Rating: 
Summary: Heros Among Us
Review: Lately, I have been drawn to war movies filmed from a point of view distinctly not American. This film can serve as a helpful primer to historical fact as to Czech involvement in the allied war effort during WWII. And that effort was heroic indeed. The production values and especially the cinematography of this Czech produced film are every bit as good as anything American audiences are accustomed to, but one must adapt to subtitles unless of course, you speak Czech. But it was the humanity of the characters that made this story so compelling. For instance, the Czech wing commandeer, upon returning from a training mission with his young pilot officers did not display the slightest hesitation in eagerly seeking out his dog for a gentle romp on the ground in full view of his subordinates. You would never see John Wayne or Gregory Peck display such affection for a dog in similiar circumstances. Another altered perspective had to do with allowing the engineer and fireman of a rolling supply train to evacuate before aerial straffing began. As a long time aviation buff, I purchased this movie because of the promise of airplanes. The movie does not disappoint. Some details were noted by this viewer for the first time, such as the distinctive thud of landing gear doors slamming shut on a departing Spitfire, even a tail wheel casually rotating about its axis upon a grassy landing. From an action point of view, the flying sequences were excellent and Spitfires were plentiful. But to me, the real draw came to be the bonding of men in perilous times, and for the Czech pilots who fought with the RAF in WW11, I learned this process did not realize full closure until the early 1990's.
Rating:
Summary: Explores Little Known History
Review: Long before The United States formally entered the war, pilots from many countries including the USA flew for the air forces of other countries including England. In this film pilots from Czechoslovakia are flying for England. This movie will appeal to those who enjoy historical films about World War II, but will probably not satisfy, for the film also veers off in to a love story, that again may leave that facet of the audience less than satisfied as well. The movie has two good components that tend to interfere with each other.The special effects with only an exception or two are very well done. A German attack on an English airbase is extremely well done, and some of the air-to-air combat is also quite realistic. There was one sequence involving a crippled bomber that looked poor, but it was the exception and not the rule. The film also deals with the treatment of any military personnel that had the bad fortune to find themselves behind the iron curtain after the war's close. Stalin's paranoia about anyone who may have had a taste of the west, led to his imprisoning countless men and women who had fought valiantly in the war, and deserved praise not concentration like imprisonment. Taken in its entirety the film has a fairly good balance. There is enough about the war that is offset against the love a few fortunate people are able to find, to keep the film from being too grim, while it remains realistic. A nice tribute to those who fought against invaders with anyone who would provide them the means to resist.
Rating: 
Summary: Dark Blue World
Review: My son 12 y/o watched this about 6 times before he forced me into watching it with him. I wasn't keen on a subtitled movie but I know family time is important. My wife and I along with our son gathered on the sofa to sit through it. Now that's an understatement, we sat spellbound. The story, the presentation and to tell the truth it never really occured to me that I was watching a subtitled movie. The scenery is beautiful. The story is both thrilling and romantic. Enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Very pleased with this movie!
Review: My son 12 y/o watched this about 6 times before he forced me into watching it with him. I wasn't keen on a subtitled movie but I know family time is important. My wife and I along with our son gathered on the sofa to sit through it. Now that's an understatement, we sat spellbound. The story, the presentation and to tell the truth it never really occured to me that I was watching a subtitled movie. The scenery is beautiful. The story is both thrilling and romantic. Enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: A 'must see' film!
Review: Nostalgia aside, the Czech film "Dark Blue World" is a period piece set from 1936 to the present. Europeans really do know how to make good films and "Dark Blue World" is one of them. It is about a group of young Czech pilots who, after the Nazis waltzed in to their country in typical Nazi-invasion style, flee to England to fly for the RAF. The film uses a set of flashbacks (combining pre-World War II occupation by Germany and then later the "occupation" by the Soviets when the war was over) to run parallel themes and plot lines.
It is a story, too, of two pilots, best friends, who have a different agenda--they both get involved with the same (married) English woman. These three ingredients already forecast tragedy. As the war (and relationships) continues, the heartbreaks-to-happen seem to go unabated. While the theme of romantic love is explored, the nature of the friendship between the pilots is also examined, and, notwithstanding, the film's political agenda is also realized. After all, occupation by both alien forces deserves to be a theme in any free-loving and free-living film!
One doesn't have to be much of a historian to know what happened to both the Nazis and the communists, but that doesn't lessen the pain of the suffering of those directly involved (Following the War the Czech pilots returned home, only to be arrested and imprisoned by the communists as Western collaborators, and it wasn't until the fall of the Iron Curtain in l991 that they were released--to the honor of their true countrymen).
"Dark Blue World" is filmed "in the old fashioned way" that is, without Hollywood's predilection for computerized everything and for American fans' obsession for films with more than a plethora of extreme violence, incredibly awful language, explicit sexual scenes, an overbearance for drug related (and inspired) scenarios, and simply barrels of melodrama or gratuitous everything-in-bad-taste (smile!).
Rating:
Summary: Well Worth Seeing
Review: Not all members of the "greatest generation" were Americans, and too often we tend to forget this fact. This film is the story of a group of Czech pilots who, after the German takeover of their country in World War II, go to England to continue fighting. Excellent flying scenes, a romantic triangle, and even an appealing dog. Heroism without histrionics. Well worth seeing.
Rating:
Summary: Uniquely refreshing film from Czech Republic
Review: Not having heard of this film when it was overshadowed in general theatrical release by the usual Hollywood offerings, I discovered the joys of DARK BLUE WORLD from the DVD version. What a revelation! Not only is the story fine and more than worth telling (based as it is on fact), but the simple technique that director Jan Sverak uses (and further explains in the enhanced information on the DVD)makes this small movie innovative on many levels. Paying homage to the fact that the story reports the interplay and codependence of the Czech pilots with the British RAF, the film is very naturally told in a combination of Czech and English. So natural is the total presentation that we forget we are watching a "foreign film" and just explore the sensitivity and genuine tale of love and friendship and companionship all heightened by the presence of WWII. The musical score is enchanting, the photography is beautiful, the acting by all the cast is superb (Czechs play Czechs, Brits play Brits and Germans play Germans). Some viewers are putting this little jewel down as a sudsy soap. I am sorry for them. What is so wrong about addressing issues so heart friendly as these in a simple and honest manner? More please.
Rating:
Summary: Dark Blue World
Review: One of the greatest jobs of film directing ever achieved. Watch how many beautifully positioned shots go into each wonderful seen. For simple direction, this film ranks with "Lawerence of Arabia," as one of the greatest film classics of all time.
Rating:
Summary: Amazingly Good
Review: People tend to compare this with Pearl Harbor. What an insult. Pearl Harbor is a dumb American action-packed typical nonsensical piece of rubbish Hollywood pumps out weekly in dozens. DARK BLUE WORLD is a fantastic film on the level of Amadeus or Kolya. The dogfight action looks real unlike the star wars computer over-aided nonsense of Pearl Harbor in which planes routinely take right angle turns and perform aerobatics violating all laws of physics. Beside that, of course, DARK BLUE WORLD has a story in it and an awesome set of real-life characters. This is something Hollywood has never attempted as the LA bimbos mistake personality with heavy makeup, frizzy hairs, and revealing uncomfortable jump suits for their "lovely" world-saving heroines. People that make this comparison don't deserve this movie and should go back to their Terminator sequences and films in which Bruce Willis saves the planet from the evil bad guys. That's the level of entertainment these people can fathom. Dark Blue World is perhaps one of the best movies ever. It ranks up there with Amadeus, Some Like It Hot and stuff like that. If you wanna see action, slo-motion explosions, bucketful of gore and sleazy sex scenes, you'll have to buy something else, something Hollywood. This movie is for people with minds and hearts. R. Friedman
Rating:
Summary: A very rare flawless war film
Review: Speaking as a war film buff; I can say that this is about as perfect a movie as you are ever going to see. The characters are deep, not stereotyped and completely believable. The acting is top notch, the directing is brilliant, and the cinematography is breathtaking. It is a very real movie with no "ulterior motive" behind it other than telling a powerful story behind the backdrop of WWII. As the director says "it's about men who live by their conscience...about heroism." This is a very multi-faceted movie; not mono-dimensional at all, and produces genuine emotion through characters you can care about and relate too. If that weren't enough, the atmosphere is the best I've seen short of a Spielberg movie. The uniforms, planes, and equipment are all authentic and the characters speak their own language, be it Czech, English, German or French. If you do not choose to buy this then I strongly urge you to rent it--it is the best film I have seen in ages...
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