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Battle of Britain

Play trailer Poster for Battle of Britain G 1969 2h 12m War Action Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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67% Tomatometer 9 Reviews 79% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
At a seminal moment in World War II, British Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding (Laurence Olivier) must rally his outnumbered pilots against Hitler's feared Luftwaffe. Besieged by German bombing runs, the Brits counter with an aggressive air campaign of their own. Within months, the Nazis find themselves on the run, thanks to Dowding's tactical genius and the work of talented squadron leaders (Michael Caine, Christopher Plummer) and other brave patriots.
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Battle of Britain

Critics Reviews

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Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times 10/23/2004
1/4
There are so many characters we never get involved. We can't even keep them straight. The writers never solved the problem of incorporating the top-heavy special effects into their thin little plot. Go to Full Review
Christopher Lloyd The Film Yap 10/21/2019
4/5
This 1969 big-budget extravaganza is noted for its realistic recreations of aerial WWII dogfights. Go to Full Review
Peter Canavese Groucho Reviews 06/01/2008
3/4
Succeeds in giving the general impression of a pivotal historical moment, and excels in crafting some of the most astonishing aerial-warfare sequences ever put on film. [Blu-Ray] Go to Full Review
Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews 05/14/2008
C
An all-star ensemble cast consisting of the who's who of British films can't save the war epic from being a bore. Go to Full Review
Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com 07/15/2005
3/5
Jonathan R. Perry Tyler Morning Telegraph (Texas) 04/17/2005
4/5
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Audience Reviews

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Daniel L Oct 24 Classic war movie. Loved this as a kid but struggled to get into it as an adult. Long and dull in some parts but still worth a watch. Feels every bit of its 56 years of age so would love to see a remake. See more Andy F 12/15/2024 Excellent film without too much of the hamminess that can spoil war films of the sixties and seventies. See more John R 11/08/2024 Certainly it wasn't "as it was", but some of the reviews are laughable. This film is a good starter for learning what war, and particularly the battle to stop Germany invading the UK, was all about, with little glorification and many of the horrors of warfare. The soundtrack is also very good and the "battle in the air" track exceptional. Yes, it was what was, at the time, an all start cast but that only promotes how important was the movie. For those who seemed incapable of discerning between Luftwaffe and RAF uniforms and aeroplanes, a little background reading wouldn't go amiss. After all, you only really need to look at the pictures, which should be within your scope of abilities. See more CodyZamboni Z 09/07/2024 Watchable WW2 tale. The control of the English Channel skies is waged, As told from British and German sides, Top caliber cast seems bored, The air battles are confusingly edited, Except for one, The final one, It contains hardly any dialogue or sound fx, Just a stirring, exciting orchestral score playing, The music makes the scene work, Other major demerits, movie's overlength , And the unnecessary subplot of a love affair between Christopher Plummer and Susannah York, See more Gerald D @gdaviso 08/04/2024 Utterly dreadful, boring movie. The airplane sequences were sometimes exciting but much of the time it wasn’t even clear whether it was the Germans or the British/allies. Very thin plot, poor continuity. A waste of some A-1 talent like Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine. The worst movie I have seen in years. See more A S 07/28/2024 Decent film, but hobbled by some of the tropes of the era. Worthy of a watch and still decent regardless. See more Read all reviews
Battle of Britain

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Movie Info

Synopsis At a seminal moment in World War II, British Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding (Laurence Olivier) must rally his outnumbered pilots against Hitler's feared Luftwaffe. Besieged by German bombing runs, the Brits counter with an aggressive air campaign of their own. Within months, the Nazis find themselves on the run, thanks to Dowding's tactical genius and the work of talented squadron leaders (Michael Caine, Christopher Plummer) and other brave patriots.
Director
Guy Hamilton
Producer
Benjamin Fisz, Harry Saltzman
Screenwriter
Wilfred Greatorex, James Kennaway
Distributor
United Artists
Production Co
Spitfire Productions
Rating
G
Genre
War, Action, Drama
Original Language
British English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 24, 1969, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 16, 2008
Runtime
2h 12m
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