This movie will not appeal to everyone. Depending on who you are, your reaction may be very different and I venture to say this movie probably had a wider range of scores than most other movies on IMDb. Some have told me they didn't like it because it was hard to tell who people were and what, exactly, was happening in the film. This is probably the average person. Whereas, aviation lovers have told me that the film is BRILLIANT! Me, being a history teacher and a bit of a know-it-all when it comes to WWII aviation, naturally loved the film! When it comes to historical accuracy, this film is great and it tried so hard to get it right. The producers scoured Europe for real WWII vintage planes (getting most of the German aircraft from the Spanish air force). What you see in the film was actually the correct model plane that COULD have been seen in the battle. Lots of early models Bf-109s, He-111, Spitfires and Hurricanes were used for the movie. They didn't have any airworthy Stukas (Ju-87), so they made 1/3 scale models and seamlessly integrated them into the film. So, the picky historical accuracy monster within me was appeased. All too often, the planes shown in WWII movies are either models that were NOT flying when the battle occurred or are made up of crappy and grainy old film footage from the era (like the abysmal film MIDWAY). In this case, it's all authentic. The only MINOR problem is that you might think the Germans only flew these three models of planes in 1940--other common bombers like Do-17s and Ju-88s were not used in the film--probably because they simply weren't available. This is certainly understandable.
Now I must acknowledge that when the movie was NOT showing air combat, it did lag just a bit. The story line involving Susanna York and Christopher Plummer did seem "tacked on" and the guest appearances weren't really necessary, though I liked the very sad role played by Ian McShane--it was very touching seeing what happened when he went home on leave. Also, the victory itself seemed a little bit anti-climatic at the end.
However, for pure accuracy of detail and love of the material, this film can't be beat. See it and if you are not a huge historian or aviation buff, relax and you'll find the film STILL has a lot to offer.
By the way, months after writing my initial review, I read one review here on IMDb that said this film was "strictly TV fare". Hmmm,...I sure bet this person didn't see the movie on the big screen back in 1969 but I did!! It was much better and amazing to watch the aerial battles on the huge screen. Even though I was a kid, it still stands out in my mind better than almost any film I've seen in the theater! "Strictly TV fare"?! Rubbish!!
Now I must acknowledge that when the movie was NOT showing air combat, it did lag just a bit. The story line involving Susanna York and Christopher Plummer did seem "tacked on" and the guest appearances weren't really necessary, though I liked the very sad role played by Ian McShane--it was very touching seeing what happened when he went home on leave. Also, the victory itself seemed a little bit anti-climatic at the end.
However, for pure accuracy of detail and love of the material, this film can't be beat. See it and if you are not a huge historian or aviation buff, relax and you'll find the film STILL has a lot to offer.
By the way, months after writing my initial review, I read one review here on IMDb that said this film was "strictly TV fare". Hmmm,...I sure bet this person didn't see the movie on the big screen back in 1969 but I did!! It was much better and amazing to watch the aerial battles on the huge screen. Even though I was a kid, it still stands out in my mind better than almost any film I've seen in the theater! "Strictly TV fare"?! Rubbish!!