Editing The Dam Busters (film) (section)

==Development==
Director [[Howard Hawks]] had wanted to make a film about the raid and had hired [[Roald Dahl]] to write the script. Bomber Command and Barnes Wallis were reluctant to reveal secrets to a Hollywood studio and the script was disliked by them. 

By the late 1940s, rumours were that Hollywood were developing a project on the Dam Busters raid and Sir Michael Balcon was in discussion to make a film of the raid with [[Ealing Studios]]; neither project came to fruition. 

Following the success of the 1951 book ''The Dam Busters'' (a RAF-approved history of 617 Squadron), [[Robert Clark (film executive)|Robert Clark]] the head of production at [[Associated British Picture Corporation]] (ABPC) approached its author Paul Brickhill about acquiring the [[film rights]] as a vehicle for [[Richard Todd]]. (Todd says this was suggested by Felix Gotfurt, an executive at Associated British.)<ref>{{cite book|first=Richard|last=Todd|title=In camera : an autobiography continued|year=1989|publisher=Hutchinson|url=https://archive.org/details/incameraautobiog0000rich/page/11/mode/1up?|page=11}}</ref> The company's production manager was, however, of the opinion that, due to its numerous personnel and raids, it would not be able to film the book in its entirety. As a result, Clark requested that Brickhill provide a film treatment which described his vision for the film. Brickhill agreed to do it without payment in the hope of selling the film rights. To assist him, Clark teamed him up with [[Walter C. Mycroft|Walter Mycroft]] who was the company's director of production.<ref>Dando-Collins. p. 237.</ref> Brickhill decided to concentrate the film treatment on Operation Chastise and ignore the later raids. The film also took inspiration from the account ''Enemy Coast Ahead'' by Guy Gibson.

After the Air Ministry agreed to make available four Lancaster bombers at a cheap price which helped make the production viable, Associated British decided to proceed with the film and agreed with Brickhill on the film rights in December 1952 for what is believed to have been £5,000.<ref>Dando-Collins. p. 241.</ref> After considering [[C. S. Forester|C.S. Forester]], [[Terence Rattigan]], as well as [[Emlyn Williams]] and [[Leslie Arliss]], [[R. C. Sherriff]] was selected as the screenwriter with planned August delivery of the screenplay.<ref>Dando-Collins. p. 243.</ref> Sherriff agreed with Brickhill's opinion that the film needed to concentrate on Operation Chastise and exclude the later operations covered in the book.

In preparation for writing the script, Sherriff met with Barnes Wallis at his home, later returning accompanied by Brickhill, Walter Mycroft and production supervisor W.A. "Bill" Whittaker on 22 March 1952 to witness Wallis demonstrating his original home experiment. To Wallis's embarrassment he couldn't get it to work, no matter how many times he tried.<ref>Dando-Collins. p. 245.</ref>

Just prior to the film's scheduled release, Guy Gibson's widow Eve took legal action to prevent it, and Brickhill and Clark were mired in months of wrangling with her until references to her husband's book ''Enemy Coast Ahead'' were included.

Real-life participants advised Anderson on the events; the RAF gave their blessing to the production, and Group Captain Charles Whitworth became technical advisor and gave Anderson all the support he needed. Barnes Wallis read the script too and gave his full approval, wanting to ensure the film was as accurate as possible. Anderson cast actors who resembled their real-life counterparts. Richard Todd had a striking physical resemblance to Guy Gibson. Makeup was used to make Michael Redgrave resemble Barnes Wallis.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqMwNMb-R9Q | title=THE MAKING OF THE DAM BUSTERS &#124; Documentary | website=[[YouTube]] | date=9 July 2020 }}</ref> Baker stated that he was chosen for the part due to his physical similarity to Maltby.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Collin |first1=Robbie |date=8 October 2011 |title=George Baker: the man who might have been James Bond |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|location=London |issn=0307-1235 |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/8815701/George-Baker-the-man-who-might-have-been-James-Bond.html |access-date=16 September 2021 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125122507/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/8815701/George-Baker-the-man-who-might-have-been-James-Bond.html |archive-date=25 January 2021}}</ref>