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It was the summer of 1940 and Nazi Germany had overrun Western
and Central Europe. Adold Hitler's greedy eyes fell upon Britain
- his last opponent - and he sent over his flying bully boys
of the Luftwaffe to bomb Britain into submission.
Fortunately, the young RAF pilots were able to somehow overcome
the massive three-to-one odds against them and keep the Nazi
hordes at bay.
The classic war movie Battle of Britain brings the knife-edge
struggle to life in an epic effort that not only combined
some of the finest acting talent Britain had to offer, but
also led to the creation of the 35th biggest airforce in the
world - the planes used to film the aerial battles.
Now I have two things to say about Battle of Britain. Firstly,
it is one of my favourite war movies. Secondly, it could have
been done so much better.
The cast includes Sir Laurence Olivier, Michael Caine, Trevor
Howard, Robert Shaw, Chrisptopher Plummer, Susannah York,
Kenneth More, Ian McShane and bazillions more.
It has spectacular dogfights where dozens of planes are zooming
in and out of the action. And it is a real-life, historical
cliffhanger of a tale that is truly exciting.
Somehow, though, all of this excellence ends up a bit of
a lacklustre tale.
That said Battle of Britain is a must-have for any war movie
fan and it should be said I was really surprised at the quality
of the video transfer.
It is sharp, almost too sharp at times and suffers from edge
enhancement, but many of the problems artifacts that plague
TV and VHS versions of the movie have been erased. It is also
widescreen, which is a blessing, and the 5.1 sound is excellent.
Conclusion: Movie 85% Extras 85%
Continued:
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