The Dam Busters (film)

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The Dam Busters
1955 British quad format film poster
Directed byMichael Anderson
Screenplay byR. C. Sherriff
Based onThe Dam Busters
by Paul Brickhill
Enemy Coast Ahead
by Guy Gibson
Produced byRobert Clark
W. A. Whittaker
StarringRichard Todd
Michael Redgrave
CinematographyErwin Hillier
Gilbert Taylor (Special Effects Photography)
Edited byRichard Best
Music byEric Coates
Leighton Lucas
Production
company
Distributed byAssociated British Pathé
Release date
  • 16 May 1955 (1955-05-16) (UK)
Running time
124 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Box office£419,528 (UK)[1]

The Dam Busters is a 1955 British epic war film starring Richard Todd and Michael Redgrave. It was directed by Michael Anderson. The film recreates the true story of Operation Chastise when in 1943 the RAF's 617 Squadron attacked the Möhne, Eder, and Sorpe dams in Nazi Germany with Barnes Wallis's bouncing bomb.

The film was based on the books The Dam Busters (1951) by Paul Brickhill and Enemy Coast Ahead (1946) by Guy Gibson.

The film was widely praised and became the most popular motion picture at British cinemas in 1955.[2] In 1999, the British Film Institute voted The Dam Busters the 68th greatest British film of the 20th century.[3] Its depiction of the raid, along with a similar sequence in the film 633 Squadron, provided the inspiration for the Death Star trench run in Star Wars.

A remake has been in development since 2008, but has yet to be produced as of 2024.

Plot

In early 1942, aeronautical engineer

torpedo nets
. When it hit the dam, backspin would make it sink whilst retaining contact with the wall, making the explosion far more destructive. Wallis calculates that the aircraft will have to fly extremely low (150 feet (46 m)) to enable the bombs to skip over the water correctly, but when he takes his conclusions to the Ministry, he is told that lack of production capacity means they cannot go ahead with his proposals.

Angry and frustrated, Wallis secures an interview with

Sir Arthur "Bomber" Harris, the head of RAF Bomber Command, who at first is reluctant to take the idea seriously. Eventually, however, he is convinced and takes the idea to the Prime Minister
, who authorises the project.

Bomber Command forms a special squadron of

Wing Commander
Guy Gibson, and tasked to fly the mission. He recruits experienced crews, especially those with low-altitude flight experience. While they train for the mission, Wallis continues his development of the bomb but has problems, such as the bomb breaking apart upon hitting the water. This requires the drop altitude to be reduced to 60 feet (18 m). With only a few weeks to go, he succeeds in fixing the problems and the mission can go ahead.

The bombers attack the dams. Eight Lancasters and their crews are lost, but two dams are breached and the overall mission succeeds. Wallis later encounters Gibson, clearly affected by the loss of the crewmen, but Gibson stresses the squadron knew what they were facing but they went in regardless of the odds. Before they part Wallis asks if Gibson will finally get some sleep. Gibson says he cannot; he has to write letters to the dead airmen's next of kin.

Cast

Richard Todd as Guy Gibson in The Dam Busters (1955)
Michael Redgrave as Barnes Wallis in The Dam Busters (1955)

In credits order.

Development

Following the success of the book The Dam Busters (a RAF-approved history of 617 Squadron), Robert Clark the head of production at Associated British Picture Corporation (ABPC) approached its author Paul Brickhill about acquiring the film rights as a vehicle for Richard Todd. The company's production manager was, however, of the opinion that, due to its numerous personnel and raids, it would not be able to film the book in its entirety. As a result, Clark requested that Brickhill provide a film treatment which described his vision for the film. Brickhill agreed to do it without payment in the hope of selling the film rights. To assist him, Clark teamed him up with Walter Mycroft who was the company's director of production.[5] Brickhill decided to concentrate the film treatment on Operation Chastise and ignore the later raids.

After the Air Ministry agreed to make available four Lancaster bombers at a cheap price which helped make the production viable, Associated British decided to proceed with the film and agreed with Brickhill on the film rights in December 1952 for what is believed to have been £5,000.[6] After considering C.S. Forester, Terence Rattigan, as well as Emlyn Williams and Leslie Arliss, R. C. Sherriff was selected as the screenwriter with planned August delivery of the screenplay.[7] Sherriff agreed with Brickhill's opinion that the film needed to concentrate on Operation Chastise and exclude the later operations covered in the book.

In preparation for writing the script, Sherriff met with Barnes Wallis at his home, later returning accompanied by Brickhill, Walter Mycroft and production supervisor W.A. "Bill" Whittaker on 22 March 1952 to witness Wallis demonstrating his original home experiment. To Wallis's embarrassment he couldn't get it to work, no matter how many times he tried.[8]

Just prior to the film's scheduled release, Guy Gibson's widow Eve took legal action to prevent it, and Brickhill and Clark were mired in months of wrangling with her until references to her husband's book Enemy Coast Ahead were included.

Production

The flight sequences of the film were shot using real

Warner Brothers of a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
, not a Lancaster.)

The Upper Derwent Valley in Derbyshire (the test area for the real raids) doubled as the Ruhr valley for the film.[10] The scene where the Dutch coast is crossed was filmed between Boston, Lincolnshire, and King's Lynn, Norfolk, and other coastal scenes near Skegness. The scene where they fly along a canal was filmed on the Dutch river (local nickname for the canal) on the way to Goole which is on the M62 to Hull. As the planes turn across country you can see Goole fully as they turn. This was used as the area around Goole is perfectly flat. Additional aerial footage was shot above Windermere, in the Lake District.

An Avro Lancaster B.VII modified for the film with cut-out bomb bay and mock bouncing bomb demonstrating to a crowd at Coventry Airport in 1954

While RAF Scampton, where the real raid launched, was used for some scenes, the principal airfield used for ground location shooting was RAF Hemswell, a few miles north and still an operational RAF station at the time of filming. Guy Gibson had been based at Hemswell in his final posting and the airfield had been an operational Avro Lancaster base during the war. At the time filming took place it was then home to No. 109 Squadron and No. 139 Squadron RAF, which were both operating English Electric Canberras on electronic countermeasures and nuclear air sampling missions over hydrogen bomb test sites in the Pacific and Australia. However, part of the RAF's fleet of ageing Avro Lincolns had been mothballed at Hemswell prior to being broken up and several of these static aircraft appeared in background shots during filming, doubling for additional No 617 Squadron Lancasters. The station headquarters building still stands on what is now an industrial estate and is named Gibson House. The four wartime hangars also still stand, little changed in external appearance since the war.[11]

Serving RAF pilots from both squadrons based at Hemswell took turns flying the Lancasters during filming and found the close formation and low level flying around Derwentwater and Windermere exhilarating and a welcome change from their normal high level solo Canberra sorties.

Three of the four Lancaster bombers used in the film had also appeared in the Dirk Bogarde film Appointment in London two years earlier.[12]

The theatre scene showing the spotlights was filmed at the Lyric Theatre Hammersmith. The dance troupe was The Television Toppers, on loan for one day filming, under contract from the BBC. The singer was June Powell,[13] she sings the 1942 song "Sing Everybody Sing" by John P Long.[14]

The film featured several actors who would go on to be stars of cinema and TV. Robert Shaw was featured as Gibson's engineer Flt Sgt Pulford[15] while George Baker played Flt Lt Maltby.[16] Patrick McGoohan had a bit part as a security guard,[17] standing guard outside the briefing room. He delivered the line—"Sorry, old boy, it's secret—you can't go in. Now, c'mon, hop it!", which was cut from some prints of the film.[citation needed] Richard Thorp played Sqn Ldr Maudslay. [18]

Soundtrack

The Dam Busters March, by Eric Coates, is for many synonymous with the film, as well as with the exploit itself, and remains a favourite military band item at flypasts and in the concert hall.[citation needed]

Other than the introduction and trio section theme, the majority of the march as performed is not featured in the film soundtrack. Coates himself avoided writing music for the cinema, remembering the experiences of his fellow composer Arthur Bliss.[19] Coates only agreed to provide an overture for the film after he was persuaded by the film's producers it was of "national importance" and pressure was put on him via his publisher, Chappell. A march he had recently completed was found to fit well with the heroic subject and was thus submitted.[20] The majority of the soundtrack including the theme played during the raid sequence in the film was composed by Leighton Lucas.

Philip Lane, who reconstructed parts of Leighton Lucas's orchestral score (which had been lost) notes that Lucas created his own main theme "which seems to play hide and seek with Coates's throughout the film, both vying for supremacy."[21]

Censorship

Gibson had a

Labrador which was the mascot of No. 617 Squadron. Gibson owned the dog when he was previously a member of 106 Squadron. Nigger often accompanied Gibson on training flights and was a great favourite of the members of both 106 and 617 Squadrons. He was noted for his liking of beer, which he drank from his own bowl in the Officers' Mess.[22]

Nigger died on 16 May 1943, the day of the "Dam Busters" raid, when he was hit by a car. He was buried at midnight as Gibson was leading the raid. The dog's name was used as a single codeword whose transmission conveyed that the Möhne Dam had been breached. In the film, the dog was portrayed in several scenes; his name and the codeword were mentioned several times. Some of these scenes were sampled in the film Pink Floyd – The Wall (1982).[23]

In 1999, British television network

Channel 5. It was the version, distributed by StudioCanal
, containing shots of the bomber flying into a hill.

In 2020,

Film 4
broadcast an edited version, possibly re-dubbed in a few places, where the dog's name is removed, addressed as "old boy" or referred to as "my dog".

Historical accuracy

A bomb aimer prepares to drop his bouncing bomb using an improvised device to determine the correct distance from the dam.

The film is largely historically accurate, with only a small number of changes made for reasons of dramatic licence. Some errors derive from Paul Brickhill's book, which was written when much detail about the raid was not yet in the public domain.

Release

The Dambusters received a Royal world premiere at the

Princess Margaret attended along with Eve Gibson, Guy Gibson's widow and his father. Richard Todd, Barnes Wallis and the surviving members of 617 Squadron who had taken part in the mission were all guests of honour. The premiere helped to raise money and awareness for various RAF charities.[29]

The film was not shown on British television until 30 May 1971.[30]

Reception

Critical

Reviews upon its release were positive. Variety described the film as having great attention to detail.[31]

Over time, the film's reputation has grown and is now regarded as a beloved classic of British cinema.[32] The British Film Institute placed The Dam Busters as the 68th greatest British film. In 2004, the magazine Total Film named The Dam Busters the 43rd greatest British film of all time. In a 2015 review, The Guardian stated that The Dam Busters remains very well made and entertaining.[33] The film holds a 100% rating with an average rating of 7.9/10 on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 11 reviews.[34]

Richard Todd considered the film as one of his favourites of all those that he appeared in, and went on to appear at many Dambusters themed events.[35]

Awards

The film was nominated for an

BAFTA awards for Best British Film, Best Screenplay and Best Film From Any Source.[37]

Box office

The film was the most successful film at the British box office in 1955[38][39] but performed poorly at the US box office, like most British war movies of this era.[40]

Legacy

On 16 May 2008, a commemoration of the 65th anniversary was held at Derwent Reservoir, including a flypast by a Lancaster, Spitfire, and Hurricane. The event was attended by actor Richard Todd, representing the film crew and Les Munro, the last surviving pilot from the original raid, as well as Mary Stopes-Roe, the elder daughter of Sir Barnes Wallis.

On 17 May 2018, a commemoration of the 75th anniversary was held, in which a restored version of the film was broadcast live from the Royal Albert Hall, and hosted by Dan Snow. The film was simulcast into over 300 cinemas nationwide.[41]

Remake

Work on a remake of The Dam Busters, produced by Peter Jackson and directed by Christian Rivers, began in 2008. Jackson said in the mid-1990s that he became interested in remaking the 1955 film, but found that the rights had been bought by Mel Gibson. In 2004, Jackson was contacted by his agent, who said Gibson had dropped the rights. In December 2005, the rights were purchased by Sir David Frost, from the Brickhill family.[42] Stephen Fry wrote the script.[43]

In March 2007, it was announced it would be distributed by Universal Pictures in North America, and StudioCanal, the corporate heir to ABPC, in the rest of the world.[44] Filming was planned to commence in early 2009, on a budget of US$40 million,[45] although no project-specific filming had begun by May 2009.[46] The project was delayed because Jackson decided to make The Hobbit.

Weta Workshop was making the models and special effects for the film and had made 10 life-size Lancaster bombers.[47] Fry said Wing Commander Guy Gibson's dog "Nigger" will be called "Digger" in the remake to avoid rekindled controversy over the original name.[48] For the remake, Peter Jackson has said no decision has been made on the dog's name, but is in a "no-win, damned-if-you-do-and-damned-if-you-don't scenario", as changing the name could be seen as too much political correctness, while not changing the name could offend people.[49] Further, executive producer Sir David Frost was quoted in The Independent as stating: "Guy sometimes used to call his dog Nigsy, so I think that's what we will call it. Stephen has been coming up with other names, but this is the one I want."[50][N 2] Les Munro, a pilot in the strike team, joined the production crew in Masterton as technical advisor. Jackson was also to use newly declassified War Office documents to ensure the authenticity of the film.[52]

After Munro died in August 2015, Phil Bonner of the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre said he still thinks Jackson will eventually make the film, citing Jackson's passion for aviation. Jackson said, "There is only a limited span I can abide, of people driving me nuts asking me when I'm going to do that project. So I'll have to do it. I want to, actually, it's one of the truly great true stories of the Second World War, a wonderful, wonderful story."[53]

In late 2018, news emerged that Jackson was to begin production on the film once again. He intended for production to commence soon, as he only had the film rights for "another year or two".[54]

In popular culture

  • The attack on the
    Elgarian march, like The Dam Busters.[55] The same may be said of 633 Squadron, in which a squadron of de Havilland Mosquitos must drop a bomb on a rock overhanging a key German factory at the end of a Norwegian fjord.[56] Gilbert Taylor, responsible for special effects photography on The Dam Busters, was the director of photography for Star Wars.[57]
  • In the 1982 film Pink Floyd The Wall, scenes from The Dam Busters can be seen and heard playing on a television set several times during the film. Particular emphasis is placed on scenes in the film where characters mention Nigger, Guy Gibson's Labrador. "The reason that The Dam Busters is in the film version of The Wall," explained the Floyd's Roger Waters, "is because I'm from that generation who grew up in postwar Britain, and all those movies were very important to us. The Dam Busters was my favourite of all of them. It's so stuffed with great characters."[58] Waters had previously introduced the band's song 'Echoes' at live shows as 'March of the Dam Busters'.
  • The 1973 film The Goodies and the Beanstalk incorporates a scene where the eponymous heroes take cover and are attacked by geese dropping golden eggs. To the Dambusters March tune, one of the eggs bounces several times before exploding against the wall behind which they have hidden.
  • The 1984 video game The Dam Busters was partially based on the film.
  • Two television advertisements were made for a brand of beer,
    Union Flag towel which skipped off the water like a bouncing bomb to reserve a pool-side seat before the German tourists could reserve them with their towels. Both actions were followed by the comment "I bet he drinks Carling Black Label".[59] The adverts were criticised by the Independent Television Commission, although UK newspaper The Independent reported "a spokeswoman for the German embassy in London dismissed the idea that Germans might find the commercial offensive, adding: 'I find it very amusing'".[60]

See also

References

Notes

  1. ^ This was McGoohan's feature film debut, playing a guard posted outside a briefing room where the crews are being told of their mission. His only lines are spoken to Gibson's dog.
  2. ^ Stephen Fry, the screenwriter, said there was "no question in America that you could ever have a dog called the N-word". In the remake, the dog will be called "Digger".[51]

Citations

  1. ^ Porter, Vincent. "The Robert Clark Account." Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, Vol. 20, No 4, 2000.
  2. ^ "R.A.F. Dam Busters of 1943". The Age. No. 30, 935. Victoria, Australia. 26 June 1954. p. 16. Retrieved 3 September 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. ^ British Film Institute – Top 100 British Films (1999). Retrieved August 27, 2016
  4. ^ "22/10/2015,". The One Show. BBC. BBC One.
  5. ^ Dando-Collins. p. 237.
  6. ^ Dando-Collins. p. 241.
  7. ^ Dando-Collins. p. 243.
  8. ^ Dando-Collins. p. 245.
  9. ^ Garbettt and Goulding 1971, pp. 142–143.
  10. ^ "Derwent Dam – 617 Dambusters, ladybower dam". Archived from the original on 22 May 2018.
  11. ^ "Hemswell Airfield History - BCAR.org.uk". www.bcar.org.uk.
  12. ^ " 'Appointment in London' (film)". imdb.com, 2009. Retrieved: 4 December 2009.
  13. ^ Forster, Charles (4 October 2017). "Television Toppers under the spotlight". Dambusters Blog. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  14. ^ "Sing Everybody Sing". Dambusters blog. 1 February 2016.
  15. ^ "Robert Shaw Trivia". 3 June 2010.
  16. ^ "Chief Inspector Wexford actor George Baker dies aged 80".
  17. ^ "My Life as a Film: In Profile: Patrick McGoohan". 21 October 2011.
  18. ^ "Emmerdale star wants dam tribute". BBC News. 23 August 2010.
  19. ^ Lace, Ian. "Elgar and Eric Coates". Music Web International. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  20. ^ Cooper, Alan (2013). The Dambusters: 70 Years of 617 Squadron RAF. Pen and Sword. pp. 171–172.
  21. ^ Lane, Philip (2012). CD notes for "The film music of Arthur Benjamin and Leighton Lucas" (PDF). Chandos Records CH10713. pp. 13–14.
  22. OCLC 861319301
    .
  23. ^ "Analysis of the symbols used within the film, "Pink Floyd's The Wall"". Thewallanalysis.com. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  24. ^ Milmo, Dan. "ITV attacked over Dam Busters censorship." The Guardian, 11 June 2001. Retrieved: 4 December 2009.
  25. ^ "National Archives reveals inglorious truth behind classic World War Two movies." culture24.org.uk, 2 September 2009. Retrieved: 23 December 2009.
  26. ^ "Bombing Hitler's Dams – NOVA". www.pbs.org.
  27. .
  28. ^ S. P. MacKenzie, Bomber Boys on Screen: RAF Bomber Command in Film and Television Drama, London: Bloomsbury Academic (2019), p. 56.
  29. ^ Pathé, British. "Dam Busters Royal Premiere". www.britishpathe.com. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  30. ^ "We delve into The Dam Busters". Dundee Contemporary Arts. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  31. ^ "The Dam Busters". January 1955.
  32. ^ Freer, Ian (6 April 2018). "Is this the greatest war film of all time?". The Telegraph.
  33. ^ Tunzelmann, Alex von (7 August 2015). "The Dam Busters: Hits its targets – and doesn't dumb down". The Guardian.
  34. ^ "The Dam Busters". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  35. ^ "Diamond anniversary of the Dam Busters". Borehamwood Times. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  36. ^ "The 28th Academy Awards (1956) Nominees and Winners". Oscars.org (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences). Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  37. ^ "Sir Barnes Wallis – "The Dam Busters"".
  38. ^ "'The Dam Busters'." Times [London, England], 29 December 1955, p. 12 via The Times Digital Archive. Retrieved: 11 July 2012.
  39. ^ Thumim, Janet. "The popular cash and culture in the postwar British cinema industry". Screen. Vol. 32, no. 3. p. 259.
  40. ^ "British War Themes Disappoint". Variety. 8 August 1956. p. 7.
  41. ^ "The Dam Busters with Dan Snow to be simulcast from the Royal Albert Hall to cinemas nationwide on 17 May 2018". www.royalalberthall.com. 26 February 2018. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  42. ^ Conlon, Tara. "Frost clears Dam Busters for take-off." guardian.co.uk, 8 December 2005. Retrieved: 4 December 2009.
  43. ^ Oatts, Joanne. "Fry denies 'Doctor Who' rumours." Digital Spy, 15 March 2007. Retrieved: 21 March 2007.
  44. ^ "Who you gonna call? The Dam Busters." Archived 28 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine W Weta Holics. Retrieved: 21 March 2007.
  45. The Dominion Post
    , 1 January 2008. Retrieved: 30 June 2008.
  46. ^ Katterns, Tanya. "Takeoff Looms For Dam Film." The Dominion Post, 5 May 2009. Retrieved: 4 December 2009.
  47. ^ "Weta Workshop Vehicles." Archived 6 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine wetanz.com, 2008. Retrieved: 4 December 2009.
  48. ^ Cardy, Tom. "Dambusters dog bone of contention." stuff.co.nz, 13 June 2011. Retrieved: 20 May 2013.
  49. ^ Stax. "Jackson Talks Dam Busters." Archived 16 July 2007 at the Wayback Machine IGN, 6 September 2006. Retrieved: 21 March 2007.
  50. ^ Marks, Kathy. "Nigsy? Trigger? N-word dilemma bounces on for Dam Busters II." The Independent, 6 May 2009. Retrieved: 15 May 2009.
  51. ^ "Dam Busters dog renamed for movie remake." BBC, 10 June 2011.
  52. ^ Bromhead, Peter. "Stars bow to hero of missions impossible." nzherald.co.nz, 11 October 2009. Retrieved: 4 December 2009.
  53. ^ "Will Peter Jackson's remake of The Dam Busters ever get off the ground?". The Independent. 6 August 2015.
  54. ^ "Peter Jackson says his Dambuster remake will tell "the real story"". The Independent. London. 29 November 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  55. ^ Ramsden, John. "The Dam Busters." google.com. Retrieved: 7 March 2009.
  56. ^ Kaminski 2007, p. 90.
  57. ^ "Gilbert Taylor BSC". British Cinematographer. 4 May 2015.
  58. ^ Turner, Steve: "Roger Waters: The Wall in Berlin"; Radio Times, 25 May 1990; reprinted in Classic Rock #148, August 2010, p81
  59. ^ Glancey, Jonathan. "Bombs away." guardian.co.uk, 6 May 2003. Retrieved: 4 December 2009.
  60. ^ "Dambuster beer advert leaves a bad taste". The Independent. London. 18 February 1994. Retrieved 4 August 2015.

Bibliography

Further reading

External links