Product Description

This six-episode historical dramatization begins in September 1940, when Britain stood alone against Hitler. Four Cambridge boys have joined the Royal Air Force and are now ready to participate in the battle of the skies. The story of Hugh Fleming is painted with bold strokes of eminent danger, fledgling romance, startling betrayals and unprecedented courage. A Perfect Hero is a monumental tribute to the human spirit’s ability to overcome all adversity.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #19504 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-02-24
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2

Customer Reviews

A seldom seen aspect of World War II Britain.
A Perfect Hero is the story of an RAF pilot who makes the mistake of not wearing his mask his plane catches on fire during aerial combat. In many aircraft of this period, the fuel tank was right in front of the pilot making fire a constant threat.

The pilot somehow survives and ends up in the care of a plastic surgeon who attempts to repair the worst aspects of what the fire left for him to work with. While he is under treatment, the perfect hero is shown to be less than perfect. His relations with women are a key point that stay with him from his university days through the end of the program.

The cast is excellent as are the settings. The make-up is tremendously effective not just for the principle actor but for all the other wounded pilots under treatment with him. It is highly realistic.

The emotional content of those wounded is also brought to the forefront. Some pilots feel that a destroyed face is all that they are required to give and can't wait to leave the service. Others want to go back up and try again.

Civilian war work is shown. It shows that no one was wasted in wartime Great Britain. If you couldn't fight you could somehow suppport the war effort, it just remained for the labor exchange to find you the right place.

I recommend this series to all those with an interest in military history and the impact of war on all people, because there is more to A Perfect Hero than heroism.

Spectacularly Accurate & Vivid Portrayal
"A Perfect Hero" is a spectacularly accurate and vivid portrayal of the lives of many of the men who fought and died during the Battle of Britain. Specifically, the series captures in the character of young pilot officer Hugh Fleming the cavalier and flamboyant attitude towards life, love and the war that many Spitfire and Hurricane pilots had at that time in the war. It is only after the experience of being shot down in flames during a brief engagement with the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain, with the event leaving him badly & painfully burned and horribly disfigured, that Hugh Fleming figuratively and literally rises from the ashes to become not only a man of character, compassion, wisdom and vision but also "A Perfect Hero" in the eyes of his King, his country, his family and the woman who truly loves him.

But there is more here than the courage of one fighter pilot who has been written off by his lowly fiancee', his unit and his friends. There is the extraordinary courage of those in the medical profession, who at the time of the Battle and throughout WWII, were the leading pioneers in the treatment wounds caused by horrific burns. They, to, went beyond treatment and sought to repair not only the shattered bodies of those persons terribly burned and crippled by fire, but lead the way in physical and psychological therapy, which enabled many "Heros", both men and women, to rebuild and repair their shattered lives.

Many people today are unaware of just how dangerous it was to be a Spitfire pilot. Although the Spitfire's designer (Mitchell) was a revolutionary aeronautical genius, the Spitfire was not without flaws. Chiefly, the fuel tank was located right in front of the cockpit, and a well placed hit from enemy aircraft or ground fire could render the Spitfire as nothing more than an inferno.

"A Perfect Hero" is a must see for anyone who is interested not only in the depictions and stories of heroic comebacks, but also for those who are inspired by the courage of man to fulfill his potential regardless of any setback. It is, quite literally, the most inspirational portrayal of man at his worst and at his best every portrayed in an event (the Battle of Britain), whose outcome saved all of mankind.

A Perfect Hero is A Perfect War Series
We saw this series when it was broadcast on PBS and absolutely loved it. The characters are fantastically written and acted; the writing is superb and the theme song "Bells of Hell" is wonderful--for sometime we even had it playing on our answering machine. This video set is definitely worth purchasing.