Lancaster Skies

The most boring WWII film I can remember seeing with numerous sub plots that get no resolution. It's like they couldn't figure an ending act so the just cut to black with the story half told.

Despite the cost of this movie coming in below £80,000 it easily held my attention for the full ninety odd minutes. Yes, if you look closely you can see some irregularities, and the action scenes are very few and far between. On the whole it is worth watching. The Merlin engines sounded fantastic at the cinema, and the story really conveys the desperation of the brave bomber crews, whose lives could end at the flip of a coin. It also did a great job of showing how living as fully as possible on the brink of disaster took its toll on the ground crews and families of those involved.

It's so awful. It's like some 12 year old wrote it, particularly the scenes where they are squabbling about rank and the endless saluting. This appears to have been written by someone who doesn't understand at all. The RAF is hierarchical but not in the way that an officer strolls into the sacred Sgts Mess and demands salutes.... grow up. This annoyed me so much. I can forgive the basic scenery etc but not such crap dialogue

The crew is to be commended for producing such a low budget film successfully, but my main problem was with some errors which anyone who served in the RAF would find unacceptable. I realize that there aren't too many veterans of WW2 around, but surely someone in the crew had an elderly grandfather around who could have given advice, or there must be books detailing correct procedure. I served in the RAF 12 years after the end of WW2, and can still remember the rules and pecking order.

The two main problems I had were with the saluting, and the fraternization. Officers of equal rank did not salute each other, and one did not salute unless wearing a hat, or beret. No one went outside with the head uncovered, and hats were not worn indoors. Thankfully, the saluting did not generate to the sloppy American style of brushing the fingertips across the eyebrows, at least they got that right. Officers and other ranks did not fraternize off duty. It was not allowed, nor could officers use the sergeants' mess on a casual basis. I have not got to the insignia of rank, but you get the idea. Many period films today, it appeared tohave been made by people who were not born for another 50 years. At least they did not make the common mistake of the characters, including women, using four letter words, and leaping into bed on the first date.

Perhaps I am being pedantic, and unfairly picking apart a film dedicated to the tens of thousands of heroic men and women who served and died in the war, but a little research would have made a big difference.

Fighter pilots didn't transfer to a bomber squadron - they weren't trained on multi-engined aircraft.

RAF personnel NEVER saluted if they were bare-headed.

Shirts with attached collars weren't issued until 1963 (trust me on that - I've still painful memories of trying to find collar studs when an 'alert' went off).

Officers didn't eat in the sergeants' mess (and vice versa). There was an 'aircrew mess' but that was only used just prior and just after a raid by the aircrews. (returning aircrew got a fried egg which was a very rare wartime treat).