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Rating:  - Piece of cake is good realism
Let me say it was good - and why. I thought it was a movie and found it was a collection of a series of stories set in WW2. The realism was excellent in that it was not a modern day romance, but factual in how people related to one another a half a century or more ago.
Friends who have watched the movie with us liked it too...even though one said that she probably wouldn't.
My husband's only critic of the movie was that the Spitfires that they used were Mark 9's and not Mark 1&2's..as was the case in the time period of the movie.
The air combat scenes were excellent.
Rating: - Thinking about the war 30 years on
Years ago I had a boyfriend whose dad had flown with the RAF. As we were in the midst of the VietNam War I'm ashamed to say that I viewed his stories with disdain. Thirty years and a lot of experience later, I realize that he and his companions sacrificed a lot and movies like Piece of Cake show that, while they were by no means paragons of virtue, what they did deserves our admiration and yes, our thanks. Like others, I was fascinated by the storyline and with every episode I tried to figure out who out of the original squadron was still left. And again I was reminded of my friend's dad and the few friends that he said came home with him. I agree with the person who wrote how frustrating it was not to be able to figure out who was shot because we often weren't sure, outside of the main characters like Rex and Moggy and Fanny and Chris, who was who. I do have one question which is who was the other flyer who was left? I think it was 'Haggis' but I thought that Haggis had been shot down in Episode 3 or 4. Oh and thanks to the reviewer who mentioned that 'Flash' became 'Inspector Lynley'!! It had driven me crazy trying to think where I'd seen him before!
Rating: - Squadron life
A nice serie. Can enjoy the life of a Squadron in the times of War. Different caracters enjoyable. Flew Spitfires a little too early in time.
Rating: - My opinion
I am of the older generation and lived through the War (WWII) years. When I first saw this production years back on Masterpiece Theater with Host Alistair McLean, I enjoyed every moment of the moving emotional story of men at war and all the exciting action. I thought then, how well done this production was done in terms of story, acting and the truly authentic locales. I was particularly happy for the closed captions as I have always not completely understand the British accent when I saw this series on PBS Television. Years later, I am now partially deaf and CC would have been a tremendous DVD feature but Alas such is not the case. I still am happy I purchased it though just to watch the most magnificent flight and action of the incomparable "Spitfire" fighter doing what it did better than any other aircraft, win the skies over England.
Rating:  - Squadron sent north to "rest" and re-equip.
Remember this is a work of fiction set against a historical timeline and so for the purists - you are going to hate the Sptifires in France (in the real war it was Hurricanes) and the wrong marks of Spitfires and Messerschmits used on the set - so set that aside before you even view this. For this 1988 production the special effects are pretty good and rather show up the sometimes overused clips taken from the 1969 Battle of Britain movie. But set that aside too because.....
What elevates this mini series are two key components:
The first - for Spitfire enthusiasts - are some of the flying sequences shot for this series. The pilots really had a good time and showed off their skills with some flair. Camera angles and careful lens selection can make a Spitfire look like it is flying among tree tops when the trees are in reality some distance from wings but you can's deny just how close to the ground some of these planes really are. When they fly in formation at a camera at almost zero feet you can see the planes bouncing around in each other's turbulence and ground effect and the pilots correcting and jinking to stay in formation. It is as close to being IN an airborne Spitfire as I am ever likely to get. There are also some wonderful shots of planes making the curved landing approaches required by Spitfires' long noses that you could not see over. Tail shots of three point tail dragger landings are quite spectacular too. Watch those unlocked tail wheels spin in the initial shock!
The second key part of this production - for those looking for the story - are the characters developing against the timeline and changing as the pressures of battle alter them all in different ways. Recent post war research has shown that the real make up of the RAF during the Battle of Britain had little to do with Univesity educated upper class so often portrayed. But this view is maybe closer to the pre-war squadron portrayed here - at least at the start of the series.
Important crunch issues of:
- the difficulties of aircraft recognition,
- outdated tactics on the British side,
- friendly fire in battle,
- how horribly people really died in their planes when hit,
- how you could be just plain unlucky if your plane faltered in the heat of the moment
- and just how hard it was for the RAF pilots to learn and pass on experience as they often failed to make it home to tell
all make a showing as "Hornet Squadron" falls back from France to literally sit on the edge of the White Cliffs of Dover in the front line of those trying to fend off the maurauding Luftwaffe.
For the less well developed characters there is a horrific reality - they never survived long enough to get into the story because they get shot down as soon as they appeared.
What sets this series aside - especially from big perspective movies like the Battle of Britain - is the close up portrayal of the reality of rapid aircraft and personnel turnover. By the end - the few old timers are "twitching" with stress and falling as they make mistakes or their luck runs out. If you have ever read the official history of the battle and read the too often used line - "Squadron sent north to rest and re-equip" this series brings home the horrific reality that lay behind that seemingly bland statement. There is absolutely no doubt that in the final moments of the series as the stragglers return - that is where this squadron is headed - what is left of it.
A good adaption of the original book and a worthy tribute to "the few".
I've just re-watched the whole series (April 08) and re-read some of the reviews. For those who have commented on picture quality in their reviews: This was made for UK televisions 612 line PAL standard in 1988 - long before DVD's were thought of. So you can't "improve" the resolution for a 1024 line HD TV - and the switch to NTSC in the US doesn't help either. So sure - it is a little fuzzy on a big screen. Sit back and enjoy for the qualities I've reviewed above.
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