Memphis Belle
by Michael Caton-Jones
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DVD details
Actor: Billy Zane, D.B. Sweeney, Eric Stoltz, Matthew Modine, Tate DonovanDirector: Michael Caton-Jones
Brand: Warner Brothers
Cinematographer: David Watkin
Editor: Jim Clark
Producer: Catherine Wyler
Producer: David Puttnam
Producer: Eric Rattray
Writer: Monte Merrick
DVD: 2 Sides, Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Letterboxed, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: Letterbox, 1.85:1
Running Time: 107 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1998-05-27
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
DVD Reviews of Memphis Belle
DVD Review: Their Last Mission
Summary: 3 Stars
In the summer of 1943 the Allied Air Force bombers attacked Germany, the US by day, the British by night. This is the story of a bomber crew created for the 1990s. [You can compare it to "Command Decision".] Was daylight bombing the only way to win the war? Some say this bombing delayed a cross-channel invasion in 1943 and an earlier end to the war. The last B-17 to land explodes for a dramatic effect. Bombers dropped surplus bomb in the Channel before they landed. That idea of a chain of restaurants was anachronistic. Would those men talk about their mission to civilians? Would they drop all those balloons at a party? Rubber was a scarce resource. That box camera would have underexposed film. The sale of film was rationed in Britain.
The assembled crews get their orders: Bremen, the aircraft factory. Strategic bombing picked the critical targets (like ball-bearing factories) to do the most damage. [Didn't they have alternate targets if the main target was clouded over?] Weren't the planes spaced far apart to prevent collision? They are attacked. A "lucky rubber band"? Some letters remind us of the real war. Anti-aircraft fire greets them as they approach the target. Was there such conflicts among the men as shown? The film shows actual film from the war to show bombs exploding. A dangerous maneuver extinguishes an engine fire. The damaged bomber makes it back to England. There is drama in the landing, but we should expect a happy ending.
The credits roll at the end, a lot of people are named. While the details of the story seem authentic, the tone of the story does not match the culture shown in the films of the 1940s. Overall, its worth watching as a dramatic story. There was a real "Memphis Belle" whose crew toured America to help sell war bonds.
The B-24 could fly higher, faster, and further than the B-17. It was not as user-friendly and all models were demolished for scrap at the end of the war. "The Wild Blue" by Stephen E. Ambrose has the story.
DVD Review: Average war flick
Summary: 3 Stars
Mild Spoilers Follow
This is not a dreadful movie, but it is pretty average. What makes it interesting are the aerial sequences, and the flying B17 bombers, several of them real planes which are credited at the end of the film. Watching (and hearing) them fly is fascinating, and you do get a real idea from the film of what it was like inside one of those beasts. If you are interested in this sort of thing, then the movie is worth watching at least once for this alone.
Otherwise...I'm afraid it's cheesy. The fact that the B17 had such a large crew works against the film-makers, because it is hard to give all the crew members space and make the men individual characters. To compensate, they each end up with their own gimmick, whether it is the wireless op with his camera, the navigator with his drinking, or the waist gunner with his holy medal. (Harry Connick, as the tail gunner, naturally sings.) Despite this, they all remain as types, and it is hard to really empathise with or care for any of them as individuals. This is not the fault of the acting, but the fault of the script, and, to a lesser extent, the direction.
Naturally, everything goes wrong with the Memphis Belle's final mission to Bremen. Though ghastly things did routinely happen on bombing operations (one of the worst moments in the film shows a crippled German fighter slicing a B17 in half--you can see a photo of a real-life, similar incident in the recent book "Eighth Air Force", by Donald Miller) the way the crew surmount one disaster after another does rather stretch credulity. It's also highly doubtful that the plane could ever have dropped its bomb-load accurately on a factory instead of a neighbouring school, as that sort of accuracy just could not be guaranteed with the technology that was around at the time. About the only thing you can say is that the Eighth Air Force at least pretended they were trying to hit targets whereas the RAF just bombed everything indiscriminately: the results, unfortunately were much the same for those on the receiving end of the bombs. Which leads me to another cynical observation, that It's noticeable you don't see any bombs going off on the ground in this movie. In fact, while people get blown up, or sucked out of aeroplanes, this film is remarkably violence free--the most blood you see is from a tin of tomato soup.
It's long been my observation that people who went through the war are sometimes nostalgic, but seldom sentimental about it. It was an emotion that simply could not be afforded at the time, and after the event it became an ingrained habit. Old war movies, made soon afterwards by men who were often former combatants, reflect this attitude, but Memphis Belle was made long enough after the events it purports to depict that sentiment creeps in. Ultimately, this movie is a 90s version of events that happened 50 years previously. Despite the technological advantages the filmakers had, perhaps that is one of the reasons why in the end it doesn't quite convince.
DVD Review: The Memphis Belle
Summary: 5 Stars
GREAT! I love this movie and now I can love it forever! Thanks!DVD Review: Memphis Belle
Summary: 5 Stars
Great movie. Great storyline. Awesome cast. Gave a pretty clear understanding of the mindset of bomber pilots and crews during the bombing of Germany during WWII. I would recommend this to most everyone. Kids will enjoy this as well.DVD Review: Memphis Belle DVD
Summary: 4 Stars
This is an xmas gift for my husband. The DVD arrive when I was told it would arrive. It was very well packaged and product was in excellent condition. My husband will be very happy when he receives the DVD.
Description of Memphis Belle
The brave young men of the b-17 flying fortress named the memphis belle have just one more mission to fly over nazi occupied europe and they will be on their way home to a heros welcome. But this 25th mission will also be their most dangerous bombing target: bremen. Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 02/08/2005 Starring: Matthew Modine Eric Stoltz Run time: 107 minutes Rating: Pg13 Director: Michael Caton-jonesIf you've never seen an aviation movie before in your entire life, you'll be blissfully ignorant of the fact that Memphis Belle shamelessly (and yet gloriously) incorporates just about every clich? in the flight-movie handbook. If you're a big fan of aviation movies--especially movies about World War II bomber crews--you'll be glad that the genre's clich?s have been handled with such professional flair. As it follows the crew of a B-17 bomber on its final and most dangerous mission over Germany, Memphis Belle may be little more than a slick and highly authentic presentation of familiar thrills and characters, but it's a rousing piece of entertainment. Featuring an ensemble cast of fresh faces who've since enjoyed thriving careers (including Billy Zane, Sean Astin, Eric Stoltz, D.B. Sweeney, and Harry Connick Jr.), the movie exists as a fitting tribute to the men who fought and often died in the air over hostile territory. It's the Hollywood version of a 1944 wartime documentary made by legendary director William Wyler (whose daughter served as one of this film's producers), and as such it's a bit contrived and melodramatic. And yet, this exciting movie is almost certain to grab and hold your attention, offering an honorable reminder of the bravery and integrity that were crucial ingredients of any bomber's crew. --Jeff Shannon
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