Rent Angels One Five (1952)

Great, Classic British War Drama - Angels One Five review by GI

This is one the classic and best of the British cycle of war films made during the 1950s. It's certainly a key film set at the height of the Battle of Britain. Set in 1940 it charts the lives, loves and losses of a Hurricane fighter squadron in the south of England. Yes it's a bit of a flag waver and draws on the slightly mythical vision of care free young men, former public schoolboys, who treat war as a big adventure but equally this is a film that delves a little deeper into the conflict and the difficulties of managing such men. Jack Hawkins plays the Station commander, a tough, no nonsense leader with a big heart and John Gregson, the shy former student, eager to fight but lacking experience. What is especially good here is the faithful recreation of the daily lives of all the staff, from the mess waiter to the women who map the German attacks. Like all these film this has that nostalgic feel of a past time, a time of British class difference, of a masculine dominance (indeed there is the obvious misogyny on show albeit portrayed as a gallant English trait). Overall this is a great film made at the height of the British film industry. It's been painstakingly restored for DVD & BluRay and well worth seeking out if you like a good war film.

Excellent 1950s Film about the Battle of Britain - Angels One Five review by PV

It would be great to watch this with the wonderful 1969 Battle of Britain film, which is superb.

This may be a bit dated but is also a superb film, the like of which we shall not see again.

RAF tribute. - Angels One Five review by Steve

Low budget account of the Battle of Britain from the perspective of a single squadron based on an airfield in Kent. It focuses on the beginning of hostilities, with the British unprepared and outnumbered. As the Group Captain (Jack Hawkins) points out, the Luftwaffe have greater numbers but the RAF have better aircraft and pilots...

It's a patriotic tribute to the 'few', made long enough after the war for nostalgia to edge out realism. John Gregson plays a resentful volunteer who finds it difficult to assimilate into the public school banter- wizzo!- of the other flyers. There's a slight romantic subplot, but the events are mainly set in the operations room with hardly any actual aerial combat.

And what little fighting shown is quite badly done with models. Some of the problems with the film can be explained by its budget. And there is little flair from the director. The script is showing its age with the constant hijinks of the men sometimes hard to watch. Dulcie Gray solely represents the wives but she seems annoyingly interfering rather than steadfast.

And the lower ranks are unforgivably halfwitted. Presumably for comical intent. And yet... no other Battle of Britain film gets us so close to ground operations. Of course, almost everyone involved had served. Michael Denison as the squadron leader and Hawkins are very convincing. For all its clunky effects and sentimentality, this is one of the best RAF films of the fifties.