Shot in black and white by cinematographer Erwin Hillier in order to more fully integrate stock footage and give it the immediacy of a newsreel, The Dam Busters also avoided any fabricated romantic subplots for box office insurance, choosing instead to focus solely on the facts and the participants involved, all of whom were played by a first rate British cast.
The first concentrates on the development and laborious testing of the "bouncing bomb" (created by British engineer Barnes Wallis) that skipped across water, avoiding torpedo nets and creating earthquake-like damage upon detonation with dams the second section details the carefully orchestrated preparations for the mission and its execution. Taking a much more documentary-like approach, the film is divided into two sections. Unlike most of the war movies of its era, The Dam Busters was atypical in its presentation of the events. Yet, it was the bravery of the men and their heroic mission that triumphed in a British victory that strengthened the country's morale during a dark period. The toll on the British side was considerable as well of the 133 flyers who departed from the Scampton, England airbase that fateful night, only 73 returned. The resulting damage was extensive and a major blow to the German war machine forcing that nation to dedicate more resources to the defense of key installations while trying to rebuild the Ruhr dams at the same time. On May 16, 1943, the newly formed 617 Squadron under the command of Guy Gibson launched "Operation Chastise," a covert operation that attacked the Ruhr dams in Germany under the light of a full moon. but is nonetheless one of the most realistic and faithful accounts of an incident in WWII that is credited with hastening Germany's defeat in the war. The biggest box office hit of 1955 in England and honored with three BAFTA nominations for Best British Film, Best British Screenplay and Best Film from any Source, The Dam Busters (1955) is less well known in the U.S.
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