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Poster for The First of the Few

The First of the Few

1942 · 118 min

A sincere, old-fashioned tribute that moves slowly but lands with quiet emotional force, celebrating quiet determination and sacrifice.

Tagline
The thrilling human story behind the plane that licked the Luftwaffe!
Overview
This 1942 fictionalized biopic chronicles the true story of how two of the most remarkable men in aviation history - visionary Spitfire designer R.J. Mitchell and his test pilot Geoffrey Crisp - designed a streamlined monoplane that led to the development of the Spitfire.

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Free in the UK
  • Plex
More options Data from JustWatch
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • earneststrength 3 of 3
  • upliftingstrength 2 of 3
  • melancholicstrength 2 of 3
  • tensestrength 1 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • ambition
  • work
  • war
  • death
  • friendship
Places
  • workplace
  • countryside
Era
period
Audience
adult
Form
  • true story
  • nonlinear
Content intensity
  • Gore none
  • Language none
  • Violence mild
  • Sex none
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action3
Horror0
Humour3
Realism7
Romance2
Tension4
Darkness4
Complexity4
Emotional weight7

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Where to watch in the UK

Free
  • Plex
Rent or buy
  • Amazon Video

Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres
war, drama
Directed by
Leslie Howard
Written by
Anatole de Grunwald, Miles Malleson
Starring
Leslie Howard, David Niven, Rosamund John, Roland Culver, Anne Firth, David Horne, J.H. Roberts, Derrick De Marney
Music
William Walton, Muir Mathieson
Cinematography
Georges Périnal
Runtime
118 min
Country
United Kingdom
Languages
English, German, Italian

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