The Dam Busters (Blu-ray)

the film depicting the couragous raid on the 'ruhr' dams is worth '5' stars of anyone's rating.
yes the film is shown on a 4.3 screen, no the film is not a 'high defenition' transfer, yes it does have the odd scratch showing, however the picture is a 'little' sharper than the 'dvd' version., one has to remember it is filmed in 'black and white' to accommidate the 'real' pic's of the actual testing of the 'bomb's, also the special effects on this '55' year-old film are obviously 'dated'
the story tells of the struggle 'dr barnes h wallis' had in convincing both the 'military' and 'political' authorities of the time that his idea to hit at the heart of the german industial complex was a viable option.
when the plan was finaly accepted, 'wing commander' 'guy gibson' was appointed to both train the air-crews, and then lead the the mission.
the raid would be fraught with danger from both enemy-fire and the low-flying that would be needed to release the bombs on the 'dams'
it truly reflects the bravery of the men involved on the raid, in fact '8' lancaster's and there '54' crew members never returned.
'guy gibson' had been involved in many missions both before and after this event, his luck did finaly run out when his plane suffered a fuel problem flying over dutch territory 'september' 1944........he was '26' years old.
the film was a massive hit way back in 1955, and of course includes one of the best known 'music' scores of all time.
this is a great and true story, well worth owning.

This transfer to Blu Ray is terrible.The picture quality is awful and the sound is no better. There are no extras on the disc and my 42" plasma TV was unable to convert the 4.3 ratio to 16.9.

an excellent 50's war film - looks stunning on blu-ray. , shows up 50's special effects somewhat, but part of its charm. pity it isn't widescreen.. some extras would have been nice. perhaps a doc on the real events? but good value disc, heroic movie.

Pity those who say, shame it isn't widescreen, won't expand to fill my telly and appalling transfer no not of what they speak. This film was made over 55 years ago, and deliberately made in 4:3 to fit with the archive footage used in it. Expanding it out to fill the screen entirely misses the point. Do you do the same with your widescreen that leaves bars top and bottom too? As for the transfer - it's way better than many of the prints I have seen, some TV showings have been truly dreadful, this is the best version I have seen thus far. No, the sound quality isn't up to todays standards, but look again at the vintage of the film and keep it in perspective. It's perfectly suited to the understated nature of the film, no fake let's make it 5.1 with a few whizz bangs around the back remix for this. Doesn't get 5 stars, because the print could have been restored, there are some large scratches in a couple of scenes, and a full restoration job to paint out these could have been undertaken to produce the ultimate. But then again, it doesn't claim to be restored. Hugely enjoyable still, Richard Todd splendid as Gibson, and the slightly over boffined and white hair powdered Michael Redgrave as Barnes Wallace, a total joy. Go on buy it and relive your childhood Sunday afternoons on BBC 2 .... Da Daaa da Daaa da da dar daa,,,,,

I can only say that the Blu ray I have is light years ahead of the DVD copy I own. It is crystal clear and sharp.
If this version is anything to go by, the remastered version should be stunning.