Guy Gibsons Dog Renamed for Film

[DaveB]

What a great thread. There are still many places we've not visited yet but there's plenty of time ;-) At least I hope so Could this thread rival the 'original' Escorts & Stewards :think:

ATB

DaveB :tab:

[Trev Clark]

The music they played reminded me straight away of the 'lead in' piece from the film with the Ju52 (I think it's called the Battle of Britain March).. same sort of style and tempo. Gave me goosebumps I have to say. What excellent military bands the Germans have and how clever it was to have such an authentic sounding piece of music in the film (even though this was probably missed by 99% of the viewing audience)

It was called 'The Luftwaffe March' Dave, as was the 'B' side of the B of B Theme on a 45 rpm single record (yes I was sad enough to spend my pocket money on it :roll: ), a really great marching band theme!

Going back to W/C Gibson, he was very much a product of his time, public school and upper middle class. In his crew he usually addressed the officers by thier first names and the NCO's by thier job title! I have come across one or two of these chaps in the RAF of 20 odd years ago and they were always 'respected' but never 'loved'. Various books written by ex 617 people (non officers) put him in that catagory. You only have to listen to WW2 recordings to see just how different people from different 'class' backgrounds sounded then, to see it was a very different society to today.

[simondix]

You know I went to a public screening of the original Dambusters the other month and no one batted an eyelid at the name. But I imagine the reaction in the states would be outrage, because I imagine (and it is just an assumption) that they'd never see it in the context of the time.

Kind regards

John

I think the outrage in the states will be they didn't do the raid. Well they can always rewrite history like they did for the Enigma Code.

[simondix]

I listened a few yeaqrs ago too a programme on the BEEB R2 about Eric Coates. he had apparantly written the tune we know as the theme already. He was asked to do a theme and he said he had just completed a tune would this do. Not bad really for a would this do.

[fighterpilot]

[
It was called 'The Luftwaffe March' Dave, as was the 'B' side of the B of B Theme on a 45 rpm single record (yes I was sad enough to spend my pocket money on it :roll: ), a really great marching band theme!

Indeed a really great tune for marching bands although i know it by its renamed title Aces High. It some ways I like it more than the British theme from the film which although brilliant doesn't seem to have quite the same punch as the Luftwaffe theme. Ron Goodwin certainly gave us some great themes 633 squadron, magnificent men etc and possibly his finest the London Marathon theme.

Richard

[John]

In regards to any Cgi footage, it's not really an issue if done properly, this film must be at least 5 years old now and it's not half bad...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNJ8rIEPLOo

Kind regards

John

[Garry Russell]

CGI is great if done properly but that is no different to anything else

The only thing that gives those away is the un realistic prop spinning

Garry

[Chris Trott]

For those whom think that Mr. Jackson is all about CGI, take a look at this thread and the trailer -

http://warbirdinformationexchange.org/p ... hp?t=24817

All of the aircraft you see are pretty darn accurate replicas that he had built for the film. The only modifications that were made were solely for safety reasons (slightly more modern engines, different control rigging, etc). There was an article about him and the planes in a recent TV Guide magazine here in the States and it talked (amazingly) about his love of airplanes and how he wants to do things as "right" as possible.

[Nigel H-J]

Just found out something else although many of you may already know......They are apparently going to shoot most of the Dam Busters' in New Zealand, think it is a bit of a shame as Lincolshire would have been a good backdrop for scenery. Flat, Flatter, Flattest!!

Regards
Nigel.

[sando]

This came up on a web site, thought it might add to the thread -John

Dambusters movie is off to a fry-er
Lincolnshire Echo (Lincoln); Mar 14, 2008; p. 3


Comedian Stephen Fry has finished his second draft of the screenplay
for the new film about the Dambusters raids.The entertainer and
best-selling author made the announcement to his fans in an Internet
podcast.
The 50-year-old, who has been asked to write the script for the big
budget re-make of the classic film, explained how he had 'got his head
down' to work on the screenplay last year.

Mr Fry said: "I wrote the first draft and then started writing the
second draft while doing the series I do called QI. That's based in
London and in the days that I wasn't doing QI, I was zooming around
England meeting old survivors of the original Dambusters raid and
people connected with survivors, and building toward a second draft,
which I managed to write."

The Dambusters was the nickname given to the flyers of 617 Squadron,
based at RAF Scampton, near Lincoln, who destroyed a series of dams in
the Ruhr area of Nazi Germany in 1943 using famous 'bouncing bombs'.

They were immortalised by the 1955 film starring Richard Todd and
Michael Redgrave - best remembered for its stirring musical score.

Oscar-winning director Peter Jackson - who became a household name
with his epic Lord of the Rings trilogy - is producing a pounds107m
re-make with Christian Rivers in the director's chair.

It is thought much of the filming will take place in Jackson's native
New Zealand - home to his Weta Workshop - where he will re-create the
action sequences using computer-generated imagery (CGI).

But executive producer Sir David Frost, whose company Paradine
Productions owns the film rights, has told the Echo at least some of
it will be shot in Lincolnshire, including at RAF Scampton.

Mr Fry visited the county during his research last year.

Among the stops on his tour was the East Kirkby Aviation Heritage
Centre, which houses an original Avro Lancaster bomber like those
flown in the Dambusters raids.

Fred Panton (76), who runs the museum with his brother Harold, said:
"They were very interested and they had got a lot of information which
I didn't know. We showed them inside the Lancaster, we ran the engines
and we gave them a taxi ride in it."

Mr Panton has been told by the producers most of the early filming
will take place in New Zealand.

But he said: "I would have thought they will be contacting us before
too long because they certainly said they will be coming back to
finish the film off." It is not yet clear who will play legendary Wing
Commander Guy Gibson - but Scottish heart-throb James McAvoy is
rumoured to be among the favourites.