Battle of Britain
Saturday, August 30th, 2003 12:00 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
robinturnerI've just watched The Battle of Britain, which I last saw about twenty-five years ago. It's as good as ever, despite being the only film before Koyaanisqatsi to have been shot according to the music score.
I'm still not sure why it works. I mean, it's a repetitive sequence of arial combat, politics, arial combat, naff personal drama, arial combat, politics, arial combat, light relief, arial combat ... you get the idea. But it works superbly, even (or especially) that last scene where you just get music and an empty sky, and you're thinking "Huh, why are they just showing an empty sky? ... uuh ... no German bombers, OK, duh, got it."
It also tweaks my Britishness. Plucky British (and occasionally Polish) chaps flying into the mouth of death having radio conversations along the lines of:
"Fluffy Bunny, this is Dog's Bollocks, bandits at six o'clock."
"Roger, you take port, we'll take rear."
"Charlie, you're on a sticky wicket, fighter on your tail."
"Tally ho, looks like I'm I'm going in the drink."
"Don't forget your water wings, Charlie."
I'm still not sure why it works. I mean, it's a repetitive sequence of arial combat, politics, arial combat, naff personal drama, arial combat, politics, arial combat, light relief, arial combat ... you get the idea. But it works superbly, even (or especially) that last scene where you just get music and an empty sky, and you're thinking "Huh, why are they just showing an empty sky? ... uuh ... no German bombers, OK, duh, got it."
It also tweaks my Britishness. Plucky British (and occasionally Polish) chaps flying into the mouth of death having radio conversations along the lines of:
"Fluffy Bunny, this is Dog's Bollocks, bandits at six o'clock."
"Roger, you take port, we'll take rear."
"Charlie, you're on a sticky wicket, fighter on your tail."
"Tally ho, looks like I'm I'm going in the drink."
"Don't forget your water wings, Charlie."
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no subject
Date: 2003-08-29 02:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-08-29 03:29 pm (UTC)Ummm ... actually, I don't know that for a fact ... pretty sure /some/ joined RAF out of loyalty for the old country, rather than joining here ... that'd be interesting to re-vist; I used to know a thing or two about the early years of RCAF.
(Rommel and Montgomery in N Africa captured my imagination totally.)