The First of the Few
Encyclopedia
The First of the Few, known as Spitfire in the United States
, is a 1942
British film
directed by and starring Leslie Howard
as R.J. Mitchell, the designer of the Supermarine Spitfire
, alongside co-star David Niven
. The film's score was written by William Walton
("Spitfire Prelude and Fugue
"). The film's title alludes to Winston Churchill
's speech describing Battle of Britain
aircrew
: "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."
, RAF Squadron Leader Geoffrey Crisp (David Niven), the station commander of a Spitfire squadron, recounts the story of how his friend, R.J. Mitchell (Leslie Howard) designed the Spitfire fighter. His pilots listen as Crisp begins with the 1922 Schneider Trophy
competition, where Mitchell began his most important work, designing high speed aircraft. While watching seagulls with his binoculars, he envisages a new shape for aircraft in the future. Crisp, an ex-First World War pilot seeking work, captivates Mitchell with his enthusiasm and the designer promises to hire him as test pilot should his design ever go into production. Facing opposition from official sources, Mitchell succeeds in creating a series of highly successful seaplane racers, eventually winning the Schneider Trophy outright for Great Britain.
After a visit to Germany in the late 1930s and a chance meeting with leading German aircraft designer Willy Messerschmitt
, Mitchell resolves to build the fastest and deadliest fighter aircraft. Convincing Henry Royce
of Rolls-Royce
that a new engine, eventually to become the famous Rolls-Royce Merlin
is needed, Mitchell has the powerplant he requires. Faced the devastating news that he has only one year to live and battling against failing health, Mitchell dies as the first prototype Supermarine Spitfire
takes to the skies (in fact, Mitchell died over 15 months after the first flight). Crisp ends his account when the squadron is scrambled to counter a German attack, voicing a thanks to Mitchell for creating the Spitfire.
and mild-mannered. Mitchell - "the Guv'nor" - was in fact working class
and had an explosive temper; apprentices were told to watch the colour of his neck and to run if it turned red. Howard himself was well aware of these deliberate artistic discrepancies, and dealt delicately with the family and Mitchell’s colleagues; Mrs. Mitchell and her son Gordon were on the set during much of the production.
Because the film was made during the Second World War
and dealt with subjects related to the conflict, it was, in effect, propaganda
. Because of its value as propaganda, the RAF contributed Spitfire fighters for the production. US producer Samuel Goldwyn released Niven who was still under contract to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
, allowing him to appear in exchange for US distribution rights. After seeing the prints, Goldwyn was furious that Niven was cast in a secondary role and personally edited out 40 minutes before reissuing the film as Spitfire.
However, the film contains precious footage that would otherwise have been lost to posterity:
Leslie Howard's portrayal of Mitchell has a special significance since Howard was killed when the BOAC Flight 777
airliner in which he was a passenger was shot down by the Luftwaffe
one year after the film was released.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, is a 1942
1942 in film
The year 1942 in film involved some significant events, in particular the release of a film consistently rated as one of the greatest of all time, Casablanca.-Events:...
British film
Cinema of the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom has had a major influence on modern cinema. The first moving pictures developed on celluloid film were made in Hyde Park, London in 1889 by William Friese Greene, a British inventor, who patented the process in 1890. It is generally regarded that the British film industry...
directed by and starring Leslie Howard
Leslie Howard (actor)
Leslie Howard was an English stage and film actor, director, and producer. Among his best-known roles was Ashley Wilkes in Gone with the Wind and roles in Berkeley Square , Of Human Bondage , The Scarlet Pimpernel , The Petrified Forest , Pygmalion , Intermezzo , Pimpernel Smith...
as R.J. Mitchell, the designer of the Supermarine Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
, alongside co-star David Niven
David Niven
James David Graham Niven , known as David Niven, was a British actor and novelist, best known for his roles as Phileas Fogg in Around the World in 80 Days and Sir Charles Lytton, a.k.a. "the Phantom", in The Pink Panther...
. The film's score was written by William Walton
William Walton
Sir William Turner Walton OM was an English composer. During a sixty-year career, he wrote music in several classical genres and styles, from film scores to opera...
("Spitfire Prelude and Fugue
Spitfire Prelude and Fugue
William Walton composed the music for the motion picture The First of the Few in May and June of 1942. At the end of 1942 he extracted and arranged the Spitfire Prelude and Fugue.-The Music:...
"). The film's title alludes to Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
's speech describing Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
aircrew
Aircrew
Aircrew are the personnel who operate an aircraft while in flight. The composition of the crew depends on the type of aircraft as well as the purpose of the flight.-Civilian:*Aviator** Pilot-in-command** First officer** Second officer** Third officer...
: "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."
Plot
A newsreel sets the scene for summer 1940, showing Nazi advances in Europe with England facing invasion and aerial attacks on the island increasing. On 15 September 1940, during the Battle of BritainBattle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
, RAF Squadron Leader Geoffrey Crisp (David Niven), the station commander of a Spitfire squadron, recounts the story of how his friend, R.J. Mitchell (Leslie Howard) designed the Spitfire fighter. His pilots listen as Crisp begins with the 1922 Schneider Trophy
Schneider Trophy
The Coupe d'Aviation Maritime Jacques Schneider was a prize competition for seaplanes. Announced by Jacques Schneider, a financier, balloonist and aircraft enthusiast, in 1911, it offered a prize of roughly £1,000. The race was held eleven times between 1913 and 1931...
competition, where Mitchell began his most important work, designing high speed aircraft. While watching seagulls with his binoculars, he envisages a new shape for aircraft in the future. Crisp, an ex-First World War pilot seeking work, captivates Mitchell with his enthusiasm and the designer promises to hire him as test pilot should his design ever go into production. Facing opposition from official sources, Mitchell succeeds in creating a series of highly successful seaplane racers, eventually winning the Schneider Trophy outright for Great Britain.
After a visit to Germany in the late 1930s and a chance meeting with leading German aircraft designer Willy Messerschmitt
Willy Messerschmitt
Wilhelm Emil "Willy" Messerschmitt was a German aircraft designer and manufacturer. He was born in Frankfurt am Main, the son of a wine merchant...
, Mitchell resolves to build the fastest and deadliest fighter aircraft. Convincing Henry Royce
Henry Royce
Sir Frederick Henry Royce, 1st Baronet, OBE was a pioneering car manufacturer, who with Charles Stewart Rolls founded the Rolls-Royce company.-Early life:...
of Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce Limited
Rolls-Royce Limited was a renowned British car and, from 1914 on, aero-engine manufacturing company founded by Charles Stewart Rolls and Henry Royce on 15 March 1906 as the result of a partnership formed in 1904....
that a new engine, eventually to become the famous Rolls-Royce Merlin
Rolls-Royce Merlin
The Rolls-Royce Merlin is a British liquid-cooled, V-12, piston aero engine, of 27-litre capacity. Rolls-Royce Limited designed and built the engine which was initially known as the PV-12: the PV-12 became known as the Merlin following the company convention of naming its piston aero engines after...
is needed, Mitchell has the powerplant he requires. Faced the devastating news that he has only one year to live and battling against failing health, Mitchell dies as the first prototype Supermarine Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
takes to the skies (in fact, Mitchell died over 15 months after the first flight). Crisp ends his account when the squadron is scrambled to counter a German attack, voicing a thanks to Mitchell for creating the Spitfire.
Cast
Principal credited cast members (in order of on-screen credits) and roles:| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Leslie Howard Leslie Howard (actor) Leslie Howard was an English stage and film actor, director, and producer. Among his best-known roles was Ashley Wilkes in Gone with the Wind and roles in Berkeley Square , Of Human Bondage , The Scarlet Pimpernel , The Petrified Forest , Pygmalion , Intermezzo , Pimpernel Smith... |
R.J. Mitchell |
| David Niven David Niven James David Graham Niven , known as David Niven, was a British actor and novelist, best known for his roles as Phileas Fogg in Around the World in 80 Days and Sir Charles Lytton, a.k.a. "the Phantom", in The Pink Panther... |
Geoffrey Crisp |
| Rosamund John Rosamund John Rosamund John , born Nora Rosamund Jones, was an English film and stage actress.She was brought up in Tottenham and became a popular film and stage actress who was known for playing gentle mannered women. John was twice married, first to film editor Russell Lloyd, from 1943–1949, and then to the... |
Diana Mitchell |
| Roland Culver Roland Culver Roland Culver OBE was a British stage, film, and television actor.-Life and career:... |
Commander Bride |
| Anne Firth | Miss Harper |
| David Horne David Horne (actor) -Biography:British actor and playwright David Horne began his film career in the 1930s, after a distinguished early career in the theatre. He was generally seen portraying pompous, self-satisfied characters... |
Mr. Higgins |
| J.H. Roberts | Sir Robert McLean |
| Derrick De Marney Derrick De Marney Derrick De Marney was an English stage and film actor and producer, of French and Irish ancestry.-Actor:On the London stage from 1922 and films from 1928... |
Squadron Leader Jefferson |
| Rosalyn Boulter Rosalyn Boulter -Selected filmography:* Return of a Stranger * Holiday's End * A Royal Divorce * The First of the Few * The Gentle Sex * George in Civvy Street * This Man Is Mine... |
Mabel Lovesay |
| Herbert Cameron | MacPherson |
| Toni Edgar-Bruce Toni Edgar-Bruce -Selected filmography:* Tell England * Brother Alfred * The Broken Melody * Lilies of the Field * Captain Bill * Scruffy * The First of the Few * Heaven Is Round the Corner... (as Toni Edgar Bruce) |
Lady Houston |
| Gordon McLeod Gordon McLeod (actor) Gordon McLeod was an English actor, born Charles Gordon McLeod.His film appearances include Chance of a Lifetime and The Silent Passenger, but he is best known for his recurring appearance as the character Claud Eustace Teal in films such as The Saint Meets the Tiger.-Selected filmography:* A... |
Major Buchan |
| George Skillan | Henry Royce Henry Royce Sir Frederick Henry Royce, 1st Baronet, OBE was a pioneering car manufacturer, who with Charles Stewart Rolls founded the Rolls-Royce company.-Early life:... |
| Erik Freund | Willy Messerschmitt Willy Messerschmitt Wilhelm Emil "Willy" Messerschmitt was a German aircraft designer and manufacturer. He was born in Frankfurt am Main, the son of a wine merchant... |
| Fritz Wendhausen (as F.R. Wendhausen) | Von Straben |
| John Chandos John Chandos (actor) John Chandos was a British film and television actor.-Filmography:* 49th Parallel * The Next of Kin * The First of the Few... |
Krantz |
| Victor Beaumont Victor Beaumont Victor Beaumont , was an German born film and television actor.As Peter Wolff he appeared in a number of German films and at least one play... |
Von Crantz |
| Suzanne Clair | Madeleine |
| Filippo Del Giudice Filippo Del Giudice Filippo Del Giudice, , born in Trani, Italy, was an Italian film producer.In 1933 he fled fascist Italy for England and entered films four years later when, with Mario Zampi, he founded Two Cities Films.-External links:... |
Bertorelli |
| Brefni O'Rorke Brefni O'Rorke -Filmography:* The Ghost of St. Michael's * Love on the Dole * This Man Is Dangerous * Jeannie * Cottage to Let * Hatter's Castle * The Black Sheep of Whitehall... |
The Specialist |
Production
The First of the Few was a British film produced and directed by Leslie Howard, with Howard taking the starring role of R.J. Mitchell. Leslie Howard bore little resemblance to R. J. Mitchell, however, as Mitchell was a large and athletic man. Howard portrayed Mitchell as upper classUpper class
In social science, the "upper class" is the group of people at the top of a social hierarchy. Members of an upper class may have great power over the allocation of resources and governmental policy in their area.- Historical meaning :...
and mild-mannered. Mitchell - "the Guv'nor" - was in fact working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
and had an explosive temper; apprentices were told to watch the colour of his neck and to run if it turned red. Howard himself was well aware of these deliberate artistic discrepancies, and dealt delicately with the family and Mitchell’s colleagues; Mrs. Mitchell and her son Gordon were on the set during much of the production.
Because the film was made during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and dealt with subjects related to the conflict, it was, in effect, propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
. Because of its value as propaganda, the RAF contributed Spitfire fighters for the production. US producer Samuel Goldwyn released Niven who was still under contract to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
, allowing him to appear in exchange for US distribution rights. After seeing the prints, Goldwyn was furious that Niven was cast in a secondary role and personally edited out 40 minutes before reissuing the film as Spitfire.
Historical accuracy
The First of the Few contains several historical inaccuracies:- Mitchell's exact illness is not mentioned. He had rectal cancer and had a colostomyColostomyA colostomy is a surgical procedure in which a stoma is formed by drawing the healthy end of the large intestine or colon through an incision in the anterior abdominal wall and suturing it into place. This opening, in conjunction with the attached stoma appliance, provides an alternative channel...
in 1933. However the film gave many people the impression that he contracted tuberculosisTuberculosisTuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
as a consequence of an immune system weakened by overwork. - Mitchell did not work himself to death on the Spitfire. He did, however, continue to work despite the pain of his illness, tweaking and perfecting the Spitfire design up until his death. Designer Joseph SmithJoseph Smith (aircraft designer)Joseph Smith CBE was an English aircraft designer who took over as Chief Designer for Supermarine's upon the death of R. J...
had taken over the primary design work by the time of the first flight of the Spitfire prototype. - Mitchell did not visit GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and so never met Willy MesserschmittWilly MesserschmittWilhelm Emil "Willy" Messerschmitt was a German aircraft designer and manufacturer. He was born in Frankfurt am Main, the son of a wine merchant...
. The film shows that the trip convinced him to design the Spitfire. - Geoffrey Crisp is a fictional character based on an amalgam of Vickers's test pilots, Jeffrey QuillJeffrey QuillJeffrey Kindersley Quill OBE AFC FRAeS was a British Royal Air Force officer, RNVR officer and Test pilot and the second man to fly the Supermarine Spitfire after Vickers' chief test pilot, Joseph "Mutt" Summers. After succeeding Summers as Vickers' chief test pilot, Quill test-flew every mark of...
(also an RAF veteran) and "Mutt" SummersJoseph SummersCaptain Joseph "Mutt" Summers, CBE , was chief test pilot at Vickers-Armstrongs and Supermarine.During his career Summers flew numerous prototype aircraft , from the Supermarine Spitfire, to the Vickers Valiant...
. Quill actually flies a Spitfire in the film, and had tested the Spitfire in battle, shooting down three aircraft while on temporary assignment to the RAF.
However, the film contains precious footage that would otherwise have been lost to posterity:
- Film footage of the Supermarine S.4Supermarine S.4|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Aldgate, Anthony and Jeffrey Richards. Britain Can Take it: British Cinema in the Second World War. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2nd Edition. 1994. ISBN 0-7486-0508-8....
in taking off from Southampton WaterSouthampton WaterSouthampton Water is a tidal estuary north of the Solent and the Isle of Wight in England. The city of Southampton lies at its most northerly point. Along its salt marsh-fringed western shores lie the New Forest villages of Hythe and "the waterside", Dibden Bay, and the Esso oil refinery at Fawley...
, and in flight, which is now available nowhere else. The film also includes footage of many real-life Battle of Britain fighter pilots in the opening and closing scenes. RAF fighter pilots such as Tony Bartley and Brian Kingcombe (with pipe) have cameo roles in the scenes at the dispersal, and are seen discussing their flights before take off and after landing with David Niven.
Leslie Howard's portrayal of Mitchell has a special significance since Howard was killed when the BOAC Flight 777
BOAC Flight 777
BOAC Flight 777-A, a scheduled British Overseas Airways Corporation civilian airline flight on 1 June 1943 from Portela Airport in Lisbon, Portugal, to Whitchurch Airport near Bristol, United Kingdom, was attacked by eight German Junkers Ju 88s and crashed into the Bay of Biscay, killing 17 "souls...
airliner in which he was a passenger was shot down by the Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
one year after the film was released.