Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

The Dam Busters Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 31, 2010

Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Effects, Michael Anderson's "The Dam Busters" (1955) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Optimum Home Entertainment. The only supplemental feature on the disc is the documentary "Dambusters: 617 Squadron Remember". With optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

The Lancasters

Based on Guy Gibson's novel "Enemy Coast Ahead" and Paul Brickhill's novel, Michael Anderson's classic war film The Dam Busters is loosely divided into two halves, each telling a fascinating story. The first is about Dr. Barnes Wallace (Michael Redgrave, The Browning Version) who decides to build a bomb that can bounce on water. It takes awhile before Dr. Wallace impresses the right people with his prototypes, but eventually his work is taken seriously. Shortly after, the "bouncing bomb" becomes a reality.

The second half of the film is about the preparation and execution of Operation Chastise - a sudden air attack by RAF's, the Royal Air Force, 617 Squadron, whose goal was to destroy the vital for the German military complex Mohne dams. The key figure here is Wing Commander Guy Gibson (Richard Todd, The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men), who was in charge with the attack.

The film spends a great deal of time examining the specific challenges Dr.Wallace faced when he began developing the "bouncing bomb", as well as the obstacles Gibson's men had to overcome once they began training. Dr. Wallace, for example, had to determine the exact altitude at which the bomb was to be fired as well as the correct speed for the aircraft carrying it. On the other hand, when Gibson's men began training they did not know what their targets would be, which made them nervous and even suspicious of the entire operation.

The attack of the Mohne dams was launched on May 16, 1943. 19 bombers, divided into three groups, headed to Germany. The first group was led by Gibson, who also delivered the first strike but missed. By the morning hours, however, the Mohne dams were destroyed, though from the 19 bombers that participated in the attack only 11 survived it.

The Dam Busters is an entertaining film whose main goal obviously is to honor those who lost their lives during the attack of the Monhe dams. The actual attack is fairly short but it is notably well done (hence the Oscar nomination for Best Special Effects).

The technical analysis of the development of the "bouncing bomb" is excellent; it is neither too exigent nor too simplistic. During the second half of the film there is a slight tendency to overdramatize certain events, particularly when the Monhe dams are identified as the target, but it never evolves into a serious distraction.

Michael Redgrave is excellent as the enthusiastic scientist who dreams of making history with his invention. Some of his lines, however, occasionally come off as rather pretentious, seriously affecting the integrity of the film.

Richard Todd, who had become a star after earning a nomination for an Academy Award for his role in Vincent Sherman's The Hasty Heart (1949), is genuinely likable as Guy Gibson. His performance is nicely polished and never seriously marred by overused cliches. (Perhaps the only minor exception is the classroom speech).

*George Lucas was very impressed by The Dam Busters and apparently studied the battle scenes in the end of the film, and in in particular the footage from inside the Lancasters, when he prepared for Star Wars.

The Dam Busters Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Michael Anderson's The Dam Busters arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Optimum Home Entertainment.

This is a fairly good high-definition transfer. Fine object detail is pleasing, clarity good and contrast levels mostly stable. It is obvious, however, that meticulous restoration work has not been performed. A variety of small scratches, flecks, debris, and even a couple of small cuts could be seen popping up here and there. Edge-enhancement is not a serious issue of concern, but I noticed its presence during a couple of scenes. Additionally, minor noise corrections have been applied, though none of them are too distracting. Fine grain is noticeable but it is never consistent. Finally, aside from a few shaky frame transitions, there are no serious stability issues to report in this review. All in all, even though there are a couple of minor issues with the presentation, The Dam Busters actually looks quite good, even surprisingly fresh. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

The Dam Busters Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: English LPCM 2.0 For the record, Optimum Home Entertainment have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.

I must say that it is great to see that for this SE Blu-ray release of The Dam Busters Optimum Home Entertainment have offered optional English subtitles. They are of great help, and we hope that all of their future catalog releases will offer them as well.

The English LPCM 2.0 track is pleasing. Its dynamic amplitude is fairly limited, but the dialog is mostly stable and free of hiss and crackle. I also did not detect any disturbing pops or problematic dropouts to report in this review. During the bombings the bass does feel somewhat weak, but I believe that this is an inherited limitation. Leighton Lucas' music score sounds good.

The Dam Busters Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Dambusters: 617 Squadron Remember - a fascinating documentary about the famous attack on the Mohne dams in Germany during WW2. Max Arthur, author of "Dambusters", and war veterans who participated in the notorious attack of the German dams comment on the event, the invention of the "bouncing bomb", etc. The documentary contains an abundance of archival footage. In English, not subtitled. (57 min, PAL).

The Dam Busters Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I enjoyed Michael Anderson's The Dam Busters quite a lot. Through their partnership with French distributors Studio Canal, Optimum Home Entertainment now have access to a number of classic British films, which I hope will make it to Blu-ray. The disc herein reviewed looks and sounds good. It is, however, Region-B "locked". RECOMMENDED.