minastirith

I recall this as a serial on BBC2, which was (is?) the more highbrow of the two BBC channels available in 1978. It whetted my appetite for history, which as a boy I hated. I too Googled it hoping for a DVD set, not even a Region 2 one (I live in America now, but I have the means). If it ever comes out, here is what to expect:

An accurate historical dramatisation, not just a showcase for actors (though they give an excellent performance). Dates are shown at the bottom of the screen, so you can keep track of when this all happened. (I don't think I have ever seen that before except in documentaries, and this was not broadcast as a documentary).

There is a book (published by the BBC to go with the serial), by Richard Barber. If you can find a copy, this is an excellent companion that includes discussions on motives and factual uncertainties, and has maps, eg the Third Crusade and the Angevin domains in England and Europe.

The only "problem" with all this is that has the look of a "budget" production. But the acting and the content and authenticity are what make it! It might not work in America however, though the period 1133-1216 is part of America's history due to the migration of Europeans. I will definitely buy the DVD set if is issued!

I have just read a review of this movie that thought it was comical. I guess I am a prisoner of my age. I would be ten years old when this movie was made, an I probably didn't see it until a few years later. A few years later, of course, (around 1954), a story like this, but without the "foretelling", unfolded, that involved the tragic loss of (I think two or more) De-Havilland Comet airliners. The accidents were eventually traced to Metal Fatigue, which was a relatively new science back then. I believe I already knew about that tragedy by the time I saw the movie "No Highway In the Sky", so I didn't think it was funny at all, in fact I assumed that Metal Fatigue was the cause of the tails falling off (not sure whether the movie mentions that though).

Neville Shute by the way, has written a number of excellent aviation thrillers, but the only other one I remember was called "Cone of Silence". It was about an air crash mystery, related to navigational aid in use at the time (SBA, Standard Beam Approach). I think you have to be a bit of an aviation historian to appreciate these stories now.

Re the summary of this movie... It is a few years since I saw it, but I do not recall any of the "anti-war" or "anti Israel" sentiment suggested in the summary. Of course one takes movies like this with a pinch of salt from a historical point of view, but the message I got from it was distinctly "Don't Mess With Israel(is)".