Aerial Britain - Oxford And The Rural Surrounds DVD

Advantages: Real Aircraft, Stunning Photography
Disadvantages: Marital sub plots

...I bought this DVD some months ago mainly because the kids were doing WW2 as a project at school and I remember it being a good film of my youth. Needless to say I rediscovered the quality of the film and as a bonus the kids loved it which kept them quiet for a couple of hours. The all star cast is outshone by the quality of the aerial photography and the fast paced, all action story. The Battle of Britain is not just the story of the battle but is also a peek into the private lives of the pilots themselves reminding us all exactly what the pilots were fighting for. I have to say the side plots of marital problems lacked quality but thankfully they only took up a minor portion of the film. The real stars of the film are the (now) vintage aircraft, remembering that this is years before CGI so what you are seeing are real aeroplanes... Read review

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Advantages: Great aerial photography, stirring score, fine all-star cast
Disadvantages: Some subplots are a bit dire....

...to stand in for their 1940 forbears. Nor do I find fault with the now outdated visual effects; yes, some of the explosions (particularly of crashing planes and the big bombing raid on London at night) look cartoony, but, again, this film was made in 1969, not 2005...or even 1999. The MGM 2003 DVD release is a bit lacking in the critical areas of sound (it's okay but not exactly earthshaking) and extra features, since the only such offering is the original theatrical trailer. Heck, it doesn't even bring a chapter list or one of those trivia-filled booklets such as those in the MGM Home Entertainment DVDs of The Great Escape and A Bridge Too Far. Nevertheless, its restoration to widescreen places The Battle of Britain's DVD version head and shoulders above the fullscreen VHS videotape edition.... Read review

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Advantages: Holds up well, interesting development of familiar theme
Disadvantages: Unresolved story line, thanks to cancellation of the series

...to stay alive and out of the clutches of Urko (Mark Lenard, perhaps best known for playing roles on Star Trek, including Spock's father, Sarek), and working to find a computer or other technological aid that might get them back home. There are fourteen episodes in all; these include episodes in which the astronauts introduce techniques of better farming to poor rural folk, new ideas of disease control when a village is struck by malaria, and even build a hang glider to escape from a chimpanzee who wants to use an archaeological find (fragmentary bombs) with the glider for an aerial bombardment against central city. The episodes are fairly formulaic - a problem is presented that hinges upon poor understanding of human potential or previously-known scientific/technological knowledge; either a human or an ape distrusts the trio; the three... Read review

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