Amazon.co.uk:Customer reviews: Spitfire [DVD]

Top positive review

2018 tribute to Britain’s most-loved classic aircraft and a national icon

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 September 2018

This Blu-ray is a well-written and engaging film about the Spitfire’s central place as not only Britain’s most famous fighter plane, but emphasising its unique status as a national icon.

The film deploys a mixture of historical archive footage, beautiful air-to-air film of original and restored examples of the aircraft and interviews with surviving (now very aged) Spitfire and ATA pilots plus a couple of currently-serving RAF pilots attached to the BoBMF. The modern-day aerial footage in particular is stunning, offered in 2.39:1 ratio and beautifully filmed and edited.

The narrative (by actor Charles Dance) takes its time and nothing is rushed. A significant 20%-or-so of the running time is not actually about the Spitfire, but the contemporaneous events against which the aircraft may be appreciated in historic context. Devotees of the Spitfire’s operational service history and development may notice some missing details: this is an elegy, a tribute to this iconic aircraft, a story well written and well told, more than a comprehensive technical aviation history. It's designed and intended for a new generation as an introduction to exactly why this aircraft is such a national icon and why it’s so important in the national psyche.

Despite a few minor niggles, overall this is an excellent film with a good narrative storyline, first-class film editing and stunning visuals. Recommended.

58 people found this helpful

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Mr. Kenneth B. Davey

Beautiful photography of a Spitfire, but that is about all!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 February 2019

Although the photography of the Spitfire was superb, that was about all.
I wanted to hear the roar of the wonderful Merlin engine but all I could hear was the overloud music score. Has anyone else noticed this? As I said at the start, stunning blu-ray pictures/Historical stuff OK but nothing much else. Music far too loud, as with most films these days. Oh for more films like "No Country For Old Men" with little or no music.

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Anglian Traveller

2018 tribute to Britain’s most-loved classic aircraft and a national icon

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 September 2018

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58 people found this helpful

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MR STEVE BRIDGE

Incredible Achievement !

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 July 2018

Absolutely perfect, a must see for anyone with an interest in the Spitfire, Battle of Britain, and human courage.

I saw it last night (17/7/2018) at a special cinema screening, and it is a magnificent achievement, celebrating the people and the machine that has gained a special place in our heart. The audience cheered at the end !

The aerial photography is superb, supplemented by the iconic noise of the merlin engine at full chat, interspersed with a soundtrack that captures the sprit of the time, but is not intrusive.

The real achievement are the interviews with the last of the few, male and female, recounting their stories and experiences. These tales capture the essence of the film, truly it is a tale of the people involved, their strength and courage, bringing an incredible emotional depth to the film which I believe has never been achieved before.

Five stars really doesn't do it justice, however that's what it gets.

I am buying the DVD of course!

129 people found this helpful

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Ed Byrne

An absolute triumph!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 September 2018

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I went to see this at my local Cineworld cinema with my dad and we thoroughly enjoyed all of it! We stayed right up until the interview at the end. This documentary about the spitfire is an absolute triumph it brought back memories of when I took to the sky in a spitfire at Duxford in 2016 but the only thing I would say about the film is there was no mention of Joe Smith who took on the design of the spitfire from Mk1 to Mk24 after R.J.Mitchell very sadly died.

39 people found this helpful

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alex3410

An absolute must!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 September 2018

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Let me start by saying this is a must! The footage used throughout is simply stunning, both the modern and historical are breathtaking & edited together seamlessly I really enjoyed watching it, especially pleased I opted for the blue ray version dispite the extra cost

The music was fitting as well and really did add to the whole.

The reason it’s only 4 stars, and it’s something that really let it down, is the audio levels - throughout there are multiple sections where I could not hear the people being interviewed! Either the music was to loud or the sounds from the clips overpowered what was being said - I actually ended up stopping the film so I could enable subtitles it was so bad.

It was especially irritating because the rest of the production was so outstanding

Don’t get me wrong it’s definitely a must, just turn on subtitles from the start so you don’t miss the interviews which you won’t want to miss

30 people found this helpful

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SSS

Icon

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 September 2018

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There's nothing quite like the sound of that Merlin engine in a Spitfire.
This is beautifully photographed with some modern aerial footage well worth seeing. Good also to see (among others) Mary Ellis and Geof Wellum who both died recently.
There is something of a lack of history in this, though. Yes the film starts with the Schneider Trophy story and early trials (note 2-bladed prop!) but then jumps to the modern restorations. No doubt the time-element precluded working through all the (24) variants but I feel more emphasis should have been given particularly to the Mk5 and the Mk9 models. Equally there was scant reference to Dowding's amazing Filter Control system which won the air war just as much as Spits and Hurricanes. Without that the fighters would have been at a severe disadvantage.
No reference was made at all to the incredible job the Spits did as Photo-Recce planes, even though they were in use from quite an early date.
So while this is a wonderful film and well worth seeing there is a strange historical disconnect in parts.

24 people found this helpful

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R. L. D. Cooper

The most iconic fighter plane of WWII

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 October 2018

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This is a documentary but one that is very definitely a cut above the rest. It is beautifully filmed. The aerial footage of Spitfires in flight gives a real sense of of what a Spitfire was like in the air - even down to the 'purr' of the Merlin engine. Combined with the landscape shots this makes the visual effect truly an cinematic experience. The video clip in no way does justice to the quality of filming - it was videoed from the TV.
There is no doubt that this is nostalgia writ large but understandably so. When Britain stood alone in the world against an enemy victorious across the continent of Europe the Spitfire was the weapon that inflicted the first defeat on the German military specifically the Luftwaffe. 'The Few' successfully defended this island and they did so mainly with the Spitfire.
The history and development of this fighter aircraft is given in detail and is set in its historical context from first design uses during WWII and after. It went through 25 variations during the course of its working life. Quite a remarkable achievement. The advent of the jet engine saw the Spitfire's career come to a very abrupt end but fortunately some were save and are still flying today.
The last of those who flew the Spitfire are sensitively interviewed for this documentary and the thoughts and opinions of modern day fighter pilots add an unusual angle.
All in all one of the most beautifully filmed documentary of its type that I have ever seen. This will not only be of interest to the military historian, those interested in aircraft, but also to the general viewer.
Highly recommended.

6 people found this helpful

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Its All About the Merlin

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 September 2018

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I was born in the mid 60's and as such spent much of my childhood with my grandfather - a gentleman of WW2 vintage. He, along with my grandmother and of course many others of their age - personified decency, honesty and the kind of fortitude that stood up to the grimness of WW2 Nazi evil. My grandfather met my grandmother in the RAF and they were together all their lives onwards. Because of that direct connection and of course the proliferation of WW2 comics in the 60's and 70's my generation grew up with an abiding understanding and love of WW2 machinery. We also understood the historical context of this as well.

Because of this I would be very surprised at all if there were any men of my age group who did not build - badly - models of the Spitifire. We read books about them and of course learned much about the man himself R J Mitchell and the Supermarine aircraft culminating with the Spitfire.

And it seems the interest in these - and to be fair other - magnificent machines has grown and grown. Even better the ability of digital capture medium and innovative filming techniques means that the sights and sounds of these heartbreakingly beautiful machines is captured for all to see and hear.

And boy, does this documentary do justice to the Spitfire. The filming is utterly captivating and the sound - especially when through a great set of speakers - just takes your breath away. For me it transports me back to the days of my youth spending hours with my grandparents in their very modest council house. Still the best years of my life.

Of course the Spitfire is nothing without the people who flew them and maintained them. This documentary brings together personal stories, historical context and even dare I say it the counter view that the Spitfire was simply a machine to kill. Certainly that's the opinion of one ex-WW2 pilot who's experiences clearly have had a huge impact upon his world view. As many did say, the Spitfire was not looked upon as the wondrous thing it is today, it was simply a machine to do a job and the reputation gained is one that has happened after the war.

For me though, this documentary is all about the visual image and the sound. On a large screen with the sound up high its breath-taking. And as an engineer the thing that makes it for me is what I consider to be the greatest single item that helped the allies in the war, the Merlin engine.

2 people found this helpful

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Mr Gav 77

Required viewing.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 September 2018

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Watched this yesterday on day of release. Absolutely stunning. Couldn't ask for more. Every thing I wanted to know and see about this beautiful machine is in this brilliant film. Not ashamed to admit I was teary eyed for the most part. Hearing the stories from the old boys and girls who did more than their fair share in keeping this country safe from the clutches of the Nazis is incredible. Can't wait to watch it again. Cannot stress how important this film is for people who need to see it. Kids should be made to watch this in schools.

4 people found this helpful

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nigel t

Don't hesitate to buy this DVD!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 September 2018

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I rarely review products, but want to say a huge thank you that this DVD exists! It's easy to admire the Spitfire, but this DVD elevates the whole thing somehow. Oddly I kept thinking of dolphins..never made that connection before! A predator that somehow rises above every day stuff into a realm of playfulness and sheer perfection. Well, that was my thought anyway!!

A magnificent summary of pilot's attitudes, achievements, bravery and joy in this magnificent machine. Wonderful soundtrack, excellent extras..this film was genuinely a labour of love I think (this seems quite rare these days). I feel a genuine sense of gratitude in owning it. Gush, gush....I can't believe how emotional it made me feel...but a celebration not an exploitation. If you don't get a thrill out of this wonderful piece of work you may well be dead!!

One person found this helpful

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navelgazer

absolutely wonderful film but unable to select the setup or extras on the blu-ray disc

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 September 2018

Verified Purchase

Yes, an absolutely wonderful film tribute to a truly marvellous, iconic aeroplane of WW2 and to the brave men and women who flew them. As someone born just after that War ended, I got rather emotional about the film, I must say.

I bought the blu-ray version and so viewed at home. However, I was unable to get a top menu, so that I could go straight to the film rather than sitting through adverts for other films that preceded 'Spitfire'. I was also unable to access Setup and Extras. Given that I use a top-notch blu-ray player (Oppo) and its firmware is fully up to date, I can only conclude that all initial copies of the blu-ray disc have this problem. Anyone else had this problem with the blu-ray version? But never mind, it's 'Spitfire' that's important and it's lovely to have it and to be able to show it and to talk about it to the younger generation.

Amongst the other reviews there's criticism of the sound levels in various parts of the film. I too was annoyed by the audio variance and had to keep adjusting the level to hear what some of the pilots were saying. But overall, this hasn't changed my opinion of the film. Incidentally, on my Oppo machine I had the audio channels mixed down to just two stereo channels.

One person found this helpful

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