British War Collection 2

Reach For The Sky – Based on the novel by Paul Brickhill, this is the remarkable true story of Douglas Bader, a pilot in the RAF who overcomes every obstacle to prove his worth. He is a young and ambitious pilot who, after a plane crash, is badly injured. Although doctors expect him to die, he survives but loses both his legs. As his colleagues prepare for his horror and devastation, they find instead a determination in him which refuses to be changed by the accident. He re-enters the RAF where he is determined to continue his career as a pilot. A Winner of the BAFTA Film Award for Best Picture!

1956 | 136 min | B&W | Optional English Subtitles: SDH† | 1.78:1/16×9 | Dolby Digital | Region 1 | NR

We Dive At Dawn – British submarine ‘Sea Tiger’ docks after a long voyage and the crew are given a week’s leave. Each heads off for his chosen destination. However all their arrangements are then cancelled as they are recalled to their sub and instructed to find and destroy a Nazi battleship, the ‘Brandenburg’. On their way, they pick up three German seamen who tell them where the ship lies in the treacherous Baltic Sea. When they eventually find it they fire their torpedoes but must beat a hasty retreat. They do not know if they were successful and must return to port quickly to refuel, not knowing if the ‘Brandenburg’ is following them.

1943 | 97 min | B&W | 1.33:1/4×3 | Dolby Digital | Region 1 | NR

The Way Ahead – Carol Reed’s lump-in-the-throat, flag-waver still packs a powerful punch and his semi-documentary technique provides a realistic grittiness to the on screen action. A highly talented cast moves this impressive wartime story on, as we observe a motley crew of young recruits, as they learn to become soldiers, through to the end of the film when they must prove themselves against the enemy. Film debut of Trevor Howard. Originally released in the U.S. in a shortened, more serious version titled “The Immortal Battalion”.

1944 | 115 min | B&W | Optional English Subtitles: SDH† | 1.33:1/4×3 | Dolby Digital | Region 1 | NR

The One That Got Away – This is the dramatic true story of Franz Von Werra, the only German prisoner-of-war in Britain to escape and return to his homeland. During the Battle of Britain, his plane is hit and it plunges down onto British soil. Even though the pilot is captured, he is extremely confident and focused on his plan: to escape and return home against all the odds. Starring Hardy Kruger, who was a real-life prisoner of war, as von Werra in his first UK production.

1957 | 111 min | B&W | Optional English Subtitles: SDH† | 1.66:1/Pillar Boxed | Dolby Digital | Region 1 | NR

Reach for the Sky – Kenneth More, Muriel Pavlow, Lyndon Brook, Lee Patterson, Alexander Knox, Dorothy Alison, Michael Warre

We Dive at Dawn – Sir John Mills, Louis Bradfield, Ronald Millar, Jack Watling, Reginald Purdell, Caven Watson, Niall MacGinnis, Eric Portman

The Way Ahead – David Niven, Stanley Holloway, James Donald, John Laurie, Leslie Dwyer, Hugh Burden, Jimmy Hanley

The One That Got Away – Hardy Kruger, Colin Gordon, Michael Goodliffe, Terence Alexander, Jack Gwillim, Andrew Faulds, Julian Somers

Reach for the Sky – Lewis Gilbert

We Dive at Dawn – Anthony Asquith

The Way Ahead – Carol Reed

The One That Got Away – Roy Ward Baker