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The Woman Who Dared

Original title: Le ciel est à vous
  • 1944
  • 1h 45m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
713
YOUR RATING
Madeleine Renaud in The Woman Who Dared (1944)
Drama

The wife of a mechanic and former fighter pilot falls in love with the idea of flying herself. This soon becomes an obsession and she undertakes a lofty feat: the longest solo flight ever ma... Read allThe wife of a mechanic and former fighter pilot falls in love with the idea of flying herself. This soon becomes an obsession and she undertakes a lofty feat: the longest solo flight ever made by a woman.The wife of a mechanic and former fighter pilot falls in love with the idea of flying herself. This soon becomes an obsession and she undertakes a lofty feat: the longest solo flight ever made by a woman.

  • Director
    • Jean Grémillon
  • Writers
    • Albert Valentin
    • Charles Spaak
  • Stars
    • Madeleine Renaud
    • Charles Vanel
    • Jean Debucourt
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.1/10
    713
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Jean Grémillon
    • Writers
      • Albert Valentin
      • Charles Spaak
    • Stars
      • Madeleine Renaud
      • Charles Vanel
      • Jean Debucourt
    • 10User reviews
    • 12Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos8

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    Top cast24

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    Madeleine Renaud
    Madeleine Renaud
    • Thérèse Gauthier
    Charles Vanel
    Charles Vanel
    • Pierre Gauthier
    Jean Debucourt
    Jean Debucourt
    • Larcher
    Raymonde Vernay
    • Madame Brissard
    Léonce Corne
    Léonce Corne
    • Le docteur Maulette
    Raoul Marco
    Raoul Marco
    • Monsieur Noblet
    Albert Rémy
    Albert Rémy
    • Marcel
    Robert Le Fort
    • Robert
    Anne-Marie Labaye
    • Jacqueline
    Michel François
    • Claude
    Gaston Mauger
    • Le successeur du docteur Maulette
    Paul Demange
    Paul Demange
    • Petit
    Henry Houry
    Henry Houry
    • Un membre du conseil d'administration
    Anne Vandène
    • Lucienne Ivry
    Jacques Beauvais
    • La maître d'hôtel
    • (uncredited)
    Fernand Blot
    • Le vice-président
    • (uncredited)
    Marius David
    • Un invité à la présentation
    • (uncredited)
    Paul Frankeur
    Paul Frankeur
    • Un mécanicien
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Jean Grémillon
    • Writers
      • Albert Valentin
      • Charles Spaak
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews10

    7.1713
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    Featured reviews

    rolanddegremont

    This movie is inspired by real characters

    I wish to answer to Gavin6942. This movie is inspired by the real story of Andrée Dupeyron, wife of the mechanic Gustave Dupeyron, who flew from Algeria to Irak (more than 4000km) 1938. She also belonged to the Forces Françaises Libres during WW2 as a war pilot.
    6zetes

    Flawed

    A mechanic (Charles Vanel) and his high-strung wife (Madeleine Renaud) become obsessed with aviation. Eventually, Renaud attempts to challenge the distance record for aviatrices. This film is a little too unfocused at the start - Renaud doesn't even get into a plane until the 45 minute mark. The real weakness, though, is that the two protagonists become real jerks in the middle of the film. Flight becomes an addiction, so much so that they have to hock their daughter's piano to pay for the upgrades they need to break the record. There is a little bit of a comeuppance, but not really. And absolutely none for Renaud - she certainly doesn't learn her lesson. I certainly have to imagine that her kids will grow up hating her.
    6gavin6942

    Real or Fiction?

    The wife of a mechanic and former fighter pilot falls in love with the idea of flying herself. This soon becomes an obsession and she undertakes a lofty feat: the longest solo flight ever made by a woman.

    What I find strange about this film is how it starts by saying it is about real people. Yet, I am unable to determine which real people it concerns. As an American, when I hear longest solo flight, I think Amelia Earhart. Because I have this bias, am I not aware of a similar French aviator? (Or aviatrix?) The film is a good one, but that one detail nags at me because I would love to compare the film to a real-life counterpart, and as far as I can tell, it does not exist. A shame.
    7robert-temple-1

    Ever upwards

    This French film entitled in English THE WOMAN WHO DARED has the original title of LE CIEL EST A VOUS (THE SKY IS YOURS). A screen card at the beginning of the original version says it is based on real events which took place in 1937, though no one seems to know what those were. In any case, the story is set in the late thirties in France. The film is directed by the much-revered French director of yesteryear, Jean Grémillon. He directs at a leisurely pace and is in no hurry to cut out the expository parts of early scenes in order to get a move on. He likes to lay the groundwork of his story in a languid fashion. The film was made under the German Occupation of France, and all such films have aroused both suspicion and hostility, many who made them were accused of being collaborators, and some genuinely were. Charles Vanel is wonderful as a mild, tolerant husband to a fiery younger wife, played by Madeleine Renaud with her usual flair. Vanel's character had worked as an engine mechanic for a famous fighter pilot in World War One. He has now become an expert auto mechanic in a small garage and struggles to make a living. Unpredictable events lead to his elevation to a better paying status, and his wife gets a well-paying job too away from home. He has secretly been piloting planes at the local aerodrome, his wife finds out and is horrified and forbids him to continue, to which he reluctantly complies. (She is a real tyrant and forbids her daughter to continue taking piano lessons when her piano teacher has the effrontery to suggest that the daughter is so talented that she should go to a Conservatoire of music and become professional; the mother wants her to earn money, not become artistic.) Suddenly, Renaud becomes infatuated herself with flying and she too becomes a pilot. Husband and wife get really carried away and adapt their plane for long-range flights so that the wife can attempt to beat the world ladies' record for solo distance flying (which at the moment stood at 2500 kilometres). With no money and no support, having sunk every penny of borrowings into their new improved plane, they enter the competition. I must not say what happens then, but she does indeed qualify to be called 'the woman who dared' and the original title of the film is absolutely right.
    6boblipton

    Nice Movie About Flying And Its Costs

    Madeleine Renaud, husband Charles Vanel, their children and her mother move their home and mechanic's shop. Their land has been expropriated for an airfield. They move into town and, because they are hardworking and thrifty, start to do well. They can even replace their daughters piano, smashed in the move, even though they won't permit her to go the the conservatory to become a concert pianist. Far better she study to become a pharmacist! That's the sort of practical people they are.

    But when the airport is opened, they attend. The stunt pilot have some mechanical issues that Vanel, who was an airplane mechanic during the war, fixes easily. It also reopens old dreams of flying. Soon he is in trouble with Mlle Renaud. That is, until she goes up and gets the fever herself. And she decides she wants to break the woman's flight record.

    It's based very approximately on Andrée Dupeyron, who did just that with the aid of her mechanic husband. Jean Grémillon 's movie (co-scripted by Charles Spaak) hits all the usual notes in such a film. There's real chemistry between the leads here, and a nice little speech for Vanel. Mostly, though, it's impressive how Mlle Renaud remains a small-town, hard-headed provincial woman while going all starry-eyed on flying.

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      Based on the real story of Andrée Dupeyron, with character names changed.
    • Connections
      Featured in À la recherche de Jean Grémillon (1969)

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 18, 1949 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • France
    • Official sites
      • Les Acacias (France)
      • Newen (France)
    • Language
      • French
    • Also known as
      • Nebo je vaše
    • Filming locations
      • Franstudio, Saint-Maurice, Val-de-Marne, France
    • Production company
      • Les Films Raoul Ploquin
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 45m(105 min)
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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