The Aeronauts is a 2019 British-American biographical adventure film directed by Tom Harper (Misfits, Peaky Blinders) and written by Jack Thorne (Skins, His Dark Materials), from a story co-written by Thorne and Harper. It is based off the 2013 book Falling Upwards: How We Took to the Air by Richard Holmes.
In 1862, stubborn scientist James Glaisher
(Eddie Redmayne) and rich widow Amelia Wren (Felicity Jones) decide to go on a hot air balloon expedition and fly higher than any human ever did. While braving life-threatening perils, they get to know each other better.
The film had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival on 30 August 2019, followed by a showing at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival. It was released theatrically in the United Kingdom on November 4, 2019 and in the United States on December 6, 2019, then it was released on Prime Video on December 20.
This film provides examples of:
- Arduous Descent to Terra Firma: After having broken the record for the highest ascent to the skies, Amelia and James try to find a way to return to the ground. Unfortunately, by that point the hot air balloon is flying so high that it begins to freeze, and throwing away bags isn't making it go down (also, James begins suffering hypoxia and considers throwing himself away to save Amelia, which she refuses to let him do because that's how her husband had died in her previous aerial expedition). So she begins climbing to the top of the balloon to reach the valve at the top and open it to gradually deflate the vehicle. After some time, the two characters realize that the balloon is falling so quickly that it begins to collapse; they decide to cut off the basket, but the situation doesn't improve. Finally, they cut the cords so the silk remains in shape, turning it into a giant parachute. The landing is still painful, but they survive.
- Artistic Licence – History: Although the film is based on the real-life historical experiments of James Glaisher and Henry Coxwell the latter has been Adapted Out in favour of fictional character Amelia Wren.
- Composite Character: Amelia is a fictional character incorporating elements of Henry Coxwell, the real-life scientific colleague of James Glaisher, Sophie Blanchard, the first woman to work as a professional balloonist, and Margaret Graham, a British aeronaut and entertainer.
- Journey to the Sky: The movie portrays a pair of balloonists making a high-altitude flight so one of them can prove his theories that weather follows predictable patterns.
