Based on historical events, it is different from real history.
Let me talk about the two protagonists first.
James Glaisher, played by Freckles, was born in 1809 (see the picture below). The events in the movie took place in 1862. That is to say, James Glaisher was 53 years old when he flew, obviously not as young and handsome as Freckles. Considering that such "old age" flies so high, James Glaisher's courage and determination to pursue scientific truth are worthy of admiration.
The heroine Amelia Wren is a fictional character that does not exist in history. But this role is not fabricated out of thin air by the screenwriter, but inspired by Sophie Blanchard (pictured below) of France, the world's first female balloon aviator (source can refer to this passage from the film director below).
Per Movie Maker, following a screening at the Savannah College of Art and Design, director Tom Harper cited French aeronaut Sophie Blanchard as that secondary inspiration. "She was so different from James Glaisher, I thought… wouldn't it be amazing, dramatically, to put those two very different people in the basket together?" he said. Blanchard, according to the Smithsonian Magazine, was the first professional female balloonist, who earned the favor of both Napoleon Bonaparte and Louis XVIII.
The one who really went to the sky with James Glaisher was the balloonist Henry Coxwell (see picture below), a bearded grandfather. He and James have been working together since 1860 and took a balloon ride together on September 5, 1862, reaching the highest altitude of 11,000 meters at the time (this is the story of this movie).
As a meteorologist, James Glaisher's purpose is to measure the temperature and humidity in the upper air.
People at that time did not fully understand the low temperature and hypoxia that occur at high altitudes. When the balloon rose to a high altitude, both of them showed severe symptoms of shortness of breath, and they almost couldn't cut the deflated rope. Finally, Henry Coxwell bit the rope with his teeth, which opened the valve and made the balloon fall smoothly.
However, in the movie, it was the heroine Amelia Wren who risked her death and climbed to the top of the balloon to accomplish this feat. It must be unsightly to gnaw the rope with your teeth.
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