“Spitfire,” “Mr. Big” (Movie Reviews-6/14/43)

Microfilm-New York Times archives, Monterey Public Library | 6/14/43 | T.M.P., L.B.F.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

1

2

3

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Free Republic University, Department of History presents World War II Plus 70 Years: Seminar and Discussion Forum
First session: September 1, 2009. Last date to add: September 2, 2015.
Reading assignment: New York Times articles delivered daily to students on the 70th anniversary of original publication date. (Previously posted articles can be found by searching on keyword “realtime” Or view Homer’s posting history .)
To add this class to or drop it from your schedule notify Admissions and Records (Attn: Homer_J_Simpson) by freepmail. Those on the Realtime +/- 70 Years ping list are automatically enrolled. Course description, prerequisites and tuition information is available at the bottom of Homer’s profile. Also visit our general discussion thread.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

I might have passed over this review for posting if not for the June 3rd story of Leslie Howard’s death when the plane he was in was shot down by the Germans. “Spitfire,” released in England on September 14, 1942, was Howard’s last movie as an on-screen actor. He did narration on two subsequent films. TCM has links for “Spitfire” movies from 1995, 1984, 1934, and 1922, but not 1942 or 1943. Netflix has neither of today’s movies on DVD.

[iowamark]

Released in England as “The First of the Few”, in the US as “Spitfire”, movie intro (10 minutes):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6bBZhbxSeE

[iowamark]

Full movie at Archive.org:

http://archive.org/details/TheFirstOfTheFew

[KeyLargo]

Netflix has this good recent BBC documentary:

Actor Ewan McGregor and his pilot brother Colin fly a restored Spitfire.

Battle of Britain
2010TV-G88 minutes

Brothers Colin and Ewan McGregor host this documentary that honors the heroes of the Battle of Britain, sharing the veterans’ stories, exploring the period’s technology and marking the anniversary of this World War II struggle against the Luftwaffe.

Cast:
Ewan McGregor, Colin McGregor
Director:
Ashley Gething
Genres:
Documentary, TV Documentaries, Military Documentaries, Historical Documentaries, United Kingdom
Format:
streaming

http://www.bbc.co.uk/tv/seasons/battle-of-britain-season/

[KeyLargo]

AVIATION PING

[KeyLargo]

N/461
PREFACE

The story of Sunderland N/461 (EJ134) R.A.A.F. and the battle which ocurred over the Bay of Biscay on June 2nd 1943, is considered by many aviation historians to be one of the epic aerial encounters of the Second World War involving a single allied aircraft.

Much of the material presented here has been obtained from first hand sources, including BBC interviews made with members of the original aircrew, logbook and diary entries, official combat reports, letters and photographs. Newspaper articles have also been included as they give an insight into the media of the time in relation to the the shooting down of the civil airliner on June 1st carrying British film star Leslie Howard on his return to Britain from Lisbon. In addition, the Luftwaffe’s plans to intercept the aircraft transporting Winston Churchill home from Gibraltar, during the first week of June, resulted in the highest state of alert that existed over the Bay of Biscay for the entire war.

http://www.n461.com/preface.html

[KeyLargo]

The Death of Leslie Howard

http://goldenagedames.wordpress.com/2010/10/23/bloody-october-post-23-the-death-of-leslie-howard/

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Thanks for the tip.

TCM has several clips under the title “The First of the Few.”

opening

More clips

[ops33]

4 years after release and GWTW is still in theaters.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

We’ve got a small theater nearby that runs discount movies that were originally released 2 - 7 years ago. Looks like some things never change.

[Fiji Hill]

For all of you Reds and fellow traveleers, Mission to Moscow is also playing.

[colorado tanker]

Wow. That story is riveting.

[colorado tanker]

Something tells me Lady of Burlesque is going to out-sell Mission to Moscow.