Just been watching a German release of this title and realised something was missing from this version. All the expected material is there until Bader is posted to take over 3 squadrons of Spitfires. In short order, he is shot down, captured by the Germans, his wife paces the floor until she gets a telephone call to say he's a POW. In virtually the next scene, the war's over and he's back home! End of film. On checking I discovered the German version has had 37 minutes of (war) action removed. Is this editing to avoid national sensibilities common? What next: a version of The Battle of Britain without the battle?
Hi Sonny,
Your discovery is most amazing.
Cutting 37 minutes from what is a classic film is sacrilege.
What year was your copy released?
If the Germans are offended by war scenes then I would think that hundreds of films must have been censored in their country in the same way.
Its shocking but not unique. I believe the Japanese are also sensitive to war films and the history of the war and its outcome is not taught in Japanese schools.
Sensitive Germans? - is there such a thing?
Dave.
Dave,
A 2006 release by Granada International in the "Classic Movie Collection" - at the grand price of €4.99. What's odd is that The Great Escape, which I passed on, is also available and seemingly in full version.
Could be that the PoW scenes in Reach for the Sky had too much "goon baiting". Hate to think about The Dambusters - no war scenes and, of course, no sign of Guy Gibson's dog!
Sonny
yes, an interesting discovery.
no offence intended but (unless you are German) i fail to see why you would want to see the German release of this great British movie, was it just curiosity?
I hope they can release the Politically Correct version of all films. The credits will start. The screen goes white (or black? or just gray?) for a few moments. And then the ending credits roll.
Every film can be about 2 minutes long, giving them plenty of time for endless TV commercial inserts. Oh yes. I can see it all now.
FilmSpeak. ha ha.
I was complaining that HAROLD & MAUDE has its 3-split-screen-scene ending chopped into 3 full-screen images now, but that seems tame in comparison.
Just watched this for the umpteenth time today on channel 4.
Now Kenneth More does a pretty good job of Douglas Bader's gait. In trousers no problem, but my question is how did the film makers lose his real legs when he is on crutches in a dressing gown.
When he has artificial legs I guess it is some sort of cover up on More's real legs, but no legs at all?
How was that done.
My wife and I suggested that the back shot was of a, regrettably amputee. I thought that the person that fell over was not More (it was in an indistinct longish shot). When in a wheelchair it looked as though his legs were tucked up in a box covered by a blanket with false trouser-leg ends on top. It would surely be possible for front views to be taken with his legs strapped up behind and out of shot and attached 'legs' from the knees.
I remember Douglas Bader on This is Your Life vividly, there was a clip from Kenny More who was very ill with Parkinsons, very sad. Bader died shortly after.
Ah Douglas Bader my boyhood hero :)
In various books I've read about him in later life he always ribbed Kenneth More about the way he portrayed his walk. When they played golf together he'd say things like "So, are you still making me walk like this?" and then thrust out a leg horizontally.
In the movie his gait was exaggerated quite a bit (with legs wide apart) but I guess this would have helped to highlight his difficulties more. If More had made him walk perfectly normally I guess people wouldn't have realised the supreme efforts he had to make on a daily basis.
I always wondered what happened to the tin legs that Kenneth More used in the film.
Okay.. I'll get my coat lol
Andy
In real life he was not well liked.One story told is that he refused to allow his batman to be repatrioated for health reasons whilst in Colditz as he would have no one to look after him.
That's true of more than one RAF fighter pilot. They didn't usually hire them because they were nice to peopleOriginally Posted by orpheum
There's an autobiography by Flight Lieutenant Richard Hillary, "The Last Enemy".
He was a real arrogant swine, but a good fighter pilot. He was badly burned when he was shot down and became one of MacIndoe's "Guinea Pigs" at East Grinstead where they did some of the early (brilliant) work in plastic surgery.
He did learn some humility after a while in the hospital
Steve
Tonight on More4 is the documentary Who Downed Douglas Bader?
My wife loves Reach for the Sky, and I found myself watching it on TV yesterday afternoon. However, I chuckled at the anachronisms: e.g. Spitfires with bubble canopies, Bedford QL 4x4 lorries (not available until 1941 at the earliest). Of course, the RAF still had a few late model Spits at the time and the QL still featured heavily in the British forces' fleets. In fact, along with the 4x2 flat-front Bedfords, the QLs in some cases had very long careers.
That's the answer - availability. I've seen WW2-set films where the Germans were using British trucks and American jeeps and Tiger Moths depicted as WW1 fighters! Most cinema goers can't tell the difference... or possibly care about authenticity. Recent developments in CGI have rendered (pun?) it easier to depict types that are no longer around.
Agreed but it added to the enjoymnet of watching. For those who knew no better - c'est la vie. To those who did pulling it to bits was great fun. Who doesn't like to spot the mistake: the digital watch or a car that never existed at that time appearing in the background. It's fun!!
There were lots of other inaccuracies in Reach For the Sky than the anachronisms of using the wrong vehicles. The main one was in the character of Bader himself. He wasn't a nice man, loved by all. He was good at his job and was respected. But loved? Definitely not
Steve
Reputedly Bader refused his batman permission to be repatratiated.
By the way, the Germans did indeed use British and American vehicles, including Jeeps. Some were then recaptured and used by the allies!
Bader appearing Parkinson: 'I use Italian cruise ships when holidaying, there's none of this 'Women & Children First' if it's sinking.
Also, blantant misrepresentations. There's a film, inevitably American made, which has mountains, I repeat Mountains, in Norfolk (England BTW). The thinking was, so, 20 million Brits realise it's wrong, our potential 200 million audience don't. Sheesh.
Sorry, can't recall the name of the film, but it was produced in the last decade.
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