Aircraft at War: The Memphis Belle Deluxe Edition [Blu-ray]

This was one of many films produced by Hollywood directors and producers on behalf of the War Department or the Naval Department (the precursors to the Department of Defense). The documentary is both more informative and gives a bit of the lie to the 1990 fictional telling. In the fictional telling, they needed a villain and made the public relations officer, a fictional major, into an interfering and insensitive hack. Watching this documentary suggests otherwise.The entire film is narrator voice over. There are no obviously staged shots. There are camera crews in one or more bombers on mission, soaking up the flak and facing the fighters armed only with cameras, as combat cameramen (and women) have done on land, sea, and in the air since the invention of portable cameras. That is how we get to see what the young men in the bombers actually experienced, without embellishment.The fictional movie made a bit of a self-aware joke of a stereotypical (for Hollywood war movies) crew from all backgrounds and parts of the country. As it happens, the real Memphis Belle crew truly was from all across the country and a wide range of backgrounds. We do not see the crew being interviewed, because the movie is not about them as individuals. Rather the folks back home are being instructed on the danger, the sacrifice, and the resolve of fellow Americans flying in the 8th Air Force before our government figured out that unescorted bombers were criminally vulnerable (hence the 25 mission mark).Besides trying to raise the morale of the crews and their families back home, the War Department finally overcame the bomber generals' mentality and tasked industry to produce fighters that could take the bombers all the way to German targets and home. These new fighters had external fuel tanks, for extended range, that could be dropped when enemy fighters appeared. The escort fighters first appeared with bombers over Germany in 1944, about the same time the Memphis Belle documentary was released, about a year after the crew flew their 25th mission in May of 1943.

Great film. about the exploits of the 8th AF during WWII, pickup a copy of Masters of the Air by Donald L. Miller. Many planes and crew flew 25 and more missions. A tremendous number of men lost their lives in the 8th AF during WWII. Many more were shot down and captured. Even more were injured. What is now called PTSD was rampant amongst the men. It was extremely difficult to board a bomber, knowing that your chances of returning to England was getting worse and worse. 1943 was horrid and 1944 was even worse as more Bomb Groups like my father's (447th BG at Rattlesden) began action in late 1943. Strategies were crude back then as everyone in the group would drop their bombs when they saw the lead bomber drop theirs. Planes were spaced out over a large area so pinpoint bombing was not as good as it could have been. However, it was a matter of attrition which won the air war for the Allies. They kept putting up more planes and bombed more targets and many on a regular basis, which led to Hitler's forces to slower in rebuilding and have to divert efforts from the ground war to rebuild or relocate damaged or destroyed targets.William Wyler was trying to get the story of a plane and crew making their 25th and last mission. I believe he filmed a couple of crews and was fortunate to have had the Memphis Belle. They landed with the #2 engine off, I believe.The Memphis Belle has been undergoing a restoration here in Dayton at the National Museum of the USAF since 2005 and should be completed within the next 2 years. I believe it will be kept there as it had been on display outside in Memphis, TN, which took a heavy toll on the historic plane, with considerable theft of interior pieces, even the wiring. It was dismantled and shipped to Dayton, where it has been under a careful and loving restoration by dedicated professionals and experienced and qualified volunteers. I cannot wait to see it on display. Read more

The original Memphis Bell video is why I bought this. I had it on VHS tape before. The other videos on this disc were interesting too.

A lot real action from actual war. Very dry. The truth about war. There is no such thing as a good war. This will never win a award. True stories all put together to sum up part of the War. War is HELL! If you Rambo type movies this is not for you. If you want to see the truth in real life buy this movie. Lot of good action shots. Real Hero's who paid the price for us to have freedom. Freedom is not Free. Ask a Vet. See many planes come back on a wing, and a prayer all shot-up. People never learn. Many people never was told that Japan paid a visit to Long Beach, and San Pedro California. Two Mini subs, and one japan Zero was shot down during the Pearle Harbor attack in California. Big guns blasting the earth moved and lights were seen about 20 miles away. Yes I am a witness to this. I have 6 years of Service. War is Hell ask a disabled Vet. and Thank him. After seeing this movie. You will.

This documentary film is powerful in a way no Hollywood movie about the Memphis Belle can ever be--this film is real. Real people, drawn out of their ordinary lives, do extraordinary service in deadly conditions. Being a film done at the time gives an immediacy to the events. This isn't a 'look back', it's a 'look _now_' in the film's perspective and that strengthens the effect. Even the 'propaganda' aspects serve to enhance the moving effect (like the blood donor pitch--propanda? yes. intense and powerful? definitely.)But a bad copy of the film on this DVD... The video level is overblown, wiping out much detail. The film transfer--actually it looks like a telecine/video transfer with scan lines painfully visible--is ghastly. If a new, better copy of Memphis Belle comes out, I'll be replacing this one.

Good restoration of the original documentary. It is currently available to view on netflix.

Great film record of the daylight bombing campaign. Watch out for the Horsa glider in the background of the shots of the King's car. The 2 figures in front of the glider are S/Sgt H G Harget and his colleague Sgt B Vincent. They had had to make a forced landing at the field on the day of the visit.

il film MEMPHIS BELLE era a me già noto da circa venti anni, E' un classico film di guerra ambientato nel 1943 e riflette una storia vera su un equipaggio di un bombardiere americano che rientra indenne dopo 25 missioni in Germania, con l'aereo ridotto molto male, e con un membro dell'equipaggio gravemente ferito. Naturalmente alcuni episodi del film sono "romanzati", ma questo non toglie freschezza e spontaneità al racconto del film. Il film di CATON-JONES a mio parere è da annoverare tra i classici dei film di guerra. Essenziale la doppiatura del sonoro in italiano e i sottotitoli in italiano che rendono comprensibile il dialogo in stretto inglese-americano, gergale come linguaggio di giovani ragazzi ventenni che arrivano da ogni dove degli USA degli anni 40.

Si vede che c'è stato un passaggio da analogico a digitale. Del resto siamo in presenza di un film di una ventina di anni fa ed è normale che la pellicola sia analogica. Durante il passaggio si è persa un po di qualità dell'immagine che, tutto sommato, rimane accettabilissima. Consigliato a tutti gli amanti dei bei film di guerra.

DVD di una storia vera, difficile da trovare, dopo tante ricerche finalmente l' ho ritrovato! consigliato a tutti gli appassionati di film di guerrae specificatamente sull' ottava forza aerea americana. Venditore consigliato, imballo eccellenete, arrivato il giorno preciso! Prezzo senza eguali!un ottimo acquisto.