Battle of Britain (1 Viewer)

sirsydney

sirsydney

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Just got through watching "The Battle Of Britain" and was wondering how accurate is the movie?
Steve
 
sirsydney said:
Just got through watching "The Battle Of Britain" and was wondering how accurate is the movie?
Steve
Click to expand...

Steve,

We're talking one of my all time favourite movie's here so bear with me if I seem biased (cos I am).
From all I've read concerning the Battle of Britain, this absolutely CLASSIC movie seems to be fairly accurate.
With Trevor Howard, Michael Caine, Susannah York, Robert Shaw, Laurence Olivier, Christopher Plummer, Michael Redgrave, Kurt Jurgens, Kenneth More, Ralph Richardson, Nigel Patrick, Edward Fox, Harry Andrews, Ian McShane, to mention just a few, its like a who's - who's of 1960's acting talent. How can you go wrong with that lot in your movie?

Most of the pilot characters are composites of real life people. Dowding and Park in particular are very well acted.
The scene when Edward Fox returns to the action in his damaged Spitfire to attack the Heinkel again is based on a true event. Likewise the bombing of the airfields and the mistaken first bomb attack on London. The damaged Heinkel flying over Buck Palace before crashing into, I think its Victoria Station.
There's also a quick sequence where the movie camera in the nose of a Heinkel films a Spitfire flying from top right to bottom left of the screen. This was based on an actual photograph that was taken at the time. When I get my scanner up and running again I'll post the photo.

Full of poignant scenes, one that sticks in my mind is the lady radio operator;
"Come in Red Two" - NO REPONSE.
Then there's the church hall being used as a shelter during the Blitz;
Old Londoner, "They got the Rose and Crown".
Old Lady, "He'll have to drink in the Red Lion now".
And then there's Robert Shaw at his bombed airfield observing some German prisoners;
"Corporal, where are you taking those vultures?"
"Officers to the mess, NCO's to the guardroom Sir"
"Like hell you are, they're responsible for that mess get them to clear it up"
"But what about the officers Sir?"
"Give them a bl@@dy shovel"

Its a shame there's no Dornier or Junkers bombers in the movie, but I think we're lucky that we got real Messerschmits and Heinkels. They are later marks of the versions that took part in the real Battle and so are some of the Spifires and Hurricanes....but that's a minor quibble as far as I'm concerned.

I feel that the movie presents the Battle in a very even handed manner. Its definitely not just brave Brit shoots down nasty Jerry all the time. Michael Caine's character cops it half-way through the action.
"You saw Cranfield go down?"
"He just blew up......just blew up".

I also like the fact that the Commonwealth's contribution is depicted well. And the sequence when the Pole's finally get into action is another highlight of the movie.

Thoroughly, thoroughly, recommend this movie to anyone who hasn't seen it. Especially the 2-disc definitive edition which has additional special features on the second disc.
Quite apart from anything else, Susannah York is in it. :D

Ho, ho, ho. Wait until Rob wakes up and sees your post. :) I'm sure he'll contribute elequently and in more detail than this quick response.
;):);)

Best Regards
 
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I can tell you that I was in middle school when this came to the local theater. My buddies and I went to the first showing and with the opening credits we blurted out OH! It's a JU-52!...Then a few moments later, OH! it's a HURRICANE!....Then WOW! it's a ME-109..Cool! The fellow in front of us finally turned around and said...Look guys, I know you are excited, but could you wait until the end! We sat through it twice and then went home to discuss the different Marks of Spitfires, the re engined ME-109s and HE-111s and how many flying Hurricanes were there really?..over and over.
I still love the movie and the great soundtrack... and there were two different ones written for it. (I like the one that made the cinema) Are there problems, sure there are but it still beats most CGI stuff. Compare the flying sequences in the BLUE MAX with the CGI in FLYBOYS and you can see how good real flying footage with real aircraft can be!
 
Just so nobody gets the wrong idea, I really liked the movie. Thought the dogfight sequences were well done.
By the way what is the name of the badly burned pilot who played the aitcraft controller? I'm pretty sure he was a RAF pilot during the Battle of Britain.
 
sirsydney said:
Just so nobody gets the wrong idea, I really liked the movie. Thought the dogfight sequences were well done.
By the way what is the name of the badly burned pilot who played the aitcraft controller? I'm pretty sure he was a RAF pilot during the Battle of Britain.
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I'm not 100% certain, but I think the badly burned aircraft controller was based on James Nicolson of 249 squadron who won Fighter Command's only Victoria Cross during WW2.
BTW, there's nothing in your original post that might suggest you didn't enjoy the movie. :)
 
MORNING CHAPS! TALLY HO!!!!!!!!:D

I hardly need add anything to Harrys post.It is an excellant film,one of my very faveourite war films of all time.I guess it may have one or two hiccups but it does one thing very very well.It tells the story of the young men of our country (and other volunteers from around the world)who climbed into their Spits and Hurricanes and gave Hitlers much vaunted Luftwaffe a country arse kicking.God bless everyone of them.

So many good scenes in this film,but my fave has to be (forgive me i know i've posted this before)the scene in which the Spitfire attacks a bomber and flys past it with smoke coming out of it,we see the Spit fly off into the distance....and then turn round and come roaring back for another go.Love it.

This possibly more than any other war film is very immotive and moving for me.Because it represents a very dire,critical moement in Great Britain's History,the whole country held its breath through the summer of 1940 as the two forces hurled themselves at each other.AND WE WON THROUGH!!!

I don't know who the hell Goering thought he was but it would take more than some fat deranged Nazi to subdue this country!:D

Fave line from film;

Goering to officer; I havn't come here to chastise you,what do you need,i'll give you anything you want.

Officer; Give me a squadron of Spitfires!

:) Classic stuff.

Rob
 
Sorry guys if i got a got off topic there.But its a subject close to my heart.

Rob
 
Rob said:
MORNING CHAPS! TALLY HO!!!!!!!!:D
So many good scenes in this film,but my fave has to be (forgive me i know i've posted this before)the scene in which the Spitfire attacks a bomber and flys past it with smoke coming out of it,we see the Spit fly off into the distance....and then turn round and come roaring back for another go.Love it.Rob
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Yup, that's the Edward Fox scene I mentioned. And then when he bails out and lands in the Surbiton greenhouse and the wee lad runs into the house for his Dad's cigarette case and offers one to the pilot, he responds in a frightfully posh public school accent,
"Oh, thanks awfully old chap".
And then there's the scene with the polish pilot being marched off to the local nick by the farmer with the pichfork,
And, and, then there's the scene where,,,,,,Och dammit, I'm going to watch it yet again this afternoon......:):):eek::):)
Anyone who's not moved by this wonderful wonderful wonderful film ain't got no soul....!!!!
 
Rob said:
Sorry guys if i got a got off topic there.But its a subject close to my heart.

Rob
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Didn't notice you going off topic at all Rob. ;)
And wasn't the Spitfire a thing of true etheral beauty?
 
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Wonderful thing of beauty H,if i had a couple of million to spare!

Rob
 
Rob said:
Wonderful thing of beauty H,if i had a couple of million to spare!

Rob
Click to expand...

Och stop kidding yourself on. You'd only go and buy up every K&C current and retired that you could buy. And only then would you go out and get a Spitfire. :D:D
 
Harrytheheid said:
Och stop kidding yourself on. You'd only go and buy up every K&C current and retired that you could buy. And only then would you go out and get a Spitfire. :D:D
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Gott in Himmel your right!!:D
 
Ach Du Lieber! I live just near the Jaguar plant in Castle Bromwich where the Spitfires were made. There's a roundabout there called Spitfire Island and on it is a giant metal statue of 3 Spitfires with contrails heading into the sun.
It's an amazing piece of art. At first it looks like just metal but the more you look at it the better it becomes and when the sun shines on it! WOW!

Hehe bit off topic but I do love this statue!


http://www.birminghamuk.com/spitfireisland.html
 
Now that is a nice piece of art,very cool indeed.

Rob
 
Harrytheheid said:
I'm not 100% certain, but I think the badly burned aircraft controller was based on James Nicolson of 249 squadron who won Fighter Command's only Victoria Cross during WW2.
BTW, there's nothing in your original post that might suggest you didn't enjoy the movie. :)
Click to expand...

I forgot about Richard Hillary who was very badly burned and wrote a book called "The Last Enemy" recounting his experiences. So the burned aircraft controller is probably a composite of both Nicolson and Hillary.
BTW, an excellent book concerning the pilots of Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain is "Fighter Boy" by Patrick Bishop available on Amazon.co.uk
Right, I'll have to scoot. The Stukas are presently bombing the radar station and the Spits have been scrambled to give them what for.
"Roger, here we go. Attacking now" Sqdn Leader Cranfield.
 
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Phew....thats better. Just finished watching the Battle Of Britian yet again.
"Never in the field of human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few"

Think I'll pass on Dunkirk for the time being and watch John Wayne in "Back to Bataan" next instead. :)
 
Hi Guys,

Now, I know I should be hard at work producing lots of little soldiers but I just could not ignore this thread...(thanks Harry).

For my money’s worth “Battle of Britain” is my second favourite WW2 Aviation Movie...

Joint number ones are “THE DAMBUSTERS” and “TWELVE O”CLOCK HIGH”. Anyway back to “B of B”...As a regular WW2 Warbird Buff here’s a few interesting facts —

The Spanish Air Force supplied all the German Aircraft used.

Comprising...

36 Heinkel III’s (with Merlin engines)

24 Hispano Buchons (license built ME109’s with, again, Merlin Engines and 2 Junker 52’s for transport scenes). All the German/French airfield scenes were filmed in Spain. All German pilots were actually Spanish Air Force “hired-out” to the film company plus 4 Confederate Air Force pilots from America to fly ME109’s.

Originally 3 Stukas were to be built using converted “Chipmunk” Trainers!!! Fortunately none were used, so model aircraft were used for those dive bombing scenes...and looked it! Alas!

A grand total of 12 flying Spitfires and 3 Hurricanes were available for the RAF plus another 24 “dummy” Spits and Hurricanes to be blown up on airfield sequences.

At the time of its release...1969...the movie cost a reputed £10 million (about US$25 million at the then exchange rate) – a small fortune.

The Movie did well in Britain (surprise, surprise) and The Commonwealth (Canada...Australia...New Zealand...South Africa) and, strangely enough, in Germany???

In the U.S. it fared less well...no Yanks in the cast which, to be honest, seems a wee bit daft considering...

A) Some “Eagle” pilots actually took part in the real battle and...

B) United Artists (a US company) put up the money.

Oh well...such is life...

Over the years I’ve watched it many, many times and still love it. In the UK it was credited with almost single-handedly saving scores of vintage WW2 aircraft and inventing the whole “WARBIRD” industry and movement.

Back in 1969 Britain had just 12 Spitfires and 3 Hurricanes actually flyable (Lots more in museums and on “gate guardian” duties outside RAF airfields). Today Britain boasts almost 36 flying Spitfires (with more being rebuilt) and at least 6 Hurricanes in the air (with again a few more under rebuild).

So, that why I love this movie. Now, if Peter Jackson (“Lord of The Rings”) really is redoing “THE DAMBUSTERS” I would love to see a couple or more Lancasters!!!

Best wishes and...happy flying!

Andy C.

(Flying Officer ret’d.)

P.S. Rumour has it that Jackson’s company are building 4 full size Lancasters (able to taxi only) in China for his movie.
 
FYI..... :D

The Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson is to remake classic British war film The Dam Busters, he has told film industry trade paper Screen Daily.
Jackson will produce the movie, with King Kong animator Christian Rivers in the director's chair.

Jackson said it would be "as authentic as possible and as close to the spirit of the original as possible".

The 1954 film told the true story of how Britain developed bouncing bombs to destroy German dams in World War II.

Jackson says he first saw the film as a child and "really loved it".

"There's that wonderful mentality of the British during the war - that heads-down, persevering, keep-on-plugging-away mentality which is the spirit of Dam Busters," he told Screen Daily.

Based on a book by Paul Brickhill, the original film starred Michael Redgrave as Barnes Wallis, who developed the bomb, and Richard Todd as Wing Commander Guy Gibson, who led the RAF bombing mission.

Jackson asked his agent to inquire about the possibility of remaking the film at the same time as he was securing the rights to the Lord of the Rings trilogy in the 1990s.

Richard Todd starred as Wing Commander Gibson in the original
"He came back and said that [film company] Icon had the rights and that Mel Gibson was going to direct and possibly act in it," Jackson said.

"Obviously that didn't happen."

The remake is set to use details of the bombing mission which were still classified at the time the original film was made by director Michael Anderson.

"So much of it was still secret," said Jackson. "They weren't even allowed to show the bomb itself and had to create a fictionalised bomb."

The project is due to start filming next year, with a budget of $30-40m (£16-21m).

Television presenter Sir David Frost will be an executive producer on the movie as he owns the rights to the book.

Jackson's next project as director will be an adaptation of Alice Sebold's novel The Lovely Bones.
 
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