Dark Blue World (Tmavomodry svet) (Czech/UK/Ger/Den/Italy 2001)
Directed by Jan Sverak
Ondrej Vetchy, Krystof Hadek, Tara Fitzgerald, Charles Dance
This simple but affecting story of Czech air pilots serving in the RAF during World War II focuses on the relationship between Frantisek Slama (Ondrej Vetchy) and his protégé Karel Vojtisek (Krystof Hadek), which is threatened by their mutual attraction to the apparently widowed Susan (Tara Fitzgerald). Director Sverak maintains a persuasive balance between action sequences – into which out-takes from the 1969 epic Battle of Britain (see below) have been integrated – and the intimate portrayal of human relationships at a time of profound cultural upheaval.
Buy this movie

On Canadian Wings (Can 1999)
Canadian aviation history makes for fascinating viewing in this award-winning nine-part television documentary. Among other things, it recounts the important roles played by Canadian pilots in the air battles of World Wars I and II, particularly their extraordinary successes in the Battle of Britain.

Kate, the Good Neighbour (UK 1980)
In this television movie, Rachel Kempson plays Kate, an elderly English spinster who has lived a life of total denial, but preserves her past in her diaries. Her memories of one particular year continue to haunt her, when she came to love an RAF pilot during the Battle of Britain, only for it all to end in grief.

Battle of Britain (UK 1969)
Directed by Guy Hamilton
Michael Caine, Robert Shaw, Curt Jurgens, Laurence Olivier
This war epic faithfully portrays the events and characters of the battle through the experiences of one RAF squadron. Robert Shaw's Squadron Leader Skipper is a great representation of Squadron Leader 'Sailor' Malan. Laurence Olivier spent countless hours studying archive films of Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding to portray him accurately. The importance of radar is detailed, as is the hopeless leadership of Hermann Goering (played by vaudeville artist Hein Riess). There are no mock heroics, just scared young men doing their best against impossible odds.
Buy this movie

Reach for the Sky (UK 1956)
Directed by Lewis Gilbert
The true story of airman Douglas Bader (Kenneth More) who overcame the loss of both legs in a 1931 flying accident to become a successful fighter pilot and wing leader during World War II. Based on the book by Paul Brickhill.
Buy this movie

Angels One Five (UK 1953)
Directed by George More O'Ferrall
Pilot Officer 'Septic' Baird (John Gregson) joins a front-line RAF squadron at the height of the Battle of Britain and serves under Group Captain 'Tiger' Small (Jack Hawkins) and squadron leaders Peter Moon (Michael Denison) and Barry Clinton (Cyril Richard). This is the story of 'The Few' and how they managed to fight off the might of the Luftwaffe despite overwhelming German air power.
Buy this movie

School for Secrets (UK 1946)
Directed and written by Peter Ustinov
Known as Secret Flight in the US, this wartime tale tells of the efforts of a group of British scientists, led by Professor James Heatherville (Ralph Richardson), to develop the first radar system. They do it just in time for it to be used in the Battle of Britain against the might of the Luftwaffe.

The Way to the Stars (UK 1945)
Directed by Anthony Asquith
Also known as Johnny in the Clouds, this is a slice of life on a British bomber base, and in the surrounding towns, from the opening days of the Battle of Britain to the arrival of the Americans. The film centres on Pilot Officer Peter Penrose (John Mills) who joins the squadron and quickly learns about life during war time. He falls for Iris (Renée Asherson), a young girl who lives at the local hotel, but becomes disillusioned about marriage when the squadron commander (Trevor Howard) dies in a raid and leaves his wife, the hotel manager, with a young son to bring up alone. As the war progresses, Penrose has to come to terms with the fact that he has survived, while others have been killed.
Buy this movie

The Tawny Pipit (UK 1944)
Directed and written by Bernard Miles and Charles Saunders
Jimmy Bancroft (Niall MacGinnis), a fighter pilot recovering from injuries sustained during the Battle of Britain, and nurse Hazel Broome (Rosamund John) come across a pair of rare birds nesting in a field. After a run-in with the army and a couple of thieves, they, with the co-operation of the village people and the ornithology society, help the eggs to hatch. A wonderful look at life in a small village (actually Lower Slaughter in the Cotswolds) during World War II.

The Battle of Britain (US 1943)
Directed by Frank Capra and Anthony Veiller
This instalment of Why We Fight, the official US government propaganda film series, is an account of Britain's stand against the forces of Nazi Germany. It mainly focuses on the desperate, but successful, battle to maintain its vital air superiority over the British Isles and the morale of the people to prevent invasion. It includes archive footage of Douglas Bader, shown after downing a Messerschmitt and a Dornier.

The First of the Few (UK 1942)
Directed by Leslie Howard
Known as Spitfire in the US. By the late 1920s, aircraft designer R J Mitchell (Leslie Howard) feels he has achieved all he wants with his revolutionary mono-planes winning trophy after trophy. But a holiday in Germany shortly after Hitler assumes power convinces him that it is vital to design a completely new type of fighter plane – sooner or later, Britain's very survival may depend on what he comes to call the Spitfire.
Buy this movie

Churchill's Island (Can 1941)
Directed by Stuart Legg
This 21-minute short, narrated by Lorne Greene, uses newsreel footage, official British government film and captured German propaganda film to tell the story of Britain's defence against Germany in the early days of World War II. It begins with the Battle of Britain, during which Germany lost about 2,300 aircraft, while the RAF lost about 900. When Germany realised that the war could not be won in the air, it sank virtually any ship in the Atlantic headed to Britain. Meanwhile, Britain prepared for a sea invasion on its southern coasts, determined to repel any attack. The narrator says that, with the help of the United States, Canada and other allies, Britain will not be defeated, and tells Germany, 'Come, if you dare!'
Buy this movie