The First of the Few is a 1942 British World War II film, loosely based on true events, about the life of R. J. Mitchell and the development of the Supermarine Spitfire fighter plane.
The film is directed by its star, Leslie Howard, who plays Mitchell, and co-stars David Niven.
It was released in the United States in 1943 under the title of Spitfire.
The First of the Few provides examples of:
- Binocular Shot: In Mitchell's first scene, he's lying down and watching the seagulls flying above through his binoculars. The camera then shifts to his perspective, just as his wife Diana appears in front of the binoculars.
- Composite Character: Geoffrey Crisp serves as one of these for Mitchell's various test pilots.
- Framing Device: Crisp, in 1940, retells the story of the Spitfire's development for the assembled RAF pilots. He occasionally acts as narrator to bridge Time Skips.
- Newsreel: The film opens with a 1940 newsreel summary of the war in Europe, with France conquered and Britain facing the prospect of a German invasion.
- Propaganda Machine: The opening newsreel footage is followed by a brief section of a 'Germany Calling' radio broadcast, the slogan of a Nazi propaganda station that ran throughout the war.
- Propaganda Piece: As the film was made during the war and carried a strong message in support of the allies, the British government ensured that the RAF supported it, effectively treating it as propaganda.
- Self-Deprecation: Crisp, as narrator, mentions that "it was about this time that a rather disturbing influence entered Mitchell's life", just before the reveal that the man approaching Mitchell's office is Crisp himself.
