I saw this movie as a teenager and really liked it. Looking at it nearly 50 years later, I wonder why. While the script is a excellently detailed chronology, the characters, with the exception of Michael Redgrave's, are skin deep. None of the aircrew demonstrates any fear at any point in the movie. While Redgrave is excellent, Todd is just OK, partly because his character is so underwritten, for the most part.
An Oscar nomination for special effects? Are you kidding. While I realize the success of special effects varies largely between film, TV and flat screen monitor, the miniatures looked like miniatures and the explosions were as bad as the optical effects in "In Harms Way". This seems especially inexcusable since "Satellite in the Sky," a British science fiction film from the same year had excellent miniatures and optical effects, and it was made in color, to boot.
Besides Redgrave's superb performance, I was also greatly impressed with the direction and editing. However, I left the film feeling dissatisfied and disappointed, another pleasant childhood memory revealed an illusion. I give "The Dam Busters" a weak "6".
An Oscar nomination for special effects? Are you kidding. While I realize the success of special effects varies largely between film, TV and flat screen monitor, the miniatures looked like miniatures and the explosions were as bad as the optical effects in "In Harms Way". This seems especially inexcusable since "Satellite in the Sky," a British science fiction film from the same year had excellent miniatures and optical effects, and it was made in color, to boot.
Besides Redgrave's superb performance, I was also greatly impressed with the direction and editing. However, I left the film feeling dissatisfied and disappointed, another pleasant childhood memory revealed an illusion. I give "The Dam Busters" a weak "6".