Lafayette Escadrille (1958)

hyped garbage

Good movie but grossly overrated

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Tab Hunter is a big man who is smacked around by his much smaller father so runs away to join the French air force during World War 1. It is there that he is also smacked around by the much smaller French officer which prompts him to desert. The film is pretty typical of the period. The French are portrayed as bumbling, the French Officer barks instructions and orders in French seemingly unaware that the American recruits don't understand a word of it. The flying time is very limited, we also see few aircraft which was the one thing I was hoping to see more of. It could have been my interest waning at times but I also don't recall seeing any air to air combat. Clint Eastwood has a minor role and although it could be the benefit of hindsight you can feel his presence even when he is just in the background silent. I felt the same when I saw him in a Francis the talking mule film. It's not a bad film, it's just not an exciting one either.

The films involving early flying, aircraft and the conflict of air battle are very interesting. However, due to the limited equipment and the lack of good directors and writers, the earliest offerings of movie flying are greatly lacking. The late great Howard Hughes did one called 'Hells Angels' which was not bad, but difficult to follow. This is one of those attempts. The casting is overloaded with prime star material, in fact this movie has some of the best aspiring talent in Hollywood. If you'll look closely, you'll see, David Janssen, playing Duke Sinclair, Clint Eastwood playing George Moseley, Tom (Billy Jack) Laughlin as Arthur Blumenthal, Paul Fix as the General and Will Hutchins as Dave Putnam. Tab Hunter is Thad Walker in this story which is more love story than W.W.I fighting epic, is fine for it's day, but somewhat of a sleeper for modern audiences. Nvertheless, a good offering of primitive flying and fanciful storyline for it's time. ***

I saw this movie while stationed on the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt CVA42 sailing in the Mediterranean sea in 1959. It's true that it was more a romantic than an action movie. However, at the time I was thinking more about meeting women than flying airplanes, and I was completely caught up in the engrossing love story. It was a movie that I walked out of on air, and couldn't get out of my mind for months! My visits to Med ports such as Cannes and Nice, France, Majorca and Barcelona, Spain were totally changed as I looked for, and eventually found, a real-life Renee (although in Majorca not France).The true action movie of this story has now been made in the form of "Flyboys", which I just saw and liked also. The story had a bit of the romance in it, with a very appealing French girl as well, but told much more of the flying, and heroic side, of the story. Aside from some hooky computer effects, this was a great flying tale, appealing equally to the flier and action fan in me.Both are highly recommended.

There isn't much here more than a great director's swan song. Tab Hunter's acting is pretty good (!?) but not enough to lift the drab GI-in-love-with-a-French-woman theme. Most of the flying scenes don't match the ones from the director's 30s films. If you're interested in the director's career, don't skip this, you'll enjoy the themes and the depiction of air combat. Also Leonard Rosenman's score is a stand-out. But if you're not a Wellman fan you won't remember this a month after you've seen it. Wellman is one of the great American directors; see everything else and watch for the evidence of his skills that are sadly not to be found here.