633 Squadron (1964)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Walter Grauman

Writers:

James Clavell (screenplay) and
Howard Koch (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

April 1964 (UK)

Genre:

War | Drama

Plot:

An RAF squadron is assigned to knock out a German rocket fuel factory in Norway,, which is part of the Nazi effort to lauch rockets on England during D-day, by flying up a well-defended fjord at low level.

Plot Keywords:

Squadron | Norway | Torture | Telegraph | Skittles

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

Also Known As:

Squadron 633

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English | German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System) | Stereo

Certification:

UK:PG (video rating) | New Zealand:G | UK:A (original rating) | Argentina:16 | Australia:G | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16

Filming Locations:

Aldenham, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

Mirisch Corporation, The

Trivia:

Donald Houston served in the RAF during the Second World War.

Goofs:

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

Quotes:

Air Vice Marshal Davis: [message to Wing Cmdr. Grant] Linge destroyed. Enemy anti-aircraft intact. You have permission to abort.
Wing Cmdr. Roy Grant: Hoppy?
Flying Officer Hoppy Hopkinson: Abort.
Wing Cmdr. Roy Grant: Blue Leader to all sections. Enemy anti-aircraft intact. Keep your eyes open. We're going in.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The 100 Greatest War Films (2005) (TV)

Great Movie

I read that Cliff Robertson became very enamouredred of flying during the movie and bought a Spitfire, not a Mosquito. He was a very active pilot. He also put a lot of effort into ensuring that pilots that flew for movies were recognized and (in the 1990s ?) made sure that when a movie pilot died "Hollywood" was represented at his funeral.

I doubt that he flew his own plane in the movie, but I do not actually know. At least post 1980 (the movie was released in 1964), the movie's insurers would probably not have approved of the star flying a plane, and the plane's insurer's would probably not have approved of an actor flying the plane.

I was a child when this movie was released; I loved it. I was already mad about flying, the movie reinforced that. I became a pilot. During my brief involvement in movies I met several people who had been crewmembers on "633 Squadron."