Finest Hour: The Battle of Britain

Although it's been told numerous times in books and videos, the story of Britain's courageous solitary struggle against the Nazi war machine's relentless air raids during the summer and fall of 1940 still holds a fascination that cannot be denied. Combining personal recollections, historical newsreel photography, and superb reenactments, the PBS-aired Finest Hour traces the chain of events that were initiated on July 16, 1940, when Hitler issued a directive to draw up a plan for the invasion of Great Britain, through the decline in the Luftwaffe's bombing offensive by late spring of 1941. In addition to the "public" face of the war, the documentary goes behind-the-scenes to examine several key developments in Churchill's attempts to woo Roosevelt into committing U.S. troops to Britain's defense in the face of American isolationism (ambassador Joseph Kennedy held that it was just a matter of time before the Germans would be marching through Trafalgar Square). Ably narrated by Will Lyman, filmmaker Nick Read's 3-hour plus treatment offers an in-depth look at Churchill and the British people's unwavering stance during England's darkest days of WWII. Definitely recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (J. Carlson)