Battle of Britain (1969)

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.

Director:

Guy Hamilton

Writers:

James Kennaway (screenplay), Wilfred Greatorex (screenplay),

Stars:

Harry Andrews, Michael Caine, Trevor Howard

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Historical reenactment of the air war in the early days of World War Two for control of the skies over Britain as the new Luftwaffa and the Royal Air Force determine whether or not an invasion can take place.

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Plot Keywords:

raf | luftwaffe | british | nazi | invasion | 

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Genres:

Action | Drama | History | War

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English German Polish French

Release Date:

24 October 1969 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Battle of Britain

Filming Locations:

Bentley Priory, Middlesex, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$17,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Spitfire Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

132 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (35 mm prints) 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) (French release) Stereo (DVD Release)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

27 Spitfires in various degrees of repair were found for the film, 12 of which could be made airworthy. Only six Hurricanes where found, three of which were made flyable. The Messerschmitt 109 where all retired from the Spanish Air Force. The production company bought them all, about 50 of them, and put 17 of them back in flying condition. They are in the movie flown by Spanish Air Force pilots, and members of the Confederate Air Force. The 32 Heinkels, with crews, were on loan for free from the Spanish Air Force, where they still were used for transport and target towing. Two of them were eventually bought by the production company and flown together with the 17 Messerschmitts to England for further shooting. The two Junkers 52 were also on loan from the Portuguese Air Force.

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Goofs

Why would Polish flight T5 have loaded cannons if it is only supposed to be a training mission?

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Quotes

Warr. Off. Warrick: Put that cigarette out! The mains have gone, can't you smell gas?
Section Officer Maggie Harvey: Don't you yell at me, MR Warrick!

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Connections

Referenced in Edición Especial Coleccionista: La última noche del Titanic (2012)

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Soundtracks

"Battle in the Air"
Composed by William Walton (as Sir William Walton O.M.)
Conducted by Malcolm Arnold

User Reviews

A Historic event recreated with skill and wit.

Perhaps not many new viewers of this gigantic recreation are aware of the fact that this movie was filmed almost 30 years after the actual events took place.

The efforts to put History on screen were huge. Everything in this account of the facts, comes directly from those who were actually involved in it: from the British and German fighter aces to private Londoners, they all contributed to make this not just another "war movie", but rather a dramatized documentary with accurate precision.

This by no means signifies that it is just that. The sky battles were very carefully choreographed, in accordance to rules of combat, which were followed in the 1940s. Some planes were flown by the same veterans, so that when you see a Messerschmitt Bf-109 followed by Spitfire Mk 1, you know it's for real.

The technical efforts were immense and although the Messerschmitts have reworked engines and even the Heinkel He.111s have different aerials and engine specs, because they were updated by the Spanish Air Force for later use after World War Two, the difference is barely noticeable when one watches one of those spectacular aerial battles.

On the whole, this is a history lesson about how a people, isolated from the rest of the world, and in a minority position, withstood the overwhelming crushing machine of the Axis: the Luftwaffe.

More than a movie, this is a celebration to those brave people, both civilian and military, who did commit themselves against all odds, to resist and fight back a very aggressive and dangerous enemy.

This, together with "The Longest Day", "Sink the Bismarck!", "Tora! Tora! Tora!" and "A Bridge Too Far" is one of those rare examples to make history come to life again and should be considered as didactic material for schools.

An excellent multi-national cast and a skillful direction, make this a masterpiece of its genre.