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The Dam Busters
On 17th May 1943, 617 squadron Lancaster bombers successfully breached the Mohne and Eder dams in Germany's Ruhr region, in a raid using a technologically remarkable bouncing bomb thought up by scientist and inventor Barnes Wallis. 617 squadron was re-named 'the dam busters' and these events were hailed as a triumph for British heroism, ingenuity and scientific know-how.
The film 'The Dam Busters' was released in 1955, when war films were popular. Both critics and audience applauded and it made more at the box office than any other film of its year. With neither glamour nor stars to recommend it, this was a remarkable achievement. Director Michael Anderson succeeded in making a film of higher quality and deeper meaning than other war films of its time. It celebrated the gutsy ingenuity of the
'Brits at War', a sense of pride, John Ramsden argues, that has remained in British popular memory.
John Ramsden's lively and incisive book investigates the background, context and making of 'The Dam Busters'; it gives full attention to the film itself and reviews critical and popular reception. It proposes that the value of Britain's bombing campaign is now difficult to assess partly because it is influenced by the cultural impact of this film and asks how accurate a portrayal the film provides, though accuracy was both aimed at and claimed for the finished film.
A fascinating mix of film analysis and political history, this guide to a British institution and perhaps the finest example of a classic war film will appeal to film and twentieth century history enthusiasts alike.
The film 'The Dam Busters' was released in 1955, when war films were popular. Both critics and audience applauded and it made more at the box office than any other film of its year. With neither glamour nor stars to recommend it, this was a remarkable achievement. Director Michael Anderson succeeded in making a film of higher quality and deeper meaning than other war films of its time. It celebrated the gutsy ingenuity of the
'Brits at War', a sense of pride, John Ramsden argues, that has remained in British popular memory.
John Ramsden's lively and incisive book investigates the background, context and making of 'The Dam Busters'; it gives full attention to the film itself and reviews critical and popular reception. It proposes that the value of Britain's bombing campaign is now difficult to assess partly because it is influenced by the cultural impact of this film and asks how accurate a portrayal the film provides, though accuracy was both aimed at and claimed for the finished film.
A fascinating mix of film analysis and political history, this guide to a British institution and perhaps the finest example of a classic war film will appeal to film and twentieth century history enthusiasts alike.
- GenresFilm
144 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
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May 16, 2013
With the 70th anniversary of the dam busters' raid coming up this Thursday/Friday, 16/17 May, what better time to read about the exploits of Wing Commander Guy Gibson and his boys.
This book serves two purposes: firstly it gives the historical background to the raid and secondly it goes into great detail about the making, marketing and acceptance of the film that was begun in June 1954. It was to cost £260,000.
Barnes Wallis was the man behind the so-called bouncing bomb but his reception in official circles was at first looked at very sceptically. However, he eventually persuaded those in power that the idea was a good one, a view supported, allegedly, by Winston Churchil, who at the time of the attribution was away in Washington!
The outcome of the raid was that one of the great centres of Germany's war industry was reduced to an area of unparalleled devastation. Later Wallis was rather distraught at the casualties that there had been but Gibson put him at his ease with a comment that those who had died would still have gone ahead had they known the consequences.
Gibson gained the VC and there were five DSOs, 10 DFCs and four bars, two Conspicuous Gallantry Medals and 12 DFMs. There were celebrations all round and on the day of the investitures, Vickers gave a dinner in 617's honour in London. Gibson was filmed signing an enlarged photograph of the breached Mohne dam and the only slip-up on the evening was the menu card that declared, almost unbelievably, 'The Damn Busters'! Was it a German production I wonder???
The film was made but then took some time to get released, with the last delay due to the widow of Gibson who argued that she had not given permission to use quotes from her ex-husband's (they had divorced) autobiography 'Enemy Coast Ahead'. The issue was amicably settled and the film eventually declared that it had used not only Paul Brickhill's bestseller 'The Dam Busters' but also Gibson's autobiography.
There is plenty of detail about the making of the film with quotes from those who took part and there is a detailed section on Eric Coates' writing of 'The Dam Busters March'. The first showing of the film was on 16 May 1955 and it went on general release in September 1955. It was a smash hit and became the best-selling picture of 1955 despite its release late in the year.
It didn't, however, catch on everywhere as in America it was poorly received with two critics picking up on 'the lack of any love interest' (there was only one lady in the film and she, Barnes Wallis's wife, only briefly) and 'a distinct absence of any humour'. But one American critic did admit, 'As a record of a British operational triumph during the last war, 'The Dam Busters' will be hard to beat', adding 'This is a small slice of history, told in painstaking detail and overflowing with the Briish quality of understatement.'
The reading of this book certainly generates a little national pride and it was good to read it around the anniversary of the event and also good to link the actual events with the making a block-buster movie.
NB: As historical background to the film (as John Ramsden provides for the raid) I should say that I well remember, as a young boy around September 1955 when the film was shown at the Princess Cinema on Blackpool promenade, going straight out from the picture house across to the beach. There, Dominic Fagioli and myself went down on the sands and began damming the streams that ran from the sea to pools further inshore. We then spent time making sand bombs and trying to bounce them at the dam to burst them. It didn't work so in the end we just breached the dams and watched as the water poured excitedly through ... and then we bult more dams and did it all over again ... happy memories.
This book serves two purposes: firstly it gives the historical background to the raid and secondly it goes into great detail about the making, marketing and acceptance of the film that was begun in June 1954. It was to cost £260,000.
Barnes Wallis was the man behind the so-called bouncing bomb but his reception in official circles was at first looked at very sceptically. However, he eventually persuaded those in power that the idea was a good one, a view supported, allegedly, by Winston Churchil, who at the time of the attribution was away in Washington!
The outcome of the raid was that one of the great centres of Germany's war industry was reduced to an area of unparalleled devastation. Later Wallis was rather distraught at the casualties that there had been but Gibson put him at his ease with a comment that those who had died would still have gone ahead had they known the consequences.
Gibson gained the VC and there were five DSOs, 10 DFCs and four bars, two Conspicuous Gallantry Medals and 12 DFMs. There were celebrations all round and on the day of the investitures, Vickers gave a dinner in 617's honour in London. Gibson was filmed signing an enlarged photograph of the breached Mohne dam and the only slip-up on the evening was the menu card that declared, almost unbelievably, 'The Damn Busters'! Was it a German production I wonder???
The film was made but then took some time to get released, with the last delay due to the widow of Gibson who argued that she had not given permission to use quotes from her ex-husband's (they had divorced) autobiography 'Enemy Coast Ahead'. The issue was amicably settled and the film eventually declared that it had used not only Paul Brickhill's bestseller 'The Dam Busters' but also Gibson's autobiography.
There is plenty of detail about the making of the film with quotes from those who took part and there is a detailed section on Eric Coates' writing of 'The Dam Busters March'. The first showing of the film was on 16 May 1955 and it went on general release in September 1955. It was a smash hit and became the best-selling picture of 1955 despite its release late in the year.
It didn't, however, catch on everywhere as in America it was poorly received with two critics picking up on 'the lack of any love interest' (there was only one lady in the film and she, Barnes Wallis's wife, only briefly) and 'a distinct absence of any humour'. But one American critic did admit, 'As a record of a British operational triumph during the last war, 'The Dam Busters' will be hard to beat', adding 'This is a small slice of history, told in painstaking detail and overflowing with the Briish quality of understatement.'
The reading of this book certainly generates a little national pride and it was good to read it around the anniversary of the event and also good to link the actual events with the making a block-buster movie.
NB: As historical background to the film (as John Ramsden provides for the raid) I should say that I well remember, as a young boy around September 1955 when the film was shown at the Princess Cinema on Blackpool promenade, going straight out from the picture house across to the beach. There, Dominic Fagioli and myself went down on the sands and began damming the streams that ran from the sea to pools further inshore. We then spent time making sand bombs and trying to bounce them at the dam to burst them. It didn't work so in the end we just breached the dams and watched as the water poured excitedly through ... and then we bult more dams and did it all over again ... happy memories.
January 22, 2023
Ramdsen's slender volume on 'The Dam Busters' is an excellent text for anyone familiar with the 1955 British war film or anyone interested in the relationship between history and movies. Both a study of the film's production and its relationship with the events and people it depicts, this British Film Institute monograph also discusses those elements that made the movie as successful and as culturally significant as it is. Ramsden has achieved almost all expected aims that a reader might bring to the the book.
The study of the film is effectively contextualised thanks to Ramsden's efforts to discuss the actual history of Operation Chastise and the two main books that helped create the narrative of the movie. He makes great efforts in the first chapter of this book to discern the historical 'truth' of the raid, as well as evaluate the issues and benefits of the books by Guy Gibson and Paul Brickhill. Through this approach Ramsden ensures that the reader understands that even before the film was made (or viewed) there was a mythologising of the mission and the men who flew it. The movie, whilst making much of its documentary or realistic attributes was still founded on semi-fictional 'facts'. Of course all movies and indeed all history can be queried as to sources, bias and facts versus opinion, let alone the purpose of the end product. That 'The Dam Busters' is shown by Ramsden to be so influential and so 'truthful' is that it captures the illusion of realism and accuracy through the dialogue, the actors' performances and the technical support from the RAF.
Ramsden documents the film's production with lots of information, including observations on the casting of Richard Todd and Michael Redgrave as the two leads, the directorial style of Michael Anderson and the script from RC Sheriff. He also speaks to the film music and the use of locations and aircraft to ensure a degree of verisimilitude in the look of the movie. This fulsome discussion of of the making of 'The Dam Busters' is followed by a chapter going through the movie, describing and analysing the narrative and other cinematic elements. For those readers who have watched the film the text is a little pointless, however the author's critical points and insights are all valid and worthy of consideration.
The final chapters of this book look at the reception of 'The Dam Busters', including its place in both the pantheon of British film history and as a major popular culture artefact for many in the UK (and for some also in the Commonwealth). There is lots of good analysis here and perhaps this is the part of the text that deserves the highest commendation. Ramsden makes some salient points re the cultural identifiers that dominate the movie, including the use of laconic humour, the lack of a female presence or a romantic subplot, and the cynicism re government bureaucracy. He also makes sound arguments regarding the lack of the success for the movie in the US and its negative associations for Germans. Finally Ramsden gives plenty of insight into why the movie is so good and so important, and through these achievements, has become the means through which 617 Squadron's raid on the Mohne, Eder and Sorpe dams is now remembered in the collective consciousness. It might be argued, and Ramsden goes some way in doing this, to say that Operation Chastise, its heroes and and its victims are all now defined by the movie.
In conclusion, this is an excellent and concise study of film as history and history in film. 'The Dam Busters' by John Ramsden deserves reading by anyone intrigued by the subject or by the issues he addresses in his book.
The study of the film is effectively contextualised thanks to Ramsden's efforts to discuss the actual history of Operation Chastise and the two main books that helped create the narrative of the movie. He makes great efforts in the first chapter of this book to discern the historical 'truth' of the raid, as well as evaluate the issues and benefits of the books by Guy Gibson and Paul Brickhill. Through this approach Ramsden ensures that the reader understands that even before the film was made (or viewed) there was a mythologising of the mission and the men who flew it. The movie, whilst making much of its documentary or realistic attributes was still founded on semi-fictional 'facts'. Of course all movies and indeed all history can be queried as to sources, bias and facts versus opinion, let alone the purpose of the end product. That 'The Dam Busters' is shown by Ramsden to be so influential and so 'truthful' is that it captures the illusion of realism and accuracy through the dialogue, the actors' performances and the technical support from the RAF.
Ramsden documents the film's production with lots of information, including observations on the casting of Richard Todd and Michael Redgrave as the two leads, the directorial style of Michael Anderson and the script from RC Sheriff. He also speaks to the film music and the use of locations and aircraft to ensure a degree of verisimilitude in the look of the movie. This fulsome discussion of of the making of 'The Dam Busters' is followed by a chapter going through the movie, describing and analysing the narrative and other cinematic elements. For those readers who have watched the film the text is a little pointless, however the author's critical points and insights are all valid and worthy of consideration.
The final chapters of this book look at the reception of 'The Dam Busters', including its place in both the pantheon of British film history and as a major popular culture artefact for many in the UK (and for some also in the Commonwealth). There is lots of good analysis here and perhaps this is the part of the text that deserves the highest commendation. Ramsden makes some salient points re the cultural identifiers that dominate the movie, including the use of laconic humour, the lack of a female presence or a romantic subplot, and the cynicism re government bureaucracy. He also makes sound arguments regarding the lack of the success for the movie in the US and its negative associations for Germans. Finally Ramsden gives plenty of insight into why the movie is so good and so important, and through these achievements, has become the means through which 617 Squadron's raid on the Mohne, Eder and Sorpe dams is now remembered in the collective consciousness. It might be argued, and Ramsden goes some way in doing this, to say that Operation Chastise, its heroes and and its victims are all now defined by the movie.
In conclusion, this is an excellent and concise study of film as history and history in film. 'The Dam Busters' by John Ramsden deserves reading by anyone intrigued by the subject or by the issues he addresses in his book.
July 1, 2016
Mixed feelings about this one. As a description and analysis of the film it can't be beat. Ramsden has also studied the dams raid itself and sets the film up with a look back at its inspirations; the actual raid and the books that provided the basis for the script, Paul Brickhill's The Dam Busters and Wing Commander Gibson's Enemy Coast Ahead. He also does an able job setting the film in its own time, among other, much less famous, war films, and in the political setting. His description of the writing of the script, the casting, and the filming are all excellent. That said, he rather blows it apart with the inane opinion that the film's focus on the First Wave attack, led by Gibson, was a good thing because "it enables it not to portray some rather less distinguished flying in the rear columns, one of whose pilots flew into the sea, two of whom probably collided with power cables, and several of whom got hopelessly lost somewhere over Holland." That casual comment damns not the crews, but Ramsden, who clearly did not do his homework. Yes, one plane hit the water - avoiding German flak. Two did hit power cables - one of them in the First Wave, and while under fire from German flak guns. No one got "hopelessly" lost. He did lose me there, however, and a three star book instantly became a one star book.
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