Air Force (film)

Infobox Film
name = Air Force


image_size = 200px
caption = Cover of videotape
director = Howard Hawks
producer = Hal B. Wallis
Jack Warner (executive producer)
writer = Dudley Nichols
narrator =
starring = John Garfield
John Ridgely
Gig Young
Harry Carey
music = Leo F. Forbstein
cinematography = James Wong Howe
editing = George Amy
distributor = Warner Bros.
released = 3 February 1943 (New York City premiere)
runtime = 124 minutes
country = United States
language = English
budget =
website =
amg_id = 1:1273
imdb_id = 0035616

"Air Force" is a 1943 war film directed by Howard Hawks. It starred John Garfield, John Ridgely, Harry Carey, and Gig Young as crew members on a B-17 Flying Fortress named the "Mary-Ann". An uncredited William Faulkner wrote the emotional deathbed scene for the pilot of the bomber. Made in the aftermath of the Pearl Harbor attack, it was one of the first of the patriotic films of World War II, most often characterized as a propaganda film.

Plot

The film details the story the crew of the "Mary-Ann", a B-17 bomber, in the early days of World War II. It begins with a flight from California to Hickam Field at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, beginning on 6 December 1941. The unarmed B-17 squadron arrives right at the beginning of the Japanese attack. This is based on a true incident; radar operators thought the Japanese planes they detected were an incoming flight of B-17s.

The film includes an ensemble cast with John Garfield as a disaffected gunner who washed out of flight school after a mid-air collision in which another pilot was killed. Harry Carey plays the "Mary-Ann"'s crew chief and a long-time veteran in the Army Air Corps, whose son is a pilot.

The routine ferry mission to Hawaii propels the "Mary-Ann" and its crew into the midst of war and their subsequent deployment to other Pacific bases include stops at Wake Island and the Philippines. Using wartime combat footage sparingly, the eventual missions in the Coral Sea mirrors real-life events.

Cast

As appearing in screen credits (main roles identified): [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035616/fullcredits Air Force (1943)] ]

Production

Principal photography took place at Drew Army Air Field, Tampa, Florida, San Antonio, Texas, (aerial shots, exteriors), Santa Monica Bay, California, (water scenes) and Tampa, Florida, (aerial shots, exteriors). Location and studio shooting took place over a very tight schedule from 18 June 1942 - 26 October 1942.

The U.S. Army Air Forces aircraft that appeared in the film were:
* Ten Boeing B-17C/D Flying Fortresses from Hendrick Field, Sebring, Florida.
* North American AT-6 Texans (painted as Japanese fighters) and Bell P-39 Airacobras, Curtiss P-40Cs and Republic P-43A Lancers (painted as Japanese fighters) from Drew Field.
* Six Martin B-26C Marauders from McDill Field, Tampa, Florida (painted as Japanese bombers).

The actual "Mary-Ann" was lost shortly after the production wrapped.

Inaccuracy

There is quite a bit of anti-Japanese propaganda. The crew is shot at by "local Japanese" on Maui and the Hickam Field commander tells the crew that vegetable trucks knocked the tails off a row of P-40 Warhawk fighters as the attack began. As detailed in Walter Lord's book, "Day of Infamy", later investigations proved no Japanese-American was involved in any sabotage during the Pearl Harbor attack.

Reception

Critical acclaim followed the film's premiere as it echoed some of the emotional issues that underlied the American public psyche at the time including fears of Japanese Americans. Reviewers commented that this was a prime example of Howard Hawk's abilities; "Air Force" is a model of fresh, energetic, studio-era filmmaking." [Anderson, Jeffrey M. [http://www.combustiblecelluloid.com/classic/airforce.shtml "Wing Men."] "Combustible Celluloid", 8 June 2007.] When seen in a modern perspective, the emotional aspects of the film seem out-of-proportion and although it has been wrongly dismissed as a piece of wartime propaganda, it still represents a classic war film that can be considered a historical document. [Macdonald, Daniel. [http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/airforce.php "Air Force."] "DVD Verdict", 31 August 2007.]

When initially released, "Air Force" was one of the top three films in commercial revenue in 1943.

Awards

"Air Force" editor George Amy won an Oscar in the 1944 Academy Awards in the category of Best Film Editing. The film was also nominated for Best Cinematography, Black-and-White and Best Effects, Special Effects and Best Writing, Original Screenplay.

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Dolan, Edward F. Jr. "Hollywood Goes to War". London: Bison Books, 1985. ISBN 0-86124-229-7.
* Hardwick, Jack and Schnepf, Ed. "A Buff's Guide to Aviation Movies". "Air Progress Aviation" Vol. 7, No. 1, Spring 1983.

External links

*tcmdb title|id=575|title=Air Force