ACES HIGH

 

ACES HIGH is a 1976 British film, a loose adaptation of JOURNEY'S END, an acclaimed stage drama concerning life in the trenches during World War One. It is a movie that is almost unknown today, despite its worthy cast. 

Set in 1917, somewhere in France, the story concerns a squadron of British pilots commanded by Major Gresham (Malcolm McDowell). A very young replacement flyer named Croft (Peter Firth) arrives to join the group, much to the consternation of Gresham. Croft is the younger brother of Gresham's girlfriend, and the lad looks up to his commanding officer (the two men attended the same boarding school). Gresham has to drink just to be able to fly, and he doesn't want Croft to discover this. He also doesn't want to be responsible for the younger man's life--pilots don't last very long in this type of war. The eager Croft is full of enthusiasm for what lies ahead, but he soon learns that the life of a military pilot is dreary and deadly instead of being adventurous and heroic. 

One can understand why producer Benjamin Fisz wanted to turn JOURNEY'S END into an aviation tale--Fisz himself was a pilot in WWII, and the original play isn't very cinematic. ACES HIGH tries to mix personal drama exciting action sequences, and the result is the movie has an in-between type of feel. (In an interview presented as an extra on the Kino Blu-ray of ACES HIGH, Malcolm McDowell suggests this feeling is why the film wasn't a major success.) 

The aerial sequences are very impressive, and the movie also makes excellent use of models and miniatures, but I wouldn't call ACES HIGH an action-packed spectacular. It's not on the epic level of WWI sagas such as WINGS or HELL'S ANGELS. What ACES HIGH does feature is some outstanding performances from a number of fine British actors. 

Malcolm McDowell's Gresham is based on the lead character of JOURNEY'S END, Captain Stanhope. Stanhope was memorably played by Colin Clive on stage and screen. Clive's Stanhope was edgy and ready to snap at a moment's notice. McDowell's Gresham, despite his drinking problem, is still able to keep things together and do his job. One would think that McDowell, with his reputation for snarky flamboyance, would go all out with the role of Gresham, but he surprisingly underplays the part--it's one of McDowell's most restrained screen appearances, and it's an approach that works well here. Gresham may be boiling inside, but he's an English gentleman, and he has a duty as a soldier, and McDowell shows that no matter what, he's determined to carry it out. 

Peter Firth is very good as the callow Croft, and Christopher Plummer plays an older officer of the squadron known as "Uncle". Uncle is a kind man who quietly serves as a mentor for the young flyers and as someone Gresham can depend upon. Simon Ward plays a pilot who has lost his nerve, and the film is ably served by guest appearances from John Gielgud, Trevor Howard, Ray Milland, and Richard Johnson. 

ACES HIGH didn't make much of a splash when it came out in 1976. It didn't get much of an American theatrical release (some sources say that it wasn't released in America at all). I assume the main reason for it being passed by was that in the mid-1970s something like this would have seemed very old-fashioned (the movie has no overt gore or explicit material). ACES HIGH was capably directed by Jack Gold, and I enjoyed it very much, especially considering that I am a history buff. I must point out though that what happens in the film is very familiar. If you've seen a number of movies concerning WWI flyers, you'll know all the plot points of ACES HIGH: young men trying to survive a pressured-packed situation, the folly and inevitability of war, the idea that the higher brass care little for the men who actually do the fighting, etc. Despite this familiarity ACES HIGH is a fine production that deserves more attention.