"Allied bombers fly to Germany to blow up dams clearly made out of papier mache and all filmed on fast film so that when played back at normal speed it looks semi-realistic. It's a disgrace! I want the money I paid for the newspaper in which this movie was given away free back."

"Nice theme tune, shame about the dog's name."

"Ah, the silence of command. The tension as they wait for news of the bombings at Allied command is breathtaking. Never has a leading character declined a so richly deserved cup of tea."

"So if I skim a stone and it hits a German in the legs they will fall over and die? Hmmm... Interesting idea for summer break."

"It is said that the dialogue at the beginning of the raid is the same as the dialogue they used when approaching the Death Star in the first Star Wars movie."

"Of course, they make films like this today. However more money would not add one jot to the suspense. The blowing up of the dam could do with some modern CGI magic granted, but that aside this movie is pretty much perfect."

After four failed attempts our hero's blow up the first dam, and then move on to the second, which is also holed.

The aim of the mission was to flood the ammunitions manufacturing factories in Germany during the Second World War.

The success of the mission is marred by 54 Allied casualties.

A veritable cornucopia of black and white tension that you can probably cut with a knife if you weren't so ensconced in the moment of torment. A stupendous encapsulation of wartime triumph and 54 victim tragedy.

A heady adventure filled with daring do, excellent acting, believable administrational problems with the authorities, and ultimately a pleasing, wet, outcome.

A perfect Sunday afternoon movie, with only one little warning that in the original the dog was named an offensive word which would probably be replaced in any television screening of the movie today.

Always somewhere in the top 100 best war films of all time and deserves to be there for a long time to come.

The theme music will stay with your forever, and is especially useful in your singing-armoury if you are an England football supporter and you are playing Germany. A war movie not to miss.