David (#14),
What a pity ! Never mind. Thought it a well-made production on the whole, and appreciate that is made for present-day audiences, to the junior members of whom many of the events depicted are as remote as the Boer War was to us.
That said, a few major quibbles:
What on Earth has happened to the cinemas of yesteryear ? Derived from the live theatres many of them once had been, they all had illuminated "stage" curtains across their screens, and often a "theatre organ" in the space where once was the orchestra pit . The richly decorated auditoria added to the "luxury" ambience, which contrasted so starkly with the meaner lives of most of their patrons.
I found myself in a giant square barn or hangar, poorly lit, and utterly devoid of any decoration. Arriving in good time, we were confronted by a huge blank, screen on the end wall. Opportunity for ads ? - ignored. Music? - not a hope, silent as the grave. It was like being in Church, waiting for a service to start. Daughter Mary tells me this is par for the course. Do today's young really take their pleasures so sadly in these multiplexes?
Then the action started. I am profoundly deaf, but even with my hearing aid
switched off, feared for my eardrums, such was the overwhelming power of the thumping bass speakers. Why this row ? - augmented by the fact that there were only 100 odd seats filled out of (a guess) 3-400, despite the fact that this much-heralded "Preview" had been well advertised in the "Evening Gazette". Oh, btw, the Gazette said that Spits had flown from Thornaby in WWII on coastal patrol. No, they didn't. Ansons and Hudsons did that job (you need more than one pair of eyes on board to look for U-boats). I was frozen by the Air Conditioning (probably get pneumonia).
As for the show: much too loud, intrusive background music (again. Why?) Too many shots of Spitfires gaily swooping about to no purpose. Best parts were the interviews with the old boys (and girls), who told their stories with simple modesty. Sorry to hear from one old girl that the Spit was "a bitch" on the ground because of its narrow undercarriage. Coming to it from the Harvard (as most of us had), which would ground-loop on the slightest provocation - or none - we all feared that trouble on first sight of the Spit, but I never heard of one (unintentionally) ground-looping yet. Something to do with the "splayed" wheels, perhaps ? No, what she must've had in mind was the initial difficulty of moving it about (my Post on "Pilots Brevet" Page 123 #2452 fully explains).
Glad to see that the Fighter Plotters and Radar girls (many Auxiliaries) got their fair share of credit, for the B.of B. could not have been fought without them.
Minor niggles:
Why would Carol Vorderman not wear uniform ? What use is Honorary Group Captain rank (well earned for her CCF work) when (as in this case) it was so obviously appropriate ?
Gasp Point, a horrifying much-too-low slow roll (optical illusion ?) Anybody else see it, or is it just me ?
On the whole, a worthy tribute to the nicest handling aircraft that ever flew. Everybody who has been lucky to fly one says the same thing: "you can't get any better than this". Agree with the old chap who said: "You never forget - it stays with you all your life". Privileged to have had the chance myself.
Worth going to see once - certainly. Again ? Don't think so, really.
Danny.