Best & Worst Mil Aviation Film and Why
A cracking thread!
In no particular order..
Best:
The Hunters - Robert Wagner in pre "Hart to Hart" days!
Battle of Britain - We'll never see that many REAL aircraft in a movie again
SAC - The moment when Dutch is shown the B-47, you can see the Homer Simpson struggle going on in his head between wife & "mistress"!
12 O'Clock High - We've all worked for Frank Savages....
The Way to the Stars - Just perfect...
Worst:
Wings of the Apache - Oh dear....
Pearl Harbour - Alec Baldwin as Mitchell? Just no!
ANY Iron Eagle Movie
In no particular order..
Best:
The Hunters - Robert Wagner in pre "Hart to Hart" days!
Battle of Britain - We'll never see that many REAL aircraft in a movie again
SAC - The moment when Dutch is shown the B-47, you can see the Homer Simpson struggle going on in his head between wife & "mistress"!
12 O'Clock High - We've all worked for Frank Savages....
The Way to the Stars - Just perfect...
Worst:
Wings of the Apache - Oh dear....
Pearl Harbour - Alec Baldwin as Mitchell? Just no!
ANY Iron Eagle Movie
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Although not strictly totally aviation, there is a lot of flying sequences in A Bridge Too Far. Stellar cast too. The bit right at the start with the Dutch lad pedaling down the lane who spots the Tigers hiding in the bushes. In the background, out of the haze, a PR Spit drops down and howls past. Click click, a quick 180 and he's out again, with the Dutch lads enthusiastic waving returned with a quick wing waggle.
Gets me every time.
And the Hispanos shooting up the Hurricanes French FOB at the start of BoB - how ferkin low is that?!
Pearl Harbour
Gets me every time.And the Hispanos shooting up the Hurricanes French FOB at the start of BoB - how ferkin low is that?!
Pearl Harbour
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FILMS
Some of my favourites are:
BAT 21, even though it bears very little resemblance to the true events of that story.
STRATEGIC AIR COMMAND, poor story, not overly well acted, but truly stunning aircraft involved.
DR STRANGELOVE, just a cult classic film, and with one of the most realistic battle scenes of any film IMHO*. Also a very well travelled B52 crew, if you consider the navigator was the voice of Darth Vader in star wars.
* I consider the battle scene where the army attack the USAF base to be realistic, as it's very anonimous, quite confused, and with no heroics or glory. Plus with it being in B & W, it just seems to add grit to the whole thing.
*THREAD CREEP ON*
Did any of you read "Harrier squadron" in the Warlord comic, in the late seventies/early eighties
*THREAD CREEP OFF*
Barnstormer1968
BAT 21, even though it bears very little resemblance to the true events of that story.
STRATEGIC AIR COMMAND, poor story, not overly well acted, but truly stunning aircraft involved.
DR STRANGELOVE, just a cult classic film, and with one of the most realistic battle scenes of any film IMHO*. Also a very well travelled B52 crew, if you consider the navigator was the voice of Darth Vader in star wars.
* I consider the battle scene where the army attack the USAF base to be realistic, as it's very anonimous, quite confused, and with no heroics or glory. Plus with it being in B & W, it just seems to add grit to the whole thing.
*THREAD CREEP ON*
Did any of you read "Harrier squadron" in the Warlord comic, in the late seventies/early eighties
*THREAD CREEP OFF*
Barnstormer1968
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In my humble opinion
Best:
Dambusters – Ultimate class film
633 Squadron – Heroic stuff
Battle of Britain - Legendary
Reach For The Sky - Classic
Black Hawk Down – Not overly an aviation flick, but I enjoyed it.
Apollo XIII – Good reflection of a true story with great actors and good direction.
Firefox – Good old Clint. Helluva jet, I wanted one!
Worst:
Iron Eagle (I - IV) – Words fail me, utter crap
Pearl Harbour – ...It's a great, bloated mess of a picture with a weak script and bland performances... and then some!
Dambusters – Ultimate class film
633 Squadron – Heroic stuff
Battle of Britain - Legendary
Reach For The Sky - Classic
Black Hawk Down – Not overly an aviation flick, but I enjoyed it.
Apollo XIII – Good reflection of a true story with great actors and good direction.
Firefox – Good old Clint. Helluva jet, I wanted one!
Worst:
Iron Eagle (I - IV) – Words fail me, utter crap
Pearl Harbour – ...It's a great, bloated mess of a picture with a weak script and bland performances... and then some!
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The best has got to be the old Air Cadet AEF pre-flight film before your Chipmunk flight......"Jump,jump John"...you know the one that was played on the old projector! 
Aaaarrr they were the days
Hat-Coat-I'm going now
Aaaarrr they were the daysHat-Coat-I'm going now
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The Dambusters as a given, Appointment in London isn't too bad and as it was filmed in 51 lots of Lancasters around even with H2S domes to give an air of realism.
Second Dr Strangelove trivia fact.
When Slim Pickings gets to the end of reading out the contents list of the survival pack, he says: "Shoot a fella could have a pretty good weekend in Vegas with all that!" The word Vegas was overdubbed towards the end of editing. He actually says "Dallas", but between the scene being shot and the film being released The Kennedy Assassination had taken place.
Second Dr Strangelove trivia fact.
When Slim Pickings gets to the end of reading out the contents list of the survival pack, he says: "Shoot a fella could have a pretty good weekend in Vegas with all that!" The word Vegas was overdubbed towards the end of editing. He actually says "Dallas", but between the scene being shot and the film being released The Kennedy Assassination had taken place.
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When I was living in Burgundy on an hotel barge ( long story ) in 1993, I had a copy of B of B sent over.
The French chef, then 24, and a mild aircraft enthusiast, was amazed,
" Ze German aircraft, zey come in so low, ze ----ing b----ds !"
He was also amazed because he'd never heard of it - not the film, the actual event !!!
It's a pity Neville Shute's books haven't been filmed properly, though I think 'The Way To The Stars' is close in empathy.
Worst for me has to be 'Firefox', I went to see that with an instrumentation chum, and we both came out and said " we actually paid to watch that ! " At least Airport-the Concorde was funny.
The French chef, then 24, and a mild aircraft enthusiast, was amazed,
" Ze German aircraft, zey come in so low, ze ----ing b----ds !"
He was also amazed because he'd never heard of it - not the film, the actual event !!!
It's a pity Neville Shute's books haven't been filmed properly, though I think 'The Way To The Stars' is close in empathy.
Worst for me has to be 'Firefox', I went to see that with an instrumentation chum, and we both came out and said " we actually paid to watch that ! " At least Airport-the Concorde was funny.
Originally Posted by dakkg651
Another magic film sequence is Steve Mcqueen beating up the control tower with a B17 in The War Lover.
Originally Posted by dakkg651
Also, if you have the Battle of Britain on DVD, try stop framing the moment that the attacking Hispano (Me109) passes over the airfield fence in the early part of the film. I estimate that the prop tips were less than two feet clear of the top strand! Awesome!
Originally Posted by Green Flash
The bit right at the start with the Dutch lad pedaling down the lane who spots the Tigers hiding in the bushes. In the background, out of the haze, a PR Spit drops down and howls past. Click click, a quick 180 and he's out again, with the Dutch lads enthusiastic waving returned with a quick wing waggle. Gets me every time.
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Strangelove is a terrific film, despite the B52 exteriors-flying over the arctic which clearly show an aircraft shadow which is of a B29, but a model B52 matted onto it. But the B52 interiors look superb to me although guys who actually know the plane can always point out 'you can't get there from there' bits in movies.
In Thunderball, if I remember correctly, there's access from the rear crew position to the bomb bay. Not a feature of the actual Vulcan I think.
For more modern films, Dark Blue World is a good story of Czechs who came to england to fly in the BoB, I think a lot of flying footage is reused from the BoB film we all know.
In Thunderball, if I remember correctly, there's access from the rear crew position to the bomb bay. Not a feature of the actual Vulcan I think.
For more modern films, Dark Blue World is a good story of Czechs who came to england to fly in the BoB, I think a lot of flying footage is reused from the BoB film we all know.
Quoting BEagle: "Dr FOD and the Wayward Body" - had a couple of very nice points in it....."
That's the first one that popped into my head, too - can't think why! Fine film-making and very creative camera angles...
That's the first one that popped into my head, too - can't think why! Fine film-making and very creative camera angles...
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The shadow aircraft in Strangelove is a B17 not a B29.
a film that could lay claim to be both the best and at the same time the worst is 'Theirs is the glory' the first film about Operation Market Garden. Filmed in 1945 in rubble of Arnhem using survivors of the battle (hence the awful acting and the worst film claim).
"what do you mean you've got post traumatic stress syndrome laddie. When I shout action you run over there and shoot your mate who's playing the german."
a film that could lay claim to be both the best and at the same time the worst is 'Theirs is the glory' the first film about Operation Market Garden. Filmed in 1945 in rubble of Arnhem using survivors of the battle (hence the awful acting and the worst film claim).
"what do you mean you've got post traumatic stress syndrome laddie. When I shout action you run over there and shoot your mate who's playing the german."
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>>>>>>>>Both probably wouldn't translate well to film, but I'd love to see someone make an attempt to make a film of Len Deighton's (fictional) 'Bomber', ...............<<<<<<<
Try the BBC Radio adaptation of the story available on CD.
Originally done in 'real time' from 2.30 to midnight, it is a chilling semi-documentary
Try the BBC Radio adaptation of the story available on CD.
Originally done in 'real time' from 2.30 to midnight, it is a chilling semi-documentary
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i forget the title, but one the films i remember from my youth had jimmy cagney and others as bush pilots joining up after pearl. never forgot the duel between him in a hudsen and a nasty hun in a me 109 ,OVER THE ATLANTIC,he won by ramming it,utter old fashioned class!!
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The Worst
Desert Thunder
A group of mavericks, misfits and convicts are trained for a secret deniable operation in Iraq. Led by Daniel Baldwin he trains them in USA where their training base get attacked by Iraqis.
After killing the Iraqis and the token bird running from their heli gunships in a bi-plane causing the helis to crash into mountainsides, they embark on their mission.
They get airborne from USA and fly non-stop to Iraq in their F16s (famed for their bubble canopies, but not a lot of people know that just behind the pilots head is a 5' x 5' MDF firewall!!!)
After getting cleared into Iraqi airspace by a carrier in the Med they coast into Iraq over it's western coast(!) and attack the airfield, then fly all the way back home non-stop for tea & medals.
My Dad got it free by answering a question in his local paper.
This film probably went straight to DVD it's so bad, which explains why they had to resort to giving it away in local evening papers.
A group of mavericks, misfits and convicts are trained for a secret deniable operation in Iraq. Led by Daniel Baldwin he trains them in USA where their training base get attacked by Iraqis.
After killing the Iraqis and the token bird running from their heli gunships in a bi-plane causing the helis to crash into mountainsides, they embark on their mission.
They get airborne from USA and fly non-stop to Iraq in their F16s (famed for their bubble canopies, but not a lot of people know that just behind the pilots head is a 5' x 5' MDF firewall!!!)
After getting cleared into Iraqi airspace by a carrier in the Med they coast into Iraq over it's western coast(!) and attack the airfield, then fly all the way back home non-stop for tea & medals.
My Dad got it free by answering a question in his local paper.
This film probably went straight to DVD it's so bad, which explains why they had to resort to giving it away in local evening papers.
Memphis Belle
I think you'll find it was William Wyler, not Howard Hawkes, who directed the original documentary Memphis Belle, the ground sequences of which were shot at Bassingbourn. His daughter, whose name I forget, made the 1980s re-make, with Harry Connick in the lead.
As another reasonable one to consider, how about Jan Sverak's Dark Blue World, about Czech pilots who escape to the UK and fly Spitfires of slightly anachronistic mark numbers in the Battle of Britain?
As another reasonable one to consider, how about Jan Sverak's Dark Blue World, about Czech pilots who escape to the UK and fly Spitfires of slightly anachronistic mark numbers in the Battle of Britain?