Battle Of Britain [1969]

There is also the added bonus that the original sound score, by the great Sir William Walton has been added back into the film, making it all the more gripping, and incredibly moving.

Being an ex-soldier, and having seen action, I have a rough idea what war can be like. Coupled to that is the fact that my late Grandfather who was a Canadian, flew and fought in the Battle of Britain, sadly he lost his life in 1944. I never got to know him, but the sense of pride that I have in him, and for all RAF pilots for what they achieved in those 19 hard weeks, in the summer of 1940, will stay with me, until my dying day.

The second disc is the one with all the amazing extras. There is an absolutely brilliant documentary about the Battle of Britain, and the making of the movie, narrated by Sir Michael Caine. This is the original documentary, which was shown on television in 1969 to coincide with the release of the film.

There are also some other extras on the second disc too, but if you want to know what they are... GO AND BUY IT! Why are you still sitting there eh?

What this all boils down to, is an excellent two disc DVD. The fact that it cost 16.99 in my opinion is well worth the money. If you are a WWII movie buff like myself, you will be falling over yourself to get this and add it to your collection.

GET IT!! I promise you will not regret it!


A gem..   January 1, 2003
35 out of 38 found this review helpful

I don't believe that there is a better movie depicting the Battle of Britain. The cinematography is stunning, as is the score. The cast is unmatchable and the Spits are majestic.

If this film were re-made today, with all the modern trickery and techniques, it would be a pale imitation of the 1969 original.

That's not to say this film doesn't have its faults, mainly in the unnecessary romance scenes that do their best to de-rail the flow of the story. What were they thinking of? Probably Susannah York in her underwear :o) I can live with that...

This all begs the question: When are we going to see a widescreen DVD version with all the usual extras? Are you listening MGM/UA???? This film is crying out for justice!


A great film restored to it's full glory (Special Edition)   May 24, 2004
Mr J Nelmes (Stirling, United Kingdom)
33 out of 34 found this review helpful

I have always been a fan of this film and have been impatiently waiting for a DVD release for some time. When I found out that MGM were releasing this film on DVD, I was delighted followed by some irritation when I found out the RRP ( 19.99), as the film was out in the US for $8. Yet another special edition second disc of bits and pieces with a hiked up price tag.

I hereby apologise to MGM for such unkind thoughts, because this edition is superb. The US version is in mono, where this release has 5.1 & DTS (it is excellent) and for fans of William Walton (they only used about 5 minutes of his score in the original film, Ron Goodwin supplying the rest), the soundtrack with the full Walton score as an alternative. The picture has also been restored and has a full anamorphic 2.35:1 picture.

It is a well worn cliche, but in summer 1940, Britain stood alone, facing the might of the Luftwaffe and the German army which had swept all aside. The Battle of Britain is one of the pivotal moments in the history of this country, and I believe that this film does it justice. The cast are excellent but particularly Laurence Olivier as Hugh Dowding and Robert Shaw as Squadron Leader Skipper. The film has been well researched and manages to weave all aspects of the battle into the film.

Some of the special effects are a little bit dated, but this was made 35 years ago, and they do not detract from the story. But what makes this film convincing are the real aircraft used to make it. Various reports suggest that when assembled, the aircraft were anywhere between the 11th and 35th biggest air force in the world. The aerial battles are just excellent, and the shots of bombers and fighters in formation over the real life locations in 1940, give a powerful sense of authenticity. When I think about scenes like the flight of Me109’s breaking to attack a flight of Spitfires, and compare it to the awful unrealistic Battle of Britain CGI scenes used in Pearl Harbour (which was an awful film in itself), I cannot help but think that this film is something special. I have read reviews from some “rivet counters” who state that the German Bombers are not authentic. This is true as the aircraft were built by CASA in Spain for the Spanish Air Force after the war, but you do not notice.

I cannot recommend this film enough and at last the DVD version lets us see it in all its glory.


A movie that can never be made again   March 13, 2004
Gisli Jokull Gislason (Iceland)
25 out of 27 found this review helpful

Finally an old classic rereleased.

Done in the style of A bidge too far and The Longest Day this movie sets forth a part of history in the context of a feature movie.

It has a lot of characters and storylines, some historic and some personal that are no longer seen in mainstream movies today and this might confuse some younger or more impatient viewers.

For the War Movie enthusiast it is a must. The turning points in The Battle of Britain are made clear, and the conflict quite accurately described with attention payed to the pilots and radar operatives as well as flight command and all those women moving tokens across maps in place of modern computer displays. You will feel sorry for the Polish Volunteers, feel the sacrifice of both sides as fewer and fewer vetran pilots return from the fray as well as getting a glimps of what terror bombing of cities means. If you have or enjoyed The Longest Day and a Bridge too far then this one stands in the same category.

Most of all it is a must for the WWII warplane fan, in this film there are no computer generated scenes, only dozens of the real aircraft flying in the sky, something that was possible in 1969 but can never be done again since there are too few aircraft left in such good condition. A true gem.

I have seen the region 1 DVD and have every reason to belive that the region 2 disc will be of good quality and for those who have it on VHS this is a welcome widescreen ratio.