165 of 166 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
First class account of Battle of Britain, October 10, 2003
This review is from: Piece of Cake (DVD)
Ignore the cover of the DVD. The love interest is really a minor part of this wonderful British miniseries which follows an RAF squadron through the "Phoney War" (September 1939 - May 1940), the battle for France (May-June 1940), and the Battle of Britain through its climax in the fall of 1940.
This is not your usual squadron of movie heroes. For starters, the squadron commander seems to spend more time working on the wine list than thinking about strategy. As for flying, he wants them to fly into battle in straight, wingtip-to-wingtip formations like a marching band. The pilots are for the most part upper class elites happy with the leader's 'fox and hounds' demeanor. Some of the pilots are not especially likeable, particularly "Moggy" , a boarding-school bully who, it turns out, is an ace killer. The one "Yank", a Canadian socialist and veteran of the Spanish Civil War, gets to smirk at the upper crust poseurs.
It's a good mix, and for the first six months of the war, there's not a lot of go at the Boche, and what is great about the series is the shock and surprise when the war begins in earnest. The battle scenes are as well done as the big screen "Battle of Britain", except we really know these characters by the time the real war hits. Some excel, some crack, and some pack it in. One character starts to speaking exclusively in quotes from Churchill speeches, unnerving the squadron adjutant. The final two episodes are very, very intense, and unlike Hollywood, the movie does not play favorites with who lives and who doesn't.
The Spitfire was the most beautiful plane ever flown, and we get good long looks at the real thing. The flying scenes are a treat. Great for grognards, but the story is well rounded and a good time should be had by all.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
82 of 84 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Organizational View of War, July 30, 2001
This review is from: Piece of Cake (DVD)
Piece of Cake is an excellent organizational view of the first year of the Second World War (1 September 1939 - 7 September 1940) from the perspective of a notional RAF fighter unit, dubbed "Hornet Squadron." Most war movies follow one of two standard conceits: the individual perspective (e.g. Patton, Lawrence of Arabia, the Patriot) or the small-group perspective (e.g. Platoon, All Quiet on the Western Front, Stalingrad). Of course, wars are fought by organizations, not individuals or small groups, and Piece of Cake is a rare example of an organizational look at war. Hornet Squadron, is the hero of the film, not the pilots who come and go. By the end of the film virtually all the main characters are gone, but unlike All Quiet On The Western Front where the war ends soon after the death of the narrator, the war goes on and the squadron continues to fight. There is a message herein about the nature of modern industrialized war that might be lost on some viewers, particularly those accustomed to war romance.
The film includes a very interesting set of characters. The most interesting are: (1) Squadron Leader Rex, an arrogant, aristocratic leader who tries to run the squadron like a feudal village. Rex exemplifies the British warrior of the 19th Century whose confidence exudes from his sense of class and cultural superiority, rather than his actual military talents. As a combat leader, Rex is a disaster.
(2) "Moggy" is one of the original pre-war members who, aside from being a good pilot, is a virulent socio-path. When Churchill praises the bravery of the RAF pilots on the radio, "Moggy" mocks him and swills his beer. He enjoys telling replacements how quickly they are likely to die. Actually, it's hard to believe that any unit commander would tolerate his guff for very long because his attitude eventually begins to wear down morale in the unit.
(3) Chris Hart is an American volunteer who arrives as a replacement. Hart is an experienced pilot who fought in Spain with the Republicans, but his presence in the squadron is only grudgingly accepted. Although he ends up being one of the most reliable pilots in the squadron, Hart's efforts to improve the unit's combat performance are constantly met with resistance. Contrast the official cold-shoulder toward Hart with the blind-eye to Moggy's antics and it is a wonder that the British won the Battle of Britain.
(4) "Flash" is a pilot who goes bonkers and likes to fly upside-down. His medical review describes him as "batty, but still capable of flying." As in Catch-22, Flash thinks the war is "smashing" and doesn't want to quit.
(5) "Uncle" is the squadron adjutant, an older, world-wise former pilot who now flies a desk. With his experience, Uncle can size up any pilot in a few seconds and he acts as a steadying force in the unit. Uncle is also a terrific subordinate who knows how to manage head-strong commanders like Rex or deal with insubordinate junior pilots.
(6) "Skull" is the squadron intelligence officer. Although he initially appears to be a "fish-out-of-water" bookworm, it is soon apparent that Skull has a vital role to play and he does it well. Early on, his effort to improve aircraft recognition skills in the pilots is ignored and results in a friendly-fire incident. Later, he recommends installing gun cameras to record "kills"; the pilots resent him questioning their combat claims, but his efforts improve the unit's performance.
The first two-thirds of the series covers the Phony War period in France, which is a quiet spell in the war which will not be familiar to most Americans. Rex takes the squadron to France and they all settle into a nice, cozy chateau for the winter of 1939/40. Unfortunately, this period could have been used to better develop the characters but instead is wasted in the gratuitous romance of two pilots. When the war does kick off with the German attack in May 1940, the squadron is hit hard and virtually knocked out of action. Sent back to England to regroup, the pilots are rapidly whittled away by attrition in the early phases of the Battle of Britain. One year after the outbreak of war, only two pilots from the original group have survived. However, essential characters like Uncle and Skull, normally missing from war movies, are there to organize the replacements and to keep the unit going.
The film might be accused of certain technical conceits (e.g. using late-model Spitfires), an unusual concentration of nationalities and eccentric personalities in one unit and an overly-cynical depiction of fighter pilots in general. All these points are true to a degree. However, the main truth is that Piece of Cake is one very fine war film that depicts the gritty, unromantic reality of modern organized warfare: the team matters more than the individual. Sorry, Erich Remarque.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
60 of 60 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Piece of Cake and a Piece of History, July 9, 2002
This review is from: Piece of Cake (DVD)
A Piece of Cake, follows the exploits of Hornet Squadron as they go off to fight in the battle for France and later the Battle of Britain, as any aviation buff will know we English never sent any Spitfires to France but as there are only 15 air worthy Hurricanes in the world the makers used Spits.
This in no way detracts from the film and surprisingly they actually get most of W.W.2 aviation history right, including the battle of barking Creek where in reality the victim of friendly fire was a Hurricane and not a Blenheim, still at least they put it in.
My Uncle who flew Spits and Hurries in the battle of France and the Battle of Britain has seen the film and says that its one of the most realistic films that he has seen of squadron life and certainly surpasses the 1969 film the Battle of Britain for historical realism.
They did use real Spitfires, Heinkels. M.E. 109's and even a Rapide in the film but clever use is also made of some outstanding models( Only pointed out to me by my uncle)
The Flying sequences are superb! there is nothing quite like a Spitfire in flight.
A really good film and a must for every aviation Fan, Buy It you wont regret it
Warm Regards
Bob Yeoman (England)
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
