Crashing the Water Barrier
1956 | 9m | English
Popularity: 0.2 (history)
| Director: | Konstantin Kalser |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Reuven Frank |
| Staring: |
| The story of Donald Campbell, son of the late Sir Malcolm Campbell, British champion auto-racer, and his efforts to survive driving a jet-powered boat at record speeds on Lake Meade, Nevada. After a number of failures at breaking the water-speed record of 216 mph, Campbell and his boat, the 'Bluebird', set a new record by, at times, breaking 250 mph. | |
| Release Date: | Apr 15, 1956 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Konstantin Kalser |
| Writer: | Reuven Frank |
| Genres: | |
| Keywords | motor sport, speed boat, speed records |
| Production Companies | Warner Bros. Pictures, The Vitaphone Corporation |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $0
Budget: $0 |
| Updates |
Updated: Jan 23, 2026 Entered: Jun 02, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Jay Jackson | Narrator (voice) |
| Donald Campbell | Himself |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Konstantin Kalser | Director |
| Reuven Frank | Writer |
| Heinz von Jaworsky | Director of Photography |
| Kenneth Baldwin | Editor |
| Robert Youngson | Production Supervisor |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Konstantin Kalser | Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2024 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2024 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 2024 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 2024 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2024 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| 2024 | 10 | 2 | 6 | 1 |
| 2024 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2024 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| 2025 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2025 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2026 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| 2026 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Trending Position
This has a disappointingly superficial, newsreel, look to it as it takes us to Lake Mead in Nevada. That’s where Donald Campbell has come from the UK to try and emulate his father’s land-speed record, only on water this time, on a lake hopefully devoid of the logs he encountered at home. The first f ... ew practice runs present problems. Not enough oxygen is getting in to let the jet breathe, then too much water is getting in to drown it out. Some basic redesign is required if he is to get over the 200mph mark over his target distance of one mile, and he also needs this massive expanse of man-made water to play ball too - choppy waters are a non-starter. The film doesn’t really tell us anything about the man, his motivation or his kit nor is the commentary especially captivating and given history has already told us what happened next, it’s all just a bit procedural. There is some decent photography but this film doesn’t really convey very much of the excitement of the day very well.