The Way to the Stars

I have been diagnosed with John Mills poisoning, but I taped The Way to the Stars this afternoon and watched it this evening.

It is an impressive film, dealing with the fortunes of an airfield through World War II. There are few scenes of flying, as the loves and lives of the aircrew and local civilians are placed centre stage.

This is one of those films from late in the war where Anglo-American relations are a key theme. Here, though Bonar Colleano does his usual act, of the two tragic central figures it is the Englishman (Michael Redgrave) who is dashing and a little flash, and the American (Douglass Montgomery) who is quiet and home loving.

Incidental pleasures include early appearances by Jean Simmons, Trevor Howard, David Tomlinson and Bill Owen. The Way to the Stars was made in 1945: I doubt if Owen had completed even 10 years in Last of the Summer Wine by then.

The tone of the film is downbeat, even though heroism is certainly displayed by some. This tone is captured in the John Pudney poem that features in the film and gives it its title:

For Johnny

Do not despair
For Johnny-head-in-air;
He sleeps as sound
As Johnny underground.

Fetch out no shroud
For Johnny-in-the-cloud;
And keep your tears
For him in after years.

Better by far
For Johnny-the-bright-star,
To keep your head,
And see his children fed.