The First of the Few (aka Spitfire) [Blu-ray]

After decades of inferior copies, this blu-ray from Odeon makes up for the deficit. Released during WWII as a propaganda film, it tells the story of R.J. Mitchell and his development of the Spitfire fighter plane. The movie has been in the public domain for decades, which meant that every little company turned out whatever crappy copy they had access to.This region-free blu-ray is the best copy that I have ever seen. While it has some of the expected flaws in the source material that one would expect of a film from 1942, it is routinely sharp and clear. Well worth the money. It includes some interviews with David Niven and a documentary on the RAF in the war.Leslie Howard produced and directed the movie as well as starring in it. It was his last film before being killed when the Germans shot down a plane he was in (persistent rumor has it that they thought the plane was carrying Churchill, true or not).A good movie not to be missed.

Propaganda? yes, but to see footage of original Spitfires (made in 1942!!) in action is priceless. As an Englishman I am moved to tears with this film. The Documentary at the end is wonderful knowledge. Thank you for this restoration and having it stream. This is History!

This was a very sweet film, made even more poignant by the knowledge that Leslie Howard, who acted in and directed it, was shot down over the Bay of Biscay apparently due to his spying activities in WWII.I love planes, and the Spitfire is a wonderful plane. It was interesting to see how it developed. David Niven lends just the right touch of humor so that the film did not become too heavy.I would recommend this film to a history buff or plane enthusiast as it was excellent on both fronts.

This movie illustrates how poorly prepared the UK was prior to WW2. Serendipity came into play with the Spitfire and Rolls Royce Merlin engine development just as the Nazis were taking all of Europe and the world into war. Without doubt the Spitfire and lesser known Hawker Hurricane when teamed with radar guided command and control made all the difference. The fact that Hermann Goering as head of the Luftwaffe failed to appreciate radar and it's early warning capabilities, with the capable Spitfire as the tip of the spear, doomed the Nazi efforts to attain aerial superiority over Great Britain ending the threat of invasion of the UK. Another great movie titled the Battle of Britain is a must see.

Finally a great quality, clear release of this essential film. A++++++

Remarkably people comment on all things except the history. While I respect comments about print quality etc., it seems that people who have either rented or bought this film are unaware of history of the run up to WWII. I am sad to say. This film was a mid war boost to British morale in a very dire circumstance. The Battle of Britain was then ongoing and the USA had only recently entered the conflict after Pearl Harbor and HItler's declaration of war on America. I truly wish that viewers would at least use Wikipedia or another resource to get up to speed. I wonder how folks in 2050 will view both Russia/Ukraine and Hamas October 2023 attack. Will they only comment on the quality of the video?

I watch this over and over again. Wonderful film. I’m in love with the Spitfire fighter planes!

I like this movie, and bought it when VHS was offering tapes for sale, way back, some decades ago, one of first movies I bought. This tells the story of one of the UK planes that really held back Hitler's offense. My gripe is here we are decades later, my hearing is NOT good anymore, hearing aids are limited to me....and this good movie, and many others are NOT closed captioned. A stirring documentary type film with Leslie Howard and David Niven, a good film, and I wanted cc or sub-tites. Nope. I'll give it 3 stars. If it had cc or sub titles, I'd max it with 5 stars.