It's a 47-minute documentary about the planning and execution of an air raid by RAF bombers on an oil dump in Germany. The performers are, we are told, the actual personnel who carry out such operations. We watch the slow beginning, as personnel go through their daily routines, maps are examined, checks are performed and the crews selected and briefed. It's not until halfway through that the planes take off, and if you're looking for it, another seven minutes before the cutting rate increases. Up until then, it's a steady 10-15 seconds between edits. At the 30-minute mark, the cutting rates increase; after a couple of minutes, each shot lasts three or four seconds. After the raid, the edits slow down, but the tension is maintained by moving shots.
It's directed by Harry Watts, who co-directed the landmark NIGHT MAIL for the GPO, and did uncredited work on LONDON CAN TAKE IT! Alfred Hitchcock did uncredited editing on it, and it shows a master's hand, punctuating the action with cuts, moving shots and sound effects. Everyone is calm throughout, the British doing-your-job attitude very much in evidence throughout. It's never flashy, but it's enormously effective.
It's directed by Harry Watts, who co-directed the landmark NIGHT MAIL for the GPO, and did uncredited work on LONDON CAN TAKE IT! Alfred Hitchcock did uncredited editing on it, and it shows a master's hand, punctuating the action with cuts, moving shots and sound effects. Everyone is calm throughout, the British doing-your-job attitude very much in evidence throughout. It's never flashy, but it's enormously effective.