This is one of those world war two films that capture every boy's sense of adventure and remains with you into adulthood. It did get a theatrical release in both the USA and o/seas.NBC screened it on TV as has many other networks both in the USA and o/seas.However like many films as they are shown around the world on TV and then on VHS and DVD, the actual running time gets shorten considerably. Once upon a time it was due to commercial breaks but when these shorten versions of the actual film start to turn up on VHS / DVD and now Blu-ray it is very frustrating for the consumer.They are paying top dollar especially in the case of Blu-Ray for an inferior product being the severely edited film. For the first time, Escape Of the Birdmen has been made available on DVD and Blu-ray however it has suffered from the above fate of severe editing or at least poor mastering.The current DVD and Blu-ray release is missing a total of 10mins of crucial footage.The first involves Doug McClure when he consults the engineer "Fitz" played by Tom Skerrit in the library about a book on engineering specifically on flying. the second scene is when the scientist character "Volda" or "Brevick" has a flashback to how his first escape plan from a top secret facility run by the Nazis fails after an attempted rescue by British Commandos.The third scene missing from the DVD / Blu-Ray release is when the blind character called "Davies" an ex British commando has a flashback to the raid on the Nazis top secret facility and how he became blind due to an exchange of gunfire during the failed raid. All three scenes are crucial to the telling of the story and especially the establishment of the relationship by chance between Brevick and Davies.If by some chance you can watch an unedited version of this film based on a true story, you will be pleased.
Review of The Birdmen
