Will "The Dam Busters" ever make it to DVD? (1 Viewer)

[Jim Robbins]

I love this old British movie about the attack on the German Dams in WWII. Is it available perhaps in the UK?

 

[PhilipG]

Terrific movie. Up high on my want list.
Not out on DVD. :frowning:

 

[Rachael B]

There was a thread on this board in the past year saying that it was coming out. If you've seen the British comedy EAST IS EAST, there's a reference to DAMBUSTERS in it. The family is out on a drive from London to some smaller town and driving past a lake. They chit chat about the lake being the one used in the filming of DAMBUSTERS. Anyway, I want DAMBUSTERS on DVD too! Best wishes!

 

[Douglas Bailey]

The longest sustained reference to The Dam Busters, though, comes in Pink Floyd The Wall, which has the older film running throughout. I've actually seen more of The Dam Busters in The Wall than I have on its own: I've only ever caught little bits of it on telly.

But I'd love to see it come out: it'd be great to have it alongside my copy of the original book (which is well worth the read, incidentally).

Who owns the rights to the film?

doug

 

[Peter M Fitzgerald]

Way back on October 11, 2000, when HTF had its second online chat with Anchor Bay representative Michael Felsher, he ended the chat with a ton of upcoming DVD titles ("upcoming" meaning within the next few years). Among the title announcements was THE DAM BUSTERS ! No word on when they expect to release it, and it hasn't been included on Anchor Bay's lengthy "In the Future" list at their website, so I'm guessing that it's in the works for 2003 or 2004, if they still hold the rights.
Other British war films announced for release by Anchor Bay in that chat included:
THE COLDITZ STORY
THE WOODEN HORSE
SPITFIRE
THE LONG AND THE SHORT AND THE TALL
I WAS MONTY'S DOUBLE
ICE COLD IN ALEX
WENT THE DAY WELL
AGAINST THE WIND
ODETTE
Also announced in the very first Anchor Bay chat (held a couple of months earlier, on July 26, 2000):
THE CRUEL SEA
THE SHIP THAT DIED OF SHAME
I sure hope these films, particularly THE DAM BUSTERS, ICE COLD IN ALEX and THE COLDITZ STORY, are still in the works from Anchor Bay.

 

[Duncan Harvey]

Wonder if they will censor the soundtrack for the name Guy Gibson calls his dog!

an unfortunate example of 1940s sensibilities...

 

[LisaH]

Has there been any recent word on the Dambusters? It's my Dad's all time favourite film and I would love to be able to get it for him here in the U.S.

 

[Richard Kim]

The longest sustained reference to The Dam Busters, though, comes in Pink Floyd The Wall, which has the older film running throughout. I've actually seen more of The Dam Busters in The Wall than I have on its own: I've only ever caught little bits of it on telly.

Let's not forget that the Death Star battle in Star Wars: A New Hope was influenced by The Dam Busters.

 

[Stevie O]

I'd buy it in a shot - another one would be "633 Squadron" (da da da da da da da-daaaa - come on now you know the words)

A squadron of De Havilland Mosquito fighter bombers try and destroy a German heavy water facility by bombing the mountain above it and causing a landslide - TOP STUFF!

 

[Dick]

Anchor Bay may well release DAM BUSTERS, as it was an Ealing Film, and they seem to have made a deal to release Ealing titles, beginning with the Alec Guinness series, SMALLEST SHOW ON EARTH and (coming soon) DEAD OF NIGHT.

 

[Richard Hardbattle]

Check out the link below:

It IS availble in this excellent box set.

Contains:

The Dambusters

Ice Cold In Alec

The Cruel Sea

The Colitdz Story

All are OAR btw....

Great, great set!!

Rich

 

[Dick]

What link would that be, Richard?

 

[Richard Hardbattle]

Sorry folks - the link is below:
http://www.playserver3.com/play247.a...arch&adudisc=y
British War Collection Box Set (4 Discs)
special features | review | technical details
our price: £31.99 Delivered
availability: In stock.
Usually dispatched within 24 hours.
RRP: £39.99 You save: £8.00 (20%)
R2 - Will only play on European Region 2 or multi-region DVD players.
Special Features
Interactive menu
Scene access
Theatrical Trailer
Review
Ice Cold In Alex (1958): 1.66:1 Widescreen / Dolby Digital (1.0) Mono / Theatrical Trailer
A tense, engrossing adventure set in the 1942 Libyan war zone in the hot Western Desert. A British ambulance officer (John Mills) escapes the siege in Tobruk and tries desperately to get his passengers to safety in Alexandria, where he dreams he will have the luxury of an 'ice cold' glass of beer. His passengers include a stranded hospital nurse, a Sergeant-Major and a stray South African Officer, trying to return to his unit. Despite saving the group from the Germans, something is not quite right about the last passenger. As he begins to undermine the group's stamina using psychological tactics, the British officer begins to suspect he might be a German spy...
The Colditz Story (1955): 1.33:1 Fullscreen / Dolby Digital (1.0) Mono / Theatrical Trailer
One German maximum security prison was more famous than any other during World War II - Colditz Castle in Saxony. Although Colditz was considered escape proof, its boundaries were challenged many times by Allied prisoners of war with fatal results. On 15 October 1942, a group of British servicemen made the most historic and perhaps courageous attempt of all...
The Cruel Sea (1955): 1.33:1 Fullscreen / Dolby Digital (1.0) Mono / Theatrical Trailer
Jack Hawkins, Donald Sinden, Denholm Elliott and Virginia McKenna star in a powerful and moving documentary-style account of life on board a British warship during World War 11. Directed by Charles Frend, it is the courageous story of the Battle of the Atlantic – a story of an ocean, a ship and a handful of men. The brave crew are the heroes. The heroine is the ship. The only villian is the sea – The Cruel Sea – that man, and war, have made even more brutal...
The Dam Busters (1954): 1.33:1 Fullscreen / Dolby Digital (1.0) Mono / Theatrical Trailer
Dr. Barnes Wallis (Michael Redgrave) was possessed with a seemingly crazy idea - the creation of the bouncing bomb, designed to destroy the Ruhr dams and paralyse the enemy's industrial nerve centre. He fought persistent scepticism and disbelief that such a feat was possible.
Through the matchless skill, determination and courage of R.A.F. Wing Commander Guy Gibson (Richard Todd) and his squadron, the mission succeeded. From today's perspective, the concept can only be described as one of brilliant inspiration.
Thrilling action and riveting suspense are combined in the true-life drama of this heroic exploit, heightened with actual newsreels of the legendary raid.