The Defender

May 25, 1989

0h 54m

★ 0.0

Overview

This documentary is about Bob Diemert of Carman, Manitoba, and his dream of building the world's next great fighter plane. His worldwide reputation as a genius at restoring "warbirds" enables him to finance his dream. The Defender is a lively, sometimes wild and funny, tale about a remarkable, modern-day folk hero.

Genres

Documentary

Production Companies

ONF | NFB

The Defender Trailers

No Trailers found.

Cast

Himself

Bob Diemert

Narrator

Cedric Smith

On 28 November 1979, an Air New Zealand jet with 257 passengers went missing during a sightseeing tour over Antarctica. Within hours 11 ordinary police officers were called to duty to face the formidable Mount Erebus. As the police recovered the victims, an investigation team tried to uncover the mystery of how a jet could fly into a mountain in broad daylight. Did the airline have a secret it wanted to bury? This film tells the story of four New Zealand police officers who went to Antarctica as part of the police operation to recover the victims of the crash. Set in the beautiful yet hostile environment of Antarctica, this is the emotional and compelling true story of an extraordinary police operation.

0.0

Wings Over Water

Oct 22, 1986

Wings Over Water tells the fascinating story of naval aviation's critical role in making the U.S. a world power. Film highlights include archival footage of some of the most terrifying and intense airspace battles fought and the intriguing interviews of the veterans who took part in them. This is the story of naval aviation from its conception to the important role it played in battles fought, won, and lost, all the while examining American foreign policy, foreign relations, and long-simmering international conflict. An evocative, powerful, and informative documentary, Wings Over Water is the story behind the story: how and why America developed maritime aviation technology, what it meant to our past, and what it means to our future.

0.0

Unsettled History: America, China, and the Doolittle Tokyo Raid

Apr 18, 2022

Doolittle's Raiders pull off a one-way bombing run over Tokyo and ditch their planes in and along the coast of China, where they are rescued by Chinese villagers, guerrillas, and missionaries. That generosity triggers horrific retaliation by the Japanese that claims an estimated quarter-million lives and prompts comparisons to the 1937-38 Rape of Nanking. The memory of the Raiders and their rescuers is kept alive by their children and grandchildren.

7.2

Concorde: A Supersonic Story

Oct 10, 2017

Concorde: A Supersonic Story follows the story of the most glamorous aeroplane ever built - told by the people whose lives she touched. We uncover rare footage telling the forgotten row between the French and British governments over the spelling of Concorde which threatened to derail the whole project.

7.8

Living in the Age of Airplanes

Apr 25, 2015

LIVING IN THE AGE OF AIRPLANES offers a fresh perspective on a modern-day miracle that many of us take for granted: flying. Narrated by Harrison Ford and featuring an original score from Academy Award® winning composer James Horner, the film takes viewers to 18 countries across all seven continents to illuminate how airplanes have empowered a century of global connectedness our ancestors could never have imagined.

0.0

The Wings of the Fame

Dec 8, 2003

It is the epic of the heroes of the first century of aviation, since the flight of the first plane on December 17, 1903 until today. A striking collection of portraits of outstanding men and women like Louis Blériot, the first to cross the Channel, to Lindbergh who crossed the Atlantic and Amelia Earhart and many more...

0.0

Lindbergh

Oct 1, 1990

Charles Lindbergh lived a life of absolutes, never doubting his own abilities or the altitude of his own moral high ground. His extraordinary character brought him unparalleled accomplishment but also public humiliation and lonely isolation, as his faith in genetic determinism could barely conceal his narrow, naive, and racist social and political views.

6.0

Jumbo: The Plane That Changed the World

Feb 27, 2014

Documentary about the development of the Boeing 747 jumbo jet. The 747 was a game changer, the airliner that revolutionised mass, cheap air travel. But the first wide-bodied plane was originally intended as a stopgap to Boeing's now-abandoned supersonic jet. This is the remarkable untold story of the jumbo, a billion-dollar gamble that pushed 1960s technology to the limits to create one of the world's most recognisable planes.

0.0

Women in the Shadows

Jan 1, 1991

Filmed on location in Saskatchewan from the Qu'Appelle Valley to Hudson Bay, the documentary traces the filmmaker's quest for her Native foremothers in spite of the reluctance to speak about Native roots on the part of her relatives. The film articulates Métis women's experience with racism in both current and historical context, and examines the forces that pushed them into the shadows.

6.9

The White Diamond

Nov 13, 2004

This 2004 documentary by Werner Herzog diaries the struggle of a passionate English inventor to design and test a unique airship during its maiden flight above the jungle canopy.

No Image Available

0.0

Air Disasters

Jan 1, 1996

Air Disasters exposes some painful truths behind the world of flight, using actual footage of real incidents to look at why planes crash; in aerodynamic and technical terms and in the way the industry is run.

6.3

Guy Martin's Spitfire

Oct 12, 2014

Guy Martin joins the two-year restoration of a Spitfire that was buried in a French beach for decades, and tells the Boy's Own-style story of its pilot, Squadron Leader Geoffrey Stephenson

0.0

Stealing the Superfortress

Dec 28, 2016

How the Soviet Union was able to copy the Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, and the influence of the resulting Tupolev TU-4 on the Cold War.

9.0

The Red Baron, a Hero of Aviation

Jan 1, 1998

A documentary of early airplane pilot and WW1 fighter ace Manfred von Richthofen, famously known as The Red Baron.

0.0

Ghost Planes and the Mysteries of Flight 370

Aug 9, 2014

At the time of this writing, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, transporting 227 passengers and 12 crew members from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, has been missing for months. An unprecedented international search was unable to locate any bodies or debris. According to the Aviation Society Network, more than 80 aircrafts have been declared "missing" since 1948--"Ghost Planes" that have literally vanished without a trace.

No Image Available

0.0

Mladí dobyvatelé vzduchu

Dec 31, 1950

A film about the education of young aviators, which uses the natural interest of the youth in aviation and leads them through modeling circles and motorless flying to flying powered planes.

0.0

Amelia: A Tale of Two Sisters

Jun 6, 2017

Eight decades after her disappearance, Amelia Earhart's incredible accomplishmenys are still celebrated, thanks in large part to her sister Muriel.

0.0

SR-71 Blackbird: The Secret Vigil

Jan 1, 1990

Few aircraft have attracted more attention than the ominous black supersonic jet that for years has ranged the world on reconnaissance missions. This is the definitive tribute to an extraordinary peacekeeper, the SR-71 Blackbird. The History. The Technology. The Missions. The Pilots. And compelling, gripping footage of the Blackbird itself, on its "rocket ride" through the world's airspace.

8.1

One Six Right

Aug 12, 2005

An exhilarating documentary film that celebrates the unsung hero of aviation - the local airport - by tracing the life, history, and struggles of an airport icon: Southern California's Van Nuys Airport. Featuring thrilling aerial photography and a sweeping original score, the film dispels common misconceptions and opposes criticism of General Aviation airports.

The Defender

Overview

Genres

Production Companies

The Defender Trailers