The First of the Few

The First of the Few, (known as Spitfire in the United States), is a 1942 British film, starring and directed by Leslie Howard, and co-starring David Niven. The film score was written by William Walton, the Spitfire Prelude and Fugue. It is a biography of R.J. Mitchell, the designer of the Supermarine Spitfire. The film's title refers to the words of Winston Churchill who, when speaking of the Battle of Britain aircrew said: "Never in the field o... more

The First of the Few, (known as Spitfire in the United States), is a 1942 British film, starring and directed by Leslie Howard, and co-starring David Niven. The film score was written by William Walton, the Spitfire Prelude and Fugue. It is a biography of R.J. Mitchell, the designer of the Supermarine Spitfire. The film's title refers to the words of Winston Churchill who, when speaking of the Battle of Britain aircrew said: "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few." Almost inevitably, because the film was made during the Second World War and dealt with subjects related to the war, it was effectively propaganda and consequently contained several inaccuracies: The First of the Few was a British film produced and directed by Leslie Howard, with Howard in the starring role of R.J. Mitchell. It tells the story of Mitchell's life and how he developed the design for the famous RAF fighter. David Niven plays his friend and test pilot Geoffrey Crisp, who... less