Directors Powell and Pressburger steer clear of their penchant for the baroque in this World War II drama about a British bomber crew crash-landing in German-occupied Holland. Although the documentary-style realism that was de rigeur for propaganda films during the war can now seem rather quaint, Aircraft’s recreation of the aviation operation during the first half hour still looks remarkably authentic. The atmosphere of an airborne assault is strikingly well evoked, with nicely-judged model work and convincing special effects balancing the casual interplay of the crew members’ dialogue to achieve a high degree of verisimilitude.
Stylistic devices such as the absence of incidental music add further power to these scenes, and David Lean’s sublime editing pre-empts the action spectacle of his later directorial effort, the lavish Bridge on the River Kwai. The film slows a little – and loses its authenticity — when the crew are taken in by a community of picture postcard Dutch villagers and begin to plot their way back to Blighty, but Powell and Pressburger use this Boy’s Own material to further develop the characters and add some light relief into the mix. Before long, the excitement factor is cranked up again, as the crew’s escape from The Netherlands reaches its tense climax.
Forced to bail out over the Low Countries, an RAF bomber crew fall prey to suspicion and paranoia as they try to make their way back to England. The recreation of the aviation operation during the first half hour still looks remarkably authentic.
