"France, 1804: Sophie Blanchard, a phobic young woman from the provinces, embarks on her first public balloon ascension with her husband, the pioneer aeronaut Jean-Pierre Blanchard. When Jean-Pierre takes a fall, Sophie must quickly learn to fend for herself. After a dramatic emergency landing, she creates a sensation with her desire to become the first professional female pilot. Jean-Pierre trains Sophie in the art of flight, but he suffers a fatal stroke and leaves her in dire straights. Saved only by her skill and passion, Sophie embarks on a solo career as an aerial performer. In these early years of flight, she quickly becomes an international celebrity for her daring hydrogen balloon ascensions. Napoleon Bonaparte names her the Official Aeronaut of the Empire, to the chagrin of her competitors. Even as the Empire crumbles, she rises to become the Official Aeronaut of the Restoration. After a dazzling career of fifteen years and 67 flights, Sophie will make the greatest sacrifice of all to stay in the air."
This would be a fabulous film to see! The director is a young woman who is raising the funds needed to finish it! Just watch the trailer! I have a link to the site to see it at the end of this post. I think a donation to this movie would be a great gift to receive (if you were wondering what to get me.)
