Spitfire

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source: Spitfire

This is an extremely well crafted film about one of the most famous warplanes in history. The interview subjects, including historians, aircraft experts and surviving Spitfire pilots, are all excellent. The editing skillfully combines new footage and archival material. Charles Dance does a skillful job as the narrator, and the musical score is suitably stirring. But what really makes the film stand out is the glorious aerial footage of surviving Spitfires in flight. The aerial cinematography is absolutely gorgeous. I truly wish I could have seen this in a theater. A really excellent piece of work.

The history of one of the most iconic and historically significant aircraft in history: the Supermarine Spitfire. Okay but disappointing. Rather than concentrating on history this documentary seems to rely on sentimentality. I was hoping for a detailed discussion about the history of the Spitfire, especially the design aspects, the improvements from one mark to the next and the different variants. There are elements of that - we have brief discussions on the improvements from the Mark V to Mark IX and IX to XIV - but that's it. The interviews with former Spitfire pilots were broadly necessary and welcome but rather than inform the historical discussion they became the focal point. Plus, they're not always relevant, e.g. a discussion regarding a squadron flying to Malta that had nothing to do with the Spitfire: they were flying Hurricanes! The main problem appears to be that the target audience is not people who already know about WW2/aviation/Spitfire history and want to know more but people who know nothing about these. So the whole thing is dumbed down. The tone doesn't help either: rather than being objective everything seems rather hyperbolic and cheerleader-like. Overall, it's still watchable, especially as there is some great footage of the Spitfire, both archival and filmed for the film, but it could have been heaps better.

I'm 42 I've seen them fly over many times in my life, I love them as much as any Englishmen, but this film touched me in a way I didn't expect. It's a human film, not just a documentary about a machine.

This is a must see documentary on the people and the flying machine they perfected to protect and defend Britain during the WW2 German attacks. The Spitfire fighter plane was both functional and beautiful in form. The citizens of Britain honor this machine and it's pilots for their bravery during one of the most frightful times for their country. Yes, this is an emotional walk into the memory of those directly involved with the history of this plane. But how can it not be emotional when these brave people got through the nightmare of WW2 by the skin of their teeth.

I had tears in my eyes watching this beautiful documentary. What stunning planes the Spitfires were & still are. I have loved planes since I was a little girl. The vintage war & dog fight footage is spell binding & hearing the retelling from the remaining pilots mouths is amazing. Watching these magnificent planes & the love people still have for them today is awe inspiring. The ending where Mary Ellis sees the plane she signed in WW2 is fantastic. What joy this must of bought to her & the pilot.

As with so many of my generation who spent their boyhood up in bedrooms ,fingers covered in 'airfix glue and paint',my love affair of the 'Spitfire 'has stayed with me and grown,inexplicably intertwined with family,from lost uncles as pilots in WW2 themselves to parents and grandparents . The movie starts with a comment early on from a present day fighter pilot, that " the Spitfire is the most beautiful machine ever built by man " who could argue ?, Eloquently narrated by Charles Dance conjuring up the essence of a quintessential United Kingdom now sadly lost ,you are taken on a journey from engineering genius to impossible bravery ,with commentary from the last of the "few"who share a lifetime of feelings so many years later.In the last scene ,but so as not to spoil it, a very well known WW2 lady is reunited with a plane she delivered back in 1944 and you realise that the Spitfire is about people, thats why we love them,PS ,hold on to your heart strings during the closing flight scene ,accompanied with beautifully scored music. A dvd i will treasure.George Wheelwright.

What can i say, i loved the film so much i bought the DVD,there are not many films that can bring a lump to my throat, but this film did,the stories from the actual people who flew them, 3 of which died not long after the release of this film.they are rebuilding SPITFIRES thankfully all the time now, but you cannot get the stories from the the likes of GEOFFREY WELLUM,and MARY ELLIS, any more,and i wish i had heard more from them while they were alive,the actual scenes of the SPITFIRES in flight are stunning, you get so close, i do not know how they did it, i am so glad i saw SPITFIRE the feature documentary at the cinema,this is the first time i have ever reviewed a film, but it moved me so much.

It's a beautifully crafted movie, full of magnificent images and interesting characters. But this is not a documentary about the legendary Spitfire and more so a movie about a part of the Second World War, some of its machines, people and events. The British plane has an important role in the narrative. One could say it is from its perspective that the movie unfolds. But there is a general lack of information, of insight, of enlightenment about the fighter itself wich is a deception for someone looking to watch a proper documentary about the above mentioned subject.