''Lancaster Skies'' is a 2019 British

war film War film is a film genre concerned with warfare, typically about naval, air, or land battles, with combat scenes central to the drama. It has been strongly associated with the 20th century. The fateful nature of battle scenes means that war fi ...

focusing on the British bomber campaign in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. It is a homage to the British war films of the 1940s and 1950s.

Plot

1943: Angry and bereaved by the death of his younger brother, Flight Lieutenant Douglas Miller, a broken, solitary,

Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Griff ...

ace An ace is a playing card, Dice, die or domino with a single Pip (counting), pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit (cards), suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large a ...

, who survived the

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defende ...

, transfers to

RAF Bomber Command RAF Bomber Command controlled the Royal Air Force's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. Along with the United States Army Air Forces, it played the central role in the strategic bombing of Germany in World War II. From 1942 onward, the British bo ...

, determined to take the war to the skies over

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. On arriving at his new posting, he is given the unenviable task of replacing the much-loved skipper of an experienced Lancaster bomber crew, who was killed in action just days before. Struggling to bond with his new crew and obsessed with his desire to wage war at any cost, Miller tries to find a way to gain their trust and overcome his inner demons, to become the leader they need.

Cast

*Jeffrey Mundell as Douglas Miller *David Dobson as George Williams *Kris Saddler as Charlie Moore *Joanne Gale as Kate Hedges *Vin Hawke as Thomas Mayfield *Steven Hooper as James Parker *Henry Collie as Robert Murphy *Josh Collins as Henry Smith *Rosa Coduri as Jo *Tom Gordon as Alfie Hammond *Eric Flynn as Ron Miller *Pete Wayre as a Sq. Leader in briefing

Production

With a total budget of £80,000, the visual elements proved very challenging. In keeping with the

retro Retro style is imitative or consciously derivative of lifestyles, trends, or art forms from history, including in music, modes, fashions, or attitudes. In popular culture, the "nostalgia cycle" is typically for the two decades that begin 20–30 ...

style of the film, scale models were used for most visual effects. Digital effects were kept to a minimum.

Reception

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' gave the film two stars, saying ''Lancaster Skies'' feels like cinema made in a sensory deprivation tank—fear, desperation and the roar of engines are all missing in action. When the climactic battle sequence finally arrives there's little dread or excitement.' ''Every Film Blog'' gave the film 6/10 and said, 'Burn didn't have money to throw around on ''Lancaster Skies'' but he has, nevertheless, created a movie which makes its audience think.' ''Road Rash Reviews'' gave the film 5/5, saying ''Lancaster Skies'' is a World War II tale that is strongly character driven, with high production values, which set this film at a stratospheric height.'

References

External links