The Stolen Airliner

The Stolen Airliner
Opening titles
Directed byDon Sharp
Written byDon Sharp
John Pudney
Based onnovel Thursday Adventure by John Pudney
Produced byHoward Thomas
StarringFella Edmonds
Diana Day
Michael Maguire
CinematographyJo Jago
Edited byEily Boland
Music byPhilip Green
Production
companies
Release date
  • 1955 (1955)
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

The Stolen Airliner is a 1955 British Children's Film Foundation production, directed by Don Sharp and starring Fella Edmonds, Diana Day and Michael Maguire.[1][2] It was based on John Pudney's 1955 adventure story for boys, Thursday Adventure.[3]

Premise

An international gang of revolutionaries hijack a plane which is being guarded by three young air cadets. The crooks are overpowered in midair, and the Royal Air Force eventually comes to the rescue.

Cast

Production

It was Don Sharp's debut feature film as director, although he had directed some documentaries, following his decision to abandon acting.[4] According to Anthony Hayward the film "demonstrated [Sharp's] ability to keep the action fast-paced".[5] Sharp had written a number of films with John Pudney, whose novel formed the basis for this film. Sharp called it "a very good little action movie".[6]

Reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "'The film takes a little time to warm to the excitements of the story, and some of the climaxes are spoilt by poor timing, but once the plot is under way it gets its response from the child audience. No great demands are made on the boy and girl players, who, on the whole, acquit themselves with credit, but the adults are less effective; Uncle George, in particular, plays in a brusque, unsmiling manner which it is hard to believe is attractive to children. The villains are suitably obvious; their excessive ineptitude, however, to some extent weakens the tension at moments of danger. Not'the best of the C.F.F. films, it is, nevertheless, a welcome addition to the repertoire of Saturday morning entertainment."[7]

References

  1. ^ "The Stolen Airliner". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  2. ^ BFI.org
  3. ^ 'Pudney, John' in The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction
  4. ^ Vagg, Stephen (27 July 2019). "Unsung Aussie Filmmakers: Don Sharp – A Top 25". Filmink.
  5. ^ Don Sharp, obituary in The Independent, 29 December 2011
  6. ^ Sharp, Don (2 November 1993). "Don Sharp Side 2" (Interview). Interviewed by Teddy Darvas and Alan Lawson. London: History Project. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  7. ^ "The Stolen Airliner". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 22 (252): 169. 1 January 1955 – via ProQuest.


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