Description
Book SynopsisThis book examines in depth for the first time the origins, development, and reception of the major dramatic screen representations of ''The Few'' in the Battle of Britain produced over the past seventy years. It explores both continuity and change of presentation in relation to a wartime event that acquired near-mythical dimensions in popular consciousness even before it happened and has been represented multiple times over the course of the past seven decades. Alongside technical developments, considerable social, cultural, and political fluctuation (as well as an expansion of factual knowledge concerning the battle itself) occurred in this period, all of which helped to shape how the battle came to be framed at particular junctures. The ways in which the Battle of Britain was being represented in other fictional forms as well histories and commemorations form part of the context in which screen representations are explored. Films discussed in detail include The Lion Has Wings, First of the Few, Ang
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements; Introduction; Chapter 1 - The Battle Foretold: The Lion Has Wings (1939); Chapter 2 - Spitfire of Dreams: The First of the Few (1942); Chapter 3 - One For All: Angels One Five (1952); Chapter 4 - All for One: Reach for the Sky (1956); Chapter 5 - The Big Picture: The Battle of Britain (1969); Chapter 6 - Catalogue of Error: Piece of Cake (1988); Chapter 7 - The Fighter Boys: A Perfect Hero (1991); Conclusion; Select Filmography; Bibliography.
