Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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44 of 44 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The best of British - an impressive film, 19 Dec 2006
This is one of the best of British stiff-upper-lip War films, and pretty faithful to its factual subject. It tells the two stories - of the invention of the bouncing bomb which would do severe damage to the Ruhr dams, and of the raid which used those bombs to inflict that damage - well. Characterisation is good and the performances of Richard Todd as Guy Gibson and, particularly, Michael Redgrave as Barnes Wallis, the inventor, are entirely appropriate and convincing. While the special effects of the raid itself are very much 1954 and now unconvincing, the tests of the bomb are very well depicted and seem true to life. It is perhaps worth knowing that Todd, with John Mills and others one of the archetypal British-military-hero film actors of the 50s, found one scene difficult to play, and that the very last one, when he tells Wallis that he must go away and write to the parents and families of those who did not come back ; difficult because, as a wartime officer himself in reality, he had done that more often than he cared to remember. The film generally carries that stamp of authenticity and, as such, is a good deal more than just an exciting tale. Well worth watching
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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A bomb that bounces? What a crazy notion!, 27 May 2007
If only our clever old boffins could come up with some way to blow up Germany's dams. But surely it's impossible. How do you get a bomb into just the right position to shatter a huge structure of solid concrete that's cushioned against any sort of impact by a vast body of water on one side? One boffin, Barnes Wallis, had the nutty idea that you could get a bomb into the perfect place for dam destruction if you could just get it to bounce across the reservoir then sink on impact with the dam. Ridiculous! Or so the men from the ministry were inclined to think. But Barnes did it. He needed all his perseverance and ingenuity and when he finally succeeded, he modestly gave credit for the original idea to Nelson, who found that canon balls could do enemy ships more damage if you could get them to bounce across the water. Because the RAF fliers had to drop the bombs so precisely, they had to invent a way of ensuring the right altitude (it had to be exactly 60 feet) and distance from the dams (600 yards). The needs of the time seem to have given rise to a fountain of ingenious solutions from our brave, clever chaps.
The Dam Busters is a wonderful film of heroism and stoicism in fighting a strong and resourceful foe abroad and battling the frustrating inertia of a rigid bureaucracy at home. It's a remarkable, true story, very moving, reminds us of what we have to be grateful for, who we should be proud of, and why. The acting is excellent and the music is that *Dam Busters Music* that we always associate with The Dam Busters film. I couldn't tell you how many times I've watched this film on the telly - only that I watch it whenever it's been broadcast. And I've watched the DVD twice since I received it last week. It's over 50 years old, made in black and white, the special effects are pretty good for the time it was made (but of their time nevertheless) and there are no special features - not even subtitles. It doesn't matter. Whether it's despite its age and limitations or because of them, this is one of my favourite films and I recommend it.
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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Definitive Bombing Run film, 22 April 2007
I watched this film several years ago, and this remains my firm best ever in its class. The footage of the magnificent Lancaster Bombers in flight, probably one of the last times these aircraft ever flew in numbers post the war. The magnitude of dropping bouncing bombs, outrageous in concept, magnificent and daring in its reality.The high casulty rate, incredible sacrifice of the brilliant pilots flying at 60 metres from the surface, the way of life of the scientists and pilot, and the clastrophobic red tape these people have to overcome, a battle against bureaucracy before the barrage of guns, gives one a true sense of what this must have been like.It is said that George Lucas used people involved with the dam busters to set up and assist with the attack on the death star sequence. Certainly, this would make a lot of sense. The tunnel sequences give the same sense of flying close up that I personally experienced flying hand gliders some years ago.Sure the dam busting itself has a sense of studio make in it, but this still remains a suberb film.
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