Battle of Britain

"Never was so much owed by so many to so few."

1969 2h 12m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 367

WarHistoryActionDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In 1940, the Royal Air Force fights a desperate battle against the might of the Luftwaffe for control of the skies over Britain, thus preventing an attempted Nazi invasion.

“Never was so much owed by so many to so few.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Harry Andrews
Senior Civil Servant
Michael Caine
Squadron Leader Canfield
Trevor Howard
Air Vice Marshal Keith Park
Curd Jürgens
Baron von Richter
Ian McShane
Sgt. Pilot Andy
Kenneth More
Group Capt. Baker
Laurence Olivier
Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding
Nigel Patrick
Group Capt. Hope

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Guy Hamilton
Writers: James Kennaway, Colin Grimes, Wilfred Greatorex
Languages: German, French, Polish, English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

57 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 4 languages: German, French, Polish, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CAST

Did you know

258+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Guy Hamilton, shot by Freddie Young. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Ron Goodwin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Bert Bates shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Harry Andrews and Michael Caine and Trevor Howard carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Never was so much owed by so many to so few.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Guy Hamilton directs. Freddie Young behind the camera. Ron Goodwin scores. Bert Bates cuts. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in German, French, Polish, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

157 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Dialogue crosses 4 languages: German, French, Polish, English.
3258+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
4Directed by Guy Hamilton, shot by Freddie Young. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Ron Goodwin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Bert Bates shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Harry Andrews and Michael Caine and Trevor Howard carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Never was so much owed by so many to so few.".
9IMDB entry: tt0064072 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 14 themes, including "raf (royal air force)", "world war ii", "based on true story", "aerial combat".
11Released under 12 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Freddie Young
Original score: Ron Goodwin
Editing: Bert Bates
Makeup / hair: Eric Allwright
Runtime: 132 min · 2h 12m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $12,000,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): G
IMDB: Battle of Britain (1969)

Awards

National Board of Review: Top Ten Films

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Guy Hamilton

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2020-04-14
★ 7/10
Stirring chest beater for those prepared to indulge. You don't need me to give you a history lesson here, Battle Of Britain, much like 98% of all war movies is a glossed up extension of an historical event, if you want history then go read all the serious historian comments instead. Wanna read about a film? OK, Battle Of Britain is something of a frustrating love of mine, I'm not one to be over enthused as regards jingoistic fervour, but there are a handful of films that really have me pounding my chest like some flag waving King Kong clone, Battle Of Britain, in spite of the obvious flaws is one such film. The plus points will always outweigh the bad for me, as a top array of acting talent line up to tell the tale of the British Air Force fighting the good fight against the German Air Force for control of British air space - and thus stopping the Nazis from invading England on the south coast. It should be noted that the film gains extra credit for giving the due respect to the other European countries that also fought in the Battle for the skies in 1940. The aerial sequences are a delight, it's easy to see where the main portion of the budget went here, be it dogfights or squadrons looming ominously in the sky, the effects are never less than good, and some of the POV cockpit shots firmly have the blood pumping. The climatic battle (played out to an almost operatic score) is deftly shot and is a riveting reel of film that pays you back for having sat through one of the film's flaws, that of the sadly scripted moments of tedium. True enough to say that the film is a bit overlong, and whilst it's smart in portraying the reality of pilots under prepared, it just comes across as at times like boorish filler, while the inevitable love interest strand involving Susannah York is not only pointless, it's also bloody annoying. The score is hit and miss as well, at times Ron Goodwin & Henry Walton's music lights up the proceedings as the planes swoop and conquer, but does the operatic switch for the film's final battle enhance the picture? I would say no because the harshness of battle gives way to swan lake like indulgence, it's not for me I have to say. Still, I don't think anyone is proclaiming this as a masterpiece, it entertains far above average, and for this viewer at least, it makes me proud for a couple of hours at least. Lest we ever forget the real life heroes of The Battle of Britain. 7/10
CinemaSerf2024-04-13
★ 7/10
It's 1940 and the ebullient Reichsmarschall (Hein Riess) arrives in his powder blue uniform to inspire his invincible Luftwaffe in their imminent reduction of the RAF to a pile of bombed out aerodromes and blazing aircraft. Across the channel, Sir Hugh Dowding (Sir Laurence Olivier) is trying to organise His Majesty's forces - outnumbered by something like four to one, to thwart that ambition. The next couple of hours demonstrate just how the British - helped by a disparate collection of dispossessed European allies from Poland, Czechoslovakia and France as well as many from Commonwealth nations fought the eponymous battle. Rather than just follow an historical chronology, though, the narrative uses the lives and loves of a series of characters - from both sides of the water - to illustrate the horrors of war, the strains on relationships and the strength of friendships and loyalty. We know what happened, so there's little jeopardy, but a combination of Ron Goodwin's scoring and some superb aerial photography help to elevate this above any accusations that it's a propagandist, even gloating, exercise. It's hard to imagine anyone being able to assemble quite the cast that Guy Hamilton has here and each familiar face plays a part in presenting this collage of stories and events the empowered the battle for the very survival of the nation against an enemy that was well equipped, disciplined and believed God was on it's side, too.