Ships With Wings

2383. SHIPS WITH WINGS (1942-ENGLAND). WITH John Clements, Leslie Banks, Ann TODD, MICHAEL WILDING, MICHAEL RENNIE. This Grade-A World War II epic opens in 1936 at the christening of the “Invincible,” an aircraft carrier, A stuffy senior military officer describes the ship as a “floating garage.” “SheÕll never be a strike force,” he sniffs. “It’s the big guns that do the work. They always will.” Of course this old soldier will prove to be severely lacking in foresight. This is a deeply felt personal drama which spotlights the plight of Dick Stacey, a British Royal Navy pilot assigned to the “Invincible.Ó The war has not yet started and Stacey breaks up with his girlÂfriend because he has become enamored of Celia, the daughter of an admiral. He is not alone in his feelings for Celia. Two of his fellow pilots who also are his best friends vie with him for her favor. Celia’s inexperienced but enthusiastic kid brother is training to become a pilot under Stacey’s tuteÂlage. These and other characters including a villainous Nazi of classic proportion who utters such lines as “There is no international law. Only German law!” –become intertwined in a drama of romance and sacrifice, heroism and heartbreak that is as spine-tingling as it Is fervent and patriotic. 102 minutes. War Drama