calvinnme ... instead it is a fun little espionage piece with a witty script with its tongue placed firmly in its cheek. Set during the tense years preceding the outbreak of WWII, the Brits are losing experimental aircraft (the titular Q Planes) in mysterious circumstances, and Ralph Richardson's character is head of a government agency out to discover whats really going on, whilst Valerie Hobson is seemingly a spy for a foreign power, trying none-too-subtly to extract information from a bemused, cynical test pilot played by Laurence Olivier just before he headed off to bigger things.The tone of the film is set from the initial scene, which opens with a composed, but confused Richardson trying to work out what he's doing in a trashed room, why he's surrounded by police, and what the heck his own name is.Aside from a fun plot & great cast, there are some neat period aircraft up for viewing, for those with an interest in such things. Some other interesting tidbits that Wikipedia turned up are that airfield shots in the film were filmed at Brooklands (an early center of aviation & motor racing) and that the film was apparently based off actual events where the British government believed that the Germans were behind the downing of an experimental plane over the English Channel, so they helped fund this movie to let the Germans know that they were on to them, without any messy diplomatic unpleasantness being needed.

edwagreen The film, though a good one, seems to have a rushed up ending to draw to the climax as soon as possible. I guess that is called film budgeting.Ralph Richardson, in a way, is comedic here and that was something different for the veteran screen star. As the head of the bureau, he is often right exactly where the action is, while he has to constantly disappoint a female dinner date who can't get to tell him something.The film involves planes with special secretive equipment mysteriously disappearing throughout the world as the war clouds in 1939 are gathering. Laurence Olivier is one of the pilots and he makes sure that when one plane is downed, it doesn't have the necessary material leading the spy ring involved to kill the British employee who was in cahoots with them and thus opening a Pandora's box.Valerie Hobson is a waitress whose shifty eyes and questioning reveals that she is much more than a waitress- a newspaper reporter itching to get information on exactly what is going on. Coincidentally, she is the sister of the Richardson character and soon the love interest of Olivier.Would have rated this even higher had it not been for the rather quick ending to a sordid affair.

writers_reign The great Ralph Richardson not only walks away with this film but makes Laurence Olivier look as wooden as Richard Todd, John Gregson, Laurence Harvey and Richard Pasco combined. Both primarily actors in the theatre they had appeared in something like ten or twelve movies apiece (including The Divorce Of Lady X in which they both played) but whilst Richardson is laid-back and thoroughly at home before the camera Olivier is self-conscious in the extreme and about as believable as a pilot as Stan Laurel would be as a thoracic surgeon. It's all very Boy's Own Paper with a fair quota of sloppiness in the writing - no explanation of why Richardson is sleeping in a building that is being raided by police and nothing more said of the raid, for example, plus George Merrit's character - supposedly a hard-headed businessman who has built up an airplane factory yet is portrayed as a buffoon. All this is forgiven whenever Richardson is on screen which, luckily for us - and tough for Olivier - is virtually throughout the running time.

peterjamesyates A 'Korda Collection' classic film and I shan't part with my videocassette - 'Tiger' comic script and stilted dialogue notwithstanding. Doesn't even matter that McVane appears to take off in a different airplane to that which is captured and seen in flight. Only trouble with Valerie Hobson is she retired too early.