Although clearly listed on the credits as one of three co-directors you have to click 'more' on the IMDb credits to find the name of Michael Powell. Surprisingly he had turned out some twenty-some films already and this was hot on the heels of The Spy In Black. Produced in 1939 and released two months after War broke out this is, inevitably, a bit of a flag-waver and does indeed at one point take a proper gander at goose-stepping Nazis. Clearly Ralph Richardson and Merle Oberon were there just for their marquee value given that the film is virtually all documentary. As the first British film completed and released in wartime it will always have a curiosity value and it does capture a Utopian England that the Blairites have all but destroyed. Nostalgia buffs will have a field day.
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writers_reign1 May 2008
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JamesHitchcock23 March 2009Made in the autumn of 1939, "The Lion Has Wings" was the first British propaganda film made after the outbreak of the Second World War. It was made in a documentary rather than a narrative style, and consists of three "chapters" with a linking story revolving around a senior RAF officer and his family. It opens with a section comparing the relaxed- easygoing lifestyle of the British people with the goose-stepping militarism of Nazi Germany, which gives the impression that the citizens of the Third Reich spent their entire lives taking part in one military parade or Nuremberg Rally after another. The second chapter recreates an actual bombing raid on German warships in the Kiel Canal and the third shows how an attack by Luftwaffe bombers is repelled by the RAF. There are also scenes inserted from an earlier film, "Fire Over England", about the defeat of the Spanish Armada. The implication, of course, is that the Nazis will be defeated, just as the Spaniards were.
Propaganda documentaries like this one may be of historic interest in the light they shed on social attitudes at the time. From a modern perspective we can see that some of the preoccupations of democracies in the thirties were not as different from those of the dictatorships as people liked to believe at the time. Some of the scenes in the film's opening section- idyllic countryside, healthy young men exercising or taking part in sport, happy children playing outside new social housing complexes provided by a benevolent government- would not have seemed out of place in a German propaganda film. Although presumably the Germans would have had to find local equivalents for such things as oasthouses and rugby matches, and it is difficult to imagine Hitler playing "Neath the Spreading Chestnut Tree" as King George VI does here.
Perhaps what most strikes a modern audience about the film is its tone of smug patriotic confidence, a confidence that was to be sorely tested in the next few months after it was made. The assumption that the British Army was at least the equal of the Wehrmacht was one that did not hold up well during the disasters of 1940. Rather surprisingly, the film makes absolutely no reference to our French allies. Perhaps that is just as well. If it had done so, it would no doubt have reassured viewers that the French Army was an invincible war machine and the Maginot Line an impregnable fortification. The assurance that the RAF, unlike the Nazis, would only bomb military, not civilian, targets must have looked very hollow several years on, especially after the destruction of cities like Dresden.
One thing the film did get right was the importance of air power in the coming war, and in this context at least its assurances were to be proved correct when the RAF did indeed defeat the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain, although preventing night-time bombing raids was to prove more difficult than is shown here. The documentary scenes of the war in the air, however, are full of errors, largely because these were put together using newsreel footage and at this stage of the war no such footage existed of German military equipment. Thus a German "bomber" is actually a civilian airliner, and the image has been reversed, which means that its tailfin bears an anti-clockwise swastika, a symbol never used by the Nazis, who always used the clockwise version. Many of the British aircraft shown are biplane fighters, which were already obsolete by 1939. If you look carefully you will notice that one of the "German" ships bombed by the RAF is actually flying the White Ensign!
My DVD of the film was one given away in a newspaper promotion as part of a series of "Great British War Films". The series did indeed include some great films, such as "Went the Day Well?", "The Dam Busters", "Forty-Ninth Parallel" and "Ice Cold in Alex", but I cannot really see that "The Lion Has Wings" merits inclusion in such distinguished company. Propaganda documentaries, especially when seen seventy years after the events they describe, are rarely as entertaining as fictional narratives. This film may have played its part in keeping up morale during the "Phoney War", but today it is of interest to historians only. 5/10 -
atlasmb27 May 2014Released in 1939 as Britain was engaging Hitler's war machine, this B&W film cannot property be called a documentary. It is a dramatized propaganda film that masquerades as a fact-based call to arms.
The film portrays Britain as an idyllic land of goodwill and happy citizens. In contrast, Germany is portrayed by shots of Nazi soldiers spurred into action by Hitler's hateful histrionics. This is not a film of unbiased observation, obviously. It is the kind of cinema that inflames the emotions and plays on the heartstrings with stirring speeches of patriotism and images of ruddy-cheeked children and self-sacrificing lovers.
Be sure to read the "Goofs" section for this film as the film does contain inaccuracies. Accuracy was not the primary concern of its makers. They wished to motivate British viewers while assuring them that Britain is prepared, just, and in the right. I wonder if viewing the film was considered a patriotic duty at the time?
This film is well worth seeing for its historic footage and as an artifact of its time. Note that--like almost all who go to war--they underestimate the duration of impending hostilities. They forecast the war in Europe to be a 3-year struggle. This is partly due to an overestimation of British power. The film assures one that British resources are superior and British craftsmanship is second to none.
The narrator, who often sounds like a broadcaster at a football match, invokes various examples from British history to create an impression of invincibility. And the film quaintly promises that British resolve will overcome the "frightfulness".
In 1939, American cinema was enjoying its greatest year. In just two years, America would be dragged into the worldwide conflict and its cinematic resources would also produce propaganda that now looks quaint, biased, and sometimes shameful. "The Lion Has Wings" was paving the way for an unfortunate chapter in cinema that can be illuminating and interesting. -
shrbw18 February 2002The Korda brothers,although expatriate Hungarians, made some of the finest British films in the thirties and forties. They managed to create films that reflected the contemporary cultural ethos (including the imperialist ethos) that the country's political establishment wanted, and it comes as no surprise that their first film after the outbreak of the Second World War should be a patriotic morale booster. Indeed, this was the first film made in Britain about the conflict that had just started.
This film was made in a great hurry, and it shows. A large part of it consists of re-used peacetime newsreel film with a special commentary. This sounds pretty dire, but some of the cutting is interesting - contrasting a Nuremburg Rally with a race meeting, and Nazi speakers with Prince Monolulu (a well known tipster)yelling "I've got a horse."
Other parts are sections from different films. Scenes from 'Fire Over England' (with Flora Robson) compares the Nazi threat with the Spanish Armada. Other footage is from a pre-war instructional film about air raid precautions, in which a mock air raid takes place.
The actors are almost superfluous, and you wonder what they are doing there. One assumes that they were thrown in as a way of appealing to the ordinary cinema audience, who might otherwise have stayed away from a totally non-fiction film.
However, it is the aviation scenes that are the main attraction. Some of them are bizarre. At this stage, there was no footage of German aircraft available, so dog fights were recreated using shots of British aircraft (including some obsolete types), and a repeated shot of a Focke Wolf airliner (!) taking off. (At least it had German markings and looked like a bomber!).
The best shots were taken at an airfield housing a Spitfire squadron. Whilst there, the film crew accidently recorded the return of a group of bombers from a raid on warships near the Kiel Canal (the first R.A.F. raid of the war, and a major headline event at the time).
Two points. Although radar had already come into use, this could not be shown. Thus, the Spitfires are scrambled on the basis of information from a spy, corroborated by sound detectors and the naked eye. And, at one point, the German bombing force are foiled by a balloon barrage! -
Cinema_Fan7 July 2008War movies, and in particular, World War II propaganda war movies do not come as blatant as this piece of English cinema. Produced by London Films with Hungarian born Alexander Korda (1893 - 1956), part director, part producer and this being his bit for the British war effort shows the world both at peace and on the verge of Nazi domination. The Lion Has Wings was to become one of the most influential and pivotal war movies to date, if one can call it "war movie".
This style, this technique is more akin to the documentary and the stiff upper-lip newsreels, an extended newsreel so to speak here, seen for so long in the English cinemas around this time. This is exactly the point of this film. To show the people of Britain, who, on the verge of their second great war, that England, its principles, its freedoms and its history, when compared and conjoined with news footage of the German armies' and the oppressive might of Hitler and his black plague slowly spreading across Europe during the nineteen thirties, was the fairer, peaceful and more tolerant nation. Seeing the English perceptive can, for a short while, also be seen as a little problematic, it in itself can seem a little too narcissist, too biased and while giving the impression of a them and us scenario, to the "other side" just may be seen as too wonderful and too modest for its own good.
One only has to listen to the narrative spoken here, and it really is un-reassuring, in parts, shown are the parallels of the German war machine being nurtured during peace time in the 1930's and the film footage of the English factories hard at work in readdressing this unbalance via the making of vast amounts of bullets, bombs and long range guns. We make these weapons of our own free will to justify this strategy is because it is "they" who are armed for the "wrong reasons". Our cause is righteous and just.
Starring Ralph Richardson (1902 - 1983) as the Royal Air Force Commander willing and ready to do his duty and nurse Merle Oberon (1911 - 1979) as his sweetheart, and both having worked with Alexander Korda on numerous occasions before, play their parts eloquently, very eloquently, the stiff-upper-lip of the English nation stands on these two enduring shoulders. Stout and proud are these two peacetime winged angels who tread on pastures new, staged and rehearsed to the point of perfection and astonishment.
This three directional film by Adrian Brunel, Brian Desmond Hurst and Michael Powell, each had their parts to play. The twelve-day shoot and two weeks of putting this work together made it impossible for one director alone. This was wartime propaganda at its zenith, the shape of things to come. Like the pulling together of these three directors, we also see the country, of all classes, pulling together to defend and defeat this plague. With its resources of weapons and modern technology fighting to withhold the might of Hitler with "good Chaps" and the brave women of England. This delivery of patronage as Merle Oberon is giving her monologue on the plight of the women and their husbands and sons of England, and don't forget, written by men, is shot up tight to her face, her spirit, her resolve and experiences shine through as the brave consciousness of a well prepared, but, only too daunting people. This is The Lion Has Wings coming into its own, pure undiluted propaganda. The Ministry of Information would be proud; this is an extremely well calculated publicity stunt for the British Colonies', her allies, her foes and beyond.
As in yesterday's methods, and looking at today's methods too, we are not too far removed from how propaganda exploits it favourite medium: from the large screen of yesteryear to the small screen in the corner of our living rooms today. The medium of cinema was a powerful tool, during The Great War of 1914 to 1918 cinemas were closed down and propaganda took other routes, but, during the 1930's and beyond and before the advent of television, the medium of cinema was to reach out to the minds of its peoples.
Soon after the release of The Lion Has Wings there were other, more successful, films of this ilk, jumping on the band-wagon with differing styles and techniques, films such as The Life and Death Of Colonel Blimp (1943), 49th Parallel (1941) and the stunning Ealing Studios great Went the Day Well (1942) were to play their part for freedoms and morality. On the other hand, too, there are just as great propaganda films from the dark side of Nationalism: Joseph Goebbels's Nazi Cinema; With soundtracks of note such as Titanic (1943), S.A.-Mann Brand (1933) and also from 1933 Hitlerjunge Quex. Some to enlighten, some to dictate, some to frighten, but all to propel a message of fervour in some shape and form and depending on which side of the fence you may sit, the rest are just historical films of propaganda from "the other side".
The effect of The Lion Has Wings on the British war machine was slight, though crude but effective propaganda cinema, spliced together to form both newsreel and acting, it set the standard. With World War 2 gone, the Cold War had too come then disbanded, and then during the eighties and nineties, we had the demise of the Eastern Bloc and the division of Yugoslavia. All this had great consequence that shaped the European Union once more, these were the events and their opportunities for the propaganda machine to keep itself in perpetual motion, and having left its mark for all to see. Finally, and rightly so, leaving the last word to the now defunct Belgrade underground radio station RADIO B92, with its passing epitaph: "Trust no one - not even us - but keep the faith " -
AlsExGal1 February 2023...from United Artists, producer Alexander Korda, and directors Michael Powell, Brian Desmond Hurst, & Adrian Brunel. After a short introduction on peacetime British life, the film gives a Cliff Notes breakdown on the lead-up to Great Britain's entry into WW2. Then there are two lengthy sections, one dealing with British RAF bombing runs over Germany, and the other detailing British defenses against German air raids. This is all interspersed with fictional vignettes meant to illustrate the effect on citizens' lives, with Ralph Richardson and Merle Oberon as the "typical English couple". Also featuring June Duprez, Robert Douglas, Anthony Bushell, Brian Worth, Bernard Miles, Torin Thatcher, and Flora Robson as Queen Elizabeth I.
This was hastily put together by Korda, with less than a month between the idea for the movie and it's release to cinemas. That speed shows in a jumbled, scattershot narrative, heavy on the patriotic rhetoric but light on any other aspect. The bits with Richardson and Oberon are the most useless, although their presence added to the movie's appeal at the time, I'm sure. Powell directed the bombing run section, and it seems like a trial run for his later One of Our Aircraft is Missing. The footage of Robson as Queen Elizabeth is lifted from Korda's Fire Over England. -
chrisart726 August 2008One can understand why Alexander Korda and his entourage interrupted their work on the marvellous fantasy film "Thief of Bagdad" to construct this patriotic, morale-boosting quickie, "The Lion Has Wings." It's somewhat amusing to see the lovely June Duprez still with her 'vulcan' pointed eyebrows (to make her look more exotic for her princess role in "Thief of Bagdad"). Ralph Richardson and several other officers from "The Four Feathers" are also on hand here, but in then-contemporary uniforms. This is not an 'art' film by any stretch, but it fulfills its purpose and is certainly of interest to anyone who has seen the other two films (aforementioned) as a minor footnote.
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Ike52427 January 2021Eighty years after the fact, it seems rather obvious propaganda, but necessary in its day. I'm sure that it built confidence and 'rallied the troops'.
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blanche-212 March 2016I really wasn't expecting to see a documentary when I saw the names Merle Oberon and Ralph Richardson, but a documentary it was. "The Lion Has Wings" is a propaganda film produced by Alexander Korda, showing the world as the Nazis begin to take over Europe.
If you know about England at this time in history, and I do, you perhaps won't be as interested in this as others.
The British really wanted to fight, but they were afraid that America wouldn't join them, and they really didn't know how they could stave off the Germans without the U.S.
Whether they could withstand the Germans or not, the Brits wanted to show that they were ready to fight.
Some interesting actual footage. Oberon and Richardson were just there to get people into the theaters. This is pretty dry stuff, although back then, a film of this type was important for morale. -
jcaruso-9041412 March 2016While this movie is certainly a propaganda piece, Britain was most assuredly NOT "beaten down" and "cowering in their cellars". As I recall they won the Battle of Britain alone that very year of 1940. In fact, at the time , they were the only ones standing up to the Nazis. Visit the Museum of London and the section where you get to relive the Blitz. As we all know, the Nazis were ultimately defeated by the Red Army; the United states and the British Empire only helped relieve the pressure by attacking in the west, bombing their cities and winning the war against the U-boats. This movie was just about the same as all the other propaganda films made by all sides during the war.
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jread-55 January 2021This movie was made in September, 1939 shortly after the opening of hostilities in World War II. The producer/director Alexander Korda wanted to show that Britain was well-prepared to resist whatever Hitler was going to throw at her. In reality, after a raid by Wellington bombers on the German base at Kiel as shown in the movie, things did not go well for England.
In the movie, the Battle of Britain comprised attacks by a strange assortment of German cargo planes (Ju-52 and Focke-Wulf Kondors) and British light bombers (Fairey Battles) which were easily defeated by the Spitfires of the RAF. The film's British defense also included barrage balloons, searchlights, and FLAK, and a Fighter Command control room populated by male operators.
Naturally, there is no mention of the Chain Home radar system that was actually an essential component of the defense, as England desperately needed to keep that secret. The actual Fighter Command control room with the big map was mainly operated by women, as young men were needed elsewhere.
In reality, the Battle of Britain during the Spring and Summer of 1940 was a much more desperate affair. Although the Germans were never able to gain air superiority over the Channel, the supply of pilots for the RAF was rapidly reaching criticality. The movie "The Battle of Britain" of 1969 is a more accurate account.
The Blitz, the Germans' attempt at terror bombing after they lost the Battle of Britain, killed 40,000 civilians. This was an outcome not predicted in "The Lion Has Wings." -
ouzman-19 September 2018This is the film that asked a tired people to brace themselves. This is the film that convinced Churchill to use the might of film production to convince a nation to go, "once more unto the breach."
This is a hastily arranged film aimed at a market desperate to believe that a failing empire could still garner the resolve to batten down its hatches and take a further round of European conflict in its stride.
For sure it appears a ring rusty, awkward film at times. It is creaking at the seams but it is there to show a nation's resolve -without completely showing its hand; (RADAR) is missing in action (obviously) but this was WAR, its ghastliness, expecting fortitude from a war weary population on its home front, and its expectation form such a populace when duty calls a nation to arms.
The dog fight, overseen by a listening Richardson before returning to the comfy bosom of his wife, foretells the battle of Britain, spooky - Heir Hitler clearly didn't take note!
Old fashioned at times but this was film of its time -insofar that its expected film watchers would include many about to lose their own lives and bracing a nations youth to fight against the Nazi war machine. Oberon's appeal to a nation's mothers, about to lose their children, is appalling in its content -yet is moving and worthy of my giving the film a full ten. The film, conveniently, illustrates the British humour, with a tired shift working Richardson falling asleep whilst Oberon makes her appeal!
This film changed a nations resolve, it really was that important a film. Watch it and wonder if we have that ability within ourselves and our factories today? Put yourself in the minds of the millions that stopped a war machine in its tracks, alone for almost two bloody years, whilst the rest of the free world held its breath... -
I found the stock footage of this semi-plotted documentary of life in England and other parts of war-torn Europe in 1939 to be fascinating, whether showing daily activities of the common man or public speeches and public appearances. King George VI, Queen Elizabeth, princesses Elizabeth (the future queen) and Margaret and other assorted British political and public figures of the time are spotted, with the royal family doing an amusing hand dance where the narrator says that the more you do it, the more difficult it is. Then, there's footage of Hitler, some shots of weapons being prepared for battle and a view of what's going on in wartime factories in preparation as well.
I caught the British print of this film, narrated through the commanding voice of E. V. H. Emmett (with Lowell Thomas doing the narration for the American release), and was far more interested in the documentary being shown rather than newly filmed dramatic footage featuring Ralph Richardson, Merle Oberon and June Duprez. The propaganda division of the British film community can only reveal so many truths so this only tells part of the story, and it does so well even though the agenda is clear. It's a lot to take in with just 75 minutes of running time. The Korda Brothers rushed this out as a necessity, and it shows but that doesn't diminish its importance. -
If you want a good history lesson, I would advise you to ignore this documentary. This is because it was hastily thrown together and abounds with half-truths, outright lies and oversimplifications. And, considering all the good documentaries about WWII, you'd be better off looking for one of them!
"The Lion Has Wings" was indeed hastily tossed together at the beginning of WWII. For the most part, it consists of stock footage, heavy-handed narration and a bit of new footage. It DID succeed in selling a lot of tickets and helped get the British public behind the war effort--so it was effective propaganda.
One of the main problems I had with the film was how they talked about how evil the Nazis were in wanting to dominate the world and how they were anti-freedom. This seemed funny coming from the largest empire in the world in 1939...the British empire! The British had, over the previous 200-300 years done exactly this! It simply ignored history. Now I am NOT saying the British empire and Nazi empires were identical....but neither was exactly pro-freedom.
But the problem wasn't just this. Too often, the narration is just bad....and illogical. It was at its best when it showed a chronology of Hitler's speeches where he SAID he was for peace...and his actions and words in "Mein Kampf" said otherwise. But often it sounded more like name calling and hyperbole...and the film is not good as a documentary but as a window into the soul of Britain in 1939 and its way to presenting the war to its people. -
lorenellroy27 October 2004This is by no means a good movie but it does have substantial curiosity value being the first British movie to be wholly completed after the start of the Second World War .It was completed in 5 weeks and released to cinemas in November 1939 . Costing just £ 30,000 it was financed by its producer ,the renowned Alexander Korda , cashing in his life insurance policy and is a flag waving slice of patriotism aimed at stiffening British resolve in the early days of the war .It was shot in 12 days and is a curious hybrid of a picture .
It opens with an illustrated lecture ,delivered by the newsreel commentator ,E V H Emmett charting the rise of Nazism and contrasting the militaristic stance of Germany with the more sporting and pacifist pursuits of the British .This is simple stuff but true -and those morons carping at action in Iraq would be well advised to study this period of history to learn (always assuming their blinkered minds are capable of learning ) what appeasement leads to .
It makes copious use of footage from the Elizabethan themed Fire Over England ,with Flora Robson as Queen Bess rallying the troops before they sailed out to deal with the Spanish Armada . Its main theme is the contrast between militarism and the virtues it deems England stands for -virtues articulated by Merle Oberon in a scene with Ralph Richardson " We must keep our land ,darling ..we must keep our freedom .We must fight for the things we believe in ...Truth and Beauty ..and Kindness "
One especially compelling piece of documentary footage contrasts the bombastic Nuremeberg rallies with shots of the shy and diffident King George at a Boy Scout rally singing "Under the Spreading Chestnut Tree"
The staged scenes of the attack on the Kiel canal are a bit phoney but overall the movie does a neat job of pointing out the contrast between militarism and democracy
The emphasis is too socially restricted with scenes of English life being confined to suburbia and the landed gentry but as a social document this has value .As a movie drama it is negligible -
richard-178730 January 2023Given that this was evidently thrown together in five weeks, it's pretty good - for what it is, a piece of pure propaganda designed to make the English believe that they would be safe from German air attack in the forthcoming war. (Of course, the English would soon learn that that was an optimistic non-truth.)
Much of this is comprised of newsreel footage and what I gather was air force training film. It reviews how HItler moved from 1933 to the invasion of Poland in 1939. It presents a remarkably positive view of Chamberlain's efforts to avoid war, one that history has not preserved.
The last part is a simulation of how the British might easily fight off a German air attack with calm courage and superior modern technology. We watch as they repulse three waves of attack. That gets rather tedious, especially since we know that is not how things would work out in reality.
The brief acting scenes in between all of this are pretty flat.
The highlight is Merle Oberon's concluding speech, out in a park, about everything that England stands for and why the English will fight to preserve it. That's very stirring.
Although I imagine it was less stirring for the tens of millions of inhabitants of the British colonies who did not enjoy the freedom that England is presented as embodying.
Even at 80 minutes this was too long for me. It's a historical curiosity, but nothing more.
I imagine it was withdrawn from circulation and hidden once the German air raids began. -
SnoopyStyle15 January 2021During its initial release, Britain has gone to war but it's still a few months before Dunkirk. This is a British propaganda film explaining the cause of WWII. This is a presentation of Britain's casus belli. Britain is a peaceful country while the militant Germans impose their will upon Europe. I can do without the actors and the war machinery at the beginning is mostly obsolete. They do get into the factories to see the manufacturing and that's pretty interesting. The war action is a mix of real footage and recreations but is mostly fine. It tries to tie in the ongoing war with historical conflict and that's not necessary. The propagandists are probably throwing everything including the kitchen sink at this thing. Quite frankly, it's too long by half. This needs to be a patriotic thirty to forty five minutes. They need to get people in and get them out riled up. This is a little long and probably leaves its audience a little tired.
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Was funny watching this movie .It is so full of crap.Anyone who knows anything about WWII knows the Brits got beat down by the German blitz.But by watching this movie they make it seem like the RAF repealed every attack the Germans threw at them.When in reality history records a far different story such as the Brits hiding in there basements while there cities are being destroyed and buildings left burning.I would of loved to seen how they would portray the American revaluation.They would probably have Gen Washington surrendering after 1 day.This move was one of the worst propaganda films i have ever seen and i have seen some Nazi films of the same era.
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jimjo121624 May 2015I rate THE LION HAS WINGS (1939) a 7/10 on the strength of the fascinating documentary footage that makes up much of the first half of the film. (The scenes involving the actors are considerably less fascinating.)
THE LION HAS WINGS is a British propaganda film that seeks to stir up support for the war effort by appealing to a sense of British pride, with particular focus on Britain's air supremacy in its war with Germany.
The early portion of the film uses documentary footage to paint a picture of idyllic British life, in sharp contrast to the military state being run by Adolf Hitler. Hitler, surrounded by a sea of guards, is contrasted with Great Britain's King George VI, who walks openly among his people. The film succeeds in demonizing Hitler as an unscrupulous leader with an outdated hunger for conquest. The film even makes use of archival footage of one of Hitler's early speeches as it drives home the point that he's broken lots of promises by annexing neighboring lands. Excerpts are highlighted from "Mein Kampf" outlining the true ambitions of a man who does not want peace (at least until Germany rules Europe).
The movie is very interesting from a historical standpoint. It covers recent events in world history and also offers a look at British society in the 1930s, touching upon things like sports and recreation, hospital care, and housing improvements. There's footage from an air show, demonstrating the talents of British flyers, as well as some really cool looks at airplane and ammunition manufacture and the "balloon barrage" defense against air strikes. In addition to the archival footage of Hitler and King George VI, we get to hear British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain's radio address informing the British people that war is declared. With the narrator guiding you along, the movie is quite educational.
The actors take over around the halfway point and the film becomes more of a dramatization of bombing raids abroad and the RAF's defense of the homeland. This may have been just the thing to arouse patriotism at the time, but it's rather hum-drum now. These dangerous and exciting missions have been brought to life much better in other films.
The main players are Ralph Richardson and the always lovely Merle Oberon, as a young couple who answer the call when their country needs them. What story is there is no great shakes, but it serves its purpose within the film. There are others in the cast, though most of the parts are minor. Flora Robson has a cameo as Queen Elizabeth I in a scene about England's defense against the Spanish Armada (a scene borrowed from the 1937 film FIRE OVER ENGLAND).
THE LION HAS WINGS ties England's proud naval heritage with Britain's more recent mastery of flight, comparing the ace pilots of the RAF with Sir Francis Drake and the other great English seamen. And the film makes it very clear that Great Britain had no choice but to go to war with Hitler's Germany, after repeated offenses on the continent and no effort to discuss a peaceful settlement. As the narrator puts it, the British people prefer to win sports matches, but they can win wars, too, if they must. It's also stressed that the highly skilled airmen of the RAF bomb only strategic military targets, not cities full of innocent civilians (another dig at the evil dictator).
Released at a time when Great Britain had just entered what would become World War II, THE LION HAS WINGS makes sure the British people know what they're fighting for and appeals to their nationalistic pride to win support for what may have been, at the time, an unpopular war.