The two best sequences I’ve ever seen both come from the Battle of Britain;

First one is right at the start, when Chiefy is about to dispose of ‘the lame ducks’… and looks up to see a flight of 109’s scorching in at nought feet. Okay, a couple of the gunshot lines aren’t quite co-ordinated, but thirty six years after it was made, that sequence still makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.

Second one is at the other end of the film; it’s that aerial battle which is set to music. That swirling musical score is the perfect accompaniment to the endless images of random Spitfires, Hurricanes, 109’s and Heinkels, all wheeling about the sky, the film clips tagged together in an almost random and confusing way. It’s difficult to follow what’s going on, but for me that’s why it’s so special – the film makers have somehow managed to capture the essence of aerial combat in 1940. Fast, disjointed, confusing. As well as being fabulous to watch, it makes me sit, think, and thank. And that’s no bad thing.