The First of the Few (1942)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Leslie Howard

Writers:

Henry C. James (story) &
Katherine Strueby (story) ...

Release Date:

14 September 1942 (UK)

Genre:

Action | Biography | Drama | History | War

Plot:

By the late 1920's aircraft designer R.J. Mitchell feels he has achieved all he wants with his revolutionary mono-planes winning trophy after trophy...

Plot Keywords:

Nazi Germany | Directed By Star | Fighter Pilot | WWII | Produced By Actor

Cast

Leslie Howard	...	R.J. Mitchell
David Niven	...	Geoffrey Crisp
Rosamund John	...	Diana Mitchell
Roland Culver	...	Commander Bride
Anne Firth	...	Miss Harper
David Horne	...	Mr. Higgins
J.H. Roberts	...	Sir Robert McLean
Derrick De Marney	...	Squadron Leader Jefferson
Rosalyn Boulter	...	Mabel Lovesay
Herbert Cameron	...	MacPherson
Toni Edgar-Bruce	...	Lady Houston (as Toni Edgar Bruce)
Gordon McLeod	...	Major Buchan
George Skillan	...	Mr. Royce
Erik Freund	...	Messerschmitt
Fritz Wendhausen	...	Von Straben (as F.R. Wendhausen)

Also Known As:

Spitfire (USA)

Runtime:

118 min | USA:90 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #9204) | Finland:S | UK:U | Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

D and P Studios, Denham Studios, Denham, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

British Aviation Pictures

Trivia:

In the film Leslie Howard's Mitchell says he wants his new fighter to be "a bird that breathes fire and spits out death and destruction; A *spitfire* bird", giving the aircraft its name. In reality, when RJ Mitchell was told the name the RAF had given to his design he is supposed to have said: "That's the sort of bloody silly name they *would* choose!"

Goofs:

Factual errors: During test flight of the plane, a close-up of the cockpit was shown. The type of canopy in the scene is called a "Malcom Hood" and was not used on early model Spitfires.

Quotes:

Geoffrey Crisp: Mitch, what do really think I can get out of her?
Reginald J. Mitchell: Oh, two eighty five.
Geoffrey Crisp: [astonished] Two eighty-five? Mitch, this is 1927, not 1977!

Good Historical-Based Drama

While sometimes a bit melodramatic, "Spitfire" (or "The First of the Few") is a good historical-based drama that follows the development of the Spitfire airplane that was so important to Britain in World War II. Most of the film concerns the work that went into the plane, but there are also a few aerial scenes. The historical story is interesting and significant, and was even more so at the time that the film was made. It moves rather slowly at times, but is carried by the two fine stars in the lead roles.

Leslie Howard works well as Mitchell, the designer of the plane. His dreaminess seems appropriate for a man who created an effective new invention by looking beyond the ways that things had been done in the past. David Niven is particularly good as the pilot who tests the plane and invests his own time and career to see that Mitchell's invention gets a chance. Niven also narrates the story. Those two help make up for some slow stretches in the plot. At times things also seem a bit exaggerated, but then it was a time when daily events were filled with melodrama.

This would be a good film to watch for anyone with an interest in historical or war films.