This early docudrama uses dramatic reenactment, working models of early flying machines, and archival footage to trace man's attempts to fly from ancient times through the 1930s.
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Frederick Culley as Roger Bacon
Laurence Olivier as Vincent Lunardi
Franklin Dyall as Jerome de Ascoli
Henry Victor as Otto Lilienthal
Hay Petrie as Tiberius Cavallo
John Turnbull as Von Zeppelin
Charles Lefeaux as Louis Bleriot
Bryan Powley as George Cayley
Alan Wheatley as Giovanni Alfonso Borelli
John Abbott as Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier
Charles Frend as Narrator (voice)
Edward Ashley as (uncredited)
Italo Balbo as Italo Balbo (archive footage) (uncredited)
Memo Benassi as Francesco Lama di Brescia (uncredited)
Denville Bond as Oliver of Malmesbury (uncredited)
Tom Campbell Black as Tom Black (archive footage) (uncredited)
Charles Carrett as Latham's Manager (uncredited)
Andrea Checchi as Zoroastro (uncredited)
Arthur Clouston as Arthur Clouston (archive footage) (uncredited)
Paul Codos as Paul Codos (archive footage) (uncredited)
Bryan Coleman as (uncredited)
Derrick De Marney as (uncredited)
Amelia Earhart as Amelia Earhart (archive footage) (uncredited)
Don Gemmell as (uncredited)
Cameron Hall as Dr. John Jeffries (uncredited)
Henry Hallatt as Jean-Pierre Blanchard (uncredited)
Pearl Hay as (uncredited)
Ronnie Hepworth as Boy (uncredited)
Charles Hickman as Orville Wright (uncredited)
Bert Hinkler as Bert Hinkler (archive footage) (uncredited)
Anthony Holles as Mechanic (uncredited)
David Horne as Nero (uncredited)
Amy Johnson as Amy Johnson (archive footage) (uncredited)
Charles Kingsford Smith as Charles Kingsford Smith (archive footage) (uncredited)
Betty Kirby-Green as Betty Kirby-Green (archive footage) (uncredited)
Kenneth Kove as Gentleman at Reception (uncredited)
Charles A. Lindbergh as Charles Lindbergh (archive footage) (uncredited)
Peter Madden as American Airliner Pilot (uncredited)
Percy Marmont as Wilbur Wright (uncredited)
David Nicol as Alfred Leblanc (uncredited)
Carlo Ninchi as Gabriele Adanti di Perugia (uncredited)
Hilary Pritchard as Cayley's Coachman (uncredited)
Michael Rennie as Marquis d'Arlandes (uncredited)
Maurice Rossi as Maurice Rossi (archive footage) (uncredited)
Roy Royston as Hubert Latham (uncredited)
C.W.A. Scott as C.W.A. Scott (archive footage) (uncredited)
Margaretta Scott as Isobella d'Este (uncredited)
Leonard Shepherd as Abbot Damian of Sterling (uncredited)