second of the few
English translation: It's an allusion to....
| 21:43 Apr 4, 2004 |
| English language (monolingual) [PRO] Art/Literary - Cinema, Film, TV, Drama | |||||||
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|  Selected response from: DGK T-I United Kingdom Local time: 05:51 | ||||||
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| SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED | ||||
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| 4 +9 | It's an allusion to.... |
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peer agreement (net): +9
peer agreement (net): +9It's an allusion to.... Explanation: ...the RAF fighter pilots who defended Britain in the battle of Britain - the few: the pilots. The first - the foremost pilots, the first to die, or the first of those pilots (at the beginning). From Winston Churchill's famous wartime speech. The second - is a joke. -------------------------------------------------- Note added at 6 mins (2004-04-04 21:50:21 GMT) -------------------------------------------------- the aircraftsmen were the ground support crew, rather than the pilots... -------------------------------------------------- Note added at 8 mins (2004-04-04 21:52:06 GMT) -------------------------------------------------- the aircraftsmen were the ground support crew, rather than the pilots... -------------------------------------------------- Note added at 8 mins (2004-04-04 21:52:22 GMT) -------------------------------------------------- http://www.winstonchurchill.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3... -------------------------------------------------- Note added at 13 mins (2004-04-04 21:57:07 GMT) -------------------------------------------------- August 20, 1940 House of Commons On August 15, the crisis of the battle of Britain was reached. All the resources of Fighter Command in the South were used. The most difficult and dangerous period of the Battle of Britain was between August 24 and September 6, when the German attack was directed against the R.A.F airfields in the South of England with considerable success. In this speech Churchill coined the phrase \"The Few\" to describe the R.A.F fighter-pilots. The phrase stuck. The final sentence of this speech, including the use of the word \"benignant,\" is a good example of Churchill\'s choice of unexpected and assertive adjectives to make a phrase memorable. \"The gratitude of every home in our Island.....goes out to the British airmen who, undaunted by odds, unwearied in their constant challenge and mortal danger, are turning the tide of the World War by their prowess and b~ their devotion. Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few. All hearts go out to the fighter pilots, whose brilliant actions we see with our own eyes day after day...\" -------------------------------------------------- Note added at 17 mins (2004-04-04 22:00:56 GMT) -------------------------------------------------- based on this was the 1942 film \"the first of the few\" which Pikewill have watched, and been moved or enthused by: http://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews47949.html Although made at the height of WW2, this film is far from mere propaganda. As well as showcasing the fine acting and direction of Leslie Howard, it tells the story of a genuine hero. While the events ... -------------------------------------------------- Note added at 21 mins (2004-04-04 22:05:05 GMT) -------------------------------------------------- he is probably also joking about (or imagining himself heroically following the path of the hero of) the film of this title (he\'d be the second) against the backdrop of dramatic real events. -------------------------------------------------- Note added at 50 mins (2004-04-04 22:34:01 GMT) -------------------------------------------------- http://21st-century-home.co.uk/dvd/dvd.pl/item-B00006JY5P/sh... The First Of The Few [1942] starring: Leslie Howard, David Niven directed by: Leslie Howard Rating: **** - Far surpasses most propaganda Although made at the height of WW2, this film is far from mere propaganda. As well as showcasing the fine acting and direction of Leslie Howard, it tells the story of a genuine hero. While the events of the film are heavily fictionalised, the basic story about RJ Mitchell\'s dedication to the creation of the perfect flying machine, (and then the perfect fighter aircraft) even at the expense of his health, is entirely true. There have been many attempts to debunk the mythos surrounding the \"Battle Of Britain\" in recent years, largely as a result of social change. This film puts it back in context, as the struggle of a small group of individuals which helped win the war everyone fought. As the character Crisp (David Niven), loosely based on real-life test pilot Jeffrey Quill, says at the close of the close of the film \"They can\'t take the Spitfires Mitch, they can\'t take them...\". -------------------------------------------------- Note added at 51 mins (2004-04-04 22:34:29 GMT) -------------------------------------------------- http://21st-century-home.co.uk/dvd/dvd.pl/item-B00006JY5P/sh... The First Of The Few [1942] starring: Leslie Howard, David Niven directed by: Leslie Howard Rating: **** - Far surpasses most propaganda Although made at the height of WW2, this film is far from mere propaganda. As well as showcasing the fine acting and direction of Leslie Howard, it tells the story of a genuine hero. While the events of the film are heavily fictionalised, the basic story about RJ Mitchell\'s dedication to the creation of the perfect flying machine, (and then the perfect fighter aircraft) even at the expense of his health, is entirely true. There have been many attempts to debunk the mythos surrounding the \"Battle Of Britain\" in recent years, largely as a result of social change. This film puts it back in context, as the struggle of a small group of individuals which helped win the war everyone fought. As the character Crisp (David Niven), loosely based on real-life test pilot Jeffrey Quill, says at the close of the close of the film \"They can\'t take the Spitfires Mitch, they can\'t take them...\". -------------------------------------------------- Note added at 58 mins (2004-04-04 22:42:20 GMT) -------------------------------------------------- Pike is probably also joking about (or imagining himself heroically following the path of the hero of) the film of this title (he\'d be the second) against the backdrop of dramatic real events. (RJ Mitchell was very much the father of the Spitfire, a brilliant aircraft designer, often working despite rather than with government support)http://www.bbc.co.uk/stoke/local_heroes/g_m/mitchell.shtml -------------------------------------------------- Note added at 1 hr 31 mins (2004-04-04 23:15:05 GMT) -------------------------------------------------- Relatively little is known about RJ Mitchell, a shy man who, with no formal training in aerodynamics, created revolutionary aircraft throughout the Twenties, breaking several world speed records and winning the coveted Schneider Trophy a record three times in a row. But Mitchell preferred to remain in the background, always giving credit to others. As he started work on what was set to become his greatest creation, he was diagnosed with rectal cancer. He was just 38 years old. Working on in spite of his illness, Mitchell struggled to produce an aircraft which played a crucial role in the Battle of Britain and helped to assure the nation’s freedom. Mitchell died in 1937 - just over 12 months after Spitfire took to the skies .......more than 23,000 Spitfires were produced in the ensuing years, but their creator’s name faded into relative obscurity. -------------------------------------------------- Note added at 1 hr 51 mins (2004-04-04 23:34:34 GMT) -------------------------------------------------- an alternative way of looking at it would be that RJ Mitchell - the father of the Spitfire, but not a Battle of Britain pilot, but rather the ultimate \"ground crew\" - was (in truth) the first of the few (as above) - and as ground crew Pike imagines himself as the second (after RJ Mitchell). -------------------------------------------------- Note added at 2 hrs 22 mins (2004-04-05 00:05:55 GMT) -------------------------------------------------- (Churchill probably took his inspiration from Shakespeare - King Henry V\'s speech before the battle of Agincourt: \"We happy few, we band of brothers\".) -------------------------------------------------- Note added at 2 hrs 28 mins (2004-04-05 00:12:00 GMT) -------------------------------------------------- Shakespeare - Complete works http://www.shakespeare-literature.com/Henry_V/20.html/we few -------------------------------------------------- Note added at 10 hrs 40 mins (2004-04-05 08:23:32 GMT) -------------------------------------------------- potted synopsis in http://www.dadsarmy.cwc.net/maincharacters.htm -------------------------------------------------- Note added at 14 hrs 0 min (2004-04-05 11:43:54 GMT) -------------------------------------------------- \"Private Frank Pike (played by Ian Lavender) By far the youngest member of the newly formed platoon at 17, Frank was too young to enlist in the services, but jumped at the change of belonging to the Home Guard, much to his mother\'s displeasure. For some reason this displeasure spread to Arthur Wilson, or Uncle Arthur, as Frank would usually address him. Frank regarded the Home Guard as an extension of the scouting movement, of which he was a keen member, and at times acted as if war was a bit of a game. This outlook changed when he eventually received his call up papers, but after it was discovered that he had a rare blood group, he was unable to fulfil his ambition to be a Spitfire pilot and become one of the \'second of the few\'. Frank Pike usually ended up wet, or covered in mud during the platoons escapades, he was usually volunteered because he was the youngest, despite his protests about suffering from vertigo, croup or hay fever.\" http://www.dadsarmy.cwc.net/whatisdadsarmy.htm -------------------------------------------------- Note added at 14 hrs 2 mins (2004-04-05 11:45:58 GMT) -------------------------------------------------- a problem with translating Pikes conscious or unconscious jokes is that they are a bit silly, although he is no fool. -------------------------------------------------- Note added at 14 hrs 3 mins (2004-04-05 11:46:55 GMT) -------------------------------------------------- Pike himself will have been very serious in his yearning to be a Spitfire pilot,whether he is joking or not~ [] -------------------------------------------------- Note added at 17 hrs 25 mins (2004-04-05 15:08:37 GMT) -------------------------------------------------- (typo. \'..Pike\'s...\') |
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