Live stream preview

Watch this video and more on BFI Player Classics

Watch this video and more on BFI Player Classics

Start your free trial Learn more

Already subscribed? Sign in

Aces High

Britons in Battle • War, PG

New airforce recruit Peter Firth takes an instant dislike to his embittered squadron leader, Malcolm McDowell. But as the young pilot experiences the tensions and stresses of warfare, his dislike turns to admiration. Jack Gold directs this First World War drama based on R. C. Sherriff's classic play Journey's End, updating the action from the trenches to the air. Also starring Christopher Plummer and John Gielgud, this stirring war film features excellently photographed aerial dogfight sequences.

Tags
World War I, Western Front (WWI), Aerial warfare, Royal Air Force
Cast
Malcolm McDowell Major John Gresham
Christopher Plummer Captain 'Uncle' Sinclair
Simon Ward Lieutenant Crawford
Peter Firth Lieutenant Stephen Croft
Crew
Jack Gold director

Up Next in Britons in Battle

  • Elenya
    1:18:08
    Elenya

    Elenya

    In Wales during World War Two, a German airman crash-lands in a wood and is found by 12-year-old Elenya. She decides to keep him a secret and does so for as long as she can until finally the village learns the truth, with tragic consequences.

  • Crook's Tour
    1:17:41
    Crook's Tour

    Crook's Tour

    After scene-stealing performances in The Lady Vanishes (1938) and Night Train to Munich (1940), Charters and Caldicott (Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne) take centre stage in this charming spy comedy. When the duo are mistaken for German agents, they receive a gramophone record which contains vita...

  • Colditz Story
    1:37:42
    Colditz Story

    Colditz Story

    After escaping from other camps, allied prisoners from all nations were taken to the medieval castle of Colditz, where the guards outnumbered the prisoners. However, when the allied troops decide to pool their ideas together, numerous inventive escape plans are hatched. Starring John Mills and Er...

×