633 SQUADRON
DIRECTED BY WALTER GRAUMAN
PRODUCED BY CECIL F. FORD/ LEWIS J. RACHMIL
MIRISCH/UNITED ARTISTS
Photo with the courtesy of Gorch
Information From IMDb
Plot Summary
633 Squadron has enjoyed an unqualified string of successes.
Their luck changes when they are assigned to bomb a German rocket fuel plant,
in Norway which is guarded by heavy anti-aircraft defences, and the plant is considered bomb-proof.
Their nearly impossible mission is further complicated by a German air raid,
the difficult approach to the target and the capture and torture
of the underground leader who is assisting the squadron.
Written by Derek R. Watts
Full Cast
Cliff Robertson ... Wing Cmdr. Roy Grant
George Chakiris ... Lt. Erik Bergman
Maria Perschy ... Hilde Bergman
Harry Andrews ... Air Vice Marshal Davis
Donald Houston ... Group Capt. Don Barrett
Michael Goodliffe ... Squadron Leader Frank Adams
John Meillon ... Flight Lt. Gillibrand
John Bonney ... Flight Lt. Scott
Angus Lennie ... Flying Officer Hoppy Hopkinson
Scott Finch ... Flying Officer Bissell (as Scot Finch)
John Church ... Flying Officer Evans
Barbara Archer ... Rosie the barmaid at Black Swan Inn
Sean Kelly ... Lt. Nigel
Julian Sherrier ... Flight Lt. Singh
Geoffrey Frederick ... Flight Lt. Frank
Suzan Farmer ... WAAF Sgt. Mary Blake / Bissell
Johnny Briggs ... Lt Jones
Edward Brayshaw ... Pilot
John Dray ... Henrik
Drewe Henley ... Thor
Peter Kriss ... Lt. Maner
Arnold Locke ... Innkeeper, Black Swan Inn
Cavan Malone ... Ericson
Richard Shaw ... Johanson
Chris Williams ... Goth
Wendy Hall ... WAF Officer in Bar (uncredited)
Ricardo Montez ... New Zealand Pilot at Casino (uncredited)
Anne Ridler ... SS Torturer (uncredited)
Anne Ridley ... Female SS Interrogator (uncredited)
Rita Tobin-Weske ... Norwegian Farmer's Wife (uncredited)
Jeremy Wagg ... Pilot Officer Reynolds (uncredited)
Katy Wild ... WAAF Officer in Bar (uncredited)
Writing Credits
James Clavell (screenplay) and
Howard Koch (screenplay)
Frederick E. Smith (novel)
Original Music
Ron Goodwin
Cinematography
Edward Scaife
Trivia
Four of the De Havilland Mosquitos seen in this film were airworthy and three could taxi on the ground. The same crash at Abindon Airfield, U.K., shot from a different angle, was used with matte painting (by 'Tommy Howard (IV)''s Special Effects team) to look like it was crashing in Norway. No shooting was done in Norway in fact. For "Norway" scenes, the mountains of Scotland were pressed into service.
The German "fighters" were actually 4-seat Messerschmitt 108 "Taifuns," painted to look like Me-109 fighters.
Cliff Robertson, an accomplished pilot, wanted to buy one of the Mosquitoes after filming had finished, as he was so impressed with the type. He was not permitted to do this but he later bought a Spitfire Mk IX which he owned until the late 1990s.
Most of the attack on the Fjord at the end of the film was done with 1/48th scale Mosquito models.
Three of the airworthy Mosquitoes used in the film were TT35 models (target tug versions of the B35 bomber). These were made to resemble FB MkVI (fighter bomber) versions by painting over the clear perspex nosecones and side windows and fitting dummy machine gun barrels. The fourth airworthy Mosquito was a T3 model with a solid nose which only required the fitting of dummy gun barrels.
The Mosquito's used in the film were RS715 Cockpit section only TJ118 Cockpit section only TV959 At Bovingdon airfield, but did not fly in film TW117 Flew in film RS709 Flew in film RS712 Flew in film TA639 Flew in film TA719 Flew in film
The 3-Barreled Anti Aircraft 'Nordenfelt Gun' is a triple mounted MG151/20 Drilling flak weapon that was also adopted by Yogoslavia as it was very versatile and had effective anti aircraft capability.
Donald Houston served in the RAF during the Second World War.
The film's opening prologue states: "This story is inspired by the exploits of the Royal Air Force and Commonwealth Mosquito air crews during World War II."
Goofs
* Anachronisms: At the beginning, as the squadron returns from a mission, a blue Land Rover can be seen in front of an airport building. Land Rover began production in 1947.
* Revealing mistakes: During the final attack, one of the Mosquitos is shot down and crashes into a rock in the fjord and explodes. Behind the explosion, the complete fuselage and tail flip unrealistically over the rock and onto the water
* Anachronisms: When the "earthquake" bombs are being pulled in single file along a lane in preparation for the raid, a modern car (1964) is seen driving past the end of the lane in the background.
* Crew or equipment visible: In the scene that show the special bombs convoy , you can see in the background two modern cars - looks like a Rover van - on the road .
* Anachronisms: Right at end of film, after the 'you cannot kill a squadron' speech, as the car drives away, there are 1960's fire tenders parked to the left of the shot.
* Revealing mistakes: The aircraft used to drop Erik Bergman over Norway is a genuine wartime B-25 Mitchell, but is wearing a silver and white color scheme typical of peacetime RAF transports and appears to have had its gun positions removed. It seems unlikely that a brightly-colored aircraft with no defensive capabilities would have been chosen for such a mission.
* Revealing mistakes: When the Germans chase the resistance men in their lorry, the Germans armored car is actually a British Alvis Saracen, first produced in 1952.
* Factual errors: The first view of enemy fighters is the 'kette' formations (only briefly seen high above) the lower of these 'stacked' kette formations are of three aircraft with noses apparently having the round cowling of Fw 190s. The attacking "enemy aircraft" were obviously the wider body Messerschmitt Bf 108 which is first very apparent in one banking to attack a Mosquito near the first of the attack. Even the vertical stabilizer shape shows it is not of a Bf 109. The Bf 108 is further confirmed by the head on view showing the sport lightplane windshields. The "gunfire" is flashing lights set into landing light positions flashing to simulate gunfire. Two persons are even visible in the 108 cabin side-by-side. There is also a center windshield divider separating the two windshield panels, not the flat bulletproof windshield of the 109. These unmistakable facts are seen in the rear-projection shot of one hitting a Mosquito "head-on" in a scene.
* Revealing mistakes: The Mosquitoes used in the movie are of the B.Mk.IX or XVI versions with bulged bomb bays to accommodate 4,000 lbs 'Cookies'. The bombardiers' clear noses were painted over and a quartet of 'machine guns' (but not the four 20mm cannon) added to make the aircraft look like FB.Mk.VIs.
Filming Locations
Aldenham, Hertfordshire, England, UK
(Three Compasses Pub - Black Swan)
Glen Coe, Highland, Scotland, UK
(Mosquitoes fly down the deep valley)
Lochgilphead, Argyll and Bute, Scotland, UK
(one of the bombing runs)
MGM British Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK
RAF Bovingdon, Bovingdon, Hertfordshire, England, UK