The Sound Barrier (Blu-ray)

A 2018 BFI Restoration! From David Lean, the legendary director of Brief Encounter, Hobson’s Choice, The Bridge on the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago and A Passage to India, comes this classic drama about the men who challenged the speed of sound, told from the viewpoint of central character Sir John Ridgefield (Ralph Richardson, Outcast of the Islands). The oil tycoon and aircraft constructor is determined to manufacture a supersonic jet that will travel faster than the speed of sound, and his unswerving desire to reach this goal brings suffering, even death, to his own family. Shocked at her father’s disregard for human life, his daughter Susan (Ann Todd, The Paradine Case) walks out on him. Unperturbed, Ridgefield approaches another pilot with the challenge of piloting his test craft. The film received an Oscar nomination for its screenplay by Terence Rattigan (Separate Tables) and won the 1953 Oscar for Best Sound, Recording. Beautifully shot by the great Jack Hildyard (The Devil’s Disciple) and co-starring Nigel Patrick (The League of Gentlemen), John Justin (The Thief of Bagdad) and Denholm Elliott (The Holly and the Ivy), The Sound Barrier is one of the finest aviation films ever made.