DVD First Light - BBC

This is a very good mini BBC drama depicting the WW2 RAF operation life of Geofrey Wellum Flying Spitfires with 92 Squadron Biggin Hill 1940 at the height of the battle of Britain, right from his first day on base to his last., I can also recommend the book First Light that gives much more information than can be squashed into an hour long program, i could not put the book down and watch the BBC Drama very often.

A VERY GOOD AND INTENSE FILM WELL MADE & AS A PLUS A TRUE STORY WITH INTERVIEWS & COMMENTS BY THE MAN HIMSELF, GEOFFREY WELLUM. WE HAVE ALL HEARD I`M SURE OF THE VERY YOUNG MEN OF FIGHTER COMMAND, MANY ONLY 19 & 20 YEARS OLD WHO WANTED TO KICK JERRY WHERE IT HURTS THE MOST. THIS IS NOT A GUNG-HO FILM OF HOW JOHN WAYNE WON THE WAR ON HIS OWN SO TO SPEAK, IT IS ABOUT THE FEAR, DANGER, PALS KILLED IN ACTION, BEER IN THE MESS OR DOWN AT THE LOCAL PUB AND THE SHEAR GUTS THAT THESE "VERY" YOUNG MEN HAD IN OUR HOUR OF NEED, GOD BLESS THEM ALL AND LET US "NEVER FORGET" THE VERY HEAVY PRICE PAID FOR OUR FREEDOM !!!!!

This is a 'top shelf' movie DVD: I would highly recommend it to anyone, especially anyone who does not really know or understand why "so much is owed to so few" (Winston Churchill). The movie is very informative; I was a little hesitant that the movie would lean too much on the documentary aspect, however the minimal 'docco' insertions lead a lot of credibility to this film and balances it perfectly. To see Geoffery Wellum in his twilight years interviewed as to his recolections, this helps the viewer to step inside Geoff's ("call me Geoff")head and experience flying a Spitfire in ariel battles. What struick me the most with this film was how many of the questions that dogged Geoff as he flew and fought in 1940 are the same questions he still strives for answers today! I took flying lessons, flew solo and then some; to see and hear Geoff's reactions to his first solo in a Spitfire bought back to me the intense emotions when I first flew solo. His comments reminded me of what I shared with my wife upon landing "flying is like playing tag with the angels" and i felt a great kinship with Geoff (though I never experienced the terror of being shot at) and therefore this movie became quite emotional for me and I stand in absolute awe and appreciation at men like Geoff who fought for my freedom and the freedom of the world. Watch this movie and enjoy, I dare you to walk away from it underwhelmed, it won't happen!

This dramatisation of Geoffrey Wellum's life as a WW2 Spitfire pilot is a mixture of acting, as one would expect, as well as actual recount by Wellum himself. I thoroughly enjoyed the drama, especially the amazing aerial acrobatics which had me mesmerized in my chair. The sequence in the rain was unbelievably realistic. I could feel the rain lashing down and also brought home to me how 'flimsy' Spitfires were and how braver were the men who flew them. Sam Heughan's performance as the young Wellum was excellent; changing quickly and believably from the young, naive but self-possessed rookie to the nonchalant, devil-take-me experienced pilot who lived on his nerves. It was a superb portrayal by Heughan. The rest of the camaraderie, love interest etc... in the film reflected the intensity of the job these young pilots did but, for me, the guts of the story was essentially centred in the main role, as was intended. Other noteworthy actors? Gary Lewis and Ben Aldridge. I would certainly recommend First Light.

I found this movie intensely moving. I know a lot about the Battle of Britain, but this story really brought home to me the youth of the pilots involved. How does an 18-year-old cope with being thrust into such an extreme situation as World War Two's battle in the air? I just don't know how they did it. The film is very well done, no macho heroics, just ordinary young men dealing the best way they can with facing death not just every day, but several times a day. Geoffrey Wellum, DFC, on whose personal experience and best-selling book the film is based, provides a thoughtful commentary and is open and honest about how the war affected him and how, as he puts it, he "still struggles". Sam Heughan is excellent in the title role, mixing just the right of amount of youthful naivety with dogged bravery and the impact of stress on one so young. The flying scenes are outstanding also.

Based on Geoffrey Wellum's book "First Light," First Light (Penguin World War II Collection) this film was released in time for the 70th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain. At the age of just 18, Geoffrey Wellum was one of the youngest Spitfire pilots to go into combat during the Battle of Britain. A boy, barely out of school, he exhibits the wide range of emotions as a combat pilot in this film. The film, as a document drama, perfectly mirrors the book's story, and perfectly captures the mood of the period. If you want some sense of what it was to experience combat in the air, this is the film to see. I have only admiration for Geoffrey and all the chaps who flew with the RAF during the war, and especially during the Battle of Britain. We must never forget their courage and sacrifice.

First watched this on TV a few years back - now that I have it on DVD I've been able to rip it to PLEX and watch it again at my leisure while travelling... A budget production, but pretty well done. This is the true (dramatised) story of Geoffrey Wellum, the youngest Battle Of Britain Spitfire pilot in the Second World War. Taking us from the day he joined his squadron, through various actions against the Luftwaffe, leading to his 'breakdown' towards the end of the BoB. It doesn't really go much further than this - the book continues for some time with further exploits, and I'd highly recommend reading it. But as a small insight into Geoffrey's wartime life, the film is well worth a watch - the action is interspersed with 'present day' chat from Geoffrey (I say present day, he sadly passed away a little while ago).

I have read the book and I saw the reviews of this DVD, so I was really excited about watching the film, but I was disappointed. Firstly, I am deaf and rely on subtitles, but there are no subtitles with this DVD. Even my husband, who can hear, remarked several times that he could not hear what was being said. It was even worse when the Pilot was flying as he had his mask on. There was no way to know what was being said, by either myself or my husband. Secondly, I was expecting this film to be an account of Geoffery Wellum's pilot life, start to finish, (with the usual cutting out of some details of course), but it was not. I didn't mind the scenes of Geoffery Wellum explaining things in the present during the film, but we only saw a short time of his pilot life. Knowing how skilled he was as Squadron leader, fighting in Malta during WWll and other remarkable acts, I had been expecting to see a much more indepth look at this man's amazing contribution to our country's victory during WWll.