Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes

20th Century-Fox Presents The Motion Picture That Sets Comedy Ahead 100 Years!

1965 • 138 min • Comedy

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Synopsis

In order to boost circulation of his newspaper, Lord Rawnsley announces an air race and offers £10,000 to the first person who can fly across the English Channel. But one of the participants, Percy, plots to sabotage his competitor's planes. Will Percy triumph?

Our family guide

Best from age 6

Movie Knight Score

203 reviews

100 Reviewers · 2 · 51%
68 Audience · 201 · 49%

In 1910, a newspaper magnate offers a huge prize for the first flyer to race from London to Paris. International competitors arrive with their quirky aircraft, leading to comedic mishaps and rivalries. It's a fun, lighthearted adventure about the dawn of aviation.

Violence & peril: 2/10
Language: 1/10
Drinking, drugs & smoking: 2/10
Romance & sensuality: 1/10
Scary moments: 1/10

Heads up

Slapstick comedy with some falls and crashes
Mild alcohol consumption at celebrations
Some gentle humor about national stereotypes

What it models well

Perseverance and determination
Innovation and invention
Sportsmanship (mostly!)

Talk about it after

The early days of aviation and flight technology
Different cultures and national stereotypes
The challenges and excitement of a big competition

Written by the Movie Knight editorial team for Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes. Our own words, our own scoring — always double-check against your family's standards.

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Top billed cast

Director: Ken Annakin • Crew: Ken Annakin, Jack Davies

Trailers & clips

Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (1965) B&W Trailer

THOSE MAGNIFICENT MEN IN THEIR FLYING MACHINES Trailer

Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines Trailer [HD]

Reviewer notes

RecommendedTrusted family reviewers
I remember this was always on STV when I was a child, and so with all the adverts it ran to over three hours and so I’m not sure I’ve ever got to the end of it until now. Now that I have, I found it quite an enjoyable romp in the style of David’s Niven’s “Around the World…” from 1956. “Lord Rawnsley” (Robert Morley) is worried that British preeminence in the aviation race might, well, not actually exist.…
CinemaSerf, TMDB Community

Recommended
So STRANGE that I get to write a first review of this movie. This movie, short handed to TMMTFM, is so much fun to watch, and on a DVD (or Blue Ray), you can pause it while you fetch your O2 bottle so that you do not turn blue. I will leave it up to proper aeroplanists as to whether or not this is good flying instruction. However, as a former unit Safety Officer, spotting safety hazards can be a real sport.…
RaeElaine, TMDB Community