Very much a mess of a film, what exists is the tattered remains of a noble endeavor. Originally filmed in 1935-36, then abandoned until 1938, only to be re-shelved in 1939. Finally a sixty-minute version, padded with documentary footage and narration, was completed in time to be shown in 1940.

Only glimpses of the original grand vision can be seen, mainly in the accounts of the Wright Brothers' first flight and Bleriot's crossing of the Englsih Channel. The rest is marred by choppy editing, too much stock footage, and a very dull narrator. A real shame, as there are glimpses of something much better in between the tedium.