Battle of Britain

Rating:
Summary: A GORGEOUS, SOBERING SHOW
Review: BATTLE OF BRITAIN, with Michael Caine; Trevor Howard;Robert Shaw;Susana York; Ian McShain and even His Lordship, Sir Lawrence Olivier, is one of those treasures in a collection that will have the collector viewing it over and over again. The terse, off-the-wall British wartime humor supplies bright rivets that not only weld the show together but give it a flash of inspired light at regular intervals, yet each comes as a complete surprise to the viewer. They are like sudden open windows that display for us the individualty of the men, and their way of handling stressful situations. With the farmers, who have suddenly been invaded by well-meaning Polish flight students who have had to resort to parachutes, the handling is done by nasty-looking pitch forks wielded against these strange warriors with their weird, Germanic-sounding chatter. With a maintenance man, observing rough landings by student pilots taking a toll on his Spitfires' undercarriage, he manages to be snide but respectful. And then there are the incredible flying sequences themselves, underscored by a symphony of the air,remeniscent of Richard Rogers' VICTORY AT SEA: encompassing grace, peril, terror, tragedy. This is a fine, balanced war movie that proves Churchill's words that are quoted in the end."Never...have so many owed so much to so few!"

Rating:
Summary: Great dogfights, no plot
Review: Though this movie's flaws are very obvious - the lack of characters and plots - I still love it just for the aerial sequences and all the aircraft used. Somehow it manages to portray the RAF pilots heroically without making them into demigods the way many older movies did (a movie starring Kenneth More about Squadron Leader Douglas Bader comes to mind). Both sides are shown, although the German's are frequently without subtitles.
The aircraft are the most incredible part. Many scenes were reused for Piece of Cake in 1988, but watching this you get entire dogfights, not just little snippets. Interesting to note is that in the scene of the Polish squadron (based on actual events), only the lead plane is a Hurricane, whereas the five following it are silhouetted Spitfires.

Rating:
Summary: Where is the DVD
Review: I have only one comment why has there been a delay releasing this movie on DVD. Surely an action flick like this would be a must have for WWII buffs in their DVD collection.

Rating:
Summary: A story of resilience
Review: The story begins with the British forces realizing that they will need to focus their air forces back home rather than in France. Laurence Olivier plays the officer in charge who seems to be the only one that truly understands how precarious his country's position is. He explains that every pilot they can get will be needed to defend their island.

This movie well shows how long the odds were against the RAF, but the brave pilots and their support crews rose to the challenge and defended their home. The movie clearly illustrates Winston Churchill's saying, "Never have so many owed so much to so few."

For someone used to dazzling visual effects, this will not impress. The focus is on the characters. As you see the pilots flying over a burning London, the effects are sparse and not convincing. You will need to let this go, because it is a very fine movie.

I would recommend seeing this film.

Rating:
Summary: Needed Fully Restored on DVD at 2.35:1 with 5.1 sound
Review: A brilliant film that really would benefit from a proper restoration to the original 2.35:1 widescreen ratio and with 5.1 sound. Excellent cast and story.
It seems odd we can get Lawrence of Arabia and various other war movies restored on DVD but not this one. Not only accurate but exciting and a fitting tribute to all the combatants including the American pilots. If this battle had been lost WW2 would have ended in 1940.

Rating:
Summary: DVD Please!
Review: The sappy romance is the only mediocre part of this otherwise spectacular movie. The history is accurate and interesting, the all-star cast is terrific, and the aerial photography of World War II aircraft has never been equaled. What is really needed is a high quality, full-aspect-ratio DVD of this classic, including any bonus materials (documentaries, interviews, unused aerial footage, etc.) that can be rounded up.

Rating:
Summary: The Sky filled with Air Museum Classics
Review: The BATTLE OF BRITAIN was a bit of a departure for James Bond co-producer Harry Salzman and Bond director Guy Hamilton. Produced in time for the 30th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, and loosely based on ace Peter Townsend's book DUAL OF EAGLES, THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN superbly captured the action of the first two months of this 1940 historic air battle. The film makers amassed a small air force of their own in order to produce the movie. What was then soon to be surplus aircraft from the Spanish Air Force, including license built Spanish variants of the Heinkel 111, Messerchmitt 109, and Junkers 52 were repainted and pressed into service as Luftwaffe aircraft. Great Britain was scoured for Hawker Hurricane and Spitfire aircraft. The end result is a cinematic production of epic proportons. The special effects are great for 1969. Where authentic airworthy aircraft were not available the special effects department built radio controled models in 1/5 scale -- particulary for the crash scenes. In addition to the air battle, the film is packed with movie stars including Trevor Howard, Robert Shaw, Michael Caine and Christopher Plummer to name a few. The accompanying soundtrack, composed by Ron Goodwin (Where Eagles Dare), is fantastic. This film is long overdue to be remastered and released in widescreen on DVD.

Rating:
Summary: Battle of Britain needs to become a DVD!
Review: This movie was incredible. If there ever was an older war movie that deserved going to DVD, this would be it. Great action, acting and story. PLEASE MAKE THIS IN DVD FORMAT!

Rating:
Summary: Worth watching more than once
Review: A superb film.If you have read up on the Battle of Britain you
will notice where the different characters come in.I have almost worn the film out.The film is mostly taken from the book
The Narrow Margin.

Rating:
Summary: THE critical time
Review: How much could your life change in three months? To view of the events of the Summer of 1940 as the pivotal time of the 20th Century is no exaggeration. This film shows the RAF defying the pre-eminent military power in the Western World from June to mid-September. Poorly supported by the politicians and divided by tactical disputes, the RAF was essentially the weapon of one man, Air Marshal Dowding. Olivier's portrayal of this tormented leader is magnificent. Keith Park, played by Trevor Howard, is Dowding's point man in the defence of the British Isles. In their airborne clashes, the pilots are unable to see how desperately Dowding is attempting to preserve them.

Hamilton broke away from the traditional false heroics of Hollywood war films in making "Battle." In addition to conveying the problems besetting the opposing forces, he brings life to all the characters he presents us. Although renaming some of participants [Adolf Galland becomes "Falke" and Werner Moelders "Foehn"] Hamilton maintains a strong sense of realism throughout. Not all the pilots are solitary heroes, but instead are represented by family men, terrified men, driven men. They have jobs to do, and both sides strive to achieve their utmost. The solitary aircraft, wandering through the English night to inadvertently ditch its bombs on London changed the course of war forever. We never learn Major Brandt's ultimate fate. Although most of the roles in this film are but cameos, Hein Reis as Reichsmarschall Goering is outstanding. He conveys the vacillation of Luftwaffe tacticians with lively accuracy.

It's easy to criticize 'war films' on any number of grounds. Apart from false portrayals, a charge invalid in this case, there's always the technical aspect. The Bf109 fighters, for example, are clearly not the E-3 model used in 1940. Once the U.S. was driven into the war, it became a 'crusade' for moral values. During the Battle, however, the real issue was simply survival and Hamilton has conveyed that aspect beautifully. The challenge faced by the RAF was real and immediate and this film should be treasured as a reminder of what the Allies faced in that desperate summer. On the lighter side, it's a fine display of beautiful aircraft no longer seen in the sky. If your local airshow is rained out, you can always run BATTLE OF BRITAIN!