THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN

REVIEWED BY SHANNON H.

Our rating: 4 out of 5

Because of: mild sensuality, violence

Rated:

The famous Battle of Britain has probably been the event that drew England into the second world war.  Bear in mind that England hasn't been successfully invaded since 1066 when William the Conqueror (from Normandy) came in and took over via the Battle of Hastings.  After a failed attempt to negotiate with England over territories, Hitler finally declared war (he didn't want to at first because of its superior naval power and air force).  It lasted for a tumultuous two years, from 1940 to 1941. 

The British weren't about to let the Nazis take their country without a fight.  Despite the size of Great Britain, it had a lot of help from its colonies and American troops (so technically, the U.S.A entered the war in 1940, not 1941).  The RAF (Royal Air Force) kicks into high gear to ward off the Luftwaffe (German air force).  Both are extremely strong, especially the RAF. Squadron leader Canfield (Michael Caine), Air Vice Marshal Keith Park (Trevor Howard), and other British flyboys are seen doing pilot training exercises and training in new recruits to the RAF, hoping to defeat Adolf Hitler's Luftewaffe, led by the rather incompetent Herman Goring.  They keep getting intelligence reports from headquarters, manned by female telephone operators, including Section Officer Maggie Harvey (Susannah York) and led by Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding (Laurence Olivier). 

The Germans start to get tough and after a Nazi rally led by Hitler, the Luftwaffe looms over England, possibly being the first nation to invade the island successfully in over 900 years.  However, thanks to the pathetic leadership of Herman Goring, the British manage to push back and kick Nazi butt (while taking names, I might add).  The leadership of Prime Minister Winston Churchill and the independent will of the British also contributed to this victory.

The film doesn't really contain a whole lot of profanity and there's light violence.  Still, it does include one scene of sensuality between Officer Harvey and her husband, Squadron Leader Colin Harvey (Christopher Plummer). There's little nudity shown, just bare shoulders and it's implied that they had sex the night before. The film is originally rated PG but due to the content, it should be a PG13. Spirituality isn't mentioned in Battle of Britain though that the idea that good will prevail over evil is permeated in the film.  Although the scene of sensuality between Maggie and Colin Harvey is in the boundaries of marriage, it isn't necessary and it doesn't have anything to do with the film's plot.  "Battle of Britain" is still a great film and it helps to illustrate what this moment in WWII history was like.  It isn't exactly the star-studded epic like A Bridge Too Far which is good but it does get a little boring during some parts and I probably lost interest in the middle of the movie until the near end.