[MoMo]

NZ `DAMBUSTER' GOES BACK TO UK FOR RAID ANNIVERSARY

DAMBUSTERS: New Zealander Les Munro -- the last surviving pilot from the famous British "Dambusters" bombing raid -- will be among a few invited guests tomorrow ( actually three weeks ago...I missed this one at the time ! ) when one of the last two flying Lancaster bombers will mark the 65th anniversary of the raid.

Mr Munro, 89, of Tauranga, travelled from New Zealand to attend the anniversary celebrations.


His was one of only 11 Lancasters that returned from the raid in May 1943. His Lancaster, W-Willie, was damaged by flak over Holland and turned back to England still carrying its bouncing bomb, but the New Zealander went on to win the DSO and DFC and reach the rank of squadron leader.


"It’s a great feeling to be able to come back and meet comrades from that time," he told the BBC. "It’s also been a great honour to engage in the 60th anniversary of the activities.
"It was a proud moment for me to be able to meet the Queen and I was happy to be able to show her photographs of her father greeting me in 1943."


Only a small group of people will be invited to England’s Derwent Dam -- where 617 Squadron practised before the raid -- to watch the flypast after an estimated crowd of 85,000 caused chaos on the 50th anniversary.


The squadron was formed in 1943 after warplane designer Barnes Wallis developed a bouncing bomb, designed to spin backwards at 500 revolutions per minute, skipping over torpedo nets, before detonating against the dam face.


To be effective, the bomb had to be dropped from close range and at very low altitude, and the airmen mounted angled spotlights so they could see the beams intersect on the water surface when they were at the precise height.


The bombers -- each with a crew of seven men -- made a low-level attack on the Mohne, Eder and Sorpe dams in the Ruhr Valley, which supplied Germany’s industrial production.
The raid, in full moonlight, came at a high cost as 53 aircrew were killed and another three were taken prisoner. One other New Zealander flew on the dams raid. West Coaster Len Chambers, DFC, was wireless operator on Australian Micky Martin’s Lancaster. He died in Westport in 1985.


Academy award-winning director Peter Jackson has said he is producing a $66 million remake of the classic 1954 movie The Dam Busters. He has done test shots in New Zealand of a Lancaster bomber, is building 10 replicas, and has met RAF veterans -- including Mr Munro -- from the raid.

[MoMo]

Check out this " dambusters " site :


Dambusters Weblog

[flyXwire]

Originally Posted by MoMo

Check out this " dambusters " site :


Dambusters Weblog

Thanks for the weblog, MoMo.

[MoMo]

Check out the latest buzz on the Dambuster web blog :

2008 June « Dambusters Weblog

[MoMo]

interesting Dambusters site with lots of videos...well worth a long look :

The Dambusters: June 2008

[MoMo]

While surfing for news on the movie I chanced on this report ( sniff ). Let's hope that it's not true ( sniff ). We've waited far too long for some tangible note to sound on this project!

( from " Horncastle news " today1/7/2008 )

link :

Filming to start on Dambusters remake in 2009 - Horncastle News

Filming to start on Dambusters remake in 2009







SHOOTING is likely to start early next year on a blockbuster remake of the classic 1955 Dambusters movie.
A spokesperson for Peter Jackson, the hugely successful director of the Lord of the Rings films, told a New Zealand newspaper that filming was likely to start early next year.

Plans for Mr Jackson’s film about the famous World War Two bombing raid were announced in September 2006 and it was thought shooting would start in April this year.

Mr Jackson is producing the film with Sir David Frost and the script has been written by Stephen Fry but no cast members have yet been revealed although James McAvoy has been tipped to play Wing Commander Guy Gibson.

Last year Mr Jackson, Sir David, Mr Fry and King Kong director Christian Rivers visited the area while scouting locations for the project.

[MoMo]

Meanwhile, others have posted this recently :

DAMBUSTERS FILM UPDATE


09:45 - 16 May 2008

Work on the special effects for the remake of the classic 1954 Dambusters film is now under way.

Producer Peter Jackson's team is currently working on the computer generated imagery (CGI) for the movie.

Much of it will be shot in New Zealand - Oscar-winning Jackson's home country - although some filming will take place in the UK.


Mr Jackson - who became a household name with his epic Lord of the Rings trilogy - is producing a £107m re-make with Christian Rivers in the director's chair.

The project has had to wait for Jackson to finish work on another film he is overseeing - Lovely Bones, starring Rachel Weisz and Mark Wahlberg.

But that is now complete, and casting for the Dambusters is expected to begin shortly.

The screenplay for the film is being penned by comedian and TV presenter Stephen Fry

[bsmith13]

Interesting article linked below about the attention to detail being paid by the production crew...

Moon gives light to Peter Jackson film - New Zealand's source for entertainment news, gossip & music, movie & book reviews on Stuff.co.nz

[MoMo]

Thanks for the intel BSmith13,

The ref. below confirms my worst fears! It looks as if the production has been in 'turnaround' this year, and that Jackson's attention has been diverted to other things.

Can we all wait another year, please?

Bugger!

A spokesman for Jackson said Dambusters was still in pre-production. Filming was expected to start next year.

[flyXwire]

Originally Posted by bsmith13

Interesting article linked below about the attention to detail being paid by the production crew...

Moon gives light to Peter Jackson film - New Zealand's source for entertainment news, gossip & music, movie & book reviews on Stuff.co.nz

Thanks for the link to that article, bsmith. Hats off to PJ - he's the man!