Whittle - The Jet Pioneer

Totally Compelling - even if you know nothing about aviation
I watched the TV version of this on History Channel with my kids. We were all totally absorbed with the epic story of Whittle and his underfunded team's battle to get a jet fighter into the air before the Nazis did during WWII. There's a lot more to it than just that, but it really drove the urgency under which this amazing engineering feat was accomplished. Frank Whittle should be a household name for the way that his invention changed the way we travel around the world. Maybe this film will put that right. Highly Recommended.

Jet fuel for the doc fan...
I had the opportunity to see this film while in the U.K. at a friend's home. He's a military history enthusiast. I enjoy docs so...

"Whittle" is an extremely well told story that captures the attention because it covers a multitude of subjects and is layered in a way to keep the pace moving. At the core of the film is the story of an ingenious man who against the odds invented something that truly changed how we perceive the world. So layer #1 is a tale of man's ingenuity. Atop this is the military history that the story plays out against, and the film does so in a way that is uncommon. Many military docs follow the same production format: archive footage coupled with dry narration. In this case, while there is a plethora of archival film, it's not the material you have seen before, and it is well dispersed within the telling of the bigger story. That said, there is no shortage of military history in Whittle so enthusiasts of the genre will certainly find a full plate to...

The story of a man before his time
Frank Whittle was a great man, before his time. He came up with a brilliant idea years before anyone else was able to appreciate it, He was was consistently frustrated and obstructed by bureaucrats but he kept going and in the end delivered the jet engine for the allies. He did so much of this out of a sense of duty that it is therefore shameful the way that his invention was then stolen from him by those same bureaucratic machinations.

For the aviation enthusiast this DVD provides a very watchable biography of Sir Frank Whittle. I had read the book Jet by John Golley, which is a biography of Sir Frank, before seeing the DVD. There was no contradiction between the two and I found it made the DVD better to have read the book first. There are very intersting interviews with Sir Frank Whottle that are part of the documentary. I would definitely recommend this DVD for the aviation enthusiast.

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