Dark Blue World (2001)
Lt. Franta Slama is a top pilot in the Czech Air Force who is assigned to train a promising young flier, Karel Vojtisek, and they soon become friends. When Nazi Germany invades Czechoslovakia in 1939, they both reject the authority of their new leaders and escape to England where they join other Czech exiles in the RAF. While flying a mission over England, Karel crash lands and happens upon the farmhouse of Susan, a young woman whose husband is in the Navy. Karel soon falls head over heels for Susan but, while they enjoy a brief fling, in time Susan decides she prefers the company of the older and more worldly Franta. As Franta and Karel struggle to maintain their friendship despite their romantic rivalry.
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To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.
This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.
This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.
Blistering performances.
Calling this movie a hidden gem is nothing close to reality. I thought Dark Blue World was just an average movie with a quite weak storyline. For a war movie, and in this case about aviation, the air battles were pretty boring, certainly not spectacular like they should have been if you wanted a great movie. The romantic part of the story was also not very appealing to watch. Add on that the lack of information on how one of the main characters got caught and got in prison and you get an average war movie. Lately I saw much better war movies that deserve a good rating because they're just way better than this one. I think about Anthropoid, The Brest Fortress, Dunkirk, Allied, Kajaki, all those war movies are you could say hidden gems for some. Watch those instead of Dark Blue World.
I read tedg's review & wondered why he missed the central message of this wonderful film? Persecuted men helped another country to fight the persecutors by doing the very dangerous task of flying fighter aircraft. At the end of hostilities they go home & are persecuted by their post-war government. In the telling we see them under stress, much relieved by alcohol & why not? & responding to a few women, plus the Spitfires & beautifully filmed aerial warfare. This is the sort of things they did!! Models & radio controlled ones too, had me fooled. This is a superb film about very very brave men. You will not see better & the huge plus is, it's not Hollywood.
This movie is a disappointment. The Czech pilots here are all depicted as if they were not in the War- They behave like it is just a kind of game. Kind of a summer camp or so. Running around, drinking, singing... some shooting time to time... And the actors- I understand why all the British actors have this look like- "I beg your pardon?" Apart from Ondrej Vetchy (Slama)you just have to really use your imagination to understand why they did this or that. And the ending- I really did not find the way they showed communist prison accurate. I just feel sad because it dishonests the real war pilots. Those who went abroad and joined the free world in battle against evil. This movie just can not decide if it is parody or drama. I know that the Sverak tandem can do better films, so why did they make a bad version of "Vesnicko ma strediskova?"
A beautiful film, cleverly shot with an eye to war-era detail, and (considering it is set during WWII) minimal violence.A small cast weaves an emotive journey through the occupation of Czechoslovakia, the separation from loved ones as the pilots depart for England (the separation from the spaniel will touch hearts), spitfire scenes, love, friendship and betrayal. The theme of betrayal runs deep through the movie, from betrayal of love, to betrayal of friendship, and finally the betrayal shown by the communist regime to former RAF pilots post-war.A desperately sad film, all the more so because it is so factually accurate. I would recommend it to everyone.