Air Force (1943)

Wonderful Movie

Memorable, crazy movie

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Watching "Air Force" the night of 7 December 2016, I was reminded of how much I dislike war movies, and was re-reminded how much I hate governments and the people who run governments and who create the death and destruction that war is about.As many movies as I have seen in my life, I had never before seen "Air Force" until this night when it was presented on Turner Classic Movies as part of a commemoration of Pearl Harbor Day."Air Force" is an extraordinarily well-done motion picture, one of the best I have seen, ever.Howard Hawks as director and Dudley Nichols as author of the original screenplay make an unbeatable team.There is clever dialogue, some really nice byplay between and among the characters that is believable and, at the same time, enjoyable.There is one scene that might be brushed off as corny (reportedly written by the terribly over-rated William Faulkner, whose work I've never liked), but all the rest is so realistic and well done, I wish I could award more than 10 stars.In addition to the great directing and writing, the under-played acting is as close to perfect as one can expect, or hope.And the number of superlative actors in this one war-time movie is not short of astounding. When this many people can perform as an ensemble, you know you have great and talented actors and one heck of a director.But I'm a pacifist. I oppose wars, and opposing wars I oppose governments, the very basis of which is coercion, theft, violence.When I see a movie such as "Air Force" and its dramatization of the death and destruction that war is, I vow -- if only to myself -- that I will work harder to try to educate others on the evils of surrendering one's individuality to governments, to any kind of collective which requires, which demands, that surrender.When people realize their own lives are their own, that individual human beings are self-owned, are not property of governments, of societies, of tribes, and that all human beings are equally valuable, then we can begin to end this horror that is war.When people realize their lives are sacred, we can begin to attain that proper human state of peace and freedom."Air Force" is an exceedingly good, even important, movie, and we will owe it and its makers a huge debt of gratitude if we can learn from it that peace and freedom are our heritage and our right.

I imagine "Air Force" will more likely be enjoyed by World War II and/or aviation enthusiasts than it will be by casual moviegoers. There's a lot of shop talk in the film about bombers, and it's almost as much about the impressive power of warplanes specifically as it is the United States Air Force in general. A sort of day in the life of Air Force soldiers, it chronicles the adventures of a bomber crew who show up in Hawaii just after it has been bombed by the Japanese and then are sent on to various missions by military brass. It's a propaganda film like so many of the films that came out during WWII, but it's an uncharacteristically dark one and its predominant mood is one of weariness and exhaustion, which makes sense given its year of release (1943).In addition to its nomination for Best Original Screenplay, "Air Force" won the 1943 Oscar for Film Editing, probably for a couple of impressive dog fights that had to have influenced George Lucas when filming the Tie Fighter vs. Millennium Falcon space battle in "Star Wars." It also was nominated for its black and white aerial cinematography and its special effects.I mostly found "Air Force" to be unengaging, but I did appreciate its subdued tone and its depiction of the men serving in WWII as strung out, sleep deprived and riddled with personal anxiety. It's a nice contrast to the rah-rah patriotism of so many other war films of the time period.Grade: B

Must-see comedy for all military aviation veterans! This movie does for (Air)Crew Resource Management what reflective belts do for ground safety.An encrypted twx arrives at San Rafael tasking the bomb wing to send seven B-17s to Hickam Field. The group commander briefs the officers that the enlisted men don't know their destination and there's no reason to tell them. Then screenwriter Dudley Nichols betrays his past as star reporter and feature writer for the New York Post: the colonel tells the officers it's okay to telegraph their wives about the deployment!Writer fatigue? Slip of the typewriter? B-17 crew chief Harry Carey tells his pilot, "Sir, the men don't know where we're going." The pilot's response inspires confidence in the crusty master sergeant and boosts his morale, "Sergeant, can you keep a secret?" "Yes, sir." And then the boot to the back of the neck, "Good."Grab some popcorn. There's more. Right after take-off a hitchhiking fighter pilot points out to his chauffeurs the target-like nature of the B-17 and the god-like qualities of pointy nosed aircraft aviators. Such remarks are best saved until final approach. In real life the aircraft commander would suddenly discover a malfunction and order an emergency bailout over the Farallones. "You go first. You're the guest."A stowaway canine mascot threatens to disrupt the mission, but the sly, crafty, always worth watching senior NCO conceals the subterfuge until well past the Farallones. What's a pilot to do? They're saving the extra chute for the fighter jock. "Okay, you can keep the dog. (But I don't want it peeing on the bomb sight.)"The same senior NCO somehow fathered a lieutenant who flies fighters at Clark Field. Harry Carey relates to every one, many times, deep concern for his son's welfare in the war zone. At Clark the decisive aircraft commander asks about the son and learns that despite his god-like qualities inferior genes have prevailed and the heroic son became a strafe target for Jap zeros while taking off to engage the enemy. The screenwriter and/or film editor allocate thirty seconds for the scene where the NCO gets his dead son's insignia and ribbons (apparently they had medal inflation in 1941.) This scene inspired the old military joke about how to break bad news. "All those men with sons flying fighters at Clark take one step forward. Sergeant, get back in line."More hilarity ensues but I'm switching over to a Gene Autrey movie.

***SPOILERS*** On a routine flight from San Francisco to Honolulu the crew of the B-17 bomber, one of nine on the flight, Mary-Ann gets the shocking news that Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japaneses that left the US Pacific Fleet in shambles. Angry as hell and wanting to get back at the Japs for what they did the bomber's crew members, despite their differences, unite in the cause to fly the bomb-laden bomber into the teeth of the Royal Japanese Navy and bomb the living hell out of it! Even if in the end they all end up going under, the waves of the Pacific, with it!Rip roaring and at times tragic war movie about how the US got its act together after getting sneaked attacked by the Japs and ended up giving em', the Japanese Pacfic Fleet and imperial Army, hell all throughout the vast and bloody Pacific Theater of War! The hell meted out on the Japs in the movie is that by the crew of the Mary-Ann who island hopped from Hawaii to Wake Island to the Philippians, before the Japs captured them, and ended up leading the charge at the surprised Jap fleet, who thought that they already won the war, in the battle or the Coral Sea. It was the battled scared and heroic B-17 Mary-Ann together with the remainder of what was left of the US Army Air Force that ended up blasting it, the Imperial Japanese Navy, to smithereens in that naval slug-fest!Of course there were losses on our-the USA-side as well that included the Mary-Ann's Captain Quincannon and radio man Chester together with scores of US Army Navy and Marine personal but that was nothing compared what the Japs got in them losing almost their entire navy and air force including dozens of Jap fifth columnists, who were secretly working undercover for Tojo, by the time the movie ended.Effective WWII propaganda movie released at the worst of times for the US and its allies in battling the Axis forces who at the time, late 1942, were in fact winning the war. The B-17-or Mary-Ann's, crew took everything that the Japs could throw at them and ended up shooting down dozens of Jap Zeros before the plane was finally, after losing a wing tip engine and a good part of its fuselage, grounded by Jap Zero machine gun and cannon fire. After being repaired and airborne the Mary-Ann continued to give it back to the Japanese in the final and climactic battle, the Battle of the Coarl Sea, in the film that saw the Japanese fleet, and thousands of its sailors and marines, end up dying for their emperor in ways they never expected to: By them being prevented in kamikaze like suicide attacks in them both dying and taking their hated enemy, the US Army Navy and Marines, along with them!P.S There's some major inaccuracies in the movie especially that of Japanese/Americans, in the Hawaiian island, joining in with the attacking Japs in sabotaging US military and naval installations in and around Pearl Harbor. There's also the fact that the Battle of the Coral Sea, in May 1942, ended in a drew between the US and Japanese navies instead, like in the film, of being a total and decisive victory for the US. But still who need accuracy when your country is in a life and death struggle with a highly motivated and determined enemy and any negative news, accurate or not, could only help its cause. If like in all war propaganda films bending the facts can turn things around on your side, like the film "Air Force" did, and motivate the public to willingly join in the fight who cares it the facts in the film aren't exactly on the level, like in the Battle of he Coarl Sea, or not even right, like in the case of Japanese/American fifth columnists, at all!