Dive bomber
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | Dive bomber |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1941 |
| length | 132 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Michael Curtiz |
| script |
Frank Wead Robert Buckner |
| music | Max Steiner |
| camera |
Bert Glennon Winton C. High |
| cut | George Amy |
| occupation | |
| |
Dive Bomber ( en. Dive bomber ) is a 1941 American drama directed by Michael Curtiz . Curtiz directed the production , which is considered a propaganda film, based on a story by Frank Wead for the production company Warner Bros.
action
The Navy pilots Joe Blake, Tim Griffin and Swede Larson combines a deep friendship. As a sign of their solidarity, all three have the same type of cigarette case. Swede faints on a flight near Hawaii. A crash occurs in which he is seriously injured. An immediate operation by the surgeon Dr. Lee can't save Swede. The doctor becomes hostile to Joe and Tim through Swede's death.
Some time later, Joe works in San Diego as a flight instructor. To his dismay, he learns that Dr. Lee participates in the flight training to gain firsthand experience of the health hazards for the pilots. The doctor has problems with another doctor, Lance Rogers, who is no longer allowed to fly for health reasons. Dr. Lee learns that Rogers is to blame for his heart problems. Lee and Rogers become friends. Rogers offers to help him with his medical research in San Diego.
The two doctors want to find a way to protect the pilots from falling unconscious from a rapid dive. Joe is available as a test pilot for the experiments. Lee develops a compressed air belt to prevent blood loss in the pilot's brain. Rogers has to give the burned-out Tim a no-fly. However, since Tim has a family to support, he enrolls in the Canadian Air Force. Tim's plane crashes on a flight from San Diego to Vancouver. Tim dies in the accident.
Lee and Rogers are now investigating altitude sickness . In order to be able to attack their enemies from above, the pilots reach great heights, which leads to severe nausea for many. After Tim dies, Joe changes his mind about Lee. The two are now working together to develop a compressed air suit to protect the pilots. Before Joe is supposed to fly with a suit, tests are carried out in a special chamber. Lee realizes that Joe is also tired from the strain and bans him from flying. But Joe ignores Lee's instructions and starts the test flight. The tubes for the oxygen supply freeze at an altitude of over 10,000 meters. Joe crashes, but can write a note first. Lee is supposed to heat the oxygen so that the tubes don't freeze.
Lee and Rogers are honored for their work. Lee takes the cigarette cans he found at the crash site of Joe's machine. He starts the season and throws the can out of the machine as a last honor for Joe.
Reviews
In his review, Bosley Crowther of the New York Times was impressed by the strange dramaturgy and the extraordinarily colorful content.
Awards
Bert Glennon was nominated for an Oscar in the category Best Camera (Color) in 1942 .
background
The premiere took place on August 12, 1941 in San Diego.
Filming locations were u. a. the Eglin Air Force Base in northern Florida, the Naval Base San Diego, the aircraft carriers USS Enterprise and USS Saratoga and the Cabrillo National Monument .
The film is the last of 12 films in which director Curtiz and Errol Flynn worked together. Moroni Olsen , Gig Young and Alan Hale junior played in small supporting roles . Production manager was Al Alleborn , Byron Haskin was responsible for the special effects. The musical director was Leo Forbstein , the orchestra director was Hugo Friedhofer . The future flying hero Edward O'Hare was one of the pilots that the US Navy made available.
According to a June 1, 1941 report in the New York Times , the Technicolor cameras were causing problems for the dive bombers. The bombers were unable to perform accurate dives. Byron Haskin developed a special mount that allowed one of the two cameras that were carried with him to move back and forth.
The aircraft used in the film were Vought Vindicator- type dive bombers and Douglas Devastator- type torpedo bombers . Training aircraft, Naval Aircraft Factory N3N biplanes , were also used. A budget of $ 1.7 million was available for production. With the US preparing for a possible entry into the war, the film crew had to work on a very tight schedule. Filming began on March 20, 1941 on the Naval Air Station North Island . While filming, the Navy ordered a new gray camouflage for the aircraft. The production manager Robert Lord was able to ensure that some of the machines kept their previous colored paintwork and so matched the scenes that had already been shot.
Web links
- Dive bomber in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Bosley Crowther in the New York Times (Eng.)
- ^ Dive Bomber (1941) - Notes. In: Turner Classic Movies . Retrieved December 23, 2019 .
- ↑ Bruce Orriss: When Hollywood Ruled the Skies: The Aviation Film Classics of World War II. Hawthorne, California: Aero Associates Inc., 1984 - ISBN 0-9613088-0-X .