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Hurricane (2018 film)
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Wikipedia article
'Hurricane' (a.k.a. 'Hurricane: 303 Squadron' and ' in Poland and 'Mission of Honor' in the United States) is a 2018 biographical war film drama, produced by Krystian Kozlowski and Matthew Whyte, directed by David Blair, and written by Alastair Galbraith and Robert Ryan. The film stars Iwan Rheon, with Milo Gibson, Stefanie Martini, Marcin Dorociski, Krytof Hdek and Christopher Jaciow in supporting roles. 'Hurricane' depicts the experiences of a group of Polish pilots of No. 303 Squadron RAF ( 303) in the Battle of Britain in the Second World War. The film had its premiere in Warsaw, Poland on 17 August 2018. It was released in the UK on the 7 September 2018.
The movie debuted at almost exactly the same time as the Polish production '303 Squadron: The True Story,' often leading to confusion between two films, especially in Poland.
Plot
The pilots of No. 303 Squadron RAF, are a group of Polish fliers who have escaped from Europe, following the Nazi invasions of Poland and France, to join the Royal Air Force. Czech Josef Frantiek, refusing to become a bomber pilot, invites himself into the newly formed unit. Canadian RAF pilot John Kent, who became affectionately known as "Kentowski", has his work cut out for him when he is handed the angry and often maligned squadron to command. Piloting Hawker Hurricane fighter aircraft, 303 Squadron works through language barriers, cultural differences and their grief on the loss of loved ones to become highly effective in the Battle of Britain. At the conclusion, the Polish pilots are told that they will be repatriated to communist Poland.
Cast
* Iwan Rheon as Jan Zumbach
* Milo Gibson as John A. Kent
* Stefanie Martini as Phyllis Lambert
* Krytof Hdek as Josef Frantiek
* Marcin Dorociski as Witold Urbanowicz
* Christopher Jaciow as Zdzisaw Henneberg
* Nicholas Farrell as Sir Hugh Dowding
* Robert Portal as Keith Park
* Teresa Mahoney as McCormac
Zygmunt Klein was the factual Jewish pilot portrayed in the film talking to Zumbach by the coach in the scene overlooking the sea at Broadstairs.
Production
The script is not a historical depiction of all events. One news item provided this comment after researching the content of the film and the actual history: "the film attempted to stick close to fact, but the needs of dramatic action often swayed the plot into fictitious and occasionally unrealistic narratives". In late 2017 and early 2018 some scenes were shot on the Kent coast at Stone Bay and Victoria Gardens in Broadstairs.
Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film (as 'Mission of Honor') has an approval rating of based on reviews from critics, with an average rating of .
The review in 'The Guardian' was mixed, with a 3/5 star rating. Leslie Felperin made this concluding comment: "The lack of budget, relative to Dunkirk at least, is glaring in the aerial dogfights, and the score is too maudlin and on the nose, but director David Blair navigates the whole thing through the storm with watchable competence".
Home Media
'Mission of Honor' was released April 30, 2019, by Cinedigm on Region A Bluray, DVD, and streaming video.
References
Further reading
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/stories-45516556 Josef Frantisek: The Battle of Britain's Czech hero]* 'Fighting Back' by Martin Sugarman, 2017 pub by Valentine Mitchell - chapter on Jews in the Battle of Britain; details on Zygmunt Klein
* Olson, Lynne and Stanley Cloud. 'A Question of Honor: the Kociuszko Squadron in World War II.' New York: Random House, 2003. .
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