The thrilling human story behind the plane that licked the Luftwaffe!
This 1942 fictionalized biopic chronicles the true story of how two of the most remarkable men in aviation history - visionary Spitfire designer R.J. Mitchell and his test pilot Geoffrey Crisp - designed a streamlined monoplane that led to the development of the Spitfire.
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Character
Earnest, classical in form, resolved and grave.
- earnestironic
- classical in formformally daring
- resolvedopen-ended
- gravecomic
- effortlessdemanding
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Reviews on TMDB
Written by TMDB members; each links to the original. Not part of Tastebuds's numbers.
- CinemaSerfon TMDB · Jun 20247/10
Leslie Howard had a hand in just about everything here, and has delivered quite a poignant story of a dedicated and visionary man who might just have a legitimate claim to really have helped stave off the Nazis. He portrays R.J. Mitchell, a man whose vision was as an aircraft designer. We were still using bi-planes at the time and though the engineering of flight was now well established, he was determined to push the boundaries. His bosses at British firm SuperMarine were nervous about the investments - especially when he came up with a plan for the aircraft equivalent of a onesie. He sticks to his guns though, and next thing he, with the help of his accomplished pilot "Geoffrey Crisp" (David Niven), is winning the Schneider Trophy and pushing speed records from 200+ mph to 400+ mph. All of this development is coming at a time when the Germans are ignoring the Versailles treaty and rearming. There are plenty of Britons pushing for a similar programme, especially the vocal Lady Lucy Houston (Toni Edgar-Bruce) who donates the not inconsiderable sum of £100,000 so he can work with Rolls-Royce to take it's embryonic "Merlin" engine and fit it to a nimble fighter aircraft - the "Spitfi
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Cast
- Leslie HowardR.J. Mitchell
- David NivenGeoffrey Crisp
- Rosamund JohnDiana Mitchell
- Roland CulverCommander Bride
- Anne FirthMiss Harper
- David HorneMr. Higgins
- J.H. RobertsSir Robert McLean
- Derrick De MarneySquadron Leader Jefferson
- Rosalyn BoulterMabel Lovesay
- Herbert CameronMacPherson
Crew
- Leslie HowardDirector
- Anatole de GrunwaldScreenplay
- Miles MallesonScreenplay
- Georges PérinalDirector of Photography
- Muir MathiesonOriginal Music Composer
- William WaltonOriginal Music Composer
- Douglas MyersEditor
- Leslie HowardProducer
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