The Battle Of Britain (1969) -

The Sky Was Their Canvas: Revisiting Guy Hamilton’s Battle of Britain (1969)

In the late 1960s, as the world was shifting toward the gritty realism of "New Hollywood," producer Harry Saltzman and director Guy Hamilton (the duo behind several iconic James Bond films) took a massive gamble. They decided to recreate one of the most pivotal moments of the 20th century: the summer and autumn of 1940, when a few hundred young pilots held the line against the might of the Nazi Luftwaffe. The Battle of Britain (1969)

The film’s most enduring legacy is its air force. At the time of production, the producers had amassed the 35th largest air force in the world. To achieve the level of authenticity Hamilton demanded, the production used: The Sky Was Their Canvas: Revisiting Guy Hamilton’s

: Aside from the Junkers Ju 87 "Stuka" dive-bombers and specific explosion scenes, nearly 90% of the aerial combat was filmed with real pilots in real planes. The "Who’s Who" of British Acting At the time of production, the producers had