StudioCanal announced today that it will screen a new 4K restoration of director Michael Anderson's classic film to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the famous WWII raid. A brand new Collector's Edition of the new restoration will also be available for purchase on June 4th.
The restoration will be presented by Dan Snow and broadcast to cinemas across the country for one day only on May 17th.
Synopsis: A much-loved British classic, Michael Anderson's 1955 drama captures the tension and bravery of an audacious raid on the centre of Nazi Germany's industrial complex and the quintessentially English combination of inventiveness and dogged determination.
Split into two distinct sections, the film deals first with the fraught, but the ultimately successful development of a new bomb, by Dr. Barnes N. Wallis(Michael Redgrave). The second deals with the mission itself during the British raid on the Ruhr Dams, and its associated costs for the enemy and for the British airmen.
Adapted by R.C. Sherriff from Paul Brickhill's book "Enemy Coast Ahead" and featuring superlative special effects photography by Gilbert Taylor (to say nothing of Eric Coates' stirring theme tune), The Dam Busters was Britain's biggest box office success of 1955.
Includes a 64 page booklet with brand new essays, and photographs, plus a rare print of an ariel photograph of the Mohne dam post raid, signed by the original 617 squadron.
The renaming is for the remake, not this reissue, I'd imagine.
I believe the US version changed the name of the dog. (Was it Tigger? Trigger?) A link was posted some time ago. I'm not so outraged by this change. This doesn't fall under the normal SJW nonsense IMHO.
The real problem about this is the retrospective awareness.
Whilst it's true that there needs to be some recognition of the bravery of bomber crews, this was muted for many years in the UK, because the Ruhr Dam thing killed thousands of civilians. So too the famous night raids as in Dresden etc.. Plus, many of the workers killed in those factories were eastern European conscripts and 'slaves'.
'Bomber Harris', whose strategy the latter was, is vilified now. You can see why. It's thus been harder to give the bomber crews full kudos and recognition, than the heroic fighter pilots, who were defensive. I suppose it's like Dana Andrews' character in 'Best Years': they did a nasty and hellish job with immense courage but that still had hellish consequences for many innocent people, and folk want to brush it aside.
Fry has taken on the crusade for these forgotten crews, which is why he says he wrote the new screenplay. The original was a classic film. The events are still dark, so I think personally he should've left it alone.
My first thought was of students picketing it (Father Ted style). Or being disgusted about the lack of diversity or the fact it's horrible Brits attacking Europe. Then all the bombs being CGI'd out and replaced with pamphlet about how Germans weren't bad, Nazis were bad. Then they develop the world's first emoji and send it over radio (somehow) and it's a sign of peace. The End.
Haven't seen the film in 15 years. I'll have to rewatch. I always liked Richard Todd.
StudioCanal have provided us with a promotional video for the new 4K restoration of director Michael Anderson's classic film The Dam Busters, which was released today in a handsome new Collector's Edition Blu-ray.
Please note that unlike the previous release, the new release features a presentation of the film in its original aspect ratio of 1.75:1.
Synopsis: A much-loved British classic, Michael Anderson's 1955 drama captures the tension and bravery of an audacious raid on the centre of Nazi Germany's industrial complex and the quintessentially English combination of inventiveness and dogged determination.
Split into two distinct sections, the film deals first with the fraught, but the ultimately successful development of a new bomb, by Dr. Barnes N. Wallis(Michael Redgrave). The second deals with the mission itself during the British raid on the Ruhr Dams, and its associated costs for the enemy and for the British airmen.
Adapted by R.C. Sherriff from Paul Brickhill's book "Enemy Coast Ahead" and featuring superlative special effects photography by Gilbert Taylor (to say nothing of Eric Coates' stirring theme tune), The Dam Busters was Britain's biggest box office success of 1955.
Includes a 64 page booklet with brand new essays, and photographs, plus a rare print of an ariel photograph of the Mohne dam post raid, signed by the original 617 squadron.
I just watched the dvd and reviewed it on this board.
McCrum makes some very interesting points!
Harris was the last RAF officer to be honored with a statue - in the 90's iirc! Even to his countrymen, the firebombing of Dresden was condemned.
Bring on the remake (and let them change the dog name if they have to. I can live with this "historical inaccuracies ") Let people celebrate the bravery and also think about the moral issues surrounding bombing civilian populations. Brn
