Manipulative Dance hurts Spitfire celebration
James Croot
It was a weapon of war that became an international icon. The fastest and deadliest fighting plane of its time, but one that’s beloved for its beautiful bird-inspired design, innovation and ingenuity. And ‘‘a lady in the air, but a b… on the ground’’, as one former pilot puts it.
Now, more than 60 years after the last Spitfire ended its weather forecasting duties, the ‘‘plane that saved Britain in its darkest hour’’ is celebrated in this Charles Dancenarrated (Game of Thrones’ Tywin Lannister) documentary.
Actually made to commemorate the centenary of the Royal Air Force, David Fairhead and Ant Palmer’s tale is an excellent primer on the genesis, history and legacy of the Supermarine-created singleseater fighter.
You’ll learn how it was developed from an award-winning seaplane, tinkered with throughout its tenure (there were 24 Machs in total, with developers keen to increase its speed by more than 100mph and its weapon-load threefold) and hear from those who flew them, including the women who ‘‘ferried’’ them from production to air bases during the war itself.
There’s also the tragic tale of designer RJ Mitchell, who died within a year of his creation first taking flight.
In Spitfire, this is partly told through the use of footage from the much-loved 1942 movie The First of the Few (written, directed by and starring Leslie Howard).
This, the modern-day interviews and the extensive newsreel and other archival footage provide many highlights, however they are undermined somewhat by what can only be described as ‘‘audience manipulation’’ by Fairhead and Palmer.
Not only does the English Session Orchestra’s score feel overly omnipresent and ominous (especially during anything to do with ‘‘the German threat’’), but Dance’s narration is at times wearingly portentous and pretentious, with warnings about ‘‘the threat going up by the day and time running out’’ as the Spitfire designers struggled to get enough planes ready for production.
A tale that’s fascinating enough without those extra, actually enervating embellishments.