Armand
it is a special movie. not great, not only touching, not pure good. but special. because it remains a not very known chapter from WW II. because it change the image about a country and a people. because it presents, in inspired manner, two sides of same story - heroism and oppression, the love and the absurd of history. it is impressive for its delicate way to suggest. for the virtue to be a testimony. fragile, delicate, not comfortable but wise expression to discover the truth behind the verdicts. a courageous movie about the courage. that seems be all. and, after decades, picture from Mitteleuropa out of clichés circle. maybe, a history lesson. or only a good script and inspired actors.
Richard (richreed-1)
Absolutely one of the best aviation movies of all times on so many levels. Hardware junkies will drool over the largest single massing of flyable Spitfires outside of a Battle of Britain reenactment. No less than eight flying Spits are on hand for very accurate ground and air sequences.Those that marvel over the lore of flying and get misty-eyed reciting High Flight will identify with the central characters' reverence for the freedom of being fast, free and high in their Dark Blue World. Be warned: romantics and even dog lovers are treated to a very emotional ride in this movie. The core message is one that is shared by many war vets, in that their finest hours, their period of life when they felt most alive, was in fact during the war when everything else is sad and gray.The plot concerns Czech pilots who escape from their country when the Nazis invade and join the RAF Free Czech Squadron. There are a few subplots, all of which are worth careful attention. This is just a plain old excellent movie that even the most ardent anti-hardware romantic will love (keep the Kleenex on hand). Beautiful photography, first-rate acting, accurate details of RAF life during the Battle Of Britain. Easily a candidate for any aviation enthusiast's personal DVD collection.
norton-25
Centres on Czech WW2 pilots the older Frantisek, the boyish impulsive Karel and in the background the quiet piano-playing Honza. As the film opens, it is 1950, the war is over and Frantisek and Honza are imprisoned in a former monastery. In their now Soviet-controlled native country they are 'enemy of the people'. Honza is severely maltreated by his Communist countrymen and dies.In 1939 many pilots manage to escape German-occupied Europe and make their way to England where they join the RAF. Notwithstanding their high motivation and experience they face RAF reluctance and British stiff upper lip. Finally they fight gallantly in the Battle of Britain. However, Frantisek and Karel find their friendship severely tested when they both fall for the same woman.In terms of romantic sub-plot, this is very similar to the Hollywood production Pearl Harbour. However, given the context of the film and Frantisek's eventual fate, it is also possible to read the English woman's treatment of the two men as symbolic of British treatment of the Czech and Polish RAF pilots: conveniently forgetting them once the war is over.In addition, the film is a lot less cliché than Pearl Harbour and the characters are more fully realised. Dark Blue World also scores in terms of its stunning aerial dogfights, which were seamlessly created using a mixture of models, actual live-action aerial filming and out-takes from the 1969 epic The Battle of Britain.In short, Dark Blue World is a well-made, moving, thought-provoking and exciting drama that puts the likes of Pearl Harbour to shame. Highly recommended.
Libretio
DARK BLUE WORLD (Tmavomodrý Svet) Aspect ratio: 2.39:1 (Hawk Scope)Sound format: Dolby Digital Surround EX1939: Two Czech fighter pilots (Ondrej Vetchý and Krystof Hádek) flee the Nazi occupation of their homeland and travel to England, where they join the RAF and are torn apart by their mutual love of a lonely young woman (Tara Fitzgerald).Despite its ravishing widescreen visuals and glorious aerial combat sequences, Jan Sverák's wartime melodrama is a little too restrained for its own good, even when the two main characters become divided by Vetchý's unethical behavior. Performances are solid, but Sverák's intimate direction works against the film's epic sweep, and the result is neither one thing or another. Hádek looks like a Bel Ami porn beauty, which is a huge plus, and Charles Dance makes a brief appearance in the role of a pompous RAF commander.(Czech, German and English dialogue)
AD
