Best flying scenes? - Leave the plot out of this!

Hey guys, in all of your opinions, which movie has the very best flying scenes? Even if the story made you cry from its lack of depth or whatever else brings you to tears.

[TomVrille]

I give the nod to Hell's Angels for the most complete set of flying sequences. Where else can one find dogfights, bombing missions, and Zeppelins, all in one film? The Jean Harlow footage isn't bad either.

Honorable mention to Dawn Patrol for the best image of life at a Great War aerodrome, along with some nifty ground attack sequences.

I was really impressed with Hells Angels. The story wasnt too bad and neither was the acting when you consider it was one of the first talkies.

The thing that can sometimes make or break aerial scenes for me are when the planes crash into the ground. Hells angels appeared to have the real thing when it came to this. There were only a couple of cheesy models dropped from like 10 feet into the ground lol.
Guess thats all I have to say about that.

[Gregvan]

Hi,

I agree that the flying scenes in 'Hell's Angels' are spectacular, and I've always enjoyed 'Dawn Patrol'. DP has a much better script and acting (both versions) than 'Hell's Angels'. One thing in HA's favor is that the actors actually flew, and were photographed in, the aircraft (with the exceptions of the night-flying scenes with the Zeppelin). The close-ups of pilots flying their Fokker D.VIIs and SE5's (and trying to act while doing so) were actually of the stunt pilots who were flying these airplanes. Thus Frank Clarke played 'von Bruen'. Roy Wilson played 'Baldy', and Frank Tomick appeared as 'Richthofen' in his Fokker D.VII (!). James Hall and Ben Lyons were also really flying in the Sikorsky S29 to achieve those close-up shots in the 'Gotha'. The close-ups of David Niven and Errol Flynn in the later version of 'Dawn Patrol' were obviously process shots, with the actor's movements (and those of their fluttering banderoles) rarely matching the movements their aircraft were supposed to be making.

I really like the flying scenes in the silent classic "Wings". If this had been shot in the same way with full sound (and a score by Jerry Goldsmith), and maybe in color, it would be considered an incredible film. As it is, in silent black and white, it's still a great classic. You get training scenes, spectacular multi-plane dogfights, an attack on a French village by a German 'Gotha' which is then shot down by our heroes, a successful balloon attack, huge scenes of an infantry attack with many aircraft flying over the troops and strafing the Germans, and terrific crashes of a real Fokker D.VII and SPAD VII by Dick Grace. Once again, most of the close-ups of the actors in their cockpits were actually made of the actors in actual flight, with the wind slapping their cheeks, etc. It's great stuff, if melodramatic. It's amazing to consider that this was really the first film of its type, and Bill Wellman and Dick Grace were having to invent the methods for filming as they went along.

'The Blue Max' gets honorable mention for those great atmospheric color flying scenes, beautifully photographed, and the memorable Jerry Goldsmith score. However, compare the aerobatics with those in 'Hell's Angels' and you'll see that those Irish pilots were being very careful with those poor-flying replicas, and didn't throw them around the sky like their predecessors did in 'Hell's Angels'.

Greg

[Ginger.]

If the question is not limited to WW1 then 'The Battle of Britain' wins hands down.

[stephenl]

(WWI) Attack of the Hawk Men Young Indiana Jones series
And Non WWI, (WWII) Dark Blue World

[Roadhog]

Dear Ginger, World War II and later movies don't count; otherwise I would have already nominated Ed Wood's Plan Nine From Outer Space. VR, Roadhog "Memento mori."

Honorable mentions should also go to "von Richthofen & Brown" and "Aces High". Lots of good action scenes in these as well. Also enjoyed the Dr-1/Camel dogfight scene in "The Great Waldo Pepper".

PIET

Forgive me for mentioning "Pearl Harbor" but there were some very good aerial sequences in that turkey. "Tora Tora Tora" gives me a buzz too. So...nobody liked "Memphis Belle"? My favourite aerial sequence - but it is not quite flying, more like falling - is the paratroopers leaping out of the Dakotas in "A Bridge too Far" - makes me gasp with them. As for WWI scences - well, I always cry when the aircraft strafes our heroes in "All Quiet on the Western Front".

[buzz1941]

As for filmed scenes that have the pure joy of aviating, "Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines" and "Fly Away Home" are extraordinary.