Battle of Britain (1969)

Director:

Guy Hamilton

Writers:

James Kennaway (screenplay) and
Wilfred Greatorex (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

24 October 1969 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | History | War

Plot:

In 1940, the British Royal Air Force fights a desperate battle vs. the Nazi Germany Air Force for control of British air space to prevent a Nazi invasion of Britain.

Plot Keywords:

Luftwaffe | Nazi | 1940s | Royal Air Force | Bomber

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award.

Cast

Harry Andrews	...	Senior civil servant
Michael Caine	...	Squadron Leader Canfield
Trevor Howard	...	Air Vice Marshal Keith Park
Curd Jürgens	...	Baron von Richter (as Curt Jurgens)
Ian McShane	...	Sgt. Pilot Andy
Kenneth More	...	Group Capt. Baker
Laurence Olivier	...	Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding
Nigel Patrick	...	Group Capt. Hope
Christopher Plummer	...	Squadron Leader Colin Harvey
Michael Redgrave	...	Air Vice Marshal Evill
Ralph Richardson	...	Sir David Kelly (British minister to Switzerland)
Robert Shaw	...	Squadron Leader Skipper
Patrick Wymark	...	Air Vice Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory
Susannah York	...	Section Officer Maggie Harvey
Michael Bates	...	Warrant Officer Warwick

Also Known As:

The Battle of Britain (USA) (DVD title)

Runtime:

133 min | UK:151 min (original version)

Country:

UK

Language:

English | German | Polish | French

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Brazil:12 | Germany:16 (DVD rating) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-12 | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (1969) | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | West Germany:12 (f) | Argentina:Atp | Canada:G | USA:G | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

Bentley Priory, Middlesex, England, UK

Company:

Spitfire Productions

Trivia:

The scenes at Fighter Command were filmed on location at RAF Bentley Priory, the actual headquarters of Fighter Command during WW2. Air Chief Marshall Dowding's original office complete with the original furniture were used.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the dogfight sequence when Canfield his shot down by German fighters, the shot of his aircraft exploding in mid air as it heading for the ground is not a Spitfire, but Canfield flies a Spitfire during the film and during this all important scene. He is seen taking off in one immediately prior to this sequence.

Quotes:

Wing Cmdr. Willoughby: [hanging up the phone and looking down at the plotting table, showing a large number of RAF Squadrons in place to intercept a Luftwaffe raid on London] This should give them something to think about!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Harry Saltzman: Showman (2000) (V)

A good film, unfortunately for Hollywood, WW2 started in 1939!

This film does have its flaws, but is still a great film. It had to be made when it did (sic) if only because the Spanish Air Force still had their Merlin engined Hispano HA-1109 and HA-1112 "Me 109s" and Casa C.2111 "111s" flying in 1968!

It's good that some "stars" do not have big roles. Michael Caine whilst being "hot box office" is shot down - many pilots who seemed invincible were lost. A number of the parts are based on real characters Robert Shaw's is based on Adolf 'Sailor' Malan - 74 Squadron Ace, Susannah York's Harvey is based on one Felicity Hanbury (who later became the Commandant of the WRAF). The scene where she has to deal with a bombed slit trench is based on what happened when Biggin Hill was attacked. Being burned and still being alive was one of the biggest risks - sitting next to a tank of 100 octane whislt being shot at was risky.

It's chief flaws are i) Hurricanes shot down the bulk of the German losses during the Battle - this "error" is primarily because there were more flying Spitfires available. More serious is depicting "The Few" as a group of equals - in reality the class system was still to the fore in some places more so than others. Officer would not mix with NCOs, Auxilliary Air Force pilots (predominantly from the upper classes) looked down on Volunteer Reserve pilots (predominantly from the working/middle classes). But bear in mind this was made less than 30 years after the event when some of the myths and propaganda surrounding it were still treated as the truth, unlike "Pearl Harbor" and "U-571" and other recent films they haven't just thrown historical fact out because it doesn't fit the desired story line!

Many pilots were killed simply because of the stupid tatics they used - fighting by the 1930s RAF rule book until lessons were learnt. Many didn't see what hit them. In most other ways the film is by and large correct. The British were very reluctant to use Polish and Czech squadrons; despite many of these pilots being much more experienced than British.

Oh and having read the other comments here - this does not follow just one squadron, Robert Shaw is one, Michael Caine another, The Czech/Poles others, Christopher Plummer another. I seem to remember that the film makers went out of their way not to show any one squadron as being the "winners" hence no squadron numbers are mentioned - all aircraft codes are ficticious.

A film has to keep an audience's attention for 100+ minutes real life isn't like that just showing the fear and boredom of sitting around on hot summers days dreading the 'phone call would not make a good movie instead compromises are made. When you watch it remember that this wasn't just dreamt up by some scriptwriter this really happened.