Movie Review: ‘The Battle of Britain’ (1969)

The Battle of Britain

Written by:  James Kennaway and Wilfred Greatorex

Directed by: Guy Hamilton

Starring:  Laurence Olivier, Michael Caine, Edward Fox, Curt Jurgens, Ralph Richardson, Ian McShane, Trevor Howard, Harry Andrews, Patrick Wymark, Michael Redgrave,  Christopher Plummer, Susannah York, and Robert Shaw

The Battle of Britain (1969): A War Epic That Soars, Stalls, and Still Matters

Between 1962 and 1977, Hollywood and its international counterparts indulged in a costly cinematic sub-genre: the all-star World War II epic. These sprawling recreations of pivotal battles—often featuring ensemble casts and lavish budgets—were sparked by the success of The Longest Day (1962) and quietly faded with A Bridge Too Far (1977). The results ranged from masterful (The Great Escape) to middling (Tora! Tora! Tora!), and occasionally disastrous (Battle of the Bulge, Midway). As the Vietnam War soured public sentiment toward military glorification, the appetite for these grand spectacles waned.

Yet the genre found enthusiastic support in countries that had lived through the war, and Britain’s most ambitious contribution came in 1969 with The Battle of Britain. Directed by Guy Hamilton—better known for his James Bond work—the film attempts to honor the RAF’s unlikely victory over the Luftwaffe in the summer of 1940. It’s a visually stunning, emotionally uneven tribute to a moment when history hung in the balance.

What Works: Aerial Ballet and British Gravitas ✈️🇬🇧

• Pacing and Scope: Covering five months (May–September 1940) in just over two hours, the film moves briskly without losing its sense of scale.
• Aerial Cinematography: The dogfight sequences are breathtaking, thanks to the producers’ commitment to using real aircraft—Spitfires, Hurricanes, Heinkel 111s, and Bf 109s—whenever possible.
• Musical Score: Ron Goodwin’s dual themes—a martial German march and a soaring RAF fanfare—elevate the emotional stakes of each battle.
• Cast: A who’s who of British cinema in the 1960s, including Laurence Olivier, Michael Caine, Christopher Plummer, Susannah York, and Robert Shaw. Their presence lends gravitas, even when the script falters.
• Production Design: Filmed on location in France and the British Isles, the film mostly nails its period details, grounding the spectacle in historical authenticity.

What Falters: Soap Suds in the Skies 🛩️💔

The screenplay, penned by James Kennaway and Wilfred Greatorex, struggles to strike a balance between historical fidelity and human drama. Attempts to explore the personal lives of the pilots—particularly the marital tensions between Plummer’s Canadian commander and York’s WAF officer—veer into melodrama. The film’s structure, built around vignettes rather than a central protagonist, makes it difficult for viewers to emotionally anchor themselves to a single character.

This scattershot approach, while perhaps realistic, dilutes the narrative’s emotional impact. We witness courage and loss but rarely feel it deeply.

Historical Accuracy vs. Cinematic Limitations 🎥🛠️

Critics have noted the limited aircraft variety—only five types appear in live-action, with others (like the Ju-87 Stuka) rendered via models or omitted entirely. But given the constraints of 1969 filmmaking and the scarcity of flyable vintage planes, this feels forgivable. Unlike modern CGI-heavy war films (Pearl Harbor comes to mind), The Battle of Britain wisely invests in what matters: real planes, real skies, and real stakes.

Yes, some explosions look cartoonish. Yes, the visual effects are dated. But this was 1969, not 2025. The imperfections are part of the film’s charm—and its honesty.

The DVD Edition: A Modest Restoration 💿

The 2003 MGM DVD release restores the film to widescreen, a welcome upgrade from the cropped VHS version. However, it skimps on extras: no chapter list, no behind-the-scenes features, and only the original theatrical trailer. Compared to the more robust releases of The Great Escape and A Bridge Too Far, this feels like a missed opportunity.

Still, for enthusiasts of aviation history and classic war cinema, The Battle of Britain remains a worthy watch—flawed, yes, but sincere in its tribute to a generation that held the line.