Review Detail

I offered to preview this edit after suggesting some sources for period accurate logos for the opening. I personally had never seen the film before but figured I could provide a unique perspective compared to Filmflaneur (who clearly has much more history with the film); that of the literal first time viewer.

Technically things are very strong all round. Sound-wise I can only applaud the inclusion of multiple audio tracks reflecting the 2 different musical scores that were written for the film. Each composer's work is available in their entirety for those who want it but what is really special is ParanoidAndroid's custom hybrid track that cherry picks the most appropriate pieces from both composers to create the best version. I listened to this track for my viewings and found it nice and clear with no noticeable edits.

The Black and White grade looks beautiful! ParanoidAndroid has done a really great job making it look like a proper B&W film. Not just a colour one with the saturation turned down. Really lovely blacks and whites rather than just various shades of grey. I did find the dogfights a bit hard to follow the first time through this way. A by-product of the markings not being easy to read at a distance without the colour. So it was sometimes difficult to know who was shooting who. This drawback became more apparent with the final dogfight sequence when the colour briefly appeared to underscore the moment. But that was not a result of ParanoidAndroid's editing. What definitely was though, was the inspired idea to condense the opening France retreat sequence by playing snippets of the action over Olivier's initial very long walk down a corridor. A great idea! One that made the most of an opportunity to interweave 2 slow moving scenes to create more efficient storytelling. One that I feel that could have been used more throughout the film.

Having now gone back and watched the original cut I have to admit I find this film a bit maddening. It's got a very odd and unfocused structure. Scenes meander between characters and tension doesn't build towards a climax. Filmflaneur likened this to a broad portrait of a nation at war rather than a character study. And I've heard similar things from another friend who is a fan of the film. They praised the historic accuracy most of all. Not being any kind of historian myself I subscribe more to the adage that you "Never let the truth get in the way of a good story". I feel a more aggressive reshuffle of the film would be interesting. Keep some of the jettisoned "love story" bits since it feels too anemic here, remove or prune other scenes instead. Move events around and even combine separate dogfights together to streamline the story and help the pacing.

Don't get me wrong, Second Flight is a great improvement over the theatrical cut. Fans of the original will certainly get the most enjoyment from watching this edit. But since I'm not a fan, the issues inherent to the original story still hold me back from liking it more.

Best performance award goes to Michael Caine's dog. If you've seen the film you know what I mean!