The movie begins with a tribute to flying pioneers (a lot of them including Guynemer and Mermoz) It's amazing to think that this movie was based on a play ,for it deals with the aircraft industry ,complete with flights,competition (the highlight is the fight for the cup),and ....crashes.
The love triangle:Marie Bell,her husband (Jean Galland ) ,the aviator about to (reluctantly) give up flying ,and her suitor , bound to win ,is not actually the subject of the movie.A harrowing scene shows Hélène coming to tell one of her friends that her husband was killed in an air crash ;she sheds not a tear,she speaks not a word,but the lady ,her little boy on her side,has understood.
Hélène 's husband thinks that she's in love with the future champion and his pride knows no bounds:he wants to carry on.When he realizes that his wife has always been afraid ,all along her life ,to lose him,it will be "his biggest victory" and Worth all the cups in the world.
The two songs are mostly filler;the first one ("Les Marins Du Ciel" =sky sailors) has become ridiculous;the second one is a straight love song,à la Jeannette McDonald.
Yvan Noé(Noemann),oddly,was at his best when he broached the fantasy genre:his most memorable works are certainly "Une Mort Sans Importance " and "La Cavalcade Des Heures " ,the latter being a must for anyone interested in the French cinema ;although Superior to "Ceux Du Ciel" (those from the sky) ,they both deal with death,or should I say,the fear of death ,which tends to show that Noé was perhaps an auteur,after all.
