Copyright 1956 by Toluca (William Holden) Productions. Released through Warner Bros. New York opening at the Paramount: 27 September 1956. U.S. release: 20 October 1956. U.K. release: 6 January 1957. Australian release: 1 August 1957. 10,314 feet. 114 minutes.
SYNOPSIS: Major Lincoln Bond (William Holden), who after months of torture signed a germ warfare confession in Korea, arrives at the Flight Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base, California, commanded by Brigadier General Banner (Lloyd Nolan). He hopes to be reassigned as a test pilot and enlists the aid of his friend, Colonel McKee (Charles McGraw). McKee is informed by Banner that Bond's record established him as undependable for further test pilot work. Outside the office, Bond has a somewhat awkward reunion with Banner's secretary, Connie Mitchell (Virginia Leith). Though they had been sweethearts, Bond has been too ashamed to write her since his crack- up in the prisoner-of-war camp. Bond confides to Connie how eager he is to regain the confidence of the people who used to rely on him. T
NOTES: Location scenes filmed at Edwards Air Force Base, California. The needle-nosed X-2 plane shown in the movie was actually flown by test pilot Pete Everest.
VIEWERS' GUIDE: Boring enough for all, if you don't mind excessive xenophobia.
COMMENT: I don't share the general mild enthusiasm for "Brink of Hell". I found it dull. I agree that airplane nuts will undoubtedly get a thrill or two from the widescreen vistas of planes looping the flight fantastic, but the downstairs drama of job-jockeying and rekindled romance is strictly time-twiddling, utterly routine, cornball fluff.
Heavily jingoistic sludge like this with its obligatory pats on the back for the U.S. Air Force, would tax the vitality and imagination of a really enthusiastic director. To a tired old Hollywood figure like Mervyn LeRoy, however, "Brink of Hell" doubtless represented just another paycheck.
That's the way it seemed to me too. Just another airplane picture. Predictably plotted, garrulously acted, listlessly directed, this picture takes us well beyond the "Brink of Hell" into the abyss of boredom.
SYNOPSIS: Major Lincoln Bond (William Holden), who after months of torture signed a germ warfare confession in Korea, arrives at the Flight Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base, California, commanded by Brigadier General Banner (Lloyd Nolan). He hopes to be reassigned as a test pilot and enlists the aid of his friend, Colonel McKee (Charles McGraw). McKee is informed by Banner that Bond's record established him as undependable for further test pilot work. Outside the office, Bond has a somewhat awkward reunion with Banner's secretary, Connie Mitchell (Virginia Leith). Though they had been sweethearts, Bond has been too ashamed to write her since his crack- up in the prisoner-of-war camp. Bond confides to Connie how eager he is to regain the confidence of the people who used to rely on him. T
NOTES: Location scenes filmed at Edwards Air Force Base, California. The needle-nosed X-2 plane shown in the movie was actually flown by test pilot Pete Everest.
VIEWERS' GUIDE: Boring enough for all, if you don't mind excessive xenophobia.
COMMENT: I don't share the general mild enthusiasm for "Brink of Hell". I found it dull. I agree that airplane nuts will undoubtedly get a thrill or two from the widescreen vistas of planes looping the flight fantastic, but the downstairs drama of job-jockeying and rekindled romance is strictly time-twiddling, utterly routine, cornball fluff.
Heavily jingoistic sludge like this with its obligatory pats on the back for the U.S. Air Force, would tax the vitality and imagination of a really enthusiastic director. To a tired old Hollywood figure like Mervyn LeRoy, however, "Brink of Hell" doubtless represented just another paycheck.
That's the way it seemed to me too. Just another airplane picture. Predictably plotted, garrulously acted, listlessly directed, this picture takes us well beyond the "Brink of Hell" into the abyss of boredom.