Been dabbling in WWI planes a bit. I have The Blue Max and love the reproduction aircraft. Can anyone recommend other movies with reasonably good aerial combat scenes from WWI? I'm hoping I don't have to go all the way back to those early '30s flix. Maybe something with Spads or Camels?
TIA, Frank
Best WW I movie ever - "Dawn Patrol"
Val Kraut
my dad was also of that opinion. i inheireted his vhs tapes, perhaps i should dig through the box and actually watch some of them. sadly for me, most of his tastes were not mine. never was a marlene dietrich fan.
The '30s flix are the best place to find 'em.
Try Howard Hughes' "Hell's Angels". Corny plot, wooden acting, stereotyped characters, but lots of genuine WWI aircraft (mostly Fokker D.VIIs and SE5s if I recall correctly) in some pretty well choreographed aerial combat scenes with a nifty Zeppelin "shoot-down" thrown in as an added bonus.
Extra points are awarded for correctly identifying the USAAC biplane bomber which plays the role of the German Gotha in the movie.
Oh, and Jean Harlow's too brief appearance adds a bit of genuine sex appeal to the flick. The lady was a -fox-!
Cheers,
Can't say for sure, its been more years than I care to think about, but in "Dawn Patrol", they used Martin MB-2s or Curtiss NBS-2s (essentially the same aircraft, different manufacturer) Took my folks to see it in a special re-release back in 1968 or so. My Buddeeeee..........
Which version?? The 1938 version with Flynn, Niven and Rathbone wasn't bad. The original 1932 English version has some of the corniest over acting you will ever see. It was so bad it was funny.
Bill Shuey
Nope, no points. But, my reference was misleading (bad memory!) as the aircraft wasn't ever a bomber (though it was proposed as such at one time) and it never was actually a USAAC aircraft.
Try again without my misleading references.
Cheers,
I believe it was a Keystone. There was an article on the Keystone bomber in an old issue of the American Aviation Historical Society's publication with a picture of the plane painted with German markings for the picture.
Bill Shuey
The 1938 - actually I did't know there was a 1932 version.
Val Kraut
It must have been a generational thing. Mine admired her too. Most of my dad's movies I found other homes for were Elvis pictures. He also was a big fan of musicals. If it had chorus lines, George Murphy and some female leads he probably had it. They're fun to watch but if the girls' outfits are too skimpy, Mom objects. I don't. ;)
Bill Banaszak, MFE Sr.
Sikorsky S29a, I think.
Gord>
We have a winner!
Cheers,
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