Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain is a 1969 British war film directed by Guy Hamilton, and produced by Harry Saltzman and S. Benjamin Fisz. The film documents the events of the Battle of Britain. The film drew many respected British actors to accept roles as key figures of the battle, including Laurence Olivier as Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding, Trevor Howard as Air Vice-Marshal Keith Park, and Patrick Wymark as Air Vice-Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory. It also starred Michael Caine, Christopher Plummer, and Robert Shaw as Squadron Leaders. The script by James Kennaway and Wilfred Greatorex was based on the book The Narrow Margin by Derek Wood and Derek Dempster.
Plot
During the Battle of France in June 1940, RAF pilots evacuate a small airfield in advance of the German Blitzkrieg. The pilots, along with British and French military, leave just as German aircraft arrive and execute a heavy strafing attack. RAF Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding, realising that an imminent invasion of Great Britain will require every available aircraft and airman to counter it, stops additional aircraft being deployed to France so that they are available to defend Britain. In the next dramatic scene, French civilians watch in grim despair as a convoy of German troops marches into France and takes control.
Awards
Cast
- Alexander Allerson
- André Maranne
- Anthony Nicholls
- Barry Foster
- Bill Foxley
- Brian Grellis
- Christopher Plummer
- Curd Jürgens
- David Griffin
- Dietrich Frauboes
- Duncan Lamont
- Edward Fox
- Harry Andrews
- Hein Riess
- Ian McShane
- Isla Blair
- Jack Gwillim
- James Cosmo
- John Baskcomb
- Karl-Otto Alberty
- Kenneth More
- Laurence Olivier
- Malte Petzel
- Manfred Reddemann
- Michael Bates
- Michael Caine
- Michael Redgrave
- Nicholas Pennell
- Nick Tate
- Nigel Patrick
- Patrick Wymark
- Paul Neuhaus
- Peter Hager
- Ralph Richardson
- Robert Flemyng
- Robert Shaw
- Rolf Stiefel
- Sarah Lawson
- Susannah York
- Tom Chatto
- Trevor Howard
- Wilfried von Aacken
- Wolf Harnisch