The Way to the Stars
Life on a British bomber base, and the surrounding towns, from the opening days of the Battle of Britain, to the arrival of the Americans, who join in the bomber offensive. The film centres around Pilot Officer Peter Penrose, fresh out of a training unit, who joins the squadron, and quickly discovers about life during war time. He falls for Iris, a young girl who lives at the local hotel, but he becomes disillusioned about marriage, when the squadron commander dies in a raid, and leaves his wife, the hotel manageress, with a young son to bring up. As the war progresses, Penross comes to terms that he has survived, while others have been killed.
From the archive
Life in and around a British bomber base from 1940 to early 1943. Excellent cast. Solid direction. Good production. This isn't a traditional war actioner. Rather it's a drama with romantic elements of how lives are impacted by war. Although highly regarded now, it flopped at its US opening, possibly because audiences were expecting a British actioner like "One of Our Aircraft is Missing" or "We Dive at Dawn." Directed by Anthony Asquith. Released in 1945. a.k.a. "Johnny in the Clouds" (US). Complete print CAST NOTES: Jean Simmons appears in the minor role of a singer. Burgess Meredith had been offered Douglass Montgomery's role (Johnny Hollis). NOTE: "One of Our Aircraft is Missing" and "We Dive at Dawn" are available here at IA.
Why this is free to watch
The Way to the Stars (1945) is hosted by the Internet Archive as a public-domain or openly licensed work, which means its copyright has expired, lapsed, or was released by the rights holder. The uploader declared an explicit licence, linked in the source panel. Nitrate streams the file directly from the Archive and hosts no video itself.
- Director
- Anthony Asquith
- Starring
- Michael Redgrave, John Mills, Rosamund John, Douglass Montgomery, Renée Asherson, Stanley Holloway, Basil Radford, Felix Aylmer
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