Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines (1965)

In 1910, a British newspaper magnate (Robert Morley) sponsors an international air race from London to Paris with the winner to receive 10,000 pounds! Flyers from all over the world enter the race including France (Jean Pierre Cassel), Germany (Gert Frobe), Italy (Alberto Sordi), Japan (Yujiro Ishihara), the U.S. (Stuart Whitman) and of course, England (James Fox, Terry Thomas). Directed by Ken Annakin (SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON), I'm quite fond of this large scale comedy and prefer it to the other 1965 race comedy, Blake Edwards' THE GREAT RACE. Although I like that one too, this one is more consistent and less bloated. The flying sequences are wonderful and masterfully shot in 65 millimeter Todd AO by Christopher Challis (THE DEEP). The attention to period detail is top notch which includes the handsome costumes by Osbert Lancaster as well as the aircraft themselves. The film is full of sight gags and amusing lines as when Robert Morley haughtily complains that "One of the problems with these international affairs is that they attract foreigners".  Good fun. The large cast includes Sarah Miles, Red Skelton, Irina Demick, Flora Robson, Benny Hill, Sam Wanamaker, Karl Michael Vogler, Maurice Denham, Zena Marshall and Millicent Martin.