Iconic World War II Epic Is The Perfect Action Drama For History Buffs, Stream Without Netflix
If you enjoyed director Christopher Nolan’s excellent film Dunkirk or Gary Oldman’s Academy Award-winning performance as Sir Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour, you’re sure to love the 1969 film Battle of Britain. It’s the kind of movie that makes history buffs sit on the edge of their seats while watching aircraft that mostly no longer exist engaged in brutal combat. It’s history’s first aerial battle and determined the fate of the British empire during its darkest hour.
A WWII Classic
The Battle of Britain starts off with the successful evacuation from Dunkirk and shows German forces preparing for a seaborne invasion of England in 1940. Spirits are high among the Germans for good reason. Britain is all that stands between Germany and complete domination of Europe, and only the English Channel separates the German forces from the United Kingdom.
There’s also one other significant obstacle to overcome before launching an invasion of Britain – the Royal Air Force (RAF) and its collection of Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire fighters. The Luftwaffe and its BF-109 Messerschmidt fighters, Junkers JU-87 dive bombers, and Heinkel 111 bombers are tasked with taking out the RAF. Fortunately for England, a relative handful of fighter pilots are ready to kill or be killed.
Aerial Warfare During Trying Times
The aerial sequences are breathtaking as German planes and pilots tangle with an increasingly varied group of RAF pilots. The RAF has one distinct advantage – they are flying over England, so they don’t run the risk of being captured if they are shot down and survive. The Luftwaffe pilots in the Battle of Britain don’t have the luxury of bailing out or crash landing in friendly territory – unless they make it back to France.
Highlights A Pivotal Moment In History
Director Guy Hamilton does a great job of weaving factual events into the story to give viewers a generally good understanding of how desperate the United Kingdom was during the Battle of Britain. We see legendary actor Sir Laurence Olivier as Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding telling off his German counterpart when he comes seeking Britain’s surrender. The story shows the toll on the RAF and Luftwaffe pilots, and the events and decisions that helped turn the battle’s tide in England’s favor.
Young Ian McShane Is A Force To Be Reckoned With
Battle of Britain’s cast is outstanding and includes many legendary actors, including Michael Caine, Robert Shaw, Trevor Howard, Christopher Plummer, and many more. Fans of the HBO series Deadwood or John Wick will enjoy seeing a young Ian McShane as Sgt. Pilot Andy long before he played Al Swearengen. McShane leads a memorable scene that brilliantly illustrates the aerial battle’s toll on the English population.
Streaming Battle of Britain
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With a running time of 213 minutes, there are plenty of long aerial battles featuring many working aircraft. Some models are used in some scenes, but the film’s producers managed to get enough working aircraft and real pilots to fly them to make the action as realistic as possible. The dogfighting sequences in Battle of Britain are possibly the best ever filmed.
It’s one of the best films of its kind and ideal for watching over and over again. You can stream Battle of Britain on Amazon Prime Video until the end of July and on Pluto TV as a video on demand – or when one of the free ad-supported streamer’s live movie channels show it.
