BlazeLime Strong and Moving!

Exoticalot People are voting emotionally.

Platicsco Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Moustroll Good movie but grossly overrated

Goingbegging Faded greying reminder of the low-budget 50's war movies, which often rested on clichés, just because it was the easiest (laziest) way to hold the attention of English cinema audiences.In Hong Kong, a naval officer recounts a vivid dream he had about a plane crashing on a beach. A senior Air Marshal (Michael Redgrave) notices a few eerie parallels with a flight that he is just about to join, though he feels relieved that certain details don't match. But several changes of plan appear to replicate the dream more closely, and he confides his fears to the other passengers.It is the themes, not the story, that hold the interest. The eternal debate about predestination versus free will. The apparent duty of a serving officer to ignore any tomfoolery about dreams. And a reminder that the world's oldest civilisation, China, has always been deeply embedded in a culture of superstition.Apart from Alexander Knox's performance as a man who has never flown before, and whose dread of flying seems to be alarmingly vindicated, there is little opportunity for fine acting, and the two female characters are completely thrown away. Most of it is routine dialogue of the most banal sort, unworthy of scriptwriter R.C. Sheriff, who did far better work than this on stage and screen.The film is supposedly based on the true story of a dream by Air Marshal Sir Victor Goddard, which prompted him to order a search that saved the lives of a stranded aircrew, though we have only his word for it.

GManfred Thrilling airplane picture, and I can't think of many other airplane pictures to compare it to. Much better than 'The High And The Mighty"(1954), and "Five Came Back"(1939), and different than "Lost Horizon"(1937). "The Night My Number Came Up" is a compelling and suspenseful film about differing conceptions of fate as presented in a dream - the dream of someone who was not a passenger on the trip.Briefly, a man at a party recounts a dream he had about an airline crash. He is talking to a group who are flying the next day, and some of the travelers are spooked. He then departs and the group discuss his dream; some dismiss it and others show great concern. But during the trip elements of the dream begin to fall into place.The acting is first-rate throughout the cast. The main character is seldom-seen Alexander Knox as a passenger flying for the first time. Stalwart Michael Redgrave is his flying companion, and Denholm Elliot and Sheila Sim lend strong support. The picture has a claustrophobic feel as most of it takes place in the passenger cabin, perhaps increasing the feeling of impending doom. This may be in the picture's favor, as it adds to the tension and heightens the suspense, the way many movies attempt but few succeed the way this one does.

Robert J. Maxwell Nicely done tale of an RAF officer, Redgrave, who hears of a dream that the airplane on which he and some others are flying will crash in snow and darkness -- then watches as the mosaic falls into place.The airplane on which there are eight passengers and five crewmen -- with characteristics specified in the dream -- is a two-engine Douglas Dakota, also known as a DC3 or R4D or C47. They're marvelously "forgiving" airplanes, as pilots say, meaning that you can make all kinds of mistakes without their falling out of the sky. They're not big, they're not fast, but they're functional and versatile. I flew in one from Edwards Air Force Base to Rome, New York, sharing an oxygen mask with a more than ordinarily attractive Navy nurse who was my seat mate. An entirely pleasant trip.These guys aren't so lucky. The dream is spelled out to the Air Marshall (Redgrave) but except for a few details, it's murky, like most dreams. When the airplane leaves Hong Kong for Tokyo, with a layover in Okinawa, some of the circumstances don't fit. There's a pretty woman, for instance, as in the dream, and at the last minute the number of passengers climbs to eight, but there's no brash, vulgar man who will blow his cork at the last moment.Gradually, the circumstances change until they are identical to those of the dream, as if a crossword puzzle had been filled in. The tension builds neatly as the Dakota flies through thunderstorms, its radio fails, ice builds up on the leading edges of the wings, fuel runs low, darkness closes in, snow begins to fall, the steward tries to calm everyone, and Alexander Knox, who has never flown before, grits his teeth and squirms with anxiety. I know how he feels, having spent five minutes in a silent airplane before its coincidental meeting with the Atlantic Ocean. Take the train.There is a good deal of chat about the dream and whether or not it has any relation to actual future events. Knox is convinced it does. Redgrave and his aid (Eliot), are uncertain but believe it's best not to think about it. These conversations slow the movie down. We know more about dreams now than we did in 1955. They don't mean anything except that some of the more primitive structures of the mid brain are trying to figure out what memories to store and they're working at it like nobody's business. Psychologists find that the vast majority of dreams -- more than 70 percent, if I remember -- are pretty lousy. If I get chased through that bog by a man-eating ogre one more time, I don't know what I'll do. The remaining 20 or 30 percent of dreams are kind of fun, especially the sex ones, except when they drag in that mechanical horse.Best performance in the most complex role: Michael Redgrave. And Denhold Elliott as the RAF officer ready to pop is pretty good too. His wild eyes seem to glisten with fear and a hint of insanity. Knox is confined to a gloomy role and doesn't do much with it. Redgrave had an even better part in an enthralling dream movie, "Dead of Night."

traceyames17 I saw the movie for the first time only two days ago (12/01/2002) and really liked it. For a black & white movie, it had a good story line, suspense and a good selection of characters. It was typically British as in The Dam Busters and Reach For The Sky, bt then again, somethings the British do better than America. Its a movie I could watch again. It also shows a young Denholm Elliott, still highly recognizable as the same person who starred in the Indiana Jones Movies.Very enjoyable and highly recommended.