Battle of Britain - Memorial Thread

[dflion]

Originally Posted by Blackdog_kt

It's quite an old movie to be honest. I think that for what they had available at the time, it's reasonably well done.

It's interesting to note that while today we have computer graphics and it would be possible to make better movies, most of the times what happens is that the CGI is used to create unrealistic sequences.

The Pearl Harbor movie for example. On one hand you marvel at how nice the planes look, on the other hand you can't help but notice that the protagonist's squad are flying Spit Mk.Vs in Battle of Britain as he takes on the entire luftwaffe on his own, while his squadmates crash all around him
It's not that we don't have the means, it's the fact that they're taking shortcuts with their research resulting in inaccuracies and altering things to make it more of a "show".

However, i think the remake of the Dambusters movie will be good as it's being developed by Peter Jackson (the guy who directed the lord of the rings). In the final LOTR movie they decided to make a 1/72 scale of Minas Tirith (the white city shaped like a tower) instead of making it all in computer graphics. According to Jackson with computers you must place everything by hand. Miniatures are extra work initially, but you have the chance of getting some really good shots when rotating the light sources around it and playing with ambient lighting and backdrops. In a computer generated scene, you'd have to specify it all manually in the rendering software.

Furthermore, apart from being a director who knows how to optimally blend CGI and scale models for his special effects, Jackson is well known for his interest in history and aviation. He also made a small film for the WWI Anzac museum, using special cameras. Visitors of the museum sit in a recreation of a WWI trench and the film is projected on the wall, giving the impression that they are on an actual battlefield as the troops go over the top to assault enemy trenches. I think he was also involved in a project to build a replica of a WWI FE2b reconnaisance two-seater biplane, built 100% according to the original and actually powered by a restored, original WWI engine. You can see it flying, as well as the build process, on the vintage aviator website, along with other WWI planes like an Albatross and an Se5a: http://thevintageaviator.co.nz/

Sorry if i'm going off topic, but i got a sudden memory flashback and i thought people who don't know about the dambusters remake might be interested. I think it's encouraging that a person with such a background is doing it.

Thanks for this post Blackdog_kt.
I have been down to the Australian War Memorial 5 times in the last 4 years and was just completely 'over-awed' by Peter Jackson's WW1 aerial combat recreation. When you see people walk away from the presentation (who are not aviation enthusiasts) completely 'over-awed' by the reality of the presentation and what those WW1 pilots endured (from both sides), you know Peter Jackson is a real aviation enthusiast.

I am sure his recreation of the 'Dam Busters' will be a masterpiece in aviation historical films. I often thought he should be talking to Oleg to get the CGI graphics just right (hopefully he is?).

You are right about the film 'Pearl Harbour' - the CGI graphics were very well done, though not by an aviation entusiast/historian and thats where the film fell down.

Wouldn't it be fantastic if Peter Jackson and Oleg Maddox co-produced a new 'Battle of Britain' film with well known current English and German actors and of course an excellent written script, fair to both sides and the best musical score that could be written.

DFLion

[furbs]

This thread(the movie part) should be a sticky

[Wutz]

Also in this movie all the mentioned German squadrons are fakes.
KG726 or those wacky squadron emblems on the German planes....that could have been done better. But all in all a nice movie. I just don´t like the part where that silly blonde tyke appears, that is so ugh especially with her sixties hairdo.

[JG52Uther]

My favourite film ever,watched it countless times.
And a very apt posting Nearmiss!

[Qpassa]

I loved when I watch it, better in DVD!

[nearmiss]

Originally Posted by furbs

This thread(the movie part) should be a sticky

I love the film. I've seen it a dozen times and still enjoy it.

I posted this link last night in a discussion. Watching the Spits just got my juices flowing.

The music is kinda moody, but those roaring spits push the envelope for excitement... for me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUx3MU9iM6c

The BOB film ws made over 40 years ago(1969), when they still had some of the WW2 aircraft flyable or that could be made flyable.

I just enjoy seeing all the aircraft, even if there is quite abit of actor staging kinda junk going on.

It will go up sticky for a while and we'll see what the interest is.

Actually, it might be a valuable thread, if other members share things that are memorable to them about the Battle of Britain.

There might be a better higher resolution version out there on the web. Post the links, if so in this thread.

I can always edit this thread and point to a better version.

[Neil Lowe]

I love this movie, and dig the DVD out from time to time. Even if they did "tape a few cats together" It's still a great movie

Cheers, Neil

[nearmiss]

I agree with the excited passenger... what a ride!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3b8NO...eature=related

[RCAF_FB_Orville]

Originally Posted by nearmiss

I love the film. I've seen it a dozen times and still enjoy it.

I posted this link last night in a discussion. Watching the Spits just got my juices flowing.

The music is kinda moody, but those roaring spits push the envelope for excitement... for me.

The BOB film ws made over 40 years ago(1969), when they still had some of the WW2 aircraft flyable or that could be made flyable.

I just enjoy seeing all the aircraft, even if there is quite abit of actor staging kinda junk going on.

It will go up sticky for a while and we'll see what the interest is.

Actually, it might be a valuable thread, if other members share things that are memorable to them about the Battle of Britain.

There might be a better higher resolution version out there on the web. Post the links, if so in this thread.

I can always edit this thread and point to a better version.

Love that Spit show vid Nearmiss, its in my YT faves too. Brings a proud tear to me eye, so it does *sniffle.....lol* Fantastic flying with the synchronised looping at 2.40+ too.

[Trumper]

No-one should knock this film.It couldn't be made today and it saved a huge amount of airframes for the future.
Piece of Cake was the nearest thing to it and that only mustered a few Spits and a Buchon or 3.
Modern variants still lean heavily on footage from this 1969 film.