1944 / 54m - USA
Documentary, War
1.5*/5.0*
The Battle of Britain poster

Watches

December 29, 2020

1.5*/5.0*

One of the infamous war propaganda films directed by Frank Capra. Best known for his light-hearted feelgood dramas, the US army asked Capra to direct some uplifting and energizing documentaries that would bring hope to all those fighting the Nazi armies (from home and/or in the trenches).

This episode focuses on the Battle of Britain (duh), Hitler's first big defeat that would put a big dent into the air of invincibility that the Nazi army had created for itself. No doubt the broad lines of this documentary are accurate enough, but I wouldn't pay too much attention to any particular details.

It's quite clear that this was a film with a specific mission. Because it's so energetic it's actually quite fun to watch, pretty different from most war documentaries, but that doesn't change the fact that this is little more than a piece of dedicated propaganda, meant to raise the spirit of all those fighting in the war. A fun curiosity, but nothing more.