Neo Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 i really enjoyed "The Tuskegee airmen" and "Les chevalier du ciel" Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SBARC Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 No one has mentioned "Flight of the Intruder"....sure the story line is off the mark.....rogue pilot going downtown etc.....but the rest of the movie seemed pretty accurate. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
-Neu- Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Toko-ri is pretty fantastic, as was aerial shots in the Hunters. The only thing I wished was that they followed James Salter's novel more closely... the movie story was actually pretty lackluster compared to the book. Tora Tora Tora has nice film shots, but its actually a pretty average film accuracy wise. It hits alot of clichés about Pearl Harbour. Its depiction of the attack is wrong in several instances, and its overall political discussion is pretty superficial. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Big Texan Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Tora Tora Tora has nice film shots, but its actually a pretty average film accuracy wise. It hits alot of clichés about Pearl Harbour. Its depiction of the attack is wrong in several instances, and its overall political discussion is pretty superficial. Disagree with this. Tora Tora Tora, was based on Gordon Prang's book "At Dawn We Slept", a history on Pearl Harbor. Now, that being said, there was little artistic license used in this film. It covered the major historical characters and events very well, both sides. They painstakingly did what they could in making the Japanese aircraft look as close to the real thing as possible. It is in my honest opinion, probably the best Air War movie made bar none. Someone said something about the Blue Max. True, the planes were out of sequence, but at least what was flown looked like the real birds, Fokker Dr. 1, Pfalz D IIIa, Fokker DVII, Se 5a's, and of course, the recon birds. The story, albeit fictional, was a good one and the actor choices were well thought out. So, it was good in that respect as were the aerial scenes. Baa Baa Blacksheep, had excellent aerial scenes but the portrayal of Boyington and his men were far from the truth. Many real Blacksheep pilots were upset with the series and how they were presented. The show was all lies. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Gervais8 Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 You guys are missing: Top Gun, Midway, Pearl Harbor, etc. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TaiidanTomcat Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Tora Tora Tora for me is probably the closest to reality as to my knowledge, the characters were real. There were no fictionalized amalgamations with the names changed. But flying in that film only encompassed the last half pretty much and it was more of a telling of the whole Pearl Harbor story in the style of "The Longest Day" as opposed to a tighter focused piece on JUST pilots. Of course, it kind of bombed in the theater. Today it is respected as a classic and the great film it rightly is, but its failure to earn revenue signaled part of the end for the big budget war picture of the 1960s and 70s (and it took until the late 1980s before Memphis Belle and the 1990s before Private Ryan, which were more fictionalized accounts). Final Countdown I put high on my list because even though it was fiction, it did a very good job in showcasing airwing operations i agree with both of these. Final Countdown had the advantage of basically being an airwing documentary with fictional events added in to make a movie. The commentary specifically mentions taking cameras out on live fire exercises so even the missile shots are real. Since there wasn't much of a special effects budget they had to go to the last resort-- filming the real thing. of course not every movie can do that. I give a tip of the hat to Red Dawn, which made a serious effort to make russian stuff look russian and not by plastering red stars on every surface. Flight of the intruder is another good example SBARC had forgotten that one. I guess it varies widely. is effort good enough? is plot enough to overcome glaring technical errors? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
speedlimit Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 firefox Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DutyCat Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 (edited) Bridges of Toko Ri. Concur. The Final Countdown unquestionably for what it is really like on a modern flight deck. They took a few liberties for the audience like the pilot narrating what he was doing in that opening F-14 trap sequence, but for the most part it was solid. They also did a great job with realistic dialog. Very few one liners (unlike Top Gun). Edited January 23, 2012 by DutyCat Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Aaronw Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 (edited) Bridges at Toko Ri, definately makes the list. I think Midway was a decent attempt for the time. Other than some technical gaffs (like an F9F Panther crashing on the deck of one of the carriers) and the fictional interracial marriage plot line of Charston Heston's characters son, it mostly followed the accepted history of the battle for the time. Now the whole Midway story however... I have a really hard time with anything Midway related since reading Shattered Sword last year. The "Miracle at Midway" is complete fiction. Japanese historians have long since dismissed the idea that Midway was a close thing. It was doomed from the start and the unwillingness of the Japanese admirals to accept that resulted in it becoming a massive defeat for the IJN. The Japanese were outnumbered from the start, and the IJN leadership had shouted down any suggestion that the American's would put up a meaningful defense. It disturbs me that even recently produced historical documentaries continue to flog the whole idea the US would have lost if the Dauntless' had not shown up at exactly the perfect time. Edited January 23, 2012 by Aaronw Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ChesshireCat Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 What about Memphis Belle? I'm not sure how accurate it was...but it seemed to capture the mood and feeling of the time period very well. I'm no expert but it seemed quite accurate given the restrictions regarding the availability of aircraft. The movie even tried to backdate available B-17's for accuracy. They did use P-51's instead of the more time period correct P-47's for the Belle's last mission. But all in all I thought it was a well done movie. I loved the scene when they sang Danny Boy. There are at least three versions of The Memphis Bell, plus the Hollywood version. I saw the very first uncut version about thirty years ago, and it literally made the hair stand up on the back of my neck. A couple years later I saw it again over at Dayton, but you could see right away that it was not nearly as graphic. Then they seemed to have toned it down again a few years later. I always like the movie The Right Stuff, and recently watch the Yank In The RAF. They were flying Hudsons or Venturas and the planes were right and all the interior shots were from the correct aircraft. There was a WWI era black & white (might have been a silent movie as well)that used real WWI aircraft, and it's a good one. But for me it's the Battle Of Britian, and the first two or three minutes of the film called Red Flag the used to show at Dayton. Watching those F105G's get it done was just plain scarey. gary Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rustywelder Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 (edited) What about red The Red Baron with Joseph Feins, seemed quite well done. The A/C were beliveable and mostly right (I Am not going to sit and pick at whether it was the right mark of albatross that richtoven starts the movie in) . The dogfights were beliveable and pretty well done. The only thing that was suspect to me was the mention that Werner voss had re-engined his fokker with a Bentley engine. Imo if you have netflix it is definitely worth a watch. Edited January 24, 2012 by rustywelder Quote Link to post Share on other sites
zerosystem Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 I love this movie but they did get a bunch of stuff wrong. I dont want to even go into the amount of inaccuracies from this movie. But overall it did a decent job of showing what could be seen in a combat mission over europe. And, it got my young'ns interested in aircraft. My favorite scene in the movie by far is when they star engines, taxi and takeoff. The sounds were freak'n fantastic! agreed, couldn't get that scene out of my head when i booked that trip to t.o.m. that year Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jennings Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 You guys are missing: Top Gun, Midway, Pearl Harbor, etc. Midway?? Seriously? One of the worst films ever made. SBDs turned into Corsairs, then back to SBDs, then into Kates, etc. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Charlie Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 I'm going to go way off the norm for my answer. "Band of Brothers" for the C-47s taking off for the D-Day assault. And the drop with the tracers all over the place. And the Market-Garden drop. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Finn Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 How about The Dam Busters? Jari Quote Link to post Share on other sites
niart17 Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 ...And the Market-Garden drop. AHHHH, let's not forget the wonderfully shot Market Garden launch and drop scenes in "A Bridge Too Far"! which for me is one of the best war movies ever made! Bill Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rustywelder Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 Definatly Dam busters loved that movie when i was a wee'un. Speaking of, does anybody know what happened to Pete Jackson's re-make? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
anotherP51nut Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 One I've always loved is Empire of the Sun. The whole story itself is inspiring but the efforts they made to ensure accuracy was commendable. I know the Japanese aircraft were the old standby converted Harvards, but there was a B-29 (radio-controlled but convincing)and the Mustangs. That attack on the airfield still gives me goose-bumps. "Cadillac of the Skies!" That slow-motion shot is probably for me the best scene from any movie (although as disappointing as Red Tails was, that scene of the Mustangs skimming the tops of the clouds is classic too.) Bridges at Toko-Ri is a definite front-runner. It gave you a real feeling for carrier ops in Korea, and the flying scenes were brilliant for the time...or now. I even liked Mickey Rooney. I'm rethinking Memphis Belle, it's growing on me. Apart from the last half hour where as Jennings said they tried to cram as many incidents into the last few miles a possible, it was a good portrayal of the 8th AF effort. You really got a sense of how young these guys were, kids really. And the cinematography was brilliant, the director loved aircraft. I love The Battle of Britain, although the script is pretty lame for the most part. However, you do come out of it having a sense of what happened during those weeks. And there has never been a movie with better flying scenes, well, Blue Max is a close second. Richard Quote Link to post Share on other sites
niart17 Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 Definatly Dam busters loved that movie when i was a wee'un. Speaking of, does anybody know what happened to Pete Jackson's re-make? Last I read it was still on but probably will be at least 2014 before released. They have been working on full size Lancasters and other models. I don't think casting has been done. I'd rather him take his time and get it right then rush. There's hope with Peter Jackson being a real aviation buff. HE really knows that actual aircraft don't fly like X-wing fighters. Bill Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rustywelder Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 Last I read it was still on but probably will be at least 2014 before released. They have been working on full size Lancasters and other models. I don't think casting has been done. I'd rather him take his time and get it right then rush. There's hope with Peter Jackson being a real aviation buff. HE really knows that actual aircraft don't fly like X-wing fighters. . Bill Awesome, i actually did a little dance when i found out it was him doing the movie, if any one will get it right its Pete jackson. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Charlie Cheetah Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 Final Countdown........... No........? Zeros vs. Tomcats.....No? Well lots of great flight deck and hanger shots. One of my all time favorites! I forget the title but the British movie with all the Mosquitoes.I was awed by the number of the old birds and they didn't look like models. 633 Squadron, saw that recently for the first time, I was really impressed except for the chessy special effects at the end. You guys are missing: Top Gun, Midway, Pearl Harbor, etc. Dont forget that wonderfully inaccurate "Behind Enemy Lines" Quote Link to post Share on other sites
drhornii Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 What about part 1 and ? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Alvis 3.1 Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 I really liked "Dark Blue World". The flying sequences were a really good mix of real and CGI work, and the story itself, while fictional, I felt depicted some realistic characters and how they'd deal with the problems that might arise. When the one pilot erupts in anger at almost being shot down by his friend, only to discover how wrong he was, is really well done. Subtitled didn't detract the experience, and besides, Merlins sounded the same anyhow! Alvis 3.1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Diamondback Six Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 A big +1 on Flight Of The Intruder--filmed in large part aboard USS Independence and with VA-128. Also helps that it was based on a novel written by an A-6 Driver, and a big chunk of it all except the rogue mission by Grafton & Cole actually happened, whether to him, his squadronmates, or other Intruder crews on Yankee Station. The way Coonts writes, you almost feel like you're ready to take one up yourself, you're that immersed in the cockpit experience... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Litvyak Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 Starfighters! That is, if you want to know about inflight refueling... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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