One of Our Aircraft Is Missing

Made in the middle of WWII, One of Our Aircraft Is Missing is quite a great film. The technical aspects and special effects are extraordinary. The script is wonderful (Oscar winning) and the British RAF members are all well developed. Some of the Dutch could use a little more characterization, but it's not too bad. One might think that the Archers' strengths lie in fantasy films, but they stick to realism here, and they do a great job. If you are a fan of the Archers, don't miss it. If you are a WWII buff, also make sure you catch it. 9/10.

More than half a century after the happening, for anyone who still can't get enough of World War II, this is a movie not to be missed.

It tells the story of what happens to an RAF crew on a bombing mission over Europe. That story is told with skill and even though the movie was made clear back in 1942, its technical aspects still hold up beyond the millennium (something which cannot be said for many World War II movies that were made during, and even after, the happening). All credit for this movie belongs to the brilliant British (well, one Brit and one Hungarian by birth) writing- producing-directing team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.

Two other movies in this genre that immediately come to mind and which likewise should not be missed by any World War II "junkie," are: "Command Decision" (1948) and "Twelve O'Clock High" (1949). The only difference(s) between these latter two and the one being reviewed are that the latter two are American movies (set in England) while "Aircraft" is a British effort (set in England and, well, Europe). Also, unlike "Aircraft," which was made during the height of the war, these latter two were made a few years following the war's conclusion.

Other than those quite minor differences, all three of these movies belong atop any World War IIite's must-see list.

Good flick; a different perspective (night bombing) than most of the air force world war two movies-12 O'clock High or Memphis Belle, for instance. Worth the price of admission to see Peter Ustinov thin (and young!)

Director Michael Powell's World War II-drama is a clever reworking of his "The 49th Parallel" (1941), a story of six German sailors marooned in Canada after their submarine is destroyed; the movie chronicles their failed attempt to cross over into then-neutral America. This time, in "One of Our Aircraft...," the heroes are six members of a British RAF bombing crew. We watch as they take off for the Continent and sample their conversation. However, after dropping their bombs on a Stuttgart industrial plant, their Wellington aircraft suffers a direct hit from German flak. The crippled plane flies as far as Nazi-occupied Holland before the crew decide to bail. The rest of the film chronicles their efforts to return to England, assisted by various Dutch civilians.

"One of Our Aircraft Is Missing" is Powell's wartime love letter to the Netherlands. The film opens with a close-up of a document, signed by the Dutch government-in-exile, informing us of the names of Dutch citizens who were executed for insurrection against Germany's Occupation - e.g., helping downed Allied fliers return to England. This visual device, the close-up of official paperwork, is repeated throughout the film. At certain intervals between episodes, Powell fills the screen with other documents and bureaucratic red tape - mostly applications to the Nazis, requesting permits to attend churches and soccer matches or to visit relatives in other villages. Off-screen, we hear the disgruntled commentary of a German Commandant as he stamps his reluctant approval on each application. The purpose of this motif is clear: to establish to British audiences what life in England would be like if overrun by an enemy with "an orderly mind." Thus, the whole film is a wartime morale-booster.

The crew represents an interesting cross-section of England: Sir George Corbett (played by Godfrey Tearle, who was the treasonous villain in Hitchcock's "The 39 Steps"), the "old man" WWI vet who wants to have another go at the Hun; Geof Hickman (Bernard Miles), the amiable Cockney; Frank Shelley (Hugh Williams), an actor; Tom Earnshaw (Eric Portman), a Yorkshire sheep breeder; Bob Ashley (Emrys Jones), a professional soccer-player; and the pilot, John Haggard (Hugh Burden), who bears resemblance to a younger version of the film's director, Powell. (Powell himself appears early in the film as an air-traffic controller - or "director" - reciting such lines as "Q for Queenie, you are now clear for takeoff.") The Dutch patriots are a fine, spirited lot: Pamela Brown and Googie Withers play two women who in large part are responsible for the downed fliers' safekeeping. Robert Helpmann, appears as a leering Nazi collaborator. And Peter Ustinov has a small role as a Catholic priest.

During a raid on Germany a British bomber crew is forced to bail out after their plane is damaged. They land in Holland and are aided by the Dutch civilians.

Interesting WW2 drama. Quite realistic: very plausible and accurately told. The RAF operational scenes at the beginning of the film are excellent and could be from an actual raid they're that realistic.

Being made in WW2 you would think it would be quite jingoistic and propaganda-filled but writer-directors Michael Powell and Eric Pressburger manage to keep things reasonably balanced.

No big names in the main cast but it is worth spotting a 20-year-old Peter Ustinov in a minor role. This was his film debut and he is not recognisable. Look out for the young Dutch priest.

The crew also includes a not-yet-famous David Lean as editor.