Film

User reviews of this film

• Alex said...

  Posted on Oct 01 2007 15:19 It's one of my favourite films too. Of course the dogfight sequences are numerous-that's what the Battle of Britain was actually about! It wasn't some small irrelevant event-the nation was fighting for it's very survival, and by constantly attacking the Luftwaffe in endless massed dogfights, the RAF forced the Germans to abandon their invasion plans for Britain. The numerous flying scenes were the main highlight of the film and, for me at least, captured the essence of what it must have been like to have been an RAF fighter pilot, fighting over own your homeland to defend it from an evil and sinister invasion power, who would have subjugated the nation in a very unpleasant manner, judging from the experience of the occupied European powers who had been defeated by Nazi Germany. Failure really wasn't an option. True, the romance scenes were a bit tedious, but fighter pilots did have wives and girlfriends, and relationships were tested to the limit. The RAF pilots did spend tense hours waiting at the disperal huts for the order to 'scramble', and there was little or no respite from the exhaustion of relentless combat, and possible death in a horrible manner, as portrayed in several of the film's sequences. But they either fought, or the nation died. Myself, and others in Britain, are fortunate to be able to write reviews like this in a nation that is free today because of the sacrifices of our forefathers. War is a bloody and messy business, with no glamour. For me the numerous dogfights captured the full horror of aerial combat, and the flying scenes pulled no punches-they were raw and gritty. The Battle of Britain was the first major failure of the Nazi War Machine, and marked a very significant turning point in the war, forcing Hitler to turn East, and attack Soviet Russia, thereby allowing undefeated Britain, with massive American material assistance, to eventually open the Second Front against Nazi Germany and speed it's defeat, in conjunction with the gigantic exertions of the Red Army, who bore the brunt of the land-based Nazi War Machine, and suffered unimaginable losses in eventually destroying the German Army.
  But the Battle of Britain was the starting point, which gave a beacon of hope to the world that the Germans could be defeated in battle. Britain may have stood alone, but it stood undefeated at the end of the battle, due to the sacrifices of 'The Few', and everyone who supported them in whatever roles they fulfilled. Churchill's words still ring true today.

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• Mark A Satterthwaite said...

  Posted on Aug 03 2007 15:43 Maybe you have to be British, but this is one of my all time favorite films. It is both moving and stirring portraying Britain and the British people well at a time of great peril and achievement. The numerous "dog-fights" are necessary and exciting, since this is what the film is about, what!

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