'First of the Few' movie

an excellent film and ends as the chaps above have discussed a scramble, a dogfight and “they Can’t take the spitfires” and off into the sunset -so to speak.

…another excellent film is due to come out on 30 Mar 2008…Angels One Five.

Indeed – the version titled “Spitfire” was shown over Christmas on a satellite channel called “Open Access” … it ended with David Niven joining a squadron scamble (he was Station CO by then!), a big dogfight, and a single Spit flying into the sunset – to be joined by the rest of the squadron with Walton’s music playing.

I’ve just finished watching the DVD version of the movie ‘First of the Few’. I haven’t seen it for decades, and was surprised that the ending wasn’t what I remembered.

My recollection was that it ended with the invalid R J. Mitchell seated in a wheelchair in his garden, and telling his nurse (who wants to take him indoors) to leave his outside for a little longer. He hears the sound of a Merlin engine, looks up and sees a solo Spitfire, which flies a long and beautifully photographed aerobatic sequence – virtually an aerial ballet – to the sound of Walton’s Spitfire Prelude and Fugue.

I’m wondering if my memory is faulty, or if this scene has been cut from the DVD release.

There are several versions of this film, including one called “Spitfire”, I believe the “proper” ending has David Niven flying into the clouds saying “they can’t take the Spitfires Mitch”