Battle of Britain

Battle of Britain

Director: Guy Hamilton Cast: Laurence Olivier
Laurence Olivier
, Robert Shaw
Robert Shaw
, Michael Caine
Michael Caine
, Christopher Plummer
Christopher Plummer
Guy Hamilton
Battle of Britain

Battle of Britain

Director: Guy Hamilton Cast: Laurence Olivier
Laurence Olivier
, Robert Shaw
Robert Shaw
, Michael Caine
Michael Caine
, Christopher Plummer
Christopher Plummer
Guy Hamilton

DVD (Wide Screen)

$14.99 
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Overview

"Guy Hamilton's Battle Of Britain (1969) was the first major failure for producer Harry Saltzman, who had enjoyed success for most of the 1960's between the James Bond movies (co-produced with Albert R. Broccoli) and the three Michael Caine-starring ""Harry Palmer"" spy movies. This disc is the best presentation that the movie has had since its year of release -- there was a letterboxed laserdisc edition released around 1990 that looked decent, but the new transfer runs circles around that laser set in clarity and detail as well as brightness and color. The fields of France as depicted here never looked greener, nor have the details of the planes ever seemed more enticing to the eye -- and when the action takes to the air, the viewer does almost get the feeling of being aloft, the picture is that sharp. The 2.35-to-1 letterboxed image captures the original Panavision picture and the black area below has been used to support the subtitling for the sequences involving the Germans in conversation. Daylight scenes or darker interior shots, there's a vast amount of picture information here to take in, and this is the kind of disc that could swing lingering skeptics over to the format. The audio is mastered well also, particularly the climactic ""Battle In The Air"" sequence, where the music is essential. None of this alters the fact that the movie is incredibly dull and slow-moving for much of its length. The 132 minute running time seems excessive, and director Guy Hamilton takes forever to get where he is going -- the fact that the 20 chapters are adequate to that running time is indicative of the pacing problems with the picture. Additionally, there is no annotation to speak of -- not even a paper insert with a list of chapters. The makers have left out some obvious supplementary material that could have been included -- Battle of Britain, like most other major United Artists productions of the period, was the subject of a 15-minute featurette that used to appear regularly on New York television (usually to fill time after baseball games that ran short or long), detailing the movie's production with extensive behind-the-scenes footage. Its inclusion would have made up for the lack of even the most basic essay about the film's history. The low price makes this disc attractive -- it retails for less than a third of what the laserdisc used to cost -- but the flaws in the original film, coupled with the perfunctory treatment of the disc extras negate some of that appeal. In terms of actual play, the disc opens automatically to a very simple two-layer menu with the ""Play"" option in the default position. The only bonus feature is the original five-minute trailer."

Product Details

Release Date: 05/20/2003
UPC: 0027616885760
Original Release: 1969
Rating: G
Source: Mgm (Video & Dvd)
Region Code: 1
Presentation: [Wide Screen]
Sound: [Dolby Digital]
Language: English
Time: 2:12:00
Sales rank: 15,214

Special Features

Origional theatrical trailer; Origional theatrical english/german mono; English, french and spanish language subtitles

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits
Laurence Olivier Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding
Robert Shaw Squadron Leader Skipper
Michael Caine Squadron Leader Canfield
Christopher Plummer Squadron Leader Colin Harvey
Harry Andrews Senior Civil Servant
Trevor Howard Air Vice Marshal Keith Park
Curt Jurgens Baron von Richter
Ian McShane Sgt. Pilot Andy
Kenneth More Group Capt. Baker
Nigel Patrick Group Capt. Hope
Michael Redgrave Air Vice Marshal Evill
Ralph Richardson British Minister in Switzerland
Patrick Wymark Air Vice Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory
Susannah York Section Officer Maggie Harvey
Michael Bates W.O. Warrick
Isla Blair Andy's Wife
John Baskcomb Farmer
Tom Chatto Willoughby's Asst. Controller
James Cosmo Jamie
Robert Flemyng Wing Cmdr. Willoughby
Barry Foster Squadron Leader Edwards
Edward Fox Pilot Officer Archie
W.G. Foxley Squadron Leader Evans
David Griffin Sgt. Pilot Chris
Jack Gwillim Senior Air Staff Officer
Myles Hoyle Peter
Duncan Lamont Flight Sgt. Arthur
Sarah Lawson Skipper's Wife
Mark Malicz Pasco
Andre Maranne French NCO,l'officier français
Anthony Nicholls Minister
Nicholas Pennell Simon
Andrzey Scibor Ox,Ox
Jean Waldon Jean-Jacques
Wilfried van Aacken Gen. Osterkamp
Karl Otto Alberty Luftwaffe Chief of Staff
Alexander Allerson Maj. Brandt
Dietrich Frauboes Feldmarschall Milch
Alf Jungermann Brandt's Navigator
Peter Hager Feldmarschall Kesselring
Wolf Harnisch Gen. Fink
Reinhard Horras Bruno
Helmut Kircher Boehm
Paul Neuhaus Maj. Foehn
Malte Petzel Beppo Schmid
Manfred Reddemann Maj. Falke
Hein Reiss Reichmarschall Goering
Rolf Stiefel Hitler
Nikki Van der Zyl Voices,Dubbing
Christopher Mayer le lieutenant Harvey
Jean Wladon Jean-Jacques
Wilfried von Aacken le général Osterkamp
Trevor Wayne Howard Keith Park
Ron Goodwin Composer
William Walton Composer
Malcolm Arnold Composer

Technical Credits
S. Benjamin Fisz Producer
Guy Hamilton Director
Cliff Richardson Special Effects
Glen Robinson Special Effects
Harry Saltzman Producer
Wilfred Greatorex Screenwriter
Derek Dempster Screenwriter
James Kennaway Screenwriter
Derek Woodward Screenwriter
Martin Body Special Effects
Gordon Everett Sound Effects,Sound/Sound Designer
Teddy Mason Sound Effects
Gordon K. McCallum Sound Effects,Sound/Sound Designer
Jim Shields Sound Effects
Ron Butcher Sound Effects
Ray Caple Special Effects
Nosher Powell Stunts
Benjamin Fisz Screenwriter,Producer
Cliff John Richardson Special Effects
Wally Veevers Special Effects
Wilford Greatorex Screenwriter
Harry Slatzman Producer
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