The Battle of Britain lies not only in the memories of the British, but also the many volunteers. In this Czech production is the story of Czech volunteers in the RAF. The film shows the dark side of communism in the wake of World War II and the agony that Czech volunteers went through as punishment for fighting with the British. The focus of the story is the air battles over England, told in flashback with truly amazing aerial footage, some new and some recylced from Battle of Britain.
The human story is a love triangle and the loss of comrades with an Eastern European sensibility. The real gem of this film for RAF enthusiasts goes beyond the story into the visual and aerial effects. The production spared no expense taking old footage and making it look fresh. With new flying footage intermixed with digitally cleaned and enhanced stock footage from Battle of Britain, the graphics team really did an amazing job.
After watching the results of such work in this film, one almost wishes that MGM would give every combat shot in Battle of Britain a digital cleaning to remove the many scratches and debris that plague the footage.
The use of digital compositing also enhances the backgrounds of many sets and fleshes out the atmosphere of that time in Britain. A highly recommended film for RAF enthusiasts.
Screenshots added. More to come soon!
