The Dam Busters
The Dam Busters is a 1955 British epic docudrama war film starring Richard Todd and Michael Redgrave, that was directed by Michael Anderson. Adapted by R. C. Sherriff from the books The Dam Busters (1951) by Paul Brickhill and Enemy Coast Ahead (1946) by Guy Gibson, the film depicts the true story of Operation Chastise when in 1943 the RAF's 617 Squadron attacked the Möhne, Eder, and Sorpe dams in Nazi Germany with Barnes Wallis's bouncing bomb.
Plot
In Spring 1942, aeronautical engineer Barnes Wallis is struggling to develop a means of attacking Germany's dams in the hope of crippling German heavy industry. Working for the Ministry of Aircraft Production, as well as his own job at Vickers, he works feverishly to make practical his theory of a bouncing bomb which would skip over the water to avoid protective torpedo nets. When it hit the dam, backspin would make it sink whilst retaining contact with the wall, making the explosion far more destructive. Wallis calculates that the aircraft will have to fly extremely low to enable the bombs to skip over the water correctly, but when he takes his conclusions to the Ministry, he is told that lack of production capacity means they cannot go ahead with his proposals. Frustrated, Wallis secures an interview with Sir Arthur "Bomber" Harris, the head of RAF Bomber Command, who at first is reluctant to take the idea seriously. Eventually, however, he is convinced and takes the idea to the Prime Minister, who authorises the project.
Cast
- Arthur Howard
- Basil Sydney
- Bill Kerr
- Brenda De Banzie
- Brewster Mason
- Brian Nissen
- Charles Carson
- Colin Tapley
- David Morrell
- Denys Graham
- Derek Farr
- Edward Cast
- Edwin Richfield
- Edwin Styles
- Ernest Clark
- Ewen Solon
- Frederick Leister
- George Baker
- Gerald Harper
- Harold Goodwin
- Harold Siddons
- Hugh Manning
- Hugh Moxey
- John Fraser
- Laidman Browne
- Laurence Naismith
- Lloyd Lamble
- Michael Redgrave
- Nigel Stock
- Patrick Barr
- Patrick McGoohan
- Peter Arne
- Peter Diamond
- Philip Latham
- Raymond Huntley
- Richard Coleman
- Richard Leech
- Richard Thorp
- Richard Todd
- Robert Shaw
- Ronald Wilson
- Stanley van Beers
- Tim Turner
- Ursula Jeans
More details
| author | R. C. Sherriff |
|---|---|
| contentLocation | England |
| director | Michael Anderson |
| editor | Richard Best |
| events | aviation World War II |
| genre | drama |
| keywords | aeronautical engineer arthur travers harris avro lancaster barnes wallis bouncing bomb break edersee edersee dam flood germany\'s guy gibson heavy industry id lancaster lancaster bomber minister of aircraft production ministry of aircraft production möhne möhne reservoir nazi germany prime minister raf bomber command sir arthur bomber harris spring struggle torpedo nets vickers vickers-armstrongs wing commander winston churchill |
| musicBy | Eric Coates |
| nomination | Academy Award for Best Special Effects |
| producer | Robert Clark W. A. Whittaker |
| productionCompany | Associated British Picture Corporation |
| theme | docudrama war |