Released: 1945

Dir.: Anthony Asquith

We’ve all seen films and documentaries showing B-17 and Lancaster bombers peppered by AA fire, attacked by FW-190 fighters, and crippled aircraft limping back home to make a miraculous landing, or tragically falling short. The Way to the Stars is the flipside of those films, about life, love and loss, told poetically and with heart.

In 1940 RAF Station Halfpenny Field, home of No. 720 Squadron, flying Bristol Blenheim bombers, is a constant target of Luftwaffe bombs during the height of the Battle of Britain. Pilot Officer Peter Pemrose (John Mills) is posted to 720 Squadron. Pemrose is an eager but inexperienced pilot. He is taken under the wing of Ft. Lt. David Archdale (Michael Redgrave), who over time turns Pemrose into an excellent pilot.

The men of 720 Squadron spend much of their down time at the Golden Lion Hotel, where Pemrose meets Iris (Renee Asherton), a young lady living with her domineering Aunt (Joyce Carey), who does not approve of Pemrose, or any other RAF personal for that matter. Meanwhile, Archdale, now CO of 720 Squadron, marries Miss Todd aka Toddy (Rosamund John), and soon have a baby.

By 1942, Archdale is killed on a mission, Pemrose, is relieved of flying duties, due to stress and fatigue and made the stations ground controller. Pemrose, effected by Archdale’s death, shuts Iris out of his life to protect her from the emotional trauma suffered by Toddy. Then the Yanks show up.

The USAAF bust in like they own the place, taking over Halfpenny Field. Among them are Capt. Johnny Hollis (Douglas Montgomery) a B-17 Pilot, and his buddy Lt. Joe Friselli (Bonar Colleano). Friselli does little to endear himself to the RAF personnel, or the residents of the Golden Lion, however Johnny, quickly becomes friends with Pemrose and especially Toddy.

Soon, Pemrose is posted to a Lancaster squadron, and the USAAF begin their first missions over occupied Europe. Two years pass, and a platonic relationship has developed between Toddy and Johnny, as he shares with her his life with his wife and two kids. Johnny has become popular with the locals, especially the children, for whom he does magic shows at the local church hall.

The Way to the Stars feels like one of those movies from the late WW2 era that is often overlooked yet is one of the best. It’s not about aerial combat, it’s about emotions and to a lesser degree about transformations.

When we first meet Pemrose, he’s eager, excited, to do his bit for King and country, then becomes a hardened veteran, cold, bitter, shuts everyone out, he appears to stop feeling. Friselli bursts into the story full of bluster, that ‘we’ll show the Brits how it’s done’ kind of attitude. Obnoxious and loud. By the end of the film Friselli is humbled, soft-spoken, and kind. Believably so.

At the heart of it all is Toddy, who has suffered the heart-shattering loss of her husband and father to their son. She finds refuge in the kindness of Johnny and the many conversations they certainly had, as well as running the Golden Lion. Toddy touches everyone who passes through the doors of the Golden Lion, sacrificing her own pain to make others feel better. But it’s Johnny who helps her heal from her anguish. Allowing her, and everyone else, to move forward with their lives, and of course the hidden message, to victory.

The Way to the Stars is not your typical flag waving, wartime propaganda film. The patriotism is low key and rather secondary to the emotions of the story. There is very little about Archdale’s sacrifice for the greater good, rather focusing on how his loss, which strangely feels inevitable, impacts Toddy and Pemrose and it’s not all glory and nationalistic. A poem that Archdale leaves behind is the only thing that can explain death and loss in wartime, while still conveying hope and moving forward. It doesn’t make loss any easier, but no matter what, ‘you’ll be alright, and I will always be with you.’

This is one of those sentimental films that never feels corny or overdone. The emotions are real, the characters are individuals who react to any given situation in their own unique way. Even Friselli, who first appears as a stereotype, is human, and capable of being more than just a smart aleck.

At the time of its release, shortly after Germany’s surrender, The Way to the Stars was likely looked upon as story about victory and its ultimate cost. Today, however, you could look at it as a study of the human will to survive, move forward, while those who were destined fall will not be completely left behind. One way or another they will always be with us.

The Way to the Stars is available on DVD from VCI Home Video or can be found on YouTube.