Classic Movies on Sky Arts - Series 3 Episode 3 - The Story of the Dam Busters

 

I was ten when this film was shown in cinemas in 1955. I'm fairly sure that we saw it at the Odeon Kensington. Filmed in black and white, it starred Richard Todd as Wing Commander Guy Gibson and Michael Redgrave as Barnes Wallis. Superb performances from both. Ian Nathan and Steven Armstrong discuss this "complex war movie". The film is in two halves. The first the preparation and the second the mission itself. Steven says "If you could destroy the dams (three or four in the Ruhr Valley) it would cripple German production".... "the film is about technical and engineering expertise". The bouncing bomb is now an iconic invention. 

Neil Norman was impressed that we see so much of the experiments and techniques that were developed to bounce that bomb, including at first many failures. We see footage of the Lancaster bombers (three were taken out of mothballs) practicing their runs over Lake Windermere in the Lake District. Apparently the height of approach that was actually employed did not seem exciting enough and the director got them to go even lower to the water.  Steven tells us about the history of inventor Barnes Wallis, working on airships and bombers. 

On to the mission and Ian describes that moonlit night of May 16th 1943. The Lancaster bombers taking off for Germany. I vividly remember that my favourite Airfix model that I made was that of the Lancaster. Steven asks how successful was the mission? In reality not hugely important, the dams were soon rebuilt. But it was a symbolic success.

Neil Norman goes on to tell us about Paul Brickhill who wrote the book The Dam Busters. This was after he wrote his memoir that became the blockbuster film The Great Escape and later the book about Douglas Bader that became Reach for the Sky. We hear about director Michael Anderson, how he went about the filming and using some real footage. We see the models made for the dams, and the cockpit constructed in the studio.

Michael Redgrave was already a big star when he was chosen to play Barnes Wallis. Richard Todd was perfect for Guy Gibson. In the co-pilot's seat is Robert Shaw. Steven says that the film is unlike any other and Neil says how they took a big story and personalised it. Even Eric Coate's music of the iconic Dam Busters March still resonates today. The film has a muted ending as many of the crews did not return. Barnes Wallis was devastated. But this was the biggest British film of 1955.