AVIATION MOVIES

DVD

ACES HIGH
Starring: Malcolm McDowell, Christopher Plummer, Simon Ward.


A magnificent portrail of the aerial battles of the First World War of the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) led by Ace pilot "Gresham" (Malcolm McDowell). The film shows how futile the western front fighting was, and how men were giving their lives often for no real gain. The film features a young pilot "Croft", who pulls strings to join the squadron commanded by his old school house captain, only to find that war has changed him.

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THE BLUE MAX
Starring: George Peppard, James Mason.


The Blue Max concentrates upon air combat as seen entirely from the German point of view. The story focuses on a lower-class officer, Bruno Stachel (George Peppard), and his obsessive quest to win a Blue Max, a medal awarded for shooting down 20 enemy aircraft. Around this are built subplots concerning a propaganda campaign by James Mason's pragmatic general, rivalry with a fellow officer (Jeremy Kemp), and a love affair with a decadent countess (Ursula Andress).

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FLYBOYS
Starring: James Franco, Martin Henderson and David Ellison.


Flyboys takes full advantage of the digital revolution, with intensely photo-realistic recreations of WWI aircraft, authentic period structures and CGI environments, resulting in an abundance of amazing images many of them virtually indistinguishable from reality. The film tells the fact-based story, set in France in 1916, of the daring young pilots of the Lafayette Escadrille, a pioneering French air-combat unit that welcomed American enlistees prior to the United States' entry into the war.

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THE RED BARON
Starring: Matthias Schweighofer.


Red Baron tells the story of the celebrated German Air Force Ace Baron Manfred von Richthofen as he struggles to deal with his conflicting feelings of disgust for the war, responsibility to his peers, and love for a woman.

Packed with incredible aerial combat scenes, this is the story of the greatest fighter pilot of all time.

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THE FIRST OF THE FEW
Starring: Lesley Howard and David Niven.


The First of the Few tells the story of how lead designer R.J. Mitchell (Lesley Howard) and his test pilot Jeffrey Quill (David Niven) developed the Spitfire whose technological superioity helped Britain to win the Battle of Britain, a turning point of World War II.

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ONE OF OUR AIRCRAFT IS MISSING
Starring: Godfrey Tearle and Eric Portman.


An excellent war movie, made during the war, about a six man crew who parachute from their Wellington Bomber during a bombing raid. With the help of the Dutch resistance, they endure many narrow escapes from the Nazis before they reach a sea port. Their attempted journey across the Channel is fraught with many dangers and an unexpected turn of events.

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REACH FOR THE SKY
Starring: Kenneth More.


A story of Douglas Bader who loses both legs in an aeroplane crash and his determination and courage to conquer this handicap and then go on to become a famous Battle of Britain pilot. He is eventually shot down over Germany and spends the rest of the war as a prisioner of war at Colditz.

Bader is played magnificently by Kenneth More and the film receives a BAFTA Award for Best British Film.

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BATTLE OF BRITAIN
Starring: Michael Caine, Kenneth More, Christopher Plummer.


An all star cast, the Battle of Britain is a spectacular film of a true story that shows courage at its inspiring best. The film shows how when the outnumbered Royal AIr Force (RAF) defied insurmountable odds when engaging the German Luftwaffe, they may well have altered the course of history!

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633 SQUADRON
Starring: Cliff Robertson and George Chakiris.


Cliff Robertson plays a combat-weary pilot whos RAF squadron is ordered on an apparant suicide mission to destrpy a Nazi rocket fuel plant tucked deep into a Norwegian fjord.

To make the film, a squadron of mosquito fighter-bombers was resurrected from near extinction.

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THE WAY TO THE STARS
Starring: Michael Redgrave and John Mills.


Set during 1940 during the Battle of Britain, a recently qualified RAF pilot Peter Penrose (John Mills) joins a squadron based in the Midlands. He quickly befriends Flight Lieutenant David Archdale (Michael Redgrave) who is later made acting C.O. after the death of the Commanding Officer. In 1942 the aerodrome is handed over to the American 8th Air Force although the British flyers leave the base, after being removed from active service due to the strain Peter remains there as controller, before being posted to Lancasters.

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A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH
Starring: David Niven.


David Niven stars as a downed pilot who must justify his continuing existence to a heavenly panel of judges, because he has made the mistake of falling in love with an American girl (Kim Hunter) when he really should have been dead. National stereotypes are lampooned as the angelic judges squabble over his fate. In a neat reversal of expectations, the Heaven sequences are black and white, while Earth is seen in techni-colour.

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DVD

ANGELS ONE FIVE
Starring: Jack Hawkins and John Gregson.


A film set during the Battle of Britain focusing on a VR pilot "Septic" Baird (John Gregson) who joins a squadron bringing in a much needed replacement aircraft which he, through no fault of his own, prangs! Although vindicated by his fellow pilots he has to spend time in the Operations Room and prove himself to his superiors, helped by Wing Commander "Tiger" Small (Jack Hawkins).

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THE SOUND BARRIER
Starring: Ralph Richardson.


The true story of the Jet planes early days and the commited men who risked all to push the limits of the Sound Barrier. Ralph Richardson depicts an aircraft manufacturer driven to design and manufacture the first supersonic aeroplane ... at whatever the cost.

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MOSQUITO SQUADRON
Starring: David McCallum.


David McCallum plays a melancholy RAF ace, leading his squadron of De Havilland "Mosquito" bombers on low-altitude strikes over Nazi strongholds in Germany and France. His ground-based dilemma involves the grieving wife of his best friend, a fellow pilot presumed dead but later discovered alive with other POWs held at a French chalet where the Nazis are developing advanced V-class bombers. The RAF employs bouncing "highballs" capable of penetrating difficult targets, and the rousing climax doubles as a rescue mission and treacherous bombing run.

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DARK BLUE WORLD
Starring: Ondre J Vetchy and Krystof Hadek.


Dark Blue World focuses on the relationship between Frantisek Slama (played with quiet authority by Ondrej Vetchy) and his protégé Karel Vojtisek (a fresh-faced Krystof Hadek). Escaping Czechoslovakia during the Nazi invasion of 1939, they enlist in the RAF, where the father/son relationship is threatened by their mutual attraction to the apparently widowed Susan (Tara Fitzgerald, thoughtfully understated). The film's culmination sees them reconciled in moving circumstances.

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TWELVE O'CLOCK HIGH
Starring: Gregory Peck.


Twelve O'Clock High stars Gregory Peck as a callous general who assumes command of a bomber squadron based in England. At first, the new commander has little rapport with the 918th Bomber Group, whose loyalties still belong with their previous commander. As they continue to fly dangerous mission over Germany, however, the group and their new leader develop mutual respect and admiration, until the once-alienated commander feels that his men are part of a family .... men whose bravery transcends the rigours of rigid discipline and by-the-book leadership.

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THE DAM BUSTERS
Starring: Richard Todd and Michael Redgrave.


A bombing raid is proposed on a strategically vital Ruhr dam, but its position is inaccessible. The problem is solved by inventor Dr Barnes Wallis (Michael Redgrave) who comes up with a genius idea of a bomb that will bounce on water like a skimmed pebble. Naturally the top brass pooh-pooh it, but gallant Wing Commander Guy Gibson (Richard Todd) is persuaded and between them flyer and boffin forge ahead to the conclusion of a successful yet costly mission.

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TORA! TORA! TORA!
Starring: Martin Balsam, Joseph Cotton and Soh Yamamura.


This epic film shows the bombing of Pearl Harbour from both sides in the historic first American-Japanese coproduction. The first half maps out the collapse of diplomacy between the nations and the military blunders that left naval and air forces sitting ducks for the impending attack, while the second half is an amazing re-creation of the devastating battle.

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MEMPHIS BELLE
Starring: Matthew Modine, Eric Stoltz.


During the Spring of 1943, the Memphis Belle took to the war-torn skies for a bombing raid, which would be the 10-man crews final mission (as they would have finished their tour of duty). Previous missions for the Memphis Belle had gone without a hitch prompting the propaganda machine to hail the returning crew a hero's welcome to help renew flagging public morale - but will they all return?

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FIRST LIGHT
Starring: Gary Lewis, Sam Heughan.


Thrown into the crucible of the most violent air war ever seen, a boy, barely out of school, is determined to fight for survival... Seventy years later, that same boy is still yearning to be free. At the age of nineteen, Geoffrey Boy Wellum was the youngest Spitfire pilot in the Battle of Britain. This is the dramatic story of the teenager who went to war with the Nazis and with the fear that threatened to engulf him. Combining Geoffrey Wellum s compelling first person testimony with intensely evocative action on the ground and in the air, First Light is a powerful drama that documents the universal stark horror experienced by those involved in battle.

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RED TAILS
Starring: Cuba Gooding Jr., Terrence Howard.


Italy, 1944. As the war takes its toll on Allied forces in Europe, a squadron of black pilots known as the Tuskagee Airmen are finally given the chance to prove themselves in the sky... even as they battle discrimination on the ground. Featuring jaw-dropping aerial action and thrilling special effects, Red Tails is a breaktaking tribute to the unsung heroes who rose above extraordinary challenges and ultimately soared into history.

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SPITFIRE
Starring: John Ackroyd, Charles Dance, Mary Ellis, Paul Farnes, Ken 'Paddy' French.


SPITFIRE is a cinematic, epic, sweeping tale of determination, vision and courage. It is the story of an aeroplane that was forged in competition, shaped as the war clouds gathered, and refined in the white heat of combat going on to become the most famous fighter plane ever made. Credited with changing the course of world history, this is the story of the Spitfire told personally in the words of the last-surviving combat veterans.

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DVD

PEARL HARBOUR
Starring: Ben Affleck, Kate Beckinsale.


Rafe McCawley is a gung-ho US pilot whose determination to fly against the enemy leads him to Europe and active service in the Battle of Britain. His girlfriend Evelyn is left waiting at the Pearl Harbor naval base in Hawaii, and before long tragedy strikes, with the news reaching Evelyn that Rafe has flown off to the great aircraft hanger in the sky. Heartbroken, she is comforted by Rafe's best friend Danny (Josh Hartnett), and romance soon blooms between them. Meanwhile, the Japanese are preparing their forces for the attack which will trigger the US entry into World War Two.

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DUNKIRK
Starring: Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy.


“Dunkirk” opens as hundreds of thousands of British and Allied troops are surrounded by enemy forces. Trapped on the beach with their backs to the sea, they face an impossible situation as the enemy closes in.

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LANCASTER SKIES
Starring: Tom Gordon, David Dobson.


Angry and bereaved by the death of his younger brother, Flight Lieutenant Douglas Miller, a broken, solitary, spitfire ace, who survived The Battle of Britain, transfers to Bomber Command, determined to take the war to the skies over Germany. On arriving at his new posting, he is given the unenviable task of replacing the much loved Skipper of an experienced Lancaster Bomber crew, who was killed in action just days before. Struggling to bond with his new crew, and obsessed with his mission to wage war at any cost, Douglas must find a way to gain their trust, and overcome his inner demons, in order to become the leader they so desperately need.

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HURRICANE
Starring: Iwan Rheon, Milo Gibson.


HURRICANE tells the story of the Polish fliers who found themselves fighting for the freedom of their own country in foreign skies. Seen through the eyes of Jan Zumbach (Rheon), fighter ace and adventurer, it tells how the Poles, driven across Europe by the German war machine, finally made their last stand. Flying Hurricanes for the RAF over Britain, they became a key component in the legend of The Few . Up against the might of the Luftwaffe they hoped that, by saving Great Britain from Nazi invasion, they were keeping the dream of a free Poland alive.

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THE PURPLE PLAIN
Starring: Gregory Peck.


Set during the Burma Campaign, Squadron Leader Forrester (Gregory Peck) is a pilot whose life has already been shattered by the loss of his wife during an air raid on London. Having to make a crash landing, he finds himself marooned in the Burmese jungle with a badly-injured navigator and a traumatised passenger. Together they battle to stay alive and make it out of the jungle to safety.

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THE HUNTERS
Starring: Robert Mitchum and Robert Wagner.


Set during the height of the Korean war, the film centers on Major Cleve Seville (Robert Mitchum) an experienced fighter pilot joining a newly formed F-86 Sabre squadron. Seville falls in love with his wing mans wife to whom he promises to look after her husband. When his wingman bails out over enemy territory, Seville crash lands on a daring rescue mission, 'aided' by a loud mouth Rookie (Robert Wagner) who also has to bail out due to damage to his aircraft by ground fire.

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THE BRIDGES AT TOKO-RI
Starring: William Holden, Grace Kelly, Mickey Rooney and Earl Holliman.


Lt Harry Brubaker (William Holden) is a lawyer with a loving wife (Grace Kelly) and two young daughters, who is recalled to duty from the Navy Reserve. His mission is to fly with a bomber jet squadron over one of the Communists' most heavily protected targets, the strategically vital bridges in the Korean canyon of Toko-Ri. Brubaker has his own noble protection from his fellow pilots, admiring admiral and from the helicopter scouts (Mickey Rooney and Earl Holliman) who saved his life on a previous mission when he had to ditch.

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BEHIND ENEMY LINES
Starring: Gene Hackman and Owen Wilson.


During a reconnaissance mission over Bosnia a US Navy aircraft is shot down by SAM's with both the pilot and the navigator, Chris Burnett (Owen Wilson), ejecting to relative safety. Whilst the Burnett goes to higher ground for a better signal, the pilot who was hurt during the ejection, is executed by rebel Serbian forces. Wilson must now fight for survival while his commanding officer (Gene Hackman) plots a daredevil rescue.

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TOP GUN
Starring: Tom Cruise and Kelly McGillis.


Top Gun takes a look at the danger and excitement that awaits every pilot at the American Navy's prestigious fighter weapons school. 'Maverick' Mitchell (Tom Cruise), a daring young flyer who's out to become the best is taught a few things that you can't learn in the classroom by a female civililan instructor.

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WINGS - THE COMPLETE SERIES
Starring: Michael Cochrane, Tim Woodward and Nicholas Jones.


Spring 1915, England is largely untouched by the horrors of the Great War young men like Alan Farmer (Tim Woodward) and Charles Gaylion (Michael Cochrane) join the Royal Flying Core (RFC) to earn their wings, still believing in the 'Camaraderie of the air'. Their instructor Captain Triggers (Nicholas Jones) knows the realities of war that German and British airmen are beginning to shoot at each other and the air war is changing .... soon it will be 'kill or be killed'.

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PIECE OF CAKE
Starring: Boyd Gaines, Neil Dudgeon and Tim Woodward.


Piece of Cake follows the young Spitfire pilots of Hornet Squadron through the first year of World War II. Led by flamboyant new Squadron Leader Rex (Tim Woodward), Hornet squadron are despatched to France. - but what starts out as a grand adventure for the untested young pilots soon turns into a grim daily battle for survival.

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