It has been a while since I have seen this film, but I remember it for the excellent portrayal of the scrappy Wright brothers, played convincingly and with heart by brothers James and Stacy Keach, and for the sheer beauty and sounds of their gliders and pioneering aircraft. One effect I have not seen in any other Wright brothers film biography was the humming sound made by the wind vibrating the taut wires in the gliders they flew; this was a haunting and unforgettable sound that added immensely to the romance of these early flights. As I recall, the facts of the Wright brothers story were fairly accurate. For example, the film correctly reported the brothers' initial discouragement when they discovered that the Lilienthal tables of air pressure were significantly in error, thus leading to their invention of the wind tunnel. Also correctly reported were their battles with mosquitos at Kitty Hawk -- a problem ignored in other film biographies. Sadly unavailable at present, this film should be issued on VHS and/or DVD.
Review of Orville and Wilbur
