Start into the twilight

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Movie
German title Start into the twilight
Original title The Dawn Patrol
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1930
length 95 minutes
Rod
Director Howard Hawks
script Howard Hawks ,
Seton I. Miller ,
Dan Totheroh ,
John Monk Saunders
production Hal B. Wallis for Warner Brothers
music Leo F. Forbstein
camera Ernest Haller
cut Ray Curtiss
occupation

Start into the Twilight (OT: The Dawn Patrol ) is an American war film from 1930 with Richard Barthelmess and directed by Howard Hawks .

action

Major Brand is the commander of an air squadron that lets his pilots fly missions every day with poorly equipped aircraft. Since no better planes can be delivered, the pilots in air combat are hopelessly inferior to their German counterparts. Since his squadron has a high loss rate, Brand is referred to by his best pilot Courtney as the "Butcher" (butcher). Although Brand follows his orders and keeps sending his men into battle, he is plagued by doubts. Eventually Brand is relieved and hands over his command to Courtney. He soon realizes that, like his predecessor Brand, he is becoming an involuntary "butcher" because he only has insufficient material. Because he is now in command, there is a gap between him and his fellow pilots. The situation comes to a head when Courtney sends his best friend Scott's younger brother on a suicide mission. Scott's brother dies and the friendship falls apart. To restore their friendship, Courtney gets Scott drunk and flies the next mission himself.

During the flight he meets Richter's German aviator ace and shoots him down, but is also shot down himself. Scott now has to take command of the squadron and quickly realizes that he is in the same position as his two predecessors.

background

Howard Hawks was an avid aviator himself and therefore almost a logical choice for the lavishly produced film The Dawn Patrol . The film joins a series of strips that explicitly dealt with the adventures and problems of the squadrons of the First World War. Inspired by William A. Wellman's monumental epic Wings Made of Steel , which won an Oscar for Best Film of the Year for Paramount Pictures , works like Hell's Angels by Howard Hughes or The Dawn Patrol were filmed in the following years. Richard Barthelmess had been an important film star since the early 1920s, who made the transition to sound film without any problems. However, the changing public tastes ended his career soon after 1934. In 1939 he made a comeback in SOS Fire On Board , an aviation drama that was also directed by Howard Hawks. Warner Brothers built Douglas Fairbanks Jr. , who played the second male leading role, purposefully to become a teenage hero during the time and put the actor equally in action films like The Dawn Patrol and as a romantic hero in comedies like I Like Your Nerve and Loose Ankles , mostly at Loretta Young's side . Howard Hawks turned The Dawn Patrol into an anti-war film that portrayed the hopeless fate of the pilots, who almost inevitably find death in battle. In the staging, he attached great importance to the dramatic representation of the aerial combat scenes. To achieve the greatest possible authenticity, Howard Hawks shot with stunt pilots. He also deliberately avoided love stories between nurses and pilots, such as those forced into the plot in Hell's Angels or Wings, regardless of logic. It ended up costing $ 611,722, making the film one of the studio's most expensive productions to date. Attracted by mostly excellent reviews, the audience made The Dawn Patrol an unqualified financial success. Edmund Goulding shot a remake of the same title in 1938 with Errol Flynn and David Niven in the leading roles.

Reviews

The strip received some glowing reviews.

Louella Parsons wrote on August 14, 1930:

“Start into the Twilight” is one of the most important war films since “Nothing New in the West” manifested its strong anti-war message. The film will carry you away with its tension, will tie you to your seat until the end and shake you deeply emotionally. […] Howard Hawks demonstrates his talent through his good and concentrated directing. It's a masterful film and has a superb narrative structure.
“The Dawn Patrol” aims to be the most effective blow at war since “All Quiet on the Western Front” delivered its message against wanton bloodshed. What a picture! It racks you with suspense, keeps you rooted to your chair until the very end and leaves you limp with emotion. […] Howard Hawks shows his craftsmanship in his deft and thoughtful direction. It is a masterly piece of work with a continuity that is superb.

The lexicon of international film found:

First sound film by Howard Hawks […], which conjures up a climate of constant tension and latent hopelessness in a laconic narrative style. The characters, their relationships and their unusual working conditions are sketched with simple but effective technical and dramaturgical means; Hawk's action-oriented and completely unsentimental direction gives the film an unusual power and stringency.

Awards

The film won the Academy Awards in 1931 in the category:

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Start into the twilight. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed December 7, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used