film: The Battle of Britain

[Bob Lyons]

Another booklet, this one is from the 1969 film 'The Battle of Britain', which starred Harry Andrews, Michael Caine, Trevor Howard, Curt Jurgens, Laurence Olivier, Karl Otto Alberty, Dietrich Frauboes, and Hein Riess as Goering. The real stars were the aircraft, with some fantastic flying sequences, I have to admit that I am a bit of a fan of this one!

The cover of the booklet:

[Bob Lyons]

Laurence Olivier starred as Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding, C in C of Fighter Command.

[Bob Lyons]

Some books about the movie, a set of collectable bubble gum cards from 1969, the special release 2 disc DVD, and that booklet...

[Bob Lyons]

I'll finish up, with a closer photo of a few of the bubble gum cards, I have the full set of them. (I have them in plastic sheets, so there is a bit of a sheen to the cards here).

Best wishes

Bob

[Paul Jones]

Love this film especially the balletic 'Eagle Day' sequence at the end of the film. Interestingly enough, the German planes were borrowed from the Spanish airforce for this film who still had them in service in 1969. A quick lick of paint and up they went. CGI could never come this close to historical realism, the dogfight sequences are magnificent (even if the explosion effects are a little dodgy to say the least ) .

Oh, and a nice collection to boot Bob

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Bob, I bought this same programme as a kid when I went to see the film when it was first released. Still got it

Cheers, Ade.

[mvm71]

In my opinion the opening credits with the stirring music, JU-52 and airbase review is one the best starts to any war movie!

Mike

[Brad Haner]

This is one of my favorites,I loved how they included Adolf Galland telling Goering the need for them to have spitfires. Ditto on the music,the entire movie had a fantastic score.

[Scott C.]

A great movie that managed to keep the love story as a sub-plot. I loved it when Sq leader Robert Shaw scrambled his young Spit pilots for the attack. Great collection of film memorabilia by the way

One of my top 10 favorites.

Scott

[A H]

One of the best films ever, one of the best things about it I think, is the films attention to historical detail. If you watch this film you have a very good idea of what happened in the battle. It is a very good blow by blow account.

[MH184]

The Me 109, Ju 52 and He 111 were licence built post war by the Spanish, in fact the French too, for the Ju 52.

There are bound to be 'spotters' out there but as I just about remember the French built three or four hundred Ju 52 from or in and around 1947.

Most of the Spanish built 1950's Me 109's (HA 1109's) they had the French Hispano - Suiza engines and later variants had Rolls Royce Merlin types. The Spanish built these from around the early 1950's to just before the 1960's.......service duration I don't know.

CASA I thnk built them, again I can't recall, it will be all on the net I'm sure.

Matt Star is your man for this sort of thing.

My Dad had a bit to do with flying in the film too.

[behblc]

BoB.

" DON'T YOU SHOUT AT ME , MR. WARRICK !"
Loved that scene,
" I have noticed that some of the women are using the mens shelters during Air raid Practise , this has got to stop".

Excellent movie which has stood the times very well.
" Its unforgiveable , I lost my temper . But he's right we are on our own , playing for time and its running out"

The quoting of Dowdings letter to Churchill , sums it up so well.
A lot of new films could take a lesson from this old lady.
Like so many of my age group , remember well going to see it.
Delighted to see the cards again , had the lot , my late mother being a tidy up freak threw them out.
Wish I still had them , sort of thing you could frame now and they would not look too bad or out of place.

Thanks for a great walk down memory lane , might even move me to watch it later on .
Some years ago I picked up the origonla sound track on LP. 50 p and good as new.

[Gene]

I really liked Edward Fox's bailout scene. His damaged Spit banks to the left and someone is now in freefall; I wonder if they took off with a stuntman standing on the wing?

[JaimeH]

1969, I was in the process of growing hair to my shoulders. But I don't remember this film, wait a minute, Robert Shaw was in this film? not Dam Busters? or Quint in Jaws?(1975) I believe, that the scene where Quint talks about his tattoo and the Indie, should have garnered him an oscar. Oh well ,anyways the Heinkel 111 in the movie was from Spain, I toured one in Cleveland about 9 years ago, later it crashed and killed the crew in I believe in Oklahoma a few years ago.

It's amazing how many WWII planes exist, when so many were produced.

[Joe D]

This is the movie that got me started in this compulsive hobby.