When the nine-man crew of the B-17 Flying Fortress "Mary Ann" left San Francisco for Hawaii, they knew it was a routine training flight. What they didn't know, and we do, is the significance of the date...December 6, 1941. By the time they reach Hawaii, Hickam Field and Pearl Harbor are in flames. They manage to land on a small emergency field and are ordered to refuel immediately and set off for the Philippines, where every bomber and fighter plane is desperately needed. They'll need to refuel at Wake Island. At Wake they find the American outpost under heavy attack and facing the immediate threat of a Japanese landing. Every soldier and Marine on the island knows it's going to be a matter of fighting and dying. By the time the Mary Ann reaches Clark Field outside Manila, the Japanese are pushing rapidly south. The crew has fought off Japanese fighters and is now shot up and must be repaired. The crew manages to cannibalize the ruined hulks of planes caught on the ground, scrounge gasoline, and barely escape the first attack of Japanese infantry. By now some of the crew have been wounded, some have died. They set course for Australia, and on the way spot a major Japanese invasion force heading south. The crew alerts American forces and directs them to what turns out to be the Battle of the Coral Sea. After the battle, the Mary Ann barely makes it to a controlled crash landing near Darwin. When we last see the crew, those who survived, they're getting ready to lead a massive air attack on Tokyo.
With Air Force, Howard Hawks managed to create, in my opinion, one of the most effective of Hollywood's war-time movies. Sure, it has its clichés -- does any group of fighting men in WWII ever not have a guy from Brooklyn? And it has its jingoistic moments -- it heavily hints that Hawaii had home-grown fifth columnists. What it has in abundance is a carefully crafted movie that for the most part lets us see for ourselves through this crew the issues at hand. It takes us on a perilous journey that shows the consequences of some of our actions, the determination to endure and the grit to win. Hawks does this with four supremely effective themes:
First, Who are we? Hawks lets us get to know this crew, especially in the first hour. They may be all singularly clean-cut, but Hawks takes us along as we see how they do their jobs professionally, work as a team and overcome difficulties. The players in this crew are Irish Quincannon (John Ridgely), the pilot, cheerful, open and competent; Bill Williams (Gig Young), the co-pilot, a young but steady second in command; Tommy McMartin (Arthur Kennedy), the bombardier, eager to be in the fight and the brother of the girl Williams is getting serious about; Monk Hauser (Charles Drake), the navigator, who has a tradition to live up do and the challenge of finding Wake Island, a tiny spot in the Pacific Ocean; Robbie White (Harry Carey) the seasoned crew chief, a sergeant whose son is a lieutenant in the Philippines; Weinberg (George Tobias), the assistant crew chief and a gunner, always ready with a joke; Peterson (Ward Wood), the radio operator; Chester (Ray Montgomery), the assistant radio operator and gunner, green as they come; and finally Joe Winocki (John Garfield), embittered because he washed out of pilots training school. Along as a passenger is Tex Rader (James Brown), a fighter pilot hitching a ride from Hawaii to the Philippines. We get to see how they make a team, which eventually includes Winocki. And we share their confidence. "Uncle Sam is a pretty tough old gentleman," says White to the young crew. "You just wait until he gets mad."
Second, Do we have the right stuff to fight? Hawks shows us what we're up against. He demonstrates the dire situation America is facing. Hickam Field, Wake Island and Clark are disasters. He also shows us the grit and resolve of America's fighting men. "If you see my old boss, General MacArthur," says a wounded officer on Wake, "tell him no matter what the news is, we'll be in here pitching until they strike us out."
Third, Do we have what it takes to win? Hawks shows the ingenuity and the determination of Americans to persevere and overcome any odds. The whole long sequence of repairing the Mary Ann in the face of Japanese attacks by air and land is an exciting and moving metaphor for how America will ultimately prevail. The crew struggles through the night using spare parts, sweat and ingenuity, everyone working together.
Fourth, Will we achieve victory? Having spent an hour and a half showing us the issues and defining the character of America through these crew members, Hawks takes us to a defining moment when he shows us how America will wreak havoc on Japan. When the Mary Ann alerts American forces to the presence of the Japanese invasion fleet, Hawks creates a massive attack by air power on the Japanese fleet that is almost cathartic. It goes on and on, combining war footage from the Battle of the Coral Sea with fairly well-done miniatures. The Japanese fleet is turned into sinking hulks.
This is one of the shrewdest and most effective of Hollywood's war-time WWII movies. Hawks' gives us a four-part drama made up of carefully selected themes. It's as effective as you'd ever want.
With Air Force, Howard Hawks managed to create, in my opinion, one of the most effective of Hollywood's war-time movies. Sure, it has its clichés -- does any group of fighting men in WWII ever not have a guy from Brooklyn? And it has its jingoistic moments -- it heavily hints that Hawaii had home-grown fifth columnists. What it has in abundance is a carefully crafted movie that for the most part lets us see for ourselves through this crew the issues at hand. It takes us on a perilous journey that shows the consequences of some of our actions, the determination to endure and the grit to win. Hawks does this with four supremely effective themes:
First, Who are we? Hawks lets us get to know this crew, especially in the first hour. They may be all singularly clean-cut, but Hawks takes us along as we see how they do their jobs professionally, work as a team and overcome difficulties. The players in this crew are Irish Quincannon (John Ridgely), the pilot, cheerful, open and competent; Bill Williams (Gig Young), the co-pilot, a young but steady second in command; Tommy McMartin (Arthur Kennedy), the bombardier, eager to be in the fight and the brother of the girl Williams is getting serious about; Monk Hauser (Charles Drake), the navigator, who has a tradition to live up do and the challenge of finding Wake Island, a tiny spot in the Pacific Ocean; Robbie White (Harry Carey) the seasoned crew chief, a sergeant whose son is a lieutenant in the Philippines; Weinberg (George Tobias), the assistant crew chief and a gunner, always ready with a joke; Peterson (Ward Wood), the radio operator; Chester (Ray Montgomery), the assistant radio operator and gunner, green as they come; and finally Joe Winocki (John Garfield), embittered because he washed out of pilots training school. Along as a passenger is Tex Rader (James Brown), a fighter pilot hitching a ride from Hawaii to the Philippines. We get to see how they make a team, which eventually includes Winocki. And we share their confidence. "Uncle Sam is a pretty tough old gentleman," says White to the young crew. "You just wait until he gets mad."
Second, Do we have the right stuff to fight? Hawks shows us what we're up against. He demonstrates the dire situation America is facing. Hickam Field, Wake Island and Clark are disasters. He also shows us the grit and resolve of America's fighting men. "If you see my old boss, General MacArthur," says a wounded officer on Wake, "tell him no matter what the news is, we'll be in here pitching until they strike us out."
Third, Do we have what it takes to win? Hawks shows the ingenuity and the determination of Americans to persevere and overcome any odds. The whole long sequence of repairing the Mary Ann in the face of Japanese attacks by air and land is an exciting and moving metaphor for how America will ultimately prevail. The crew struggles through the night using spare parts, sweat and ingenuity, everyone working together.
Fourth, Will we achieve victory? Having spent an hour and a half showing us the issues and defining the character of America through these crew members, Hawks takes us to a defining moment when he shows us how America will wreak havoc on Japan. When the Mary Ann alerts American forces to the presence of the Japanese invasion fleet, Hawks creates a massive attack by air power on the Japanese fleet that is almost cathartic. It goes on and on, combining war footage from the Battle of the Coral Sea with fairly well-done miniatures. The Japanese fleet is turned into sinking hulks.
This is one of the shrewdest and most effective of Hollywood's war-time WWII movies. Hawks' gives us a four-part drama made up of carefully selected themes. It's as effective as you'd ever want.