Review of Spitfire (2018) by Larry S — 01 Jan 2019

Highest rating for this powerful and extremely well presented documentary.

It centers on the Spitfire airplane, from its design by R.J. Mitchell and his design team at Supermarine, to its role in helping Britain's life-and-death struggle to survive the Nazis' onslaught in WW2, to its helping protect the vital military base at Malta, to its role in the D-Day invasion, and eventually its ability to combat the jet propelled German V-1 rockets.

I found the interviews with some of the surviving RAF pilots to be fascinating, often told with the typical British understatement and wit. Also, I knew little of the role female pilots played in the Air Transport Auxiliary, whereby they would perform the vital role of transporting Spitfires and Hurricanes from the factory to RAF air bases. One such pilot,Mary Ellis, flew 1,000 of these missions, and, in the film, she was nearing the age of 100 and thrilled to have a Spitfire she signed on its wing meet her on a runway with its new owner.

All in all, just an in-depth and superb doc about the Spitfire, its vital role in saving Britain, and the brave RAF pilots who flew them. By the way,75 of the planes have been preserved and remain extremely popular with the public,as they still fly in demonstrations and shows.