First Light BBC2

Well no, you’re quite right, but for the amount of coverage the Beeb were doing on the events of 1940 that year, I still think they could have thrown a bit more money at the film.

Your observation in the first para is interesting Daz. I think it works so well and is so affecting is precisely because it did not have shed loads of money thrown at it. Money is not necessarily the recipe for success!:)

The way I look at it, First Light is a decent little film in its own way. If the Beeb had given them a bit more budget (a couple of mil, maybe) then it would have been really great.

The mis-matching aircraft I can just about forgive. If you think about it, a lot of the old classics have mis-matching footage in them (anyone remember the Spitfires playing P-40s in Flying Tigers??).

It was nice to see one of my favourites (Mk.XVI TE184) being the “star”.

The use of the Yak to simulate a Spitfire cockpit (by fitting a dummy headrest behind the seat to disguise the Yak cockpit) was pretty inspired – dunno if I would have thought of it! And it does hark back to the days when the actors HAD to fly the planes they were being filmed in (Hell’s Angels and Wings spring to mind).

I haven’t watched it in a wee while, so might break out the DVD again.

And the infamous Astra in piece of cake. Prize if anyone spots that!

…or the Canberra in Dambusters. 🙂

Mark

I still cringe every time I spot the electric doorbell as Christopher Plummer and Ian McShane leave the house.

And the infamous Astra in piece of cake. Prize if anyone spots that!

Thank you kind sir!
And I’m right with you on the football… one religion at a time ought to be enough for any man!

Robin

😀 You have my sympathy.

I do however have a jigsaw of a rather unrealistic and action packed BoB dispersal scene that I have never been able to bring myself to assemble since I spotted that the football in one corner is the current sort made from octagonal (?) panels rather than the heavy leather ones made from rectangles in use at the time.

And I hate football!

Moggy

I try Moggy … I DO try, but some things I get distracted by. Can’t seem to help it.
Maybe I just care about the aircraft too much… and maybe I have been trained by hopelessly inadequate attempts at dressing up Tiger Moths to represent SE5As… and parents with their dicta that “If a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well”!?
But then none of us is perfect and we live in an imperfect world – something I continually rely on in my own attempts at mimicking the real world of aircraft past at model scale!

Robin

Most people will notice none of these incongruities.

I notice some of them, though roundel irregularities pass me by.

I just set them aside and concentrate on the drama

Moggy

Thanks for the link Mark. All is explained!

I always find the lack of continuity distracting in this kind of film – that Boy is seen reading pilot’s notes for a Mk1A then getting into a Spitfire that cannot be earlier than a MkV… and suddenly has a four-blade prop… then the different roundels in what was supposed to be the same flight…
Maybe things like this could be avoided today, what with advances in CGI and a far wider selection of available aircraft, but the available budget tends to be much the same so those of us who notice such things as cannons being used in a Spitfire during the BoB are just going to have to come to terms with it. Most people will notice none of these incongruities.

From what I have seen, totally CGI air war films are so wooden and improbable that anyone seriously trying to recapture the feel of the time will probably never better First Light.
Well done all involved!

Robin

Mark

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/tv/entries/a99d9cc0-d35b-3658-80d6-774bd8433120

Baz

Baz,

I was referring to the whole flight, including the A2A.

Mark

Mark

Don’t remember 4 Spitfires and 1 replica, there was 2 replicas, mine and Graham Adlams MkIX plus a single airworthy MkIX.(EJC)

They used mine to tie in with the ‘Battle of Britain’ scenes where ever possible and Grahams cockpit for start up stuff and the live Spitfire for T/O and landing.
I never saw it but there was a Yak (?) trainer for airborne cockpit flying scenes with Sam.

I did point out at the time green/grey camo, roundels, mk numbers, etc but was politely reminded of the restrictive budget. This was born out as Graham and I was placed in a cheap cr@p motorway hotel miles away, whilst the production team slummed it in a 4 star hotel in town.

Have to say the food on set was good.

Baz

Love the program, watched the DVD many times and the book is superb. As to the comments on different generations, well, I have worked in education for 30 years and I can tell you each one is the same, they all think they invented sex, swearing, music and rebellion!! I can assure any doubters that there are some, no a lot, of damn fine youngsters out there who would not let us down if they were called upon for any situation. Don’t let the stories in the news cloud your view of today’s youth.

First Light – A superb read and a pretty good docudrama.

The continuity on the Spitfires sequences was border line marginal with the ‘first flight’ using four different Spitfires and one full size replica with their variations of propeller blade number, roundel types, radiator configuration and unit markings!

Some nice clips here from the cutting room floor of the ‘Battle of Britain film’ from 1968.

The first scramble showed AR213 as EQ-H, short Merlin, four blade prop, 10″ wheels etc etc.

The landing and taxi shot was a bonus for me. Having collated the unit codes used in the film for some 47 years here was one I had not seen before.

The frames forward of this shot reveal the first letter to be an ‘E’ or an ‘F’ and that can only be EQ. The frames following on reveal a full ‘L’…so EQ-L.

…but which Spitfire is it? Well it has an aerial wire, 12″ wheels and no nav lights so it is one of the taxiing ‘Markaddies’. Long Merlin and four blade prop brings it down to RW382, TE311, TE356 & TE384. The screen grab is not the sharpest but a check on the photo data base shows only RW382 has that distinguishing fist size light oil smudge on the lower engine cowling about 9″ down from the interface with the side cowling. Just visible also on this and following frames is an area of bright metal on the lower edge of the canopy frame that is unique to RW382.

Mark

I was present during filming and still enjoy watching it.

They used one of my Spitfires (this one) and have to say it was a great couple of weeks.

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It was I think in yesterday’s paper, whoever, had been in isolation to prevent him spreading the word, so his human right specialist’s fought his case and won… mr hook took 10/12yrs fighting deportment whilst claiming benefits which would be life changing to me, the tv company? spoke to 1 saved in the med. by RN ship, he’s now in a hotel in this country and when interviewed said he would bring his family over, which again HR would permit.
As to the Calais situation, if they’ve come all the way from Africa, Afganistan, Middle east, and are that focused on a better life how come they bypass Italy, Austria, Germany, Belgium, and France, surely the first safe country is the one to settle. And how come they can travel across Europe penniless? and then according to certain view’s it’s the UK’s fault they are camped at Calais.
Churchill had his fault’s true, but he was the right man, at that time, although the country voted him out he was the man to bring us thru the war- although he did ignore BC afterwards.
But this is thread drift, that generation deserve all our thanks and admiration…an I don’t think we will see the like again.

Whoa! Why do illegal immigrants and terrorists get mentioned in the same breath. Why would we need a Churchill figure to ‘deal’ with poor blighters desperate to find somewhere for their families to live.

Read a bit more about Churchill. He is not all great.

Also the situation of WW2 would not arise in the same way as it did. Mass conscription/volunteering is very unlikely don’t you think.

Ps do you have a source for a terrorist successfully claiming compensation for being put in confinement or is it hearsay?

You do realise that not everyone in 1940 acted like Richard Todd in the Dambusters and that in 1940 there were still louts, drunks, rapists and murderers.

hi,
I agree what you say in principle, there was “anit social behaviour, and crime,”but I still say enough of those generation’s stood up to make the difference. In all honesty today we would struggle,
Also if we had more of a Churchill figure in govt. today we would not be seeing events like Calais, and all the stories of illegal immigrants being put up in hotels, and terroists claiming compensation for being placed in confinement, and saying their human rights have been affected…is appeasement making a come back?