| Great Moments in Aviation (UK) Shades of Fear (USA) | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover | |
| Directed by | Beeban Kidron |
| Written by | Jeanette Winterson |
| Produced by | Phillippa Giles |
| Starring | Rakie Ayola Jonathan Pryce John Hurt Vanessa Redgrave Dorothy Tutin |
| Cinematography | Remi Adefarasin |
| Edited by | John Stothart |
| Music by | Rachel Portman |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | BBC Worldwide Miramax Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 93 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Great Moments in Aviation is a 1994 British romantic drama film set on a 1950s passenger liner. The film follows Gabriel Angel (Rakie Ayola), a young Caribbean aviator who falls in love with the forger Duncan Stewart (Jonathan Pryce) on her journey to England. Stewart is pursued by his nemesis Rex Goodyear (John Hurt), and the group are supported by Dr Angela Bead (Vanessa Redgrave) and Miss Gwendolyn Quim (Dorothy Tutin), retired missionaries who become lovers during the voyage.
The film was written by Jeanette Winterson, directed by Beeban Kidron and produced by Phillippa Gregory, the same creative team that collaborated on Winterson's Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit in 1990. Winterson intended the screenplay to be reminiscent of a fairy tale, and was unhappy at being asked to write a new ending for its American release.
The film was shown at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival and broadcast on British television in 1995. Although originally intended for theatrical release, it failed to find a theatrical distributor, and was released straight to video in the United States in 1997 under the title Shades of Fear. The film received mixed to negative reviews from critics, and while the lesbian sub-plot in particular was generally well received, Winterson's scripting was a focal point of criticism.