This blog was begun the night of March 25, 2021 :
Tonight we were back on familiar territory with "The First of the Few"(1942), a brilliant biopic starring Leslie Howard as R.J. Mitchell, the British aircraft designer who created the legendary Spitfire fighter plane, which was flown by the RAF in WW2 to great success against the Luftwaffe. I came across the film in a search for "movies about the RAF" and in fact it was it's American title of "Spitfire" that caught my eye. I was expecting an aerial combat flick in the same vein as "The Battle of Britain" (a must-see classic), but instead was treated to the story of the famous airplane and it's development, which began in the early 1920s when Mitchell, as a young man, observed seagulls in flight and - noting their grace - wondered why a plane couldn't be designed in the same way.
"We're piecing them together", he says in the movie. "Holding the wings to the body with struts. I'm going to design a plane that's all-of-a-piece, one of uniform structure and with single wings, just like a bird".
And so he sets out to do it. At first he has to convince his bosses of the feasibility of his project. The chairman of Supermarine Aviation takes one look at his model of the plane and scoffs, "An aeroplane with one wing? How will it get off the ground"? But after talking him into a rock-bottom budget to build the prototype, Mitchell enters his first Supermarine Seaplane into a racing competition in Italy.....and wins! Now that he's earned the trust of the chairman, Mitchell is given free reign to improve on his design, which he does repeatedly as the years pass. By 1929, he's raised the top speed of his Supermarines to over 300 miles per hour, an amazing achievement when you consider the Wright Brothers flight of 7mph just a quarter-century earlier.
His racing victories attract the notice of a German air force official, who invites Mitchell and his test pilot (David Niven) to visit Germany for an honorary dinner. The year is now 1933. The Germans are forbidden by the Treaty of Versailles from building anything other than gliders, but as the officer explains, they have no intention of continuing to honor the treaty, especially now that their new leader - Adolph Hitler - has promised to return the country to it's former greatness. The friendly atmosphere at the dinner becomes strained at this point, and moreso after a drunken lietenant proclaims that "one day, even England will bow to us". Mitchell is then introduced to Willy Messerschmitt, who explains his own plans for a cutting-edge fighter. By the time Mitchell and Niven return to England, he is alarmed enough to report to the government about what he has seen and heard, and asks for permission and funding to develop a fighter for the RAF.
The rest of the movie is devoted to Mitchell's race against time to finish the Spitfire, as his workaholic nature has rendered him ill. His doctor has given him some startling news (which I won't reveal), but he nevertheless continues to spend every waking hour working on the airplane's final details. He feels it's more important than his life : "England's survival is at stake here".
There's not a lot of combat flying in "The First of the Few", save for the final scenes of the 112 minute picture, but it's one hell of a story and it gets Two Big Thumbs Up from me. Also interesting, and tragic, is the fact that the film's star, Leslie Howard, was himself killed in the crash of a commercial BOAC flight in 1943, only a year after this movie was released. Howard was one of the biggest stars in British history, but for some reason his flight was shot down by the Luftwaffe over the Atlantic Ocean. There are all kinds of theories about this shootdown of a civilian craft, and the incident has remained topical enough for several documentaries to cover, including one that is still in production called "The Mystery of Flight 777". We'll have to watch it when it's released. /////
Last night we watched a more action-oriented warbird flick, one that put us in the cabin of a Lancaster for some white knuckle bombing runs over Germany. Starring Richard Attenborough, "Journey Together"(1945) is the story of a Royal Air Force cadet who flunks out of flight school and is retrained as a navigator. We all know Sir Richard as an older man, balding and a tad plump, but here he's just 22 and looks 15, like an English Mickey Rooney. He and his mate "John Aynesworth" (David Tomlinson, a familiar face) have arrived at the base determined to become pilots. Attenborough is the smart one who aces each exam. Aynesworth sits behind him, looking over his shoulder to copy. He's not as good with the math and engineering equations every pilot must know, but the instructor lets his cheating pass because John has natural born flying ability that Attenborough lacks. Despite his lesser book smarts, Aynesworth becomes a Lancaster pilot while Attenborough fails because he can't land a plane. It turns out he has no depth perception, a liability impossible to compensate.
After he is transferred for retraining to an American airbase in Arizona, an understanding flight instructor (Edward G Robinson), suggests switching specialties : "Being a pilot isn't the only thing in the world, son". But Attenborough is too sullen to listen, thoroughly disappointed at the loss of his heart's desire. Edward G tries to explain that in the modern air force, every job is equally important. In other words, being a navigator carries just as much glory as a pilot, and it just so happens that Attenborough's aptitude with numbers make him well suited for the navigator's seat.
His first mission is a near disaster when he miscalculates and directs his pilot off course. They nearly run out of fuel, but what the pilot doesn't tell him is that it was all a test. The crew has been playing him because of his bad attitude. "You can't be moping on a real mission or you'll get us all killed", the pilot tells him. Attenborough finally shapes up, and in the film's last act is assigned to substitute for a wounded navigator from the squadron's most accomplished crew. The pilot and co-pilot mutter their displeasure at being given his services - his reputation as a malcontent has preceded him. But it's too late for a change. The mission is all set to go and it's make or break for the Allies, the destruction of an armaments plant deep in Germany. The weather is not good, heavy overcast with a strong side wind. Will Attenborough be able to keep his wits, and keep his attitude in check? He needs to prove himself this time, not only do the crew's lives depend on it, but it's integral to the success of the war.
"Journey Together" follows a similar formula to other RAF Bomb Crew films we've seen. The first half of the movie involves the training of the airmen and group camaraderie. Much of this story is about Attenborough's youthful discouragement in not getting what he wanted, and his eventual turnaround in attitude. Then comes the last 20 minutes, which entails the bombing run over Berlin. It's tense, realistic and spot on, making this a great film of it's kind. If you like Lancasters, this is the movie is for you. The Big L was one impressive (and scary looking) aircraft, and you really get a feel for what it was like to go on a raid over Germany. Two Big Thumbs Up for "Journey Together". And there you have it, an All Airplane Double Feature. /////
My album of the day is Opeth's "Orchid", their first and one of their best. Now it's time for my hike and a run to Super King for veggies. Have an awesome evening, and tons of love as always!
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
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