Avis sur le produitBattle of Britain (DVD, 1969)

Good Old War Movie

I Liked the Movie. Good War Movie and all. But the end credits have been changed You don't see the original Winston Churchill quote after the Battle of Britain?

'Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few'

You get something else and I Didn't like that someone changed quote out for something else.
Other wise great still a great movieLire l'avis complet...

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Battle of Britain

"Battle of Britain" is about the air war waged over Britain in the summer and fall of 1940, as the German Luftwaffe attempted to destroy the Royal Air Force, so the German army could then safely invade and conquer Britain. The film was released in 1969, and it is loaded with British film-stars, from Lawrence Olivier, Michael Caine, and Michael Redgrave on down.

What I particularly like about this film is that it actually tells the story of the Battle of Britain, from the viewpoints of the key politicians, and the generals, and the combat pilots of both countries. The Luftwaffe came within a few weeks of bombing and shooting the RAF's Fighter Command out of existence, which would have left Britain virtually defenseless against invasion. But then a flight of German bombers got lost and bombed London by mistake one night (I can attest how very easily that could happen, because I was trained as an Air Force navigator/bombardier using pretty much the same types of equipment as those aircrews). Churchill assumed that this German bombing of London had been deliberate, so he sent the RAF to bomb Berlin. Hitler, in a rage, then diverted the Luftwaffe from bombing the Fighter Command air-bases, to bomb London regularly instead. The subsequent destruction of London gave the RAF time to reequip, and train new pilots; and they eventually defeated the Luftwaffe's campaign to wipe out the RAF. The movie handles this story very well. Also, it does not portray its characters as plaster saints--most come across as believable people operating under considerable strain.

To me the aerial-combat scenes in the movie were adequate, but not outstanding. As far as I can tell, they did not break any new ground.

What I disliked most about this 1969 movie was that the director (Guy Hamilton) was no more successful than any other pre-CGI director at faking the explosions of 550-lb Luftwaffe bombs, and making the pyrotechnics look anything like real bomb-blasts. Also, he had the standard bad habit of filming an explosion (particularly the destruction of an airplane on the ground) from several angles simultaneously, and then using all of those shots in the pretense that he was showing us several different airplanes being bombed or strafed.

I wish the director had been able to make the point that not only did the RAF lack a sufficient number of fighter planes, but also that it had failed to teach its pilots how to fight effectively; and it took awhile for the Fighter Command pilots to learn the hard way how to stay alive and shoot down Germans. The Luftwaffe fighter-pilots had already learned those lessons in combat against the Russian fighters in the Spanish Civil War, so before the Germans tackled the RAF, they had already developed effective formations and tactics. But the director had a great deal of ground to cover in this film, and I think he did a good job of touching most bases in telling the real story of the Battle of Britain.

For those viewers who think that an air-war movie should consist mostly of aerial-combat scenes, there are better pictures than this one out there. But for those who--like me--want to understand why and how the major battles of WWII were fought, and why they turned out the way they did, "Battle of Britain" is well worth buying and watching. I intend to watch this movie again many times.Lire l'avis complet...

Winning Formula

Released on September 15, 1969, Guy Hamilton’s Battle of Britain is one of my favorite WWII movies to date. It offers just about everything you need for a successful war picture:

Outstanding Cast: Michael Caine, Laurence Olivier, Christopher Plummer, Robert Shaw, Curd Jurgens. Actually, these are only the most notable in a long list of brilliant actors.

Authentic Aircraft: Later Spitfires and Hawker Hurricanes were modified to resemble earlier models of the period. The German Me109s, Heinkel 111s and Junkers 52s were licensed Spanish versions of these aircraft, the obvious giveaway being the lower slung oil cooler intakes of their Rolls Royce Merlin engines. Very believable nonetheless, and, remember, no CGI was available at the time. Keep in mind that these planes were actually purchased to make this film. Some actually flew in the movie, while others could only taxi. Some scale models were used, such as the scenes with the Stukas and the more massive bomber formation scenes.

Awesome Soundtrack: For those scenes involving the Luftwaffe, you hear a kind of inspirational marching ballad, reminiscent of Wagner’s Siegfried. For the R.A.F., you get this uplifting, sort of cavalry coming to the rescue music. It’s that kind of music you find yourself whistling after the movies over.

Suspenseful Plot: Not only intriguing but based on a true story of epic proportions. Doesn’t get any better than that.

The Battle of Britain is timeless. I’ve watched it at least seven or eight times over the years. In fact, I still enjoy watching it whenever it comes on T.V. It’s far more captivating than most of your newer WWII movies that incorporate better special effects. Definitely worth owning on DVD.Lire l'avis complet...

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The Battle of Britain

This is quite the war epic, with an impressive cast, and (for its time) quite convincing visuals--the film is perhaps too long, but one could argue that wearing down the viewer was part of the point.<br>And, any film that dares put Laurence Olivier is an ancillary role shows real courage! Recommended!Lire l'avis complet...

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So so movie

Kind of a let down. I expected a great story since this was one of the defining moments in human history. Instead the producers tried to spice it up a bit with personal human drama. I guess this is to be expected. Plus it was hard to keep the characters straight even if you knew who was who beforehand like I did. Worth a watch if you like this kind of movie, but if you are after strategy of the battle being explained look elsewhere.Lire l'avis complet...

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The Battle Of Britain

This is an excellent movie in which I enjoyed very much watching it. It shows how technology triumphed over an overwhelming enemy air force. The German's made a drastic mistake in bombing British cities in which they paid for this mistake with the loss of control of the skies over England. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who has an interest in how World War 2 was fought.
Thank You Very Much,
Robert W. AndersonLire l'avis complet...

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War movies..factual.

My 13 year old grandson asked me about war...Memorial we watched most all my collection and I explained why where and what outcome meant..Viet Nam was my war..Well my son in law retired Air Force and never had watched any war movies..He is Mormon and said told not to watch these..I offered he accepted and now I am building his collection as these went to him and will send him more. I consider these History Lessons instead of just enteraintment..will buy more...Lire l'avis complet...

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Historically truthful and well acted.

The film Battle of Britain was very well acted, and what is more important to me historically accurate. I would recommend this movie to anyone who is interested in the Second World War.

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Great war movie

If your a history buff and enjoy war movies, then this is a great movie. All star cast and interesting story

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roger eeeebert HATED it

its a formulaic war movie. i was entertained. evidently weeble roger was unable to process this one in light of it not being mrs. miniver in spitfires

Achat vérifié :  Oui | État : occasion | Vendu par : booksforamerica