When Hitler Invaded Britain (2004) (TV)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Steven Clarke

Writer:

Steven Clarke (writer)

Release Date:

4 July 2004 (UK)

Genre:

Drama | Documentary | War

Plot:

Dramatised documentary that uses personal diaries and accounts written at the time to reconstruct Germany's "Operation Sealion" plans in 1940 to invade Britain and Britain's plans to defend itself against the invasion. |

Plot Keywords:

Reenactment

Cast

Charles Dance	...	Narrator (voice)
Malcolm Terris	...	General Sir Edmund Ironside
Kate Gartside	...	Margery Allingham, novellist
Nicholas Jones	...	General Alan Brooke
Clifford Rose	...	Admiral Erich Raeder
Vincent Marzello	...	US Ambassador Joseph Kennedy
Malcolm Tierney	...	General Franz Halder
Benedict Taylor	...	SS General Reinhard Heydrich
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Susan Brown	...	Clara Milburn, housewife
Andy Clark	...	Phillip "Pip" Allingham
Iain Potter	...	British Intelligence Officer
Douglas Reith	...	BBC Announcer
Alexander Richardson	...	Boy Scout / Hitler Youth
Jill Richardson	...	Civilian
Simon Spencer-Hyde	...	Frank Reeve

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Company:

Granada Television

Poor history, badly researched, too many reconstructions

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

To many alternate history buffs it would seem inevitable for TV shows about Operation Sealion airing. Channel Five just pulled it off with Hitlers Britain (see my other review) but this horrid ITV adaption was just painful to watch. The program was badly researched, the only mention of the British invasion defence's was a brief, downplaying of the defences of the South Coast of England, the program suggested that it was futile for Britain to defend itself. There was no mention of the plan to withdraw the RAF to the North of Britain if things got worse for them. Important defence organisations like the Home Guard or the Auxiliary Units were only given about two minutes worth of time! The program also for some reason seemed to accept that the German invasion plan would go according to plan and nothing could stop it! Also the most criminal thing left out by the program was the Royal Navy which as the Sandhurst War Game showed would have played a crucial role in destroying the German invasion fleet and supply fleet. Very shoddy research indeed. Now I come to the reconstructions. Nicholas Jones and Clifford Rose were very good in their parts as General(later Field Marshal) Alan Brooke and Admiral Raeder, respectively. But the other actors were god awful. Especially the actor who played Heydrich, he included the worst German accent I had ever heard and even included the dreaded "vers" and "vots", makes me cringe thinking about it! Also why do documentaries need to show reconstructions. Reconstructions are good is to show tactics, the situation and get the feel of something, and they must be well acted out. Some docu-dramas are good at this like "Ten Days To D-Day" or "The Somme". But for this program whats wrong with the actual archive film of the British and the German invasion preparation photographs and archive photographs? Overall you are better trying to look out for Hitlers Britain than this badly researched garbage.