Ok, it is safe to presume that everyone here in this area is an aviation buff of one sort or another. And more than likely we all have some favorite feature films related to aviation. I’ll bet a few here have been inspired to research and build something after having seen the aircraft in a movie. So I will ask, what are some of your favorites, non CGI, aircraft related movies that have good footage of the real deal, not a digitalized recreation. One that really pops out for the aircraft footage to me is “The Final Countdown”, late 70s US Navy birds in their full color glory. Not an academy award winner, but good fun and certainly great reference material to be found too. Anyone have some other suggestions?
I really enjoy watching the old “Battle of Britain” just to see all of those great air-to-air shots!
I agree with the Battle of Britian selection. I also like Tora, Tora, Tora, Memphis Belle and Twelve O’Clock High.
Hmmmmmm. Let’s see. “The Bridges At Toko-Ri” is a great one. “Mosquito Squadron”, “The War Lover” (lots of B-17 footage in that one), “Memphis Belle” (the documentary), “Wing And A Prayer”, “Twelve O’Clock High”, “The Great Santini”, “Wake Island”, and “Top Gun”, just to name a few. The scene in “Top Gun” where they’re training in the desert, with F-14’s against A-4’s, is just awesome. Great flying scenes there!!
My all time favorites are:
Strategic Air Command. There’s a B-47 in my stash on account of it, plus when Airman Jim and I watched it, I had my 1/72 B-36 on the coffee table. There’s a good sequence near the end with a number of C-124’s being loaded with engines.
The original “Flight of the Phoenix”. It’s a real shame Paul Mantz got himself killed making it, but what other movie has an airplane modeler as a main character.
The Right Stuff. I saw it two days in a row. I haven’t built any models inspired by that one.
BoB is definitely very good, too.
Here’s a link I like:
Oh, yeah! I almost forgot about “Tora Tora Tora” and “The Right Stuff”. I don’t know how many times I watched that movie for the X-1 and the rocket-assisted F-104. How about “The Rocketeer” with the replica Gee Bee “Z”?
Or, maybe TV shows? I remember as a kid looking forward every week to “Baa Baa Black Sheep” just to see the COrsairs.
For me it would have to be MIDWAY. The actual combat footage in there isw priceless!!
Chris
“Dark Blue World”… great Spitfire footage.
Well, The Bridges at Toko-Ri is one of my favorites, but it’s already been mentioned.
What about “The Hunters” with Robert Mitchum and Robert Wagner? Good F-86 Sabre footage in that one, although the plot seems very similair to Bridges at Toko-Ri . . . .
For Hellcats and Corsairs in WWII there is “Flat Top” and John Wayne’s “Flying Leathernecks”. Lots of original WWII color footage in those.
“Flyboys” does have some original aircraft mixed in with computer generated versions, as well as “Pearl Harbor” and other “newer” movies . . .
What the heck, get a bowl of popcorn, fire up the DVD player and watch them all!
For me the best aircraft movie is “Battle of Britain” and I do not think there will be anything better than this one ever. (at least for the WWII era)
AND THE WORST: latest “Pearl Harbor”
Oh yeah, all of the above. Does anyone remember the old Errol Flynn movie where they wore a deep sea divers helmet while flying? Been years since I’ve seen that one but as I remember it had a lot of older aircraft in it. Can’t recall the name of the movie.
John
That was “Dive Bomber”. Probably the best place to see the “Yellow Wing” US Naval Aviation in color!
top gun all the way[8D]
Glad to hear “Real” AC as the qualifier Pearl Harbor and Flyboys are right up there on my “worst movies ever” list. embarassing really. Some one does need to step up and actually do a real WWI flic! and and good WWII flyboy flic is looong overdue - something insane, gritty, real ,and preferably on the pacific front - one more hollywooded up pile of rubbish and I’m gonna gag! with things like Sands of Iwo, and private ryan on the table, the bar has been set high and theres no excuses!
As for the best… The Right Stuff is always watchable, Strategic air command is a great flic to, and for WWII fare… well I think a really good one has yet to be made honestly. Howard Hughes’ WWI epic Hells Angels actually still holds first in the first world war division…
I have to strongly second “Twelve O’Clock High” as the best ever WWII flying film [tup] [tup], and “Strategic Air Command” [tup] as the number one jet age film. “Toko Ri” and several others come close, and the 1st Air Cav scene from “Apocalypse Now” rules supreme for rotary aircraft! God, I love the smell of Tenax 7R in the morning! [8D]
Brian [C):-)]
Didn’t see 633 Squadron mentioned - real DeHavilland Mosquitos in that one!
Pearl Harbor may not have been great as a movie, but I still enjoy watching all those warbirds. The P-40s taking off was really great.
Midway is top notch with actual footage, even though we often see aircraft that had not yet joined the fleet (ie, Hellcats and Corsairs).
The Nicholas Cage movie Windtalkers has some good footage of Hellcats dropping bombs on Jap positions, and the Clint Eastwood movies Flags of our Fathers/Letters from Iwo Jima also feature some awesome Corsair footage, plus what I believe may have been B-24s bombing Iwo.
Spielberg’s Empire of the Sun features P-51s and B-29s, and some Japanese aircraft that I was not able to identify from early in the movie during the Japanese invasion of Shanghai.
Even Firefox has some nice Top Gun-like footage of an F-4 Phantom.
Come on guys, “30 seconds over Tokyo” Where else have you seen B25 draggin’ is rear end down the runway? Or “The Dam Busters”.
I have yet to hear the WWI epic, “The Blue Max”…
The Vulcan take-off scene in “Thunderball”.
[#ditto] I allways thought that was a pretty good picture. The TV show 12 o’clock high was great. And all that have been mentioned previously are definate favorites. I think Baa Baa was one of the last to use REAL aircraft on a regular basis in a tv series. How about M.A.S.H. tv and movie? Flight of the Phoenix?