Military Model Scene

Title: The Battle of Britain on the Big Screen
Author: Dilip Sarkar MBE, FRHistS
Publisher: Air World
ISBN: 978-1-39908-823-7

Sub-titled 'The Finest Hour' Through British Cinema, from Air World, an imprint of Pen & Sword. A 226-page hard-cover book.
From author Dilip Sarkar, who has written a lot on the subject of the Battle of Britain before, this time he turns his attention to how the Battle, and 'The Few', have been represented on both the large and small screen since. It begins with films produced during the war, used to not only reassure the British public of our defences against the fear of bombing, but as what we call propaganda. Starting with 'The Lion Has Wings', and moving on through 'The First of the Few', 'Angels One Five' and of course 'Reach for the Sky', the story of Douglas Bader. It goes on to perhaps the best known, and most expansive film, 'Battle of Britain', before getting to the most recent 'First Light', which was made for TV rather than the cinema. Each one is introduced with plenty of background on who and how each one was made, including the historical context of the stories, then going through a very detailed Read, which goes through picking out various scenes and their timings throughout each story, with notes on their accuracy, the point of their inclusion in the story, and how they were made. All, with the notable exception of the 1969 'Battle of Britain', had to cope with limited budgets and most especially, a lack of historically correct aircraft for flying sequences. The early films, in black and white, made good use of genuine wartime film cut into the story, and scenes shot but not used in the 1969 film were eventually used in Last Light. Each chapter is also rounded off with a Conclusion, looking at each film in the round.
All together is tells us lots of detail, covering in detail some films that many of us will be familiar with. Finding the mix of historical accuracy within an entertaining drama on screen and the dramatic interest to make a story that will entertain an audience is a difficult path to tread for any producer. British film makers, now few and far between, are overshadowed by the power of Hollywood in the film industry, and the cost and practicality of making a film like Battle of Britain today is also considered. I found it an interesting read, though with any book like this, the reader may agree or disagree with some of the conclusions if they are familiar with these films. As it says, producers and viewers alike will all have their own viewpoints. Propaganda or entertainment, the mix of story and historical accuracy is a valid question, as there are 'entertainment' and not necessarily historically accurate documentaries. What is important, is that we learn some stories of what it was really like to have lived through those wartime moments, and that they can be remembered for future generations. I think the detailed examinations contained in here will shine new light on your experience of watching some of these old films.
Thanks to Pen & Sword for the review copy.

Robin