MovieChat Forums > Reach for the Sky (1956) Discussion > Why is this film not available in the US...

Why is this film not available in the USA?

posted 18 years ago by Byronik
22 replies | jump to latest

This classic movie seems to be unknown to American audiences. And yet so many would be inspired by the amazing story of Douglas Bader, especially given the present policy of the US forces to allow some amputees to continue to serve.

It doesn't even get an airing on cable TV, even though I've requested it on the Turner Classic Movies Web site several times.

It seems ironic that this film is available in Germany and may not be seen by our American allies. Something must be done. Write your M.P. or something.

http://byronik.com

[–] silvergirl606 18 years ago

Oh I agree. It's a great movie that didn't mess with the true amazing facts of Douglas Bader's life (though a little more POW camp, espcially Colditz scenes would have been nice.) I had to buy it on VHS on ebay for 15 bucks

[–] seden32 18 years ago

silvergirl1606-I am also a great fan of 'Reach for the Sky'. I have been looking for a copy, either VHS or disk, for many years but have been unsuccessful. Was the copy you bought proffessionally made or copied from a TV broadcast? Was it made in the USA or in Europe? Hope to hear from you. seden32

[–] stuartdj 18 years ago

The film was released by the Rank Orgnaisation in the United Kingdom in 1956. If it was released in the United States, it is likely to have been so through Universal who handled a fair amount of Rank's films as Rank owned, at one time,40% of the company.

The rights for the film currently reside with Granada Ventures, United Kingdom

[–] d-riley-1 18 years ago

Just checked Ebay.uk and there were 51 copies of this movie on dvd, the cheapest was £1 and he posts to the USA and Canada.

I know the exchange rate isnt great for you at the moment but still pretty cheap.

David

[–] Byronik 18 years ago

But that's not going to be watchable on Region 1 NTSC format DVD players, is it?

http://byronik.blogspot.com

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[–] Byronik 16 years ago

I've discovered that it's possible to download an avi of the movie by means of bit torrent. Then you can convert from avi format to burn a DVD that is playable on NTSC DVD players. However, after all that, the kids seem to think it is a bit of a goofy old flick.

http://byronik.com

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[–] ba2 18 years ago

I would suggest that the reason this fantastic film has not been shown in the USA is, I suspect that the powers that be fear mass rioting if the TV networks so much as think about showing a black and white film...I may of course be wrong.

[–] Byronik 18 years ago

Never mind TV, what about Region-1 VHS or DVD? Actually we cable subscribers in the USA get whole weeks of monochrome film on Turner Classic Movies. Reach for the Sky somehow never makes the cut.

In fact the once tiresomely ubiquitous Kenneth More seems to be a forgotten man in the United States. We only see him in The Longest Day, Genevieve, The Battle of Britain and Sink the Bismarck!

http://byronik.blogspot.com

[–] Byronik 16 years ago

The cable channels AMC and TCM are widely available and they show monochrome material most of the time. But TCM has ignored my many requests for Reach for the Sky.

http://byronik.com

[–] Motleycrewmember 17 years ago

Slight inaccuracy. Its not that Americans think they won the war, its that they know the war wouldn't have been won without them. Sad to say, Britain was on her knees when we entered.
Also, we had a few WWII pilots who flew with one artificial leg. Bader you might say, just had a leg up on them.

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