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The Sound Barrier Overview:

The Sound Barrier (1952) was a Drama - Romance Film directed by David Lean and produced by David Lean and Norman Spencer.

The Sound Barrier BlogHub Articles:

The Sound Barrier (1952, David Lean)

By Andrew Wickliffe on Jul 20, 2018 From The Stop Button

There’s a lot to The Sound Barrier. Outside the truly magnificent aerial photography, not much of it has to do with the film itself. Other than director Lean and writer Terence Rattigan rewriting actual history to make it so a private British aircraft company “broke” the sound barrier some fiv... Read full article

Breaking the Sound Barrier (1952)

By Beatrice on Sep 17, 2015 From Flickers in Time

Breaking the Sound Barrier Directed by David Lean Written by Terrence Rattigan 1952/UK London Film Productions First viewing/Netflix rental Not what one might expect from the creative talent involved but still a solid picture about the development of supersonic flight. The movie begins in the m... Read full article

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The Sound Barrier Quotes:

No Quote for this film.
The Sound Barrier Facts
The flying sequences under the direction of Anthony Squire, were based at the Vickers aerodrome at Chilbolton near Nether Wallop in Hampshire. Squire managed to secure one of the last airworthy Avro Lancaster bombers for the task. The cameramen were positioned in the front and rear turrets whilst Squire conducted proceedings from the central astrodome. The Lancaster was replaced by a Vickers Valetta after all but Squire had fallen asleep due to an oxygen supply failure. Luckily as he recalled, "They all woke up on the way down, like people in a fairy wood, but I didn't bother with the Lancaster again."
The BAFTA awards associated with "Sound Barrier" were made at a ceremony prior to a showing of "The Titfield Thunderbolt" at the Leicester Square Theatre on March 5th 1953. Mr Michael Redgrave presented the awards.
With this film, Ralph Richardson became the first actor to win the New York Film Critics Award for Best Actor who didn't also go on to win an Oscar nomination.
Despite this fictionalized story of breaking the sound barrier, this feat was accomplished by Air Force General Chuck Yeager on October 14, 1947 at Edwards Air Force Base. Furthermore, Yeager explained that if a pilot were to break the sound barrier in the manner depicted in the film, the pilot would've been killed. The film was also heavily based on the endeavors of the De Havilland company in the UK. Geoffrey De Havilland Jr, son of company owner Geoffrey De Havilland was killed in September 1946 whilst conducting high speed tests approaching the speed of sound over the Thames estuary.
There are major aviation errors in this movie. The movie shows the Comet jetliner in testing before it went operational. By the time the Comet first flew the breaking of the sound barrier was already several years in the past whereas, in the movie, it hasn't been done yet. The movie also implies that the Vampire jet that is flown from England to Egypt made the flight nonstop. The Vampire would have needed at least one refueling stop, and probably two if flying anywhere near its maximum speed.
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