Flyboys - the movie

[Moonraker]

Watch it here.

I thought it was good enough, though I could have done without the romance. And I wasn't sure about the meaningful looks exchanged between pilots in the air.

(Over the past months or so, I've been listing other WWI films available on Fast32. The sound levels vary greatly - not helped by my PC having cheapo audio equipment - and "Flyboys" had the lowest level yet. I only realised the other day that clicking on "CC" at bottom right brings up  a menu of different languages for sub-titles..

IMDB with a Goofs section.

[tomcervo]

On 07/02/2022 at 17:08, Moonraker said:

Watch it here.

I thought it was good enough, though I could have done without the romance. And I wasn't sure about the meaningful looks exchanged between pilots in the air.

(Over the past months or so, I've been listing other WWI films available on Fast32. The sound levels vary greatly - not helped by my PC having cheapo audio equipment - and "Flyboys" had the lowest level yet. I only realised the other day that clicking on "CC" at bottom right brings up  a menu of different languages for sub-titles..

IMDB with a Goofs section.

I hit the thrift stores regularly for various media, and the dvd shows up frequently; the bluray less so.You can own it for $2 or so.

And the foreign language option on some movies actually helps with cheesy dialogue. In French some action pictures sound better.

[Behindthewing]

On 04/03/2022 at 19:30, tomcervo said:

I hit the thrift stores regularly for various media, and the dvd shows up frequently; the bluray less so.You can own it for $2 or so.

And the foreign language option on some movies actually helps with cheesy dialogue. In French some action pictures sound better.

Have you seen The Blue Max of 1966 with George Peppard. Great flying scenes and no crazy CGI. Not a perfect film but far superior to most WW1 aviation films. Good music by Jerry Goldsmith too.

[alex revell]

I must have missed this thread the first time round. I didn't see Fly Boys, but if it was about the Lafayette E then the title of the film would be appropriate in the English slang term. I had the job of reviewing the last book on the LE.  a photographic book. Their record was abysmal, their attitude to the war even more so. One of the members confessed that their frequent leaves to Paris left them so exhausted that they were glad to get back to the war for a bit of arrest. One 'ace'  with  two dubious victories complained that only getting one medal for same was not enough.  He complained to his father, a prominent and influential  businessman, about the CO  asking father to use his influence to have the CO removed. All in all they were spoilt rich kids; even amongst themselves they split into groups based on social level. After the war, one member was called upon by the USAS chief to visit the British squadrons where other Americans had served and denigrate the work and worth squadrons, to be made into an adverse report. To his credit the ex member refused to task. The report did come out, however

This constant praise of the LE used to anger my good friend and colleague, American Ola Slater. Every time a new book about the LE  came out he would practically have an apoplectic fit. He was so angry that the many of his fellow Americans - approx 300 -   who flew with such distinction with the British squadrons were completely unknown to the American public.  Their story was told in James J Hudson's book In Clouds of Glory published in 1990, but even this was incomplete. With a nod to Ola's memory here is my review of the latest book on the LE. 

Flawed Idealism

Steven A Ruffkin

The Lafayette Escadrille.  A Photo History of the First American Fighter Squadron.

Casemate UK.  May 2020. £18.99 pb. 220pp. illus throughout. 2 appendices.selected biblio.Index.

ISBN: 978-161200-852-3

 In 1777, the 20 year old Marquis de Lafayette travelled to America to fight in the American war of Independence. At the outbreak of war in 1914, many young Americans, feeling it their duty to honour that debt, enlisted in the French Army.  Among these were a group of seven pilots, the founding members of the Lafayette Escadrille. Thirty eight American pilots would serve with escadrille until its disbandment on 18 February 1918.  

  Judged by the author’s own yardstick of the effectiveness of a fighter squadron -  the destruction of enemy aeroplanes – he admits that the Lafayette Escadrille  was ineffective as a fighter squadron. In twenty two months of combat flying the unit claimed only 33 enemy aircraft destroyed, sixteen of these by a single pilot, no other pilot scoring more than four victories and twenty five scoring no victories at all. The author points out that this should not be construed as a criticism; that this was typical of an ‘average’ fighter squadron. In this he is incorrect: In the RFC/RAF squadrons, 527 pilots scored five or more victories, and of the Americans, flying with British squadrons, twenty seven scored a total of 305 victories.  

The thirty eight men who served in the Lafayette Escadrille, were a diverse mix: some were from wealthy backgrounds, the sons of prominent American families, well educated and idealistic; others, men of more modest means, relatively uneducated, drifters who had made their own way in the world. This disparity would cause trouble in the unit, leading to a lack of esprit de corps. Cliquish behaviour and petty squabbling led to two diverse groups, both hostile to the other, with original members even begrudging the replacement pilots arriving from US, one describing them as ‘see the war boys, who when they learned of the dangers involved would say their country calls them and hie back to the land that likes only picnic wars.’  An unedifying picture is given of one prominent pilot, a founding member, having ‘serious words’ with the French commanding officer of the escadrille. After only a month of combat flying and scoring one aerial victory, he was furious that he had not been awarded the two medals he thought he deserved.  

Initially, the Escadrille was employed on the Vosges, a quiet sector, but after a month was transferred to the Verdun sector. The author describes this move as ‘The End of the Deluxe War’. An apt description. Prior to this he paints a vivid picture of the pampered conditions the escadrille  enjoyed. Pilots were housed in good hotels, with excellent accommodation and food.  Trips to Paris were commonplace - one pilot ‘decamped’ to Paris being: ‘unable to stand the horrors of our warlike existence.’ During the fighting at Verdun, the whole unit was given 48 hours leave in Paris to celebrate American Independence Day. The pilots considered ‘their adventures in Paris’ – wine women and song – ‘as the most important part of the war’. One pilot later wrote that he and his comrades returned to the front from a typical binge in Paris ‘only to get some rest.’  

I am reluctant to paint a negative picture of the Lafayette Escadrille, but unfortunately this is the impression given by the author. The book itself is excellent, beautifully produced and well written, with biographies of all the pilots, and the many photographs are superb, fully justifying the subtitle. The book is valuable for these two aspects alone. But the view remains that the subject matter is not worthy of the book. 

 

[Behindthewing]

30 minutes ago, alex revell said:

I must have missed this thread the first time round. I didn't see Fly Boys, but if it was about the Lafayette E then the title of the film would be appropriate in the English slang term. I had the job of reviewing the last book on the LE.  a photographic book. Their record was abysmal, their attitude to the war even more so. One of the members confessed that their frequent leaves to Paris left them so exhausted that they were glad to get back to the war for a bit of arrest. One 'ace'  with  two dubious victories complained that only getting one medal for same was not enough.  He complained to his father, a prominent and influential  businessman, about the CO  asking father to use his influence to have the CO removed. All in all they were spoilt rich kids; even amongst themselves they split into groups based on social level. After the war, one member was called upon by the USAS chief to visit the British squadrons where other Americans had served and denigrate the work and worth squadrons, to be made into an adverse report. To his credit the ex member refused to task. The report did come out, however

This constant praise of the LE used to anger my good friend and colleague, American Ola Slater. Every time a new book about the LE  came out he would practically have an apoplectic fit. He was so angry that the many of his fellow Americans - approx 300 -   who flew with such distinction with the British squadrons were completely unknown to the American public.  Their story was told in James J Hudson's book In Clouds of Glory published in 1990, but even this was incomplete. With a nod to Ola's memory here is my review of the latest book on the LE. 

Flawed Idealism

Steven A Ruffkin

The Lafayette Escadrille.  A Photo History of the First American Fighter Squadron.

Casemate UK.  May 2020. £18.99 pb. 220pp. illus throughout. 2 appendices.selected biblio.Index.

ISBN: 978-161200-852-3

 In 1777, the 20 year old Marquis de Lafayette travelled to America to fight in the American war of Independence. At the outbreak of war in 1914, many young Americans, feeling it their duty to honour that debt, enlisted in the French Army.  Among these were a group of seven pilots, the founding members of the Lafayette Escadrille. Thirty eight American pilots would serve with escadrille until its disbandment on 18 February 1918.  

  Judged by the author’s own yardstick of the effectiveness of a fighter squadron -  the destruction of enemy aeroplanes – he admits that the Lafayette Escadrille  was ineffective as a fighter squadron. In twenty two months of combat flying the unit claimed only 33 enemy aircraft destroyed, sixteen of these by a single pilot, no other pilot scoring more than four victories and twenty five scoring no victories at all. The author points out that this should not be construed as a criticism; that this was typical of an ‘average’ fighter squadron. In this he is incorrect: In the RFC/RAF squadrons, 527 pilots scored five or more victories, and of the Americans, flying with British squadrons, twenty seven scored a total of 305 victories.  

The thirty eight men who served in the Lafayette Escadrille, were a diverse mix: some were from wealthy backgrounds, the sons of prominent American families, well educated and idealistic; others, men of more modest means, relatively uneducated, drifters who had made their own way in the world. This disparity would cause trouble in the unit, leading to a lack of esprit de corps. Cliquish behaviour and petty squabbling led to two diverse groups, both hostile to the other, with original members even begrudging the replacement pilots arriving from US, one describing them as ‘see the war boys, who when they learned of the dangers involved would say their country calls them and hie back to the land that likes only picnic wars.’  An unedifying picture is given of one prominent pilot, a founding member, having ‘serious words’ with the French commanding officer of the escadrille. After only a month of combat flying and scoring one aerial victory, he was furious that he had not been awarded the two medals he thought he deserved.  

Initially, the Escadrille was employed on the Vosges, a quiet sector, but after a month was transferred to the Verdun sector. The author describes this move as ‘The End of the Deluxe War’. An apt description. Prior to this he paints a vivid picture of the pampered conditions the escadrille  enjoyed. Pilots were housed in good hotels, with excellent accommodation and food.  Trips to Paris were commonplace - one pilot ‘decamped’ to Paris being: ‘unable to stand the horrors of our warlike existence.’ During the fighting at Verdun, the whole unit was given 48 hours leave in Paris to celebrate American Independence Day. The pilots considered ‘their adventures in Paris’ – wine women and song – ‘as the most important part of the war’. One pilot later wrote that he and his comrades returned to the front from a typical binge in Paris ‘only to get some rest.’  

I am reluctant to paint a negative picture of the Lafayette Escadrille, but unfortunately this is the impression given by the author. The book itself is excellent, beautifully produced and well written, with biographies of all the pilots, and the many photographs are superb, fully justifying the subtitle. The book is valuable for these two aspects alone. But the view remains that the subject matter is not worthy of the book. 

 

Many thanks for this information and valuable viewpoint.  I am very pleased to own books by Alex Revell.