The Dam Busters 4K 1955

‘There is always room for heroism in life.’ If we combine the well-known aphorism and Munchausen's famous quote from Gorin's play, this phrase could easily be the motto of this British film.

World War II is underway. Everyone on the front lines knows about the might of the German army, but things are not so rosy in the rear. It turns out that the Achilles' heel, or rather heels, are the dams that separate the Ruhr Valley, the heart of German metallurgy, from a huge water basin, which will immediately spill over and cause enormous damage if the dams are blown up. This circumstance caught the attention of one armchair scientist, who calculated “to the millimeter” what the bomber crews should do to achieve this goal.

For two hours, we watch as a large group of people move toward their desired goal, moving from laboratories to testing grounds, observing field tests, endless exercises, and, finally, the combat mission itself from start to finish. It can be said that the film has a chronological plot structure; we need to show everything from the first letter to the last, because only then will it become clear how intricate the task is.

It must be said that the director tries very hard to ensure that this circumstance does not make the film boring. He seems to be proving to us that the very last element in this chain has its own meaning, and it must also be shown on screen. A feat is not the moment of its accomplishment, but the long road to it, where there is nothing superfluous or accidental. It must be said that this collectivist approach is somewhat reminiscent of Soviet films, where a feat is possible not because of one brave man or superman, but because of the coordinated actions of many, many people.

However, the film has one serious drawback. With a bunch of characters on screen, it desperately lacks heroes. Almost all of them, except for the perfectionist scientist and the commander of the entire squadron, are poorly written and not truly memorable. Therefore, the level of drama is still rather low. The filmmakers have enough enthusiasm and the plot is sufficiently tense, but the human factor is lacking. That is why the film remains among the strong but not masterful films about the war, shot not from “our” side, but from the side of the Allies.