“At its heart it’s a story of how ordinary young men found the courage and resilience to take to the air, night after night, to strike at the heart of the enemy.”
LANCASTER, a 2002 documentary tells the story of the iconic Second World War bomber, through the words of the last surviving veterans who flew them.
From the acclaimed filmmakers David Fairhead and Anthony Palmer, Lancaster tells of the young men who joined the RAF Bomber Command and would go on to fly the legendary four-engine warbird on some of the most harrowing missions of the Second World War.
Archival footage and emotional first-hand accounts paint a vivid picture of courage, loss, friendship and deep moral conflict as Lancaster crews look back on their role in the deadly war in the night skies over Europe – from the famous Dambuster raids and firestorms of Hamburg to the still-controversial bombing of Dresden.
Woven throughout the film’s one-hour-and-50-minute runtime are some stunning visuals of Britain’s last surviving Lancaster bomber in flight.
MHN recently caught up with Fairhead and Palmer to ask them about the film. Here’s what they told us.
Q: Who will be interested in this movie?
Everyone we hope! We’ve tried to make a film that appeals to audiences beyond just aviation enthusiasts, although of course it does go into a lot of detail about the Strategic Bombing Campaign and the role of the Lancaster within that. At its heart it’s a story of how ordinary young men found the courage and resilience to take to the air, night after night, to strike at the heart of the enemy. We also tell the stories of women who served in the RAF in support roles, and a German woman, who as a schoolgirl, witnessed the bombing of Dresden. Those characters are all now in their late 90s, so it’s a film that deals with memories and emotions as much as it does with aircraft. We hope these stories resonate with a wide range of people, male and female, young and old.
Q: Why do you think the Avro Lancaster remains such an enduring (and dare we say beloved) symbol of the Second World War?
The ‘Lanc’ (as it was known to its crews), was the vehicle for taking the war back to the enemy at a time when Britain had just survived the Blitz, so it represented hope at an uncertain time in history. It was not the only British four-engine bomber, but without doubt it was the best. So as an icon of that bombing campaign – along with the B-17 – it represents the effort and sacrifice it took to defeat Nazi Germany. Of course, people today are aware of the devastation wrought by all of these aircraft on German cities, and I think that there’s definitely a recognition that civilians suffered in the struggle to win that war.
In addition, there are only two Lancasters still flying today – one in the UK, operated by the Royal Air Force and the other in Hamilton, Ontario. To see one fly today is still rare, so the aircraft is without doubt beloved by airshow audiences.
Q: Lancaster seems to be a film based on an iconic warplane, but the story you’re actually telling is an intensely moving one about people. How did this come together?
Just as with our previous film ‘Spitfire’, we realized that this was a story about people – the aeroplane serves as the vehicle for their stories. But with ‘Lancaster’, we were of course dealing with a crew of seven, not just one pilot. This meant that we could put the stories together from multiple viewpoints – as a sort of mosaic. Amazingly we were able to interview 38 veterans, which was nothing short of a miracle, not just because of their age, but because all but one was achieved before Covid struck. Using contacts around the world, we were also able to interview veterans in Canada, Australia and New Zealand, which allowed us to record the Commonwealth’s contribution to Bomber Command.
Q: The movie blends archival wartime footage and some stunning visuals of the only surviving British Lancaster. How did you capture these eye-popping sequences?
We made the film with pretty much the same crew that worked on ‘Spitfire’, and this meant working with Seattle-based Brit John Dibbs again. In a break between Covid lockdowns, he came over to the UK and we were able to film with the RAF’s Lanc, as it wasn’t flying any airshows that year. We discussed the shots we’d like to see, Dibbsy threw in a few of his own and that’s how the air-to-air shoot came about. The RAF crew were very keen to show their Lanc off, and I think those results can be seen on screen. Of course, they weren’t able to fly at night, so we had to colour the images to create that night-time look.
Q: Where can people see Lancaster?
It’s now playing in select theatres and is available on digital and cable video on demand. You can watch it HERE.
LAST CHANCE to win in 1 of 5 digital copies of LANCASTER, a powerful 2022 documentary about the legendary warbird and the air crews of RAF Bomber Command who flew them.
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LANCASTER is available to stream on Oct 14.
See: https://t.co/w2PhPFNTrb pic.twitter.com/r40zmoLXzu
— Military History Now (@MilHistNow) October 13, 2022
My father flew lancs,and he told me some stuff others wouldn’t dream of! Verified by other members of his crew whom I met.
Already got it, on dvd,superb, my father flew with 50 squadron, and pa474 is marked in the film as 50 squadron, my father actually did a mission int lancaster so means a lot to me