Quiller

Call me insane, but wouldn't it be cool if England was to make an indie Battle of Britian film to counter-act the Hollywood shitpile that will be The Few?

Yeah, I keep going on about this, but I guess that after seeing so many remakes come out (there might be a remake of The Dirty Dozen, too, and Lucas is planning his own WWII flying film, and Peter Jackson's Dam Busters), and with the availability of digital technology like High Definition Digital Video, and post-production software that you can use on a home computer - wouldn't it be possible to take on Hollywood?

And miniatures shot with modern techniques would look pretty damn cool.

It rings of some Ealing comedy, even suggesting making a film vs. Hollywood, but I don't think I'm going to be laughing when I start to see teaser trailers for The Few, or the millions of pounds of advertising - which is going to be so bad, so cheesy, so American, so... Tom Cruise, I don't think I'll be able to take it.

If we were any other country we'd just sit back and take it. Let them bring on the remakes in droves, one after the other. Dozens of classic British war films, remade, hitting the screen. But there comes a point when something has to be done about remakes and re-imaginings. It wouldn't be so bad if they were entertaining, but they're not.

In short, we can't let America win. It's just not British, chaps.

kevjo

Well we have got the 1969 film, which was made without any concessions to Hollywood, and which contains a host of British stars, not to mention some of the best aerial footage that you will ever see on the big screen.

I don't really see the point of remaking it, as no matter how good the CGI or models are, they can't really compete with seeing real Spitfires flying over the real cliffs of Dover. Something that no film would attempt to do nowadays, even if they were allowed to by the insurance companies.

Mind you, I am biased as it is one of my favourite war films - it has been ever since my Grandad took me to see it at the pictures.

Quiller

I'd love to see the original Battle of Britain on the big screen.

penfold

Ironically, because largely I agree with you, I would be quite happy to see a sequel to The Dambusters because the full story of 617 Squadron has never been told on film or TV.... what was achieved by the dams' raid survivors and the people drafted in top replace those that died, and Gibson when he was moved on, was every bit the equal to that we're familiar with...and in these days of indiscriminate bombing (and indeed, in contrast to WWII practice on both sides) it should be interesting to see how, thanks again to the designs of Barnes Wallis, they were the pioneers of target-specific precision bombing, dropping single 6 and 10-ton bombs with accuracy unmatched up to the days of guided weapons. (And way, way, above the standard of the Pathfinder squadrons) It would be a Boys-Own type tale...with a twist in that Leonard Cheshire must have been the most complex character ever to lead a bomber squadron....and you could also legitimately have a US star in it...playing Joe McCarthy (No, not the Senator), one of the leading players in the squadron, and the archetypical cigar chewing curly-haired giant Texan.

Bit of a Bay Window, what??

Quiller

Penfold, wow-wow-wow! Tell me more, this sounds amazing! Who is this Leonard Cheshire chap? And what's this about the cigar chewing Texan? Christ, you couldn't make that up in a million years! It's brilliant.

Steve Crook

See Cheshire's Wikipedia entry for starters

See this page or Google for similar about Joe McCarthy.

Steve

Quiller

Great links, Steve. I had a quick read and it all sound very filmic.

God, this has got me dreaming alright!...

penfold

Wrong about him being Texan... he was a New Yorker. Lifeguard at Coney Island though...you couldn't make that up!!

Bit of a Bay Window, what??

Quiller

Penfold, especially as one of them was nicknamed Dynghey, because he kept crashing the planes into the sea!

steve lyden brown

Hate it though we may, it is hard to resist Americanisation creeping into famous British war stories, I know this first hand since I am presently writing both the book and the screenplay of a famous battle fought between a Royal Navy specialist anti -aircraft warship and a squadron of elite Luftwaffe anti-ship torpedo bombers. The battle took place early in the war and was quite remarkable, not least since it was watched by hundreds of people off the coast of North East Britain. Having obtained contractual undertakings from the American studio that I would be able to tell the story exactly how it is ( I am anxious to do so since my father was serving in the Royal Navy at this time upon the ship in question ), I am now getting all sorts of pressures, persuasions and blandishments thrown at me by the studio to make the ship and crew American ( one of the blandishments was the offer of American nationality, so I guess that there is a strong element of US governmental involvement behind the pressures being put on me ). Also,at the last count the contract value had been more than doubled if I agreed to make the changes required, so it is hard to say NO !
Marlin.

PS68060

I was about 3 when it was last on the big screen at home. I never got to see it.
The cinema became a bingo hall shortly after and then a snooker hall and was
then left to rot for about 10 years before a "fire" a couple of years ago.

The beautiful art deco Curzon now stands an empty shell.

"Oh! Pete!"

PS68060

I have a fantastic book called "The Dambusters" written in the 50's or 60's it
describes the training and antics of 617 from formation up to the end of the war.
Bombing Tirpitz, E boat and U boat pens, V1 sites, railway viaducts etc. Funny and moving.

"Oh! Pete!"

JamesM

Tell them that if it wasn't for Joseph McCarthy Snr, you could have had an American ship there.

PS68060

It sounds more like a threat :

We all know the Americans did their bit, but it was their bit and not ours. Why can't they just hear the story as it happened ?!

Can we remake the battle of Iwo Jima with Brits, French, Poles, Russians, etc ?

"Oh! Pete!"

steve lyden brown

Without wishing to disparage my American chums, it might be correct to view an offer of American nationality as a liability, but it would at least allow me to bring my earnings presently accruing in the US to the UK !
SGLB