"THE WIND IN THE WIRES" CELEBRATION OF EARLY AVIATION & WWI AERIAL COMBAT DOCUMENTARY 64754

About

Presented as a promotional film by Rothmans of Pall Mall, a British tobacco company, "The Wind in the Wires" is a short 1970s aviation film narrated by James Mason that recounts the history of modern aviation (primarily in Britain) from roughly 1900 until the inter-war period. The film uses both old monochrome footage of original aircraft as well as contemporary color footage of replica planes in flight, and includes a number of photographs of famous aviators. The film begins with a shot of a “birdman” about to attempt flight by leaping off the Eiffel Tower (00:15)—he is unsuccessful and falls to his death (02:07). Too bad he didn't have a modern birdsuit! An old biplane performs aerial acrobatics (00:50). Frenchman Louis Bleriot (03:30) takes off on the morning of 25 July 1909 in the Bleriot XI, a monoplane, and he successfully becomes the first person to fly over the English Channel. There are several shots of nature scenes (flowers, fields, streams, bees), which is common throughout the entire film. A man primes the engine of an old plane made of wire and wood (05:02) and taxis for takeoff. The film shows the “huts” of Britain’s first flying school, Brooklands (05:38), which also became the country’s largest aircraft manufacturing center. The film features footage of early plane designs and the pilots and designers who attempt to get the machines to fly. One of those early planes crashes (06:38). A Bristol biplane is started up in a field and takes off (07:28). A man opens a hanger to revel his aviation contraption (07:55), which features multiple levels of wings. The Wright Brothers visit England (08:24) and watch a plane take off. The film gives viewers a look at some of the British flight pioneers (08:54). A newer single-prop plane made of steel takes off (11:01). Members of the British military taxi a battle plane by hand onto the runway (11:44); the plane takes off. A photo shows a group of Allied pilots; a second photo shows a group of German pilots. This is followed by some footage of the dogfights waged between the German and Allied forces during World War I. The famed German ace pilot Baron Manfred von Richthofen (13:30) is shot down. Allied troops scavenge his crashed plane but honor him with a full military funeral. A photograph shows a number of planes (14:53), while another shows pilots grouped together at an air field with planes in the background. A parade is lined with crowds cheering after the signing of the armistice (15:50), ending World War I. John Alcock and Arthur Whitten Brown, who flew a modified Vickers Vimy (bomber) over the Atlantic, are celebrated. Roy and Keith Smith are shown after their flight to Australia. There is footage of men flying new types of planes, and a montage sequence shows new plane designs being tested, often with unpleasant results (17:13). The film concludes with two planes flying aerial acrobatics.

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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com

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