Leslie Howard produced, directed, and starred in Spitfire, the last film before his death in 1943. In the film, he plays real-life plane architect R.J. Mitchell, famous for designing airplanes in the 1920s. His buddy, played by David Niven, flies the airplanes to show off Leslie Howard's talent as well as his own piloting skills. Together, the friends take a vacation in Germany, and once they see the writing on the wall for WW2, they start to design a "spitfire" fighter plane for the British air force.
Most of the actors in the film, besides the leads and their love interests, are extras, actual fighter pilots from WWII. Most of the flight scenes is actual footage from the war, too. The characters aren't particularly three-dimensional, with the focus of the screenplay on the technical details, so Leslie basically comes across as an unflawed workaholic, and Niven basically comes across as a womanizing jokester. If you're interested in the backstage preparation before the war, or if your favorite facet of the armed forces is the air force, you'll probably find this film very interesting.
Most of the actors in the film, besides the leads and their love interests, are extras, actual fighter pilots from WWII. Most of the flight scenes is actual footage from the war, too. The characters aren't particularly three-dimensional, with the focus of the screenplay on the technical details, so Leslie basically comes across as an unflawed workaholic, and Niven basically comes across as a womanizing jokester. If you're interested in the backstage preparation before the war, or if your favorite facet of the armed forces is the air force, you'll probably find this film very interesting.