THE PLOT THUS FAR
Whittle – The Jet Pioneer reveals the titanic struggle of a young aviator and engineer as the Nazis took Europe into total war. It was a race for air superiority between Germany and the Allies. Ultimately the young inventor became one of the most influential Britons of the 20th century with an invention that changed the face of our planet.
WHAT WE THOUGHT
“Whittle: The Jet Pioneer” is an amazing documentary about one of World War II’s unsung heroes. The jet engine redesigned aerial conflict from bulky bombers and bi-planes to sleek feats of engineering. Rather than being slowly moving targets in the air, the jet changed the landscape of the war. More importantly, it redesigned air travel for decades to come and it helped to smooth out a lot of kinks with the Cold War. The planet became smaller and the global economy was a little more realized.
Sir Frank Whittle is an interesting figure that doesn’t get that much attention in historical jaunts. While he was a British hero that ended his life in America, there was a lot that happened in between these milestones. Whittle was eventually knighted, but he didn’t get the cut that he deserved. Jet travel redesigned commercial air flight and transportation. There’s the fact that jets helped to win World War II, but the decades that followed created trade that depended on the strength of jets. Can’t the man get a thanks at least?
The DVD comes with material that felt like it was cut from the final product. The A/V Quality is pretty strong, but it lacks any HD punch-up. The Dolby track provides for a decent surround stage, while it’s mainly saved for archival footage and interviews. What else do you expect from a documentary? In the end, I’d recommend a purchase to the curious.
RELEASE DATE: 10/02/2012
