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[[File:ThoseMagnificentMen_1162.jpg|frame]]
 
{{quote|''Those magnificent men in their flying machines,▼
''They go up diddley uppity-up-up, they go down diddley downiddy-down-down! }}▼
 
'''''Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines, [[Either or-Or Title|or]] How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes''''', to give its [[Long Title|full title]], is a 1965 British film farce (released through [[Twentieth Century Fox]]) about an international air race held during the early, pre-[[World War I]] days of aviation. A wacky cast of characters assembles with their wacky aircraft, a love triangle develops, [[Worthy Opponent|Worthy Opponents]] square off, and great fun is had by all...except for those who can't stay in the air.▼
▲{{quote|Those magnificent men in their flying machines,
▲They go up diddley up-up, they go down diddley down-down! }}
 
[[All-Star Cast|The brilliant international cast]] includes [[Stuart Whitman]], [[Sarah Miles]], [[James Fox]], [[Alberto Sordi]], [[Robert Morley]], [[Gert Fröbe]], [[Jean-Pierre Cassel]], [[Yûjirô Ishihara]], [[John Le Mesurier]], [[Benny Hill]], and [[Terry-Thomas]] as Sir Percy Ware-Armitage. Extra footage added for the American release featured popular comedian [[Red Skelton]] as a hapless victim of flight tests throughout the ages.▼
▲'''''Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines, [[Either or Title|or]] How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes''''', to give its [[Long Title|full title]], is a 1965 British film farce (released through [[Twentieth Century Fox]]) about an international air race held during the early, pre-[[World War I]] days of aviation. A wacky cast of characters assembles with their wacky aircraft, a love triangle develops, [[Worthy Opponent|Worthy Opponents]] square off, and great fun is had by all...except for those who can't stay in the air.
 
▲[[All-Star Cast|The brilliant international cast]] includes Stuart Whitman, Sarah Miles, James Fox, Alberto Sordi, Robert Morley, Gert Fröbe, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Yûjirô Ishihara, John Le Mesurier, Benny Hill, and Terry-Thomas as Sir Percy Ware-Armitage. Extra footage added for the American release featured popular comedian Red Skelton as a hapless victim of flight tests throughout the ages.
 
The 1969 [[Sequel]], ''Monte Carlo or Bust'' (aka ''Those Daring Young Men in Their Jaunty Jalopies''), does for vintage cars what this movie does for vintage planes.
 
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{{tropelist}}
=== Contains examples of: ===
* [[Animated Credits Opening]]: Featuring the magnificent art of [[St Trinian's|Ronald Searle]].
* [[The Big Race]]
* [[Cool Plane]]: Well, in the era of the setting, ''any'' plane that can stay aloft for more than five minutes is essentially cool by default. But the amusing early flying machines are certainly a focal point of the film.
* [[Disposable Fiance|Disposable Fiancé]]: {{spoiler|Richard}} gradually emerges as one.
* [[Duel to the Death]]: Two characters try to have one in hot air balloons.
** Ahem: "Balloons ... AND BLUNDERBUSSES!"
* [[Either-Or Title]]
* [[Epic Race]]
* [[The Fantastic Trope of WonderousWondrous Titles]]
* [[Great Big Book of Everything]]: The Prussian Army's Big Book of Instructions includes instructions on how to fly an airplane. Step one: sit down.
** "Sit down" was apparently an [[Ad Lib]] by Gert Fröbe which [[Throw It In|they kept in]].
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* [[National Stereotypes]]: Most of the participants of the race are humorous caricatures of their nationality. There's the lustful Frenchman, the strict, [[Nice Hat|pointy-hatted]] [[Prussia|Prussian]] soldier, the boisterous Italian bringing his whole family with him, etc. Though it is a British film, [[British Stuffiness]] is certainly there, too.
** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODKxMlovi4o&feature=PlayList&p=4EA6BDC0C1691CFE&playnext_from=PL&index=6 One YouTube review] points out that some of the offensiveness is mitigated by the fact that all of the actors are the nationalities of the characters they're playing and are clearly having a ball playing up their roles to the hilt. Maybe it's because absolutely nobody gets off scot-free; ''everyone'' is painted in a stereotypical way.
** It is somewhat subverted in the case of the Japanese pilot in that he fails to conform to 1910-era expectations, not only by speaking flawless English and having a taste for Scotch whiskywhiskey, but also in the scene when his plane crashes on take-off. When he asks for a knife it is not, as the fireman fears, to commit Harakiri, but to free himself from entangling wires.
* [[Prussia]]: Colonel Manfred von Holstein is here to play out every Prussian stereotype to its fullest.
* [[Running Gag]]: The French pilot chats up a series of beauties whom he keeps confusing the names of, so that they have to introduce themselves as being of different nationalities and names. The suggestion is that all beautiful women look alike to him. {{spoiler|The joke is that they're all played by the same actress!}}
* [[Screw the Rules, I Have Money|Screw the Rules, I Have Money!]]: Sir Percy Ware-Armitage's attitude. (Orvil on the other hand clearly thinks he deserves special consideration because unlike the other participants he is poor.).
* [[Shout-Out]]: Among the girls Dubois chats up are [[Brigitte Bardot|Brigitte from France]], [[Marlene Dietrich|Marlene from Germany]], and [[Ingrid Bergman|Ingrid from Sweden]].
* [[Shown Their Work]]: All the race planes in the film are fairly faithful reproductions of actual early aircraft, with some modern updates to ensure safety.
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{{reflist}}
[[Category:Films of the 1960s]]
[[Category:Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:Film]]
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