Battle of Britain [Blu-ray]

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Manufacturer: MGM
Starring: Alexander Allerson, Harry Andrews, John Baskcomb, Michael Bates, Isla Blair

Average Customer Rating:

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audience Rating: G (General Audience)
Binding: Blu-ray
EAN: 0027616077004
Format: AC-3
Label: MGM
Manufacturer: MGM
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: MGM
Region Code: 1
Release Date: 2008-06-03
Running Time: 133
Studio: MGM
Theatrical Release Date: 1969

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Editorial Reviews:

Featuring a "big stellar cast" (Variety), including Michael Caine, Trevor Howard, Laurence Olivier, Christopher Plummer, Michael Redgrave, Robert Shaw, Susannah York and Edward Fox, Battle of Britain is a spectacular retelling of a true story that shows courage at its inspiring best. Few defining moments can change the outcome of war. But when the outnumbered Royal Air Force defied insurmountable odds in engaging the German Luftwaffe, it may well have altered the course of history!

Spotlight customer reviews:

Customer Rating:

Summary: Historically more accurate than 99% of war films
Comment: Its hard to imagine what it must have been like to be a pilot in the battle of Britain, up before dawn, the stress of waiting to be scrambled, the adrenalin fuelled run to your aircraft, seat pack parachute on, Sutton harness (must get those straps right!), RT and oxygen leads, trolley-ac and engine start, brief pre-flight and into the air in 2 minutes, climbing hard for 10 minutes, cool oxygen burning lungs, squinting into a rising sun that could hide 100 enemy fighters, intense terrifying segments of combat, turning turning trying to see the enemy behind you, 13 seconds worth of ammunition, whirling confusion, thumps of bullets or canon shells whipping through the thin aluminium skin of your aircraft behind you, goggles fogging with sweat, fighting g-force and g-lock, struggling to maintain turns and height, confused shouts for help over the RT, then skies suddenly devoid of aircraft, is that speck on the windscreen a squashed fly or an aircraft, friend or foe? The shock of guilt because why you have been worrying about the speck, you haven't been checking the sky above and behind, those few seconds could have been a death sentence for you, keep the head and neck moving, above and behind, check the instruments, oil pressure high, glycol level dropping, turn for home, is that the road that leads to the airfield below? Looking down, yes it could be.. A flicker in the mirror caught out of the corner of the eye, instant terror, cram the controls into a corner, look behind, behind, its ok, its another one of your squadron, formate, safety in numbers, easier for you to check his sky and he yours, on the downwind leg now, controls feel a little mushy. Cannon shell nicked a cable? Enough hydraulic fluid to get the gear down, flaps down, pop the air brakes, airspeed dropping now, low and slow, if an enemy fighter appears now, you have no altitude or speed to fight with, a sitting duck, jockey the throttle, canopy back and locked, the nose is up now as you drift over the perimeter, you lean out of the canopy to get a view forward, the long nose of the aircraft means you cant see directly forward, the narrow undercarriage of the spitfire make it difficult to land, bump, bump, steady on the rudder peddles, head towards the dispersal, sandbagged revetment with an fitter waving you forward, he grabs the wingtip and you give the Merlin a blast to swing the aircraft round and clear the plugs, switches off and the hiss and tick of cooling metal mingles with the crackle of aero engines, the sounds of men shouting as planes are refuelled and re-armed. You are soaked with sweat, in the air for 40 minutes, witnessed sudden death, friends trapped in burning aluminium coffins swirling 3 miles down to their deaths, you are 19 years old, it is 6 am, you might have to repeat this cycle another 4 times today, and the day after than, and the day after that, and again, and again, until they stop coming, or you don't come back, or until you crack under the strain, but of course you don't, because that would be cowardice in the face of the enemy, and you are not a coward. It is 6am, you are already bone tired, a mug of tea and a sandwich is waiting in the dispersal hut, you wearily undo your straps, climb out of your aircraft, seat pack off, your rigger helps you to hang the chute on the wing of the aircraft with the straps "just so" ready for next time. Already the panels are off the wings, belts of ammunition are being fed into the 8 browning machine guns, fuel pumped into the tanks. You look at the battle damage, some holes near the roundel on the fuselage, probably nothing, maybe the rigger will get a panel off and check the rudder controls if he gets time, no one wants to be left with a panel off though if a scramble comes through, takes precious time to get it back on, every aircraft is needed, every pilot. Every day.

Could you have lived like this? This film is a fitting tribute to those who did and gives us the tiniest flavour of what it might have been like to have been a BoB pilot on either side. It isn't flawless, but it remains one of the great depictions of war.

Customer Rating:

Summary: 3 stars out of 4
Comment: The Bottom Line:

Though Battle of Britain attempts to cram too many stories and subplots into too little time(though the movie is hardly short) and assumes the viewer is familiar with the historical context, it is still a decent war picture and worth renting or watching, if not purchasing.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Alex_Tiny
Comment: The TV picture was awesome. Lots of action with great action. What also really impressed me was the sound, If you are a World War II movie fan, then this is a must addition to your library.
I purchased this picture as a gift for my son who lives and works in Thailand. I was concerned that it wouldn't play on his Play Station 3 Japanese unit. FYI it worked just fine.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Good Copy
Comment: Nice reproduction. It was originally filmed in great quality. Not real sure if the Blue-ray version is that much better. I viewed it on a 720p 42" LCD. But the price made it worth it.

Customer Rating:

Summary: What happened to thr rest of the movie??
Comment: Great movie and superb acting. The aircraft used was unbelieveable. The instrumental. "Aces High" was the best modern march I have ever heard. It would have been very popular back in Germany during its time. In Europe it is also known as the "Luftwaffe March".
But what happened to the rest of the movie?? There should have been atleast 20 minutes more as in the movie theaters when it first came out. Very dissaapointing especially when DVD companies seem to do this on a regular basis with movies.
Keith T. Kalkanoff

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