THE MOVIE

Reviewed By Daniel B.

Short summary
In a desperate attempt to shorten the length of WW2, the British propose a daring raid to destroy Germany’s industrial heart in one, single, offensive. A seemingly impossible objective is made tenable when a British scientist invents an ingenious weapon capable of destroying the planned target. This movie is an historical dramatisation of Operation Chastise, in which low level Lancaster bombers from England drop skimming bombs designed to destroy reservoirs in the Ruhr water system, thus crippling Germany’s industrial heart.

Movie synopsis
Ten years after the Second World War ended, the British film business had covered most of the bigger and more dramatic air and ground battles in the European and Pacific theatres. But the bomber offensive against Nazi Germany presented a problem. While it was a massive and bold undertaking, the carpet bombing of Germany, where thousands of people were killed or injured, was not an attractive topic for film making. The solution was to depict the strategic shift from blanket to pinpoint bombing, specifically the raid on the three key Ruhr dams. Twelve years after the event itself, THE DAM BUSTERS became a feature film, directed by Michael Anderson. Now it has been remastered and is presented in the timeless DVD medium.

In the spring of 1942, Allied ground forces were still unprepared to mount an invasion. Instead the Allies sent hundreds of bombers over Germany in order to attack individual targets of industrial facilities, communications and infrastructure, weakening Hitler’s war potential. British scientist Dr. Barnes Wallis (Michael Redgrave) was convinced that the strategy was flawed and that it would not significantly hurt the German war machine. He envisioned a single strike that would knock out the entire industrial heart of Germany, the Ruhr. The Ruhr is dependant on water supplies stored by three huge dams - Oeden, Moene and Sorpe. If destroyed, the factories should permanently stop working. Destruction of these dams would require a massive iron fist. Traditional methods of bombing would have required an unprecedented quantity of explosives, for which no aircraft existed which could carry such an armament. Packaged into a completely new bomb design and a new method of delivery, Wallis saw that the key lay in the correct placement of a smaller, concentrated charge. The problems had been solved by Wallis, in theory, but he would have to wait almost a year before he received the necessary funds, resources and personnel from military and civilian bureaucrats.

Meanwhile, the Royal Air Force was charged with the task to select and train a group of their best pilots to undertake this mission. Enter Squadron 617, led by Wing Commander Guy Gibson (Richard Todd) who would fly the new and specialised variant of the Avro Lancaster. Months of rigorous training were required, as the operation would demand low-level night flying, extremely precise speed and altitude. Finally, on May 16th 1943, Gibson and his men begin Operation Chastise. It would go down in the annals of history as one of the most spectacular and daring air raids of World War Two.

THE TRANSFER

Video:

The transfer is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full frame.

The special effects of this film are unimpressive, even for 1950s standards. The poor shadow detail of the black-and-white photography makes it even less appealing. There are what seem to be fluctuations in brightness and it appears as though a bright spotlight was focused on the centre of the screen to illuminate actors in indoor scenes. As a result the centre portions of the scene are over illuminated with the surrounding areas being considerably darker. Outdoor scenes are much brighter and clearer. Film artifacts are present in abundance, but this is to be expected given the age of the original film. The same can also be said for the overall grain in the print.

The overall impression is comforting, however, considering the many scenes featuring brilliant aerial photography and authentic footage of the Lancaster bombers flying at speed. And you can’t help but feel as though you are watching a piece of real history.

For a 50 year old print we can't expect much at all but what we have is reasonably adequate.

Audio:

English is the only language in which this movie is presented. No subtitles are available either.

A mono-track provides for a lack-luster aural response. It would have been great to here the quad-Rolls Royce Merlin engines roar across the room. And gunfire, which is not real, is always drowned out by the hum of the engines.

THE EXTRAS

Only the original theatrical trailer is available as an extra on this disk. It is an amusing trailer, of far lesser video and audio quality than the movie itself. It is quite detailed by modern trailer standards. But then it is an old movie.

SUMMARY

THE DAM BUSTERS is an exciting film which works brilliantly in allowing the suspense to slowly build as the viewer invests their hopes and fears into this remarkable story. It ends with the raid being portrayed as completely successful. Skepticism of the overall success of Operation Chastise, as well as the effectiveness of the entire strategic bombing campaign in curbing the German war machine, is warranted. But that should not deter viewers from an otherwise entertaining piece of history. The true account of Dr Barnes Wallis and his incredible bouncing bombs makes for a riveting slice of cinema.

The DVD is very much barebones in all respects. Video and audio are horrendous by today's standards but for a 50 year old film they are reasonable.