Character Name : Maine

Original Name : Ernest Clark

Gender : Male

Character Name : Nicholas Mitchell

Original Name : Jeremy Bodkin

Gender : Male

Character Name : Philip Mitchell

Original Name : Gerard Lohan

Gender : Male

Character Name : Ingrams

Original Name : Howard Marion-Crawford

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sim

Original Name : Russell Waters

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Raymond Francis

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : John Baddeley

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Mary Mackenzie

Gender : Female

Reviews

Eskyman

@Eskyman

2022-03-14

What an absolute ripper of a film! I wasn't expecting it to be so very tense; the title character, the Man in the Sky, played wonderfully well by Jack Hawkins, is a test pilot with much on his mind. He seems to feel that he's reached the end of the line, that he has nowhere to go, because the company he works for is one month away from bankruptcy and soon he'll be out of a job with nothing to fall back on. His wife is disappointed, she wants a home of her own badly to bring up their two sons, but it looks like that too won't happen because her test pilot husband can't bring himself to finance the house they both want, since he knows he may soon be in financial straits. The only hope they have is that the plane he's testing is purchased, which will save the company. In this last flight, the plane (a cargo plane) is fully loaded, with the prospective buyer aboard as well as a complete crew. Everything is going well until the port engine starts on fire! All the others on board the plane bail out, leaving only our test pilot; he's subjected to the strain of deciding whether to bail out himself, as the company owner & everyone else is telling him to do, or to try to land the plane. The fire has left the plane with only one engine & has damaged the operation of the wings, so attempting to land may well be fatal. At risk is his life, the company & all its employees, his marriage, and his future; what a decision to have to make! I just loved the character development in this film, the acting was superb, and the actual aircraft was incredible too. This movie has very little action, but a lot of tension, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! 5 stars is my rating!