Customer Reviews

Finest Hour: The Battle of Britain

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An outstanding account of one of the critical periods prior to the U.S. entry into into WW II. The "true grit" of Prime Minister Winston Churchill, the British people, and particularly the pilots of the RAF is shown over and over again in terrific actual footage of the Battle of Britain. A 'must have' for any WW II buff.

"...Churchill was facing the collapse of his cabinet and the loss of most of his army" (then stranded in Dunkirk). "Over 200 British & French warships were soon involved in the rescue mission along with hundreds of smaller civilian craft." "The evacuation had gone better than anyone had dared to hope. Almost all the stranded British soldiers were rescued along with 80,000 French troops." Churchill---the 'man of the hour' in the drama of Britain's Finest Hour---had been Prime Minister for less than 3 weeks by this time. The documentary posits that Churchill's support was not great at this time; that Washington was "concerned about Winston Churchill's reputation as a heavy drinker," and that "Churchill's enemies in London shared the same anxiety. They believed that the PM's war policy was driven by bravado." Such is the substance of the first hour plus of this participant interview documentary, entitled "Finest Hour: The Battle of Britain," that, oddly enough, concerns not just the air war over Britain---which is more commonly referred to as the Battle of Britain---but the entire war effort. Consequently Churchill isn't quoted as saying that "The Battle of Britain is about to begin," and "upon this battle depends the survival of Christian civilization" until the end of Part One of this program; once 107 minutes have elapsed herein. But before much praise is given to Churchill's travels around the country and his speeches the producers, early in Part Two, make the point that "not everyone was inspired by Churchill's visits or by his oratory." We then get interviews of guys caught behind enemy lines seemingly just trying to save their own skins, the impressions of shipwrecked civilians, and critical remarks from former Navy seamen. These interviewees are often shown walking the environs where they worked many years back or walking along the geographic locale they are speaking about; be it beaches, abandoned airfields, strategic cliffs, or what have you. Then the producers ultimately conclude this examination of a massively successful endeavor by a determined people by explaining that "the British people rallied behind a maverick leader whose policy of total defense had at first appeared suicidal" But we get little by way of how this was accomplished; why Brits rallied under Churchill or details how individuals rose to the challenges facing them. That, after all, ought be the substance of a telling of the story of Britain's Finest Hour. PS: See my Amazon list on what to see/read to viscerally experience WW2. Click on my profile, then "SO YOU'D LIKE TO..." on the bottom of the page. (06Jun) Cheers!

A wonderful account of when England stood alone in 1940. The producers sought out people who had personal and interesting stories to tell during that time. One of those persons told of her harrowing journey together with 90-odd children, whose ship was torpedoed on its way to Canada. She was one of few survivors. An important piece of history extraordinarily told by such courageous people.