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poster of Battle of Britain
Rating: 6.8/10 by 297 users

Battle of Britain (1969)

In 1940, the Royal Air Force fights a desperate battle against the might of the Luftwaffe for control of the skies over Britain, thus preventing the Nazi invasion of Britain.

Directing:
  • Guy Hamilton
  • Derek Cracknell
  • Elaine Schreyeck
  • David Bracknell
Writing:
  • Wilfred Greatorex
  • James Kennaway
  • Derek Wood
  • Derek Dempster
Stars:
Release Date: Mon, Sep 15, 1969

Rating: 6.8/10 by 297 users

Alternative Title:
La bataille d'Angleterre - FR
La batalla de Inglaterra - ES
Az angliai csata - HU
A Batalha da Grã-Bretanha - BR
Bitwa o Anglie - PL
Bitva o Anglii - CZ
A Batalha Britânica - BR
Die Luftschlacht um England - DE
Битва за Британию - RU
De Slag om Engeland - NL
The Battle of Britain - US

Country:
United Kingdom
Language:
Deutsch
Français
Polski
English
Runtime: 02 hour 12 minutes
Budget: $12,000,000
Revenue: $0

Plot Keyword: world war ii, based on true story, aerial combat, british history, 1940s, battle of britain, luftwaffe, royal air force, raf
Subtitle   Wallpaper   Watch Trailer    

Michael Caine
Squadron Leader Canfield
Trevor Howard
Air Vice Marshal Keith Park
Harry Andrews
Senior Civil Servant
Curd Jürgens
Baron von Richter
Ian McShane
Sgt. Pilot Andy
Laurence Olivier
Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding
Christopher Plummer
Squadron Leader Colin Harvey
Kenneth More
Group Capt. Baker
Nigel Patrick
Group Capt. Hope
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
Robert Flemyng
Wing Cmdr. Willoughby
Edward Fox
Pilot Officer Archie
W.G. Foxley
Squadron Leader Evans
Barry Foster
Sqd. Leader Edwards
Jack Gwillim
Senior Air Staff Officer
Karl-Otto Alberty
General Jeschonnek - Luftwaffe Chief of Staff
Paul Neuhaus
Maj. Föhn
Dietrich Frauboes
Field Marshal Milch (Inspector General, Luftwaffe)
Malte Petzel
Col. Beppo Schmidt (Luftwaffe Intelligence)
Peter Hager
Field Marshal Albert Kesselring
Hein Riess
Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring
Rolf Stiefel
Adolf Hitler
Alf Jungermann
Brandt's Navigator
Jean Wladon
Jean Jacques
David Griffin
Sgt. Pilot Chris
Eric Dodson
RAF Officer
Sarah Lawson
Skipper's Wife
Isla Blair
Mrs. Andy
Nikki Van der Zyl
Dubbing (voice)
John Comer
Policeman (uncredited)
Harry Fielder
Soldier (uncredited)
Richard Morant
Replacement Pilot - Red Section 'Red 2' (uncredited)
Christopher Morris
Boy (uncredited)
John Savident
RAF Officer (uncredited)
Nick Tate
RAF Pilot (uncredited)
David McKail
Lac Arnold (uncredited)
George Roubicek
Sergeant Pilot - Falke's Crew (uncredited)
Paul Angelis
Albert (uncredited)

John Chard

Stirring chest beater for those prepared to indulge. You don't need me to give you a history lesson here, Battle Of Britain, much like 98% of all war movies is a glossed up extension of an historical event, if you want history then go read all the serious historian comments instead. Wanna read about a film? OK, Battle Of Britain is something of a frustrating love of mine, I'm not one to be over enthused as regards jingoistic fervour, but there are a handful of films that really have me pounding my chest like some flag waving King Kong clone, Battle Of Britain, in spite of the obvious flaws is one such film. The plus points will always outweigh the bad for me, as a top array of acting talent line up to tell the tale of the British Air Force fighting the good fight against the German Air Force for control of British air space - and thus stopping the Nazis from invading England on the south coast. It should be noted that the film gains extra credit for giving the due respect to the other European countries that also fought in the Battle for the skies in 1940. The aerial sequences are a delight, it's easy to see where the main portion of the budget went here, be it dogfights or squadrons looming ominously in the sky, the effects are never less than good, and some of the POV cockpit shots firmly have the blood pumping. The climatic battle (played out to an almost operatic score) is deftly shot and is a riveting reel of film that pays you back for having sat through one of the film's flaws, that of the sadly scripted moments of tedium. True enough to say that the film is a bit overlong, and whilst it's smart in portraying the reality of pilots under prepared, it just comes across as at times like boorish filler, while the inevitable love interest strand involving Susannah York is not only pointless, it's also bloody annoying. The score is hit and miss as well, at times Ron Goodwin & Henry Walton's music lights up the proceedings as the planes swoop and conquer, but does the operatic switch for the film's final battle enhance the picture? I would say no because the harshness of battle gives way to swan lake like indulgence, it's not for me I have to say. Still, I don't think anyone is proclaiming this as a masterpiece, it entertains far above average, and for this viewer at least, it makes me proud for a couple of hours at least. Lest we ever forget the real life heroes of The Battle of Britain. 7/10

CinemaSerf

It's 1940 and the ebullient Reichsmarschall (Hein Riess) arrives in his powder blue uniform to inspire his invincible Luftwaffe in their imminent reduction of the RAF to a pile of bombed out aerodromes and blazing aircraft. Across the channel, Sir Hugh Dowding (Sir Laurence Olivier) is trying to organise His Majesty's forces - outnumbered by something like four to one, to thwart that ambition. The next couple of hours demonstrate just how the British - helped by a disparate collection of dispossessed European allies from Poland, Czechoslovakia and France as well as many from Commonwealth nations fought the eponymous battle. Rather than just follow an historical chronology, though, the narrative uses the lives and loves of a series of characters - from both sides of the water - to illustrate the horrors of war, the strains on relationships and the strength of friendships and loyalty. We know what happened, so there's little jeopardy, but a combination of Ron Goodwin's scoring and some superb aerial photography help to elevate this above any accusations that it's a propagandist, even gloating, exercise. It's hard to imagine anyone being able to assemble quite the cast that Guy Hamilton has here and each familiar face plays a part in presenting this collage of stories and events the empowered the battle for the very survival of the nation against an enemy that was well equipped, disciplined and believed God was on it's side, too.


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