Defend until the end
Britain had been trying to stay out of Germany’s conquering ways during World War II. So much so that they didn’t move a finger to stop the German’s march across Europe. It basically was of no interest to them. When a German messenger goes to meet with the head of Britain’s military, he requests that Britain cooperate with Germany and let it occupy England. Of course the man declines the offer, and the beginning of World War II as England knows it starts. England, an island of its own, knows that the only way German forces can really make a dent in its country is by air and they are certainly prepared to stop the Nazis from advancing. Lead by Squadron Leader Skipper, he and his airforce intend on taking down the Nazis before they occupy any parts of England.
I’m down for war films, I love them when they’re not goofy or less intense. Battle of Britain is one of those war films that will just bore the hell out of you. The cast is amazing, featuring stars such as Michael Caine, Robert Shaw, Christopher Plummer and Laurence Olivier. The execution of the film is amazingly visual, having filmed real planes flying by and attacking. For 1969, it’s very good stuff. The part where the story lacks is just that… the story. The entire battle for the airspace of Britain is remarkable, historically. The movie itself seemed to take only about 10% of the amazing battle and carry it onscreen. It literally was one dogfight after another, no characters really being developed and no emotional attachment at all from the audience could ever be achieved because of this. Even the way the movie started where a German official comes in and says, “Hey, join us and everything is going to be great.” was a bit far-fetched. I’m almost positive it had to be something less kind and more intense. Regardless, the story will bore the pants off of you, I promise you that.
Compared to the actual history, the film seemed to only focus on a few main characters. Plummer’s role as Squadron Leader Colin Harvey was only one-step away from his singing part in The Sound of Music. It literally just seemed like he was playing the same character as he did in that film in 65′. With so many well-known actors, even for 1969, they just all seem to come off as flat. It is mainly due to the weak story, but also it was due to Guy Hamilton’s lousy pacing of the film.
Regardless, A Bridge Too Far, Patton or The Longest Day are far better films than this one. Check those out before you even give this a thought.
Flying low, but armed with Blu-ray
I can’t question the beauty that is Blu-ray. Compared to other films, this one seemed really good, not great. I’m not sure of the transfer process or if the original film was very damanged, but it didn’t have the gorgeous pizazz the other films we recently reviewed carried. The audio was great, but the video was only good.
As for the features, there are none.
And for me, that’s quite okay.
Just missed the target
Again, I don’t mean to rip this movie apart, but quite frankly it just wasn’t enjoyable. If you’re an airforce junkie, you might like this, but if you’re looking for a little more historical accuracy, go elsewhere. It does look good on Blu-ray though.