The Dam Busters

1955

Directed By

Michael Anderson

Synopsis

Regarded as a British classic, The Dam Busters is directed by Michael Anderson (Logan’s Run, Around the World in 80 Days). Based on the legendary true story of Commander Guy Gibson and his squadron, The Dam Busters captures all the thrilling action and suspense of the magnificent exploits of a group of young pilots and their crews, charged with taking out the supposedly impenetrable Ruhr river dams of Germany with an ingeniously designed bouncing bomb.

Starring Richard Todd (The Hasty Heart, A Man Called Peter) as Gibson and Sir Michael Redgrave (Dead Of Night, The Browning Version) as scientist and engineer Dr Barnes Wallis, the film also immortalised composer Eric Coates’s masterpiece, The Dam Busters March.

The impact of The Dam Busters on modern filmmakers spans the decades: director George Lucas hired the film’s special effects photographer Gilbert Taylor to work his magic on the original Star Wars; and The Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson has long been attached to a remake, based around a screenplay by actor/writer Stephen Fry.

Cast
Richard Todd, Michael Redgrave
Other Credits

Music By Eric Coates

Release Date
4 June 2018
extras
  • New The Making of The Dam Busters
  • Restoration Featurette
  • 617 Squadron Remembers
  • The Dam Busters Reunion (1955)
  • The Dam Busters Royal Premiere
  • Footage of the Bomb Tests
  • Sir Barnes Wallis (1972) Documentary
  • Behind the Scenes Stills Gallery
Restoration Details

For the 2018 restoration of The Dam Busters, STUDIOCANAL went back to the original 1954 camera negative and sound negative. The camera negative was scanned at 4K resolution in 16bit and the ACES workflow was applied to the restoration process which resulted in the creation of a 4K DCP, UHD version and a new HD version which were produced with the same high technological standards as today’s biggest international film releases.

Pressbook

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