User Reviews

Love seeing the interviews with old-timers, as well as the new footage of a Lancaster flying in various historical locations. I also liked that the film highlights some of the less famous exploits along with those that caught the public eye.

There's not a ton of technical detail about the bomber, though they do cover its Manchester progenitor and how it came about.

The film covers the controversial aspects of the bombing campaign without losing sight of the realities of the time, or failing to honor the men who risked life and limb to fly the missions.

Only roughly 4 out of 10 survived the experience unscathed, making it one the most dangerous things you could do during the war.

Extremely well done. A must for any one with the slightest interest and it would benefit just about anyone.

For those who had family or friends that fought for the Allies in WWII, or for anyone who wants to understand the experience of those who did the flying and fighting, this is an amazing, wonderful, and emotionally evocative documentary. Unlike many other documentaries rife with the observations and opinions of historians, " Lancaster" is a journey through the eyes and words of the actual men and women, Allied and German, who experienced the British bombing campaign of Germany. This is no "hurrah for our side" film. The true conflict in the minds and hearts of these men, having to kill people in order to save people, is evident and still raw. From the exuberant first days of the war when RAF bomb crews took the fight from their beliguered nation to enemy soil, to the harsh and horrifying reality of the fire-bombing of Dresden, survivors on both sides recall their thoughts and experiences at the time, and also in the present, where morality confronts memory. We are invited guests, allowed the privilege of sitting alongside the aircraft crews as they expose their fears, their grief, their moral conflicts, the personal costs of war, and their ultimate submission to an understanding of why they had to fight and to win. For those who would presume to watch and to judge, the best quote (paraphrased) of the film is in the beginning from a Lancaster crew member in his late 90's: "for retrospective historians, my question is, 'were you there?' Since you weren't there, shut your mouth." Such a film is well worth the investment of time in order to touch the face of war and understand.