Douglas Bader 1910-1982
It's sad that folks on my side of the Atlantic pond don't know about Douglas Bader and the inspirational figure that he is. Talk about overcoming handicaps, the challenge he met would have defeated most any other person.Kenneth More was at his career height in the British cinema when he played Bader in the biographical picture Reach For The Sky. We meet Bader first as a brash young recruit in the Royal Air Force who thinks he's going to teach the pros about flying. A nasty crackup by a reckless Bader leaves him with both legs amputated.
But that's not going to keep Bader from a career in the Royal Air Force. The crash took place in the middle 30s giving him just enough time to mend and train to become a squadron commander in the RAF with more than his kills in the sky of the Luftwaffe before he was shot down over occupied France and made a prisoner for four years.
Wikipedia paints a slightly different of a far more earthy Bader, one that would be known for his salty language which the British cinema even without the Hollywood Code would be loath to show. Probably if Reach For The Sky was made today with someone like Russell Crowe in the lead we'd get Bader warts and all.
Even laundered Reach For The Sky is a fine tribute to one who would be a hero in any country. The United Kingdom was lucky to have Douglas Bader answer his country's call in their finest hour.
score 8/10
bkoganbing 8 September 2015
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw3312691/35047
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