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Out of the Clouds (Blu-ray)
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray A - America - Powerhouse Films Review written by and copyright: Rick Curzon (4th August 2025). |
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The Film
 From director Basil Dearden and producer Michael Relph (Saraband for Dead Lovers, The Gentle Gunman) comes Out of the Clouds, a star-studded adventure of the burgeoning jet age from Ealing Studios. A series of stories unfolds over twenty-four hours in a bustling airport: pilot and gambler Gus (Anthony Steel, Another Man’s Poison) finds himself involved in a smuggling ring; duty officer Nick (Robert Beatty, The Gentle Gunman) vies for the attentions of attractive stewardess Penny (Eunice Grayson, Dr. No); and American engineer Bill (David Knight, The Young Lovers), falls for Leah (Margo Lorenz), a young woman en route to marry her fiancé. With a screenplay co-written by documentary pioneer John Eldrige (Waverley Steps), Out of the Clouds was partly filmed at the then-rapidly expanding London Airport (now known as Heathrow), and boasts a level of realism thanks to technical assistance received from leading airlines and the Ministry of Transport.
Video
A Grand Hotel (1932) style ensemble cast melodrama about passengers and crew of a British airline flight and we even get support from Charlie Hungerford as a controller, Mina Harker and Sylvia Trench as a stewardesses, Cartwright Jones as an airline official and M as a customers officer*! A film I was not previously aware of but is very entertaining with a fine cast, good director and a nice short running time ... and we have the wonderful James Robertson Justice giving patented gruff but liveable bear performance. Were this to be made today it'd be double the length and much darker in tone. From the booklet: Out of the Clouds was sourced from Studiocanal’s HD remaster. The film’s original mono soundtrack was remastered at the same time. Waverley Steps was supplied in HD by the BFI National Archive.It's fascinating watching this one so soon after Saraband for Dead Lovers (1948) from the same studio and director, but one using Eastman Colour which is very different look to 3-strip Technicolor and much more affordable. It still has that fifties look with vivid colour with healthy primaries but it's not as intense. It's a warm grade but much more naturalistic than the more stylised look of Technicolor. Stock footage, as per usal, looks a little different and is easy to spot. Black levels and contrast are satisfying and supportive; this is another excellent Studio Canal master. There is some intended crush here and there in dark fabrics and shadows but highlights are detailed. There is some inherent softness and plenty of grain which lends the image plenty of texture, beautifully handled by the encode. Detail is generally pretty strong but is less distinct in long shots and backgrounds. Closeups are crisp, although mild filters have at times been used when photographing some of the ladies; a common practice at the time and on into the next decade (see Star Trek for instance). It all looks like it was shot yesterday with very little print damage (limited to the odd speckle in stock footage and model shots) and no digital tinkering to dampen the image. A strong transfer well handled with the shorter version seemingly crafted by cutting the restored longer version ('A'). (IMDB says this was screened matted to 1.66:1 but the master here is open matte 1.37:1) 1080p24 / AVC MPEG-4 / BD50 / 1.37:1 / 88:35, 79:36 * Terence Alexander, Melissa Stribling (Mrs Basil Dearden), Eunice Gayson, Robert Beatty and Bernard Lee ... what more could you want?
Audio
English LPCM 1.0 (48kHz, 16-bit) Subtitles: English HoH Sound is solid and professional with clear representation of dialogue, mild analogue hiss at higher volumes and score and effects know their place with the greatest presence in ambiance and big crescendoes respectively. Hard of hearing subtiles are comprehensive ('B+').
Extras
"The British Entertainment History Project (BEHP) Interview with Robert Beatty: Conducted by Roy Fowler on 18 August 1988" 1988 audio interview plays as an alternate audio track over the UK version of the film (88:32) Beatty (1909-92) is one of those ubiquitous Canadian actors who was always playing Americans and Canadians on UK stage, radio, television and in films; since 1937 according to this invaluable interview; online sources say 1936 when he joined RADA. His first film was Murder in Soho (1938) but I know him most as the "second rate" actor Cartwright Jones playing US general Carnaby in the classic Where Eagles Dare (1968) but he turns up in so many film and television productions. We start out with his time under studying Raymond Massie moving on to working with many famous actors and directors (Brian Desmond Hurst, Terence Young, Robert Hamer, Charles Friend, Charles Crichton all get a mention amongst several others) various individual films, appearing in propaganda films during the war, the negative influence of unions in the industry (Fowler chips in with his experience in the American industry), working in LA on Something of Value (1957) with Richard Brooks, 2001 with Kubrick etc. Presented in lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (48kHz, 192Kbps) with no subtitle options. "Making Connections: James Dearden Introduces Out of the Clouds" 2025 interview (10:07) "So Divinely Bossy: Jonathan Rigby on the Films and Life of James Robertson-Justice" 2025 interview (41:32) Another excellent introduction from Basil Dearden's son James covers the basis and tropes of the story, the themes, the cast, documentary and educational aspects, his mother's presence in the film and how she met his father and got into the film business (she started as a cutter, where she met Basil), the romantic aspects of the plot and of air travel in the public's imagination amongst other topics. Rigby gives as a very welcome interview outlining the life and career of the national treasure that was James Robertson Justice (1907-75); a long overdue piece dedicated to the great man. One of the mainstays of post war British cinema and guaranteed to bring great added value and grace notes to every film he appeared in. Rigby covers his life and career, how he got started, his personal interests, his key roles in the Doctor series, his love of Scotland and self deprecating attitude to his own skills, his larger than life qualities both on and off the screen amongst plenty of other aspects of his cultural footprint. Both are presented in 1080p24 1.78:1 with lossy English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo (48kHz, 112Kbps) and no subtitle options. Out of the Clouds Image Gallery: Original Promotional Material (50 images) Out of the Clouds Image Gallery: Dialogue Continuity Script (77 images) Two welcome galleries in HD. "Waverley Steps: A Visit to Edinburgh" 1948 short film (31:12) Short film restored by the BFI and held in The National Archive about Edinburgh. Generally looks excellent with crisp monochrome cinematography and a solid mono track. There plenty of mild speckling at times but nothing much that most will notice. Presented in 1080p24 1.37:1 with lossy English Dolby Digital 1.0 (48kHz, 192Kbps) sound and optional English hard of hearing subtitles. 40-page liner notes booklet with new essay by Robert Murphy, archival profiles of Eunice Grayson, Margo Lorenz and James Robertson Justice, extracts from the film’s pressbook, writing on Waverley Steps and full film credits Excellent informative hardcopy companion to the film.
Packaging
Not sent for review.
Overall
Yet another long unseen treasure from the archives get dusted off and presented in HD for the US market via an excellent Studio Canal master (released in the UK, hence why this is a US-only release) and from Powerhouse Films. Mage and sound are top notch and the extras of great added value, especially the screen-talk with Robert Beatty, one of the unsung stalwarts of UK television and cinema. Highly recommended ('A').
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