Q Planes is regarded as a propaganda film but it was made before Britain entered World War 2.
Co-written by Jack Whittingham who went on to write a James Bond film. There is a touch of espionage and sabotage in this movie.
British planes carrying an experimental supercharger for test flights have gone missing at sea. Each time, a search and rescue mission detects no signs of the planes, wreckage or the crew.
Major Charles Hammond (Ralph Richardson) is the eccentric secret service agent who believes that there is something amiss. Maybe even a spy working for a foreign nation is working for the plane manufacturer.
In fact the planes were brought down by a ray gun by a salvage ship that pretends to be British. They are looking for the experimental supercharger.
Tony McVane (Laurence Olivier) is a pilot who suspects wrongdoing but the plane manufacturer seems to have buried their head in the sand.
Eventually Hammond and McVane join forces but will they be able to carry out the next test flight successfully?
Q Planes is a strange film. A comedy espionage drama. Richardson does the quirky comedy. Olivier is the action man, he even gets to romance Hammond's journalist sister.
It is also not a very good film. I expect this was made in the expectation that Britain was going to war with Germany.
Some of the characters are very lackadaisical about security issues or that there could be sabotage. There is no concern that a foreign power might want to get their hands on the supercharger.
The climax with McVane and fellow pilots overpowering the crew of the salvage ship was a bit over the top. At least Olivier managed to show he could be an action hero.
Co-written by Jack Whittingham who went on to write a James Bond film. There is a touch of espionage and sabotage in this movie.
British planes carrying an experimental supercharger for test flights have gone missing at sea. Each time, a search and rescue mission detects no signs of the planes, wreckage or the crew.
Major Charles Hammond (Ralph Richardson) is the eccentric secret service agent who believes that there is something amiss. Maybe even a spy working for a foreign nation is working for the plane manufacturer.
In fact the planes were brought down by a ray gun by a salvage ship that pretends to be British. They are looking for the experimental supercharger.
Tony McVane (Laurence Olivier) is a pilot who suspects wrongdoing but the plane manufacturer seems to have buried their head in the sand.
Eventually Hammond and McVane join forces but will they be able to carry out the next test flight successfully?
Q Planes is a strange film. A comedy espionage drama. Richardson does the quirky comedy. Olivier is the action man, he even gets to romance Hammond's journalist sister.
It is also not a very good film. I expect this was made in the expectation that Britain was going to war with Germany.
Some of the characters are very lackadaisical about security issues or that there could be sabotage. There is no concern that a foreign power might want to get their hands on the supercharger.
The climax with McVane and fellow pilots overpowering the crew of the salvage ship was a bit over the top. At least Olivier managed to show he could be an action hero.