Customer Reviews

Memphis Belle [VHS]

5 star:		(64)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I have to be different from most of the other reviewers and give this movie a full 5 stars. It is one of my favorites. As a former hookup man, crew chief, flight engineer, and door gunner, I have seen exactly the type of character assortment and wacky actions that this film portrays. There is always one that is afraid of dying. There is always AT LEAST one hung over person, usually with a barf bag within reach. There is always the one that tries to ride herd on the rest and keep them paying attention to their job. There is always one glory hound that feels he must get a shot at everybody's job so he has bragging rights when he gets home. So this set of characters is totally credible and all were played with extraordinary skill. I love them all, even the jerk.

As for historical accuracy, it is not accurate. They based the story on the Memphis Belle, but incorporated all the incidents and accidents that happened to the flying fortresses. If it didn't happen to the Belle, her crew witnessed it. In my opinion, the movie is made better for this. It also serves to educate people about the realities of WWII bomber flights. I'm all for that. The public needs to be made aware that these men went through a hell that most cannot begin to imagine. Thus, this movie performs a vital function.

As for the entertainment value ... it is top of the line. You will feel the pain and dodge the shrapnel! The anti-aircraft rounds make me get in fast motion! I especially like the part about the monkey harness and can identify fully with it. The pilot always had to force me to put mine on, and like the guy in this movie, it saved my bacon once. There's just no comparison to flapping in the breeze beneath an aircraft while other crewmembers try to haul you back aboard. (But you'll never have to be told to put on your monkey harness again!) Thus, I identify and empathize with his position ... literally!

Order a copy today and see if it doesn't fully engage all your systems!

I watched this great movie with wonder at all the restored vintage B-17 bombers used in the filming. When one watches as they take off and land with such dangerous imprecision, it's remarkable to realize how far we've come technologically since those dangerous days of daylight bombing by the Americans (the Brits went at night) and the murderous losses over German skies. All of this as depicted was before we developed the P-51 with its much longer range and its ability to escort the bombers to the target area to fend off Luftwaffe fighters who shot down so many bombers in 1942, 1943, and 1944.

This is a wonderful movie, very accurate, authentic, and quite appealing. Starring Matthew Modine as the Pilot of the fabled "Memphis Belle", the first bomber crew to accomplish its mission tour and be returned to the states (to sell war bonds, among other things), is retells the amazing story of how thousands of kids as depicted here went off to England to fly thousands and thousands of planes through the perilous skies of Europe in a sustained effort to bomb the Third Reich into submission. Off they went, seeking the industrial and urban targets, knowing full well they might as well have had `bullseyes' painted on their fuselages. The costs of flying the missions in terms of lost people and planes were almost overwhelming to the Allies.

The story is told in all its fullness, and one comes to recognize just how many of these plucky kids leaving the air field would never come back, as the daily losses to German fighters, flak and mishap were atrocious. Yet they went up again the next day and the next and the next, in a dazzling display of uncommon courage, tenacity, and maturity beyond their tender years. This is a poignant and well-told, scripted and acted story brilliantly photographed on location over the hills and dales of bonny olde England, where it all unfolded in its grand yet grisly magnificence fifty some years ago. Watch and remember

A little background. First of all, there really was a plane called the Memphis Belle. It is traditionally considered the first B-17 to complete the obligatory 25 missions and survive. If you are going to learn about the real 'Memphis Belle', I highly recommend you watch the William Wyler documentary, made during World War II, that chronicles the story of the actual plane and its crew. You may also want to read the book that came out in the past year called "The Man Who Flew the Memphis Belle" about the Belle's pilot, Robert Morgan, because it is a fascinating book about a man who went on to fly B29's in the Pacific after surviving in Europe. And to watch a movie that accurately chronicles the trials and tribulations of bomber crewmen in Europe in WWII, I recommend "Twelve O'Clock High" and "Pistol Packing Mama".
That having been said, I must add that most air veterans think that the 1990 "Memphis Belle" movie is unrealistic, and in many ways they are right. However, I have done enough research to appreciate that the film is a great way to get introduced to the exploits of the brave aircrews who flew over Germany in World War II. It is an entertaining film. I think the director would have been much better off NOT calling the film "The Memphis Belle", because the story is mostly fiction. So why did he/she do so? It was put out by the daughter of William Wyler, who made the original movie, in part as a tribute to her father. Thus the name.

The actual pilot of the real Memphis Belle was asked about the movie, and said that it appeared to him that the writers had taken everything that had happened to the crew over all 25 missions and compressed them into one hellish mission. Indeed, the crew deals with about every in-flight emergency imaginable on mission twenty-five. This is one exciting piece of film.
Roger Freeman, one of the great air historians, also served as an advisor on the film. The film got a lot of things right, too, in addition to the gaffes that many air vets notice.
The joy of seeing three of the surviving B-17's flying together again in this movie is worth the price, in my book.
I recommend the movie with the caveat that it is not FACT, but historical fiction, and recommend that if you like it, that you not stop until you see the real "Memphis Belle" video from the forties and also read Robert Morgan's book. You will come away with renewed and increased admiration for the brave men who flew missions in the war to save the world. These men flew knowing full well that each mission could well be their last. They flew no fewer than 25 such missions at war's beginning when the odds were terrible, and as many as 35 by war's end. This movie is a fitting tribute to their sacrifices.

As war flicks go, this one was pretty decent; no overdramatic, sappy acting, the cast playing the Belle's crew was pretty cohesive, just like you would expect.

For the most part, the film was reasonably realistic (I've known lots of B-17 and B-24 pilots). It impressed me that they even got the Belle's model (B-17F) right; I didn't know there were any flying F's still around, most are G-models.

There were some inaccuracies though. Why did they glamorize the Belle's name on the nose, when it actually was made up of plain block letters? The "little friends" (fighter escort) would not be made up of P-51's in early 1943, more than likely P-47s; I can forgive this one because there are only a couple of flyable "Jugs" left. The Belle's 25th mission was actually a "milk run" over France; they did fly once over Bremen but I believe that was around their 20th mission. Smoking was not allowed on, or anywhere near, the bombers. I could list several other things, but you get my point.

Still, it was one of the better bomber movies in many ways. I would have to agree with another reviewer though about "Twelve O'Clock High". It doesn't have as much action as this movie, but is totally accurate and much more dramatic.

I saw this film several years ago, when it was initially released. I liked
it very much, and was very touching for me, because of the human feelings
it was able to show. I have always thought of this film as the perfect Air
War counterpart to that marvelous Submarine War film "Das Boot". In both
films you can feel the human suffering of human beings in terrible war conditions.
There are many excellent war movies, but regarding Air Force fighters, this
one is undoubtedly, at least for me, the best one.
One more point which was very touching for me is the last bombing target:
the seaport of Bremen. My great grandfather was born in Bremen, and I know
the city quite well. I can notice within the Old City any place where a
bomb fell. Nonetheless, it is not my point. It was wartime, and we must
understand it. But near the end of the film, the crew decided not to launch
some bombs, because there were clouds, and if they failed, intead of destroying
a factory they might have destroyed a nearby school, killing innocent children.
The crew took the risk to turn once again around the objective, to launch
the bombs exactly on the correct target, with all the danger envolved for
them. It was a moment of great emotion for me.

It is said that this moview incorporates all of the shameless propaganda that ever went into a flyboy movie. Maybe so. So what? It is a good one and all the better for being THE WAY IT WAS.

My uncle fought on these beasts. He said they got this one right and I am inclined to believe him. I also look at him with awe when I think about it.

One of my lasting impressions is how young the aircrews were. That is much different that my military experience but that too is the way it was at that time.

The story is of a bomber crew that has to make one more mission before they get rotated back home. They were expecting a milk run and got a horror mission instead. This is the story of how they got through it and the things that happened to them on the way there and back again.

It brings to life the multiplicity of different type people who made up the crews. They came from different backgrounds and places. They get hacked off with each other. They also pull together when the time comes for them to do so.

Forget the cliches. Get this one to remind you about the Greatest Generation!

My first favorite television series was "Twelve O'Clock High" and I had at least two models of the "Memphis Belle" when I was kid, all of which simply reflects the fact that the B-17 Flying Fortress is my favorite airplane. When I was a kid my family was driving through California and there was a B-17 parked out on somebody's front lawn on a ranch and for years I tried to figure out how to go back and see it. A couple of decades later one of the few B-17s still flying came to the Zenith City and I finally got to go inside one (this big bombers are a lot smaller than I ever thought). For all I know that particular B-17 ended up flying in the 1990 film "Memphis Belle." When I had occasion to drive through the city of Memphis, of course I made a point of visiting Mud Island where the "Memphis Belle" was on display (she was moved to the Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio this October).

The "Memphis Belle" (Serial No. 41-24485) was one of 12,750 B-17 Flying Fortresses built by the Boeing Aircraft Company, but it was the most famous because it was the first heavy bomber to complete 25 combat missions over Hitler's Europe without losing a crew member. The idea of 25 missions and going home was established by the bomber command as an incentive for air crews because morale was desperately low after the first three months of American combat flights over Europe during which eighty percent of the planes were shot down. The "Belle" flew from November 7, 1942 to May 17, 1943 and its final flight is the fanciful subject of this film directed by Michael Caton-Jones ("Scandal") from the script by Monte Merrick ("Staying Together").

That simply means that besides the fact that the "Memphis Belle" was named for a lady friend (Margaret Polk) of the pilot and that the art on the nose depicting the same (designed by the famous artist George Petty) there is nothing here that is historically accurate when it comes to that final mission, which was over Lorient, France and not Bremen, Germany (the "Belle" flew there on its 21st mission). The names of the crew are all changed and I think the same applies to the plane's mascot, a Scotty Dog named "Stuka." So if you want something closer to the "true" story of the pilot Robert Morgan and the "Memphis Belle" you want to check out William Wyler's 1944 documentary "The Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress."

What you have here instead is a Hollywood movie that celebrates the men who flew these bombers in World War II by incorporating a wide variety of clichés from war movies involving airplanes. Then there is the whole idea that Americans from all walks of life who have little in common besides a desire to get home alive band together to fight the Nazis. So it is we have the young and recognizable faces of Matthew Modine as the business like pilot, Eric Stoltz as the poetic radio operator, Tate Donovan as the co-pilot who wants to actually do something before he goes home, D.B. Sweeney as the navigator who is convinced his number is up, Billy Zane as the bombardier who left medical school to fight, Sean Austin as the runt who is stuck in the ball turret, Reed Edward Diamond as the flight engineer, Courtney Gains and Neil Giuntoli as the bickering waist gunners, and Harry Connick as tail gunner and sometime crooner.

Back at the base David Strathairn plays the commanding officer nervous about his boys getting back alive and John Lithgow is the public relations officer the Army has sent to celebrate the final mission of the "Belle." Of course, it is hard to create tension given that most viewers know the "Memphis Belle" is remembered for completing that final mission, so any tension that is created tends to be somewhat artificial although there are some nice moments during the bomb run (the film might play better if it simply inspired by the "Belle" and they changed the name of the aircraft as well) . But even if the "Belle" survives there are other several B-17 crews on the mission who will not. Still, the idea that doing your duty could not just be dangerous but be outright suicidal is communicated, allowing Modine's character to explain the job to his nervous crew and underscore that Americans do not believe in collateral damage. But what will probably stand out in this film is the grim lesson that Donovan's character learns when he tries to be a hero by doing somebody else's job.

If you can penetrate (like a B-17 cutting through cloud cover) all the character cliches and a certain old-fashioned hokey aura, you'll find a harrowing depiction of daylight bombing, circa 1943. What you won't find is an accurate account of the real Memphis Belle's 25th mission, or anyone resembling the actual men who flew her that day.

Matthew Modine captains this fictionalized crew, with support from resentful co-pilot Tate Donovan, dishonest bombadier Billy Zane, panicked navigator D.B. Sweeney and wiseacre belly gunner Sean Astin. Tailgunner Harry Connick, Jr. gets to display his vocals and piano skills in a musical number, dedicated to waistgunner Eric Stoltz, that stalls the film in the early going.

While the real Memphis Belle experienced a somewhat less dramatic run to a different target, this film's mission is to depict the aerial terrors of that year in Europe, when American airmen suffered more losses than any other branch of our armed forces. Direct hit! Massive B-17 formations thunder across the sky, flak rips planes apart, and in one chilling moment, an enemy fighter slices one bomber in half, and our heroes hear the panicked screams of its doomed crew over the radio.

The battle scenes are horrific, and the character scenes are just horrible. It's not that the acting is of poor quality; it isn't. It's that each crewmember faces some sort of hackneyed personal crisis and comes through in true cliched fashion, which somewhat cheapens what the real crew experienced. It's literally one thing after another, a bombing run as group therapy. The film relies exclusively on stock Hollywood types, rather than human beings. Plus, Sweeney's fearful character does a disservice to the real Belle's navigator. Modine comes off best, with his youthful appearance and dedication, as he admonishes his crew not to shout their targets over the intercom. John Lithgow has the thankless task of portraying the coldblooded PR officer who's more concerned with publicity tours than the men's welfare, or their mission's stategic/tactical importance.

Despite its failings as a "true" story, this is a film worth watching. Not until "Saving Private Ryan" would a film surpass "Belle's" depiction of nerve-wracking combat.

This is the Hollywood version of how Hollywood attempted to promote the first B-17 crew to survive 25 missions. The PR guy just doesn't have the picture about the stress of war but catches on through the movie. Memphis Belle is a good effort and the technical stuff and acting are good but it somehow lacks spirit. For the collector, it is a good addition. If you want THE WW2 bombing film, get Twelve O'clock High.

Memphis Belle, Michael Caton-Jones' fictionalized 1990 account of a real-life World War II B-17's final mission, harkens back to wartime morale-boosting films. Like Wake Island or Air Force, it depicts the crew of a Flying Fortress taking part in the bloody aerial campaign over Western Europe - and trying to survive the last of a 25-mission tour of duty.

Produced by Catherine Wyler, whose father William had shot a documentary about the real Memphis Belle, this version takes familiar clichés from World War II films and fleshes them out with fresh Hollywood faces. Matthew Modine, Eric Stoltz, Sean Astin (best known now as Samwise in the Lord of the Rings trilogy), Reed Diamond, and Harry Connick, Jr. are among the ten actors who portray the fictional crew of the Memphis Belle.

Released during the buildup to Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm, this very retro movie failed to excite audiences, but even so, Memphis Belle is impressive once it gets off the ground and dispenses with expository material.

Set in England in May of 1943, the story starts somewhat slowly as an Army Air Force PR officer (John Lithgow) annoyingly prepares the crew and squadron for the Memphis Belle's return to the States. The bomber has completed 24 missions over Nazi-occupied Europe. Now the only thing standing between the war-weary flyboys and home is one last mission over Bremen. There are the usual war movie get-to-know the crew scenes and even a quick (but not graphic) sexual encounter between one of the lads and a British lass...ho hum.

But when dawn comes and the bombers are sent to bomb a German fighter-aircraft factory, Memphis Belle draws the audience into the harrowing yet mesmerizing drama of a daylight bombing raid over Germany. Here there are no Stealth fighters with laser-guided smart bombs flying with relative ease over the enemy. Instead, we are treated to almost every danger faced by bomber crews in World War II - mid air collisions, flak, enemy fighters, and even a case of friendly fire. Naturally, most of the havoc inflicted on the B-17s falls on the Memphis Belle, which in real life was not damaged as badly as this movie would have viewers believe.

The Warner Bros. DVD presents this film on both full and Widescreen formats on a double-sided single platter, making it necessary to handle with extreme care. The image is less-than-awe-inspiring on an ordinary television or computer screen, at least for those few who caught this flick at the movie theater. It's somewhat predictable and corny at times, but it is one of the few movies released in the past 15 years that treated its topic with an eye for accurate detail. And while some of the shots did involve model aircraft, the filmmakers managed to round up all the surviving B-17s (in addition to a few American and German fighters), giving audiences a stirring tribute to all the aircrew who fought and died in World War II.