- Film Review
- Reviewed By David Parkinson
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3 out of 5
This is an exciting enough Second World War adventure, as the crew members of a Wellington bomber attempt to evade Nazi patrols and reach home after their plane is shot down over the Netherlands. Directors Michael Powell (who also has a cameo role) and Emeric Pressburger are more successful at re-creating the bomber raid and the spectacular crash than they are at capturing an authentic Dutch atmosphere. It's a classic example of the way in which fictional stories were given a documentary style in order to increase their propaganda impact, and Powell and Pressburger's script received an Oscar nomination. There are sterling supporting turns from Peter Ustinov and Hay Petrie, but the film looks and sounds rather dated now.
Plot Summary
Second World War drama starring Godfrey Tearle and Eric Portman. 1941: an RAF bomber fails to return from a raid on Stuttgart. Six of the crew manage to bale out over occupied Netherlands and begin a dangerous journey to the Channel coast.
Cast and crew
Cast
- Sir George Corbett
- Godfrey Tearle
- Tom Earnshaw
- Eric Portman
- Frank Shelley
- Hugh Williams
- Geoff Hickman
- Bernard Miles
- John Glyn Haggard
- Hugh Burden
- Bob Ashley
- Emrys Jones
- Els Meertens
- Pamela Brown
- Jet van Dieren
- Joyce Redman
- Jo de Vries
- Googie Withers
- Burgomaster
- Hay Petrie
- Burgomaster's wife
- Selma Vaz Diaz
- Pieter Sluys
- Arnold Marlé
- De Jong
- Robert Helpmann
Crew
- Director
- Michael Powell
- Director
- Emeric Pressburger
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