I saw this movie years before I ever saw Star Wars. One of my all time favorite soundtracks. I think I was 9 when I first saw this. Humming this theme all over the place. Loved it.
I have marched around the living room to this with my six year old daughter and two year old son. They will grow up in full knowledge of the pilots who fought and died to defend us against tyranny. God bless the Bravest of the Brave.
@@lyl9255 so what is your point ? It was composed by Ron Goodwin (no German) in the style of Prusian marches of the 19th century , which where misjuiced in the 20th century by fascists and there propaganda, so in the end it's still some nice 19th century music.
The silence is defending. I thought it was called the Luftwaffe March until and quite rightly so some old Brits complained. What are you teaching your kids?🇦🇺
I've got this on a single record that was released at the same time as the film - and on it it's called the 'Luftwaffe March' Presumably somebody later decided to re-name it 'Aces High' for some obscure reason!
@@aloysiusjones3985 My guess would be that he is talking about showing the movie in general to his kids, then they, being the young and innocent children that they were, thought this a funny tune to march to, which goes to demonstrate that educating your offspring is not difficult if you manage to hit the right snare. In other words, no nazi ideas were spread during the watching of this movie. I would do the same, maybe at a slightly later age, except I don't have children... yet
Ron Goodwin would have made a great march composer of the Old School; he clearly loved German march music which is distinctly different from British, American or French styles; he clearly had fun with his oom-pah Prussian theme in "Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines" and here, at the start of "Battle of Britain", as the Reichsmarschal inspects his mighty Luftwaffe, he gives us a splendid grand march ! If the Germans today sometimes play this music I hope they recall it was composed by a Brit !
+Nils Voelkel I agree, this march really cries out for lyrics. :) And William wright thanks for reminding me that Mr. Goodwin wrote the Flying Machines music, that theme still pops in and out of my head. :)
How very Prussian and yet how also British. I loved this theme as a kid and I enjoyed all of Goodwin's work for the film which I had to queue to see as a kid.
I was a small boy and went to see this when it first came out in 1969-I have still got the booklet you could buy when you went to see the film. The music by Ron Goodwin is as everyone agrees . fantastic. It was originally Sir William Walton who was commissioned to write the films score, but then when they heard what Ron had composed, Walton was ditched and it caused a big fuss. A compromise was reached when "Battle In The Air" which is the silent part during the dogfights towards the end of the film was kept, and rightly so. I became a pilot because of this film, still flying to this day.
Just a beauty of a march. I've loved it since hearing it in the film in 1969. It's got everything a march needs, it's rousing and sparkling and uplifting. Bravo Mr. Goodwin!
What Galland actually said to Goering was, "I should like an outfit of Spitfires in my group."e was trying to make the point to Unser Hermann that the ME-109 was not suitable for close bomber escort; that the more maneuverable Spitfire was better suited to that mission. Supposedly Goering got red in the face and came close to striking Galland for what he say as impertinence over Galland's attempt to shock him and bring him to some awareness of the Luftwaffe's problem with obeying his order about not allowing the 109s to range ahead of the bomber stream to engage the British fighters coming to intercept them.
I wouldn't say it's fictional. It was composed for the movie, but it's a real march, and has since been adopted by some units. Might be more accurate to say that it's not a historical or period march.
This piece plays once in the film (during the opening credits) showing a Luftwaffe inspection. It's composer is English (Ron Goodwin) but it is composed in 6/8 time with heavy emphasis on the oom-pah German marching style.
"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few!!" Winston Churchill was so right - and this is a great film. Britain was truly AMAZING - standing alone in 1940. Talk about a Nation's Finest Hour!!!!
I don't quite know how Ron Goodwin made this sound so quintessentially Teutonic, but it's a measure of his skill and talent that he did so and did it so brilliantly.
You know, you could just sit back and, well I don't know, enjoy the music. That's what I'm doing. This is great music from a classic movie, that is all.
Given it is called "Aces High", it is probably meant to be for All combat fliers. Used to represent the Luftwaffe respectfully. Remember, the film has Hugh Dowding saying "our young men have to shoot down their young men at 3 to 1"
The main theme of this march seems to be taken from / inspired by a part of the Badenweiler march, which was Hitler's favourite march. Check the the last third of that Badenweiler march, and you will hear the beginning of the main theme here. Aces high is a very nice march anyway, with volume and tension. I have it as MP3 on my alarm clock.
Please correct me if this is wrong, but as it was such a cracking piece of music, the German Luffwaffe have actually adopted as their Marche. And who says the Germans don't have a sense of Humour!
I marched down The Mall to Buck House for the 50th Anniversary of The Battle of Britain to this piece of amazing music. I’m half German and was serving as an instructor at RAF Halton at the time. My Dad was a chief Tech Machinist in the RAF and helped with the film. The hairs on the back of my neck prickle when I hear this. It’s so Germanic
Ab little correction to some of you: This is a piece of (wonderful) soundtrack music, made especially for the movie. The official march of the german airforce is "Fliegermarsch".
Just had to add this to my Playlist and to Facebook collection - really galvanises the spirits! Choosing any of my eight for a Desert Island will be even more of a challenge
This really sounds like a German band playing (heavy tuba emphasis) I'd love to play this in my concert band class! -congrats Germany for winning the world cup!
@Jason411115 I've always known this march as "Aces High". I marched to it at my passing out parade and I saw the film at the cinema when it was first released, and I'm pretty sure that it was referred to as "Aces High" then. Aces don't have to be RAF pilots...
The film is utterly fantastic. I don't try to be patriotic but it really does stir a sense of pride and patriotic fervour, it would teach the younger generation a thing or two about their rich heritage. However, what I was actually going to say is that it shows the fantastic contributions made by the commonwealth ( The battle would have been lost without them ) and equally our comrades in arms the Poles, Czechs, Slovakians, Belgians, French and Irish who gave their all to defend this Island.
@@THROW_A_GREEN8 I didnt realise I'd been on YT 16 years lol. Glad you agree, though, awesome tune! EDIT, if you have not watched the film... please do, it really is one of the best!
@HeartGoldMVP No, this was composed for the movie "Battle of Britain", however, the "Fliegermarsch" which was the march of the German Air Force since 1911 IIRC, is still played to this day.
AragornDK got it RIGHT! This march was written specifically for the movie BofB. They wanted it to "sound" German, but more melodic. Elements of British and Polish (I think) marches were added. When compared to other German marches, one can hear major differences.
barmybeth - I was 11 when this film came out. Loved the march ever since and thanks to youtube have "favourited it"!! Remember going with my pals to see this film umpteen times at the cinema. The aerial dogfight scenes were brilliant in it.
I love this piece; it just gives a feeling of power and grandiosity. I tell you, you could play it over a video of a steam locomotive pottering around a shunting yard, and it would sound right at home, and immensely awesome.
@Rangerpl1322 exactly. .. it's about imposing the will of one group of "thought" on another. . . i won't think twice of laying down my life for my country but it really gets you thinking... "how costly is peace?"
@LJBCRT see Prussia's Glory (on you tube) written after the Franco-Prussian war - Preußens Gloria is a well-known military march of the 19th century. Its composer was Johann Gottfried Piefke (1817-1884). I personally think Goodwin's composition more than tips a hat in that direction.
I may be wrong here, but wasn't the spitfire and hurricane superior to the ME-109 in many small, subtle ways? I agree however, radar played a huge part for us.
Vaterland darf ruhig sein! That´s the Swiss version. I´ve seen/heard it performed at a Swiss airforce"base" if a base can be a mile or more inside a complete moutain! When IS an Putin attack...turn to the best army in the World...From Basel to Lugano, From Zürich to Geneve! HOP
