| Target for Tonight | |
|---|---|
 Pre-release theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | Harry Watt |
| Produced by | Harry Watt |
| Starring | Royal Air Force personnel |
| Edited by | S. McAllister |
| Music by | Central Band of the Royal Air Force |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | British Ministry of Information Associated British Film Distributors |
Release date |
|
Running time | 48 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | £7,000[1] |
| Box office | £100,000[1] |
Target for Tonight (or Target for To-Night) is a 1941 British World War II documentary film billed as filmed and acted by the Royal Air Force, all during wartime operations. It was directed by Harry Watt for the Crown Film Unit. The film is about the crew of a Wellington bomber taking part in a bombing mission over Nazi Germany. The film won an honorary Academy Award in 1942 as Best Documentary by the National Board of Review.[2] Despite purporting to be a documentary there are multiple indicators that it is not quite as such: film shots include studio shots taken from the exterior of the aircraft looking into the cockpit whilst "in flight"; several stilted sections of dialogue are clearly scripted; on the ground shots of bombing are done using model trains; and several actors appear (including Gordon Jackson as the young rear gunner.[3] The film does give a unique insight into the confined nature of the Wellington's interior and some of the nuances of day to day operation such as ground crew holding a blanket over the engine while it starts to regulate oxygen intake.
- ^ a b "Australia's film future lies in documentaries". The Argus. Melbourne, Victoria: National Library of Australia. 14 August 1944. p. 6. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
- ^ "Target for Tonight (1941)". BFI. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
- ^ Milton, Nicholas (31 July 2024). "Children's Propaganda Games of the Second World War: Playing and Collecting Nazi and Allied War Games". Pen and Sword History. Retrieved 18 July 2024.