THE DAM BUSTERS
DIRECTED BY MICHAEL ANDERSON
ASSOCIATED BRITISH-PATHE/ WARNER BROTHERS
Information from IMDb
Plot Summary
The British are desperate to shorten the length of WW2 and propose a daring raid to smash Germany's industrial heart. At first the objective looks impossible until a British scientist invents an ingenious weapon capable of destroying the planned target.
Written by Dave Jenkins
Dramatization of an actual operation in World War II in which low level Bombers from England drop skimming bombs into reservoirs in the Ruhr water system to cause floods destroying much of Germany's industrial base.
Written by John Vogel
Full Cast
Richard Todd ... Wing Commander Guy Gibson, V.C., D.S.O., D.F.C.
Michael Redgrave ... Doctor B. N. Wallis, C.B.E., F.R.S.
Ursula Jeans ... Mrs. Wallis
Charles Carson ... Doctor
Stanley Van Beers ... Sir David Pye, C.B., F.R.S.
Colin Tapley ... Doctor W.H. Glanville, C.B., C.B.E.
Frederick Leister ... Committee Member
Eric Messiter ... Committee Member
Laidman Browne ... Committee Member
Raymond Huntley ... Official, National Physical Laboratory
Hugh Manning ... Official, Ministry of Aircraft Production
Patrick Barr ... Captain Joseph 'Mutt' Summers, C.B.E.
Edwin Styles ... Observer at trials
Hugh Moxey ... Observer at trials
Anthony Shaw ... R.A.F. Officer at trials
Basil Sydney ... Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Harris G.C.B., O.B.E., A.F.C.
Ernest Clark ... Air Vice-Marshal The Hon. Ralph Cochrane G.B.E., K.C.B., A.F.C.
Derek Farr ... Group Captain J.N.H. Whitworth, D.S.O., D.F.C.
Laurence Naismith ... Farmer
Harold Siddons ... Group Signals Officer
Frank Phillips ... B.B.C. Announcer
Brewster Mason ... Flt / Lt. R.D. Trevor-Roper, D.F.C., D.F.M.
Tony Doonan ... Flt / Lt. R.E.G. Hutchison, D.F.C. (as Anthony Doonan)
Nigel Stock ... Flying / Off. F.M. Spafford, D.F.C., D.F.M.
Brian Nissen ... Flt / Lt. A.T. Taerum, D.F.C.
Robert Shaw ... Flt / Sgt. J. Pulford, D.F.M.
Peter Assinder ... Plt / Off. G.A. Deering, D.F.C.
Richard Leech ... Squadron Leader H.M. Young, D.F.C.
Richard Thorp ... Squadron Leader H.E. Maudslay, D.F.C.
John Fraser ... Flight Lieutenant J.V. Hopgood, D.F.C.
David Morrell ... Flight Lieutenant W. Astell, D.F.C.
Bill Kerr ... Flight Lieutenant H.B. Martin, D.S.O., D.F.C., A.F.C.
George Baker ... Flight Lieutenant D.J.H. Maltby, D.S.O., D.F.C.
Ronald Wilson ... Flight Lieutenant D.J. Shannon, D.S.O., D.F.C.
Denys Graham ... Flying Officer L.G. Knight, D.S.O.
Basil Appleby ... Flight Lieutenant R.C. Hay, D.F.C.
Tim Turner ... Flight Lieutenant J.F. Leggo, D.F.C.
Ewen Solon ... Flight Sergeant G.E. Powell
Harold Goodwin ... Wing Comdr. Gibson's Batman
John Breslin ... Crew member (uncredited)
Edward Cast ... Crew Member (uncredited)
Richard Coleman ... RAF Officer (uncredited)
Peter Diamond ... Tail Gunner (uncredited)
Gerald Harper ... RAF Officer (uncredited)
Arthur Howard ... RAF Pay Clerk In NAAFI (uncredited)
Lloyd Lamble ... Collins (uncredited)
Philip Latham ... Flight Sergeant (uncredited)
Patrick McGoohan ... Guard on Door (uncredited)
Jack McNaughton ... Waiter (uncredited)
Nina Parry ... Barnes Wallace's daughter (uncredited)
Edwin Richfield ... RAF Officer (uncredited)
Writing Credits
Paul Brickhill book
Guy Gibson book "Enemy Coast Ahead" (as Wing Comdr. Gibson)
R.C. Sherriff screenplay
Original Music
Leighton Lucas
Cinematography
Erwin Hillier (director of photography)
Trivia
The RAF supplied most of the aircraft, at a cost of 130 pounds per hour. This expense consumed 10% of the film's budget.
A cut of the film was spiced up for the American market. Additional scenes of a plane crashing were later removed after it was spotted that Warner Brothers had used WW2 footage of a Flying Fortress.
The bombs shown in the movie were the wrong shape because the actual shape (a stubby cylinder) was still secret at the time.
The film premiered 12 years to the day from the original raid.
Gibson's dog "Nigger" was dubbed into "Trigger" for the US market. See also Goofs entry.
The dog used in filming to play the part of Nigger was also called Nigger.
This is one of the films that George Lucas used clips from to edit the rough cut of Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) (which utilizes many features of the finale of this film quite closely, notably the briefing, the ground staff waiting for news, the troika formation of the attacking aircraft and so on). In Addition, the following exchange from this film is reproduced almost verbatim (with the exception of the characters' names) in "Star Wars": Gibson: "How many guns d'you think there are, Trevor?" Trevor: "I'd say there's about 10 guns - some in the field and some in the tower".
Wing Cmdr. Gibson mentioned the "Tirpitz" as a possible target. This German battleship was later sunk, by 617 Squadron, using 6-ton "earth quake" bombs called Tallboys which were also designed by Dr. Barnes Wallis.
Feature film debut of Patrick McGoohan.
Footage used to show the bombs as they skipped on the surface of the water towards the dams was drawn from footage of the bombs being tested. The backspin placed on the bombs, which was secret at the time, gave them gyroscopic stability when skipping across the water, then held them against the dams as they sank. To conceal the backspin, the bombs in the footage were painted over frame by frame.
Scenes of indoor testing of the model bomb were shot at the National Physical Laboratory at Teddington in the tanks where the actual tests took place.
Richard Todd was an established star at the time with the right to refuse the studio's choice of directors. It was only after dinner with Michael Anderson (and their respective spouses) that the two men realized they got on quite well, and Todd approved Anderson as director.
Frank Phillips repeats in the movie his official announcement of the breach of the dams, which he had read on the BBC on May 18, 1943.
Memory of the war was still quite fresh in British minds when the movie was released in 1954. The excitement and interest generated were such that, exceptionally, the Royal Command Performance of the movie had to be repeated the following night. Frank Phillips was present and read the official announcement of the raid, as he had done on radio in 1943 and in the film.
This film was used as inspiration for the final battle scenes in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977). Gilbert Taylor, Director of Photography and Stuart Freeborn, makeup supervisor for Star Wars also worked on this film.
To avoid unwanted reflections, in numerous scenes, the actors have the lenses removed from their goggles and replaced with blank card. In the "this is bloody dangerous!" scene, it is very noticeable on the bomb aimer's goggles.
Goofs
* Factual errors: Before the raid, the Lancasters are shown being loaded with machine gun ammunition. The bullets being loaded are 50 calibre, while the Lancasters, at that time, only used .303 calibre machine guns.
* Continuity: American versions had "Trigger" dubbed for "Nigger" (the name of Gibson's dog, and one of the code words). The Morse code received in the Ops room was still "Nigger" though.
* Continuity: In US prints (see trivia entry), a Flying Fortress appears at least once in place of a Lancaster.
* Errors in geography: The train showing being derailed by the flood is running on the left-hand track. British trains do run on the left, but German ones run on the right.
* Continuity: During training flights shown early in the film when crews knew nothing about the target or weapon, Lancasters are shown carrying the bouncing bomb that was used on the actual mission.
* Errors in geography: The Castle above the Eder-Dam is shown on the southern-side of the lake. In reality, this castle is on the northern side.
* Factual errors: The system devised to get the height right was, in the film, said to have been thought of by the 617 Sqn crews following a visit to the theater. In reality it was devised by the 'boffins' at Farnborough.
* Revealing mistakes: When using actual footage of the test drops early in the movie, propellers on the planes show that the film clips were slowed down.
Filming Locations
Associated British Elstree Studios, Shenley Road, Borehamwood,Hertfordshire, England, UK
Derwent Reservoir, Peak District National Park, Derbyshire, England, UK
Howden Reservoir, Peak District National Park, Derbyshire, England, UK
Ladybower Reservoir, Peak District National Park, Derbyshire, England, UK(aerial shots)
RAF Hemswell, Hemswell, Lincolnshire, England, UK (exteriors)
The Fleet, Portland, Dorset, England, UK
Weymouth, Dorset, England, UK