Quote:
Originally posted by Pooch:
Chox, the planes in the film are a mixture of specially built replicas, and more "modern" types that were dressed up for their parts in the movie.
The Pfalz, Fokker D7's and Triplanes were full scale replicas built for the movie. They only built a few, so French SV4 biplanes were painted in Flying Circus colors to fill up the sky behind them. I think it was all really well done, and even knowing all of that, anytime I see this picture, it still doesn't bother me.
The SE-5's are interesting, in that they are not full scale planes. They were 85 percent scale, but no matter how many time I've seen this movie (and I've seen it plenty! I used to own a VHS copy, and lost it) I still can't tell. They stuck Lewis guns on the upper wings of some of the SV-4's and painted them brown, to fill up the British air scenes, too.
An old French trainer called a Caudren(did I spell that right?) 277 served as both an RFC two-seater, and a German two-seater.
Great movie, isn't it? I NEVER get tired of watching it.
Hi Pooch,
Despite the inevitable visual anomolies (large modern electricity pylons in the background of the final fade-out scene at the airfield, some German troops carrying Lee Enfield Mk.4 rifles, airfield offices with 1940s window frames) I quite agree it's a great movie. Never quite accepted George Peppard's US accent in a supposed German flyer, but he certainly looked suitably teutonic and acted the part well. Mind you, British actors speaking with a guttural German accent is equally silly when you think about it . . .
I thought the flying sequences were excellent - particularly the selected shots looking over the pilot's shoulder that gave the viewer a huge sense of speed and vulnerability. Apart from the generic diving engine sound that's almost exactly like a diving Stuka and may well be a stock cinema sound effect from their libraries, the visual effects were excellent. I also liked the fact the aircraft had a suitably slightly battered and weathered look to them but without overdoing this.
Interested to know what the single wing shiny metallic aircraft was that represented the experimental plane at the end. Did they have metal plating back then?
As for Ursula Andress (should that be Undress?), well she'd certainly steam up yer goggles . . .
Thanks for the info regarding planes used etc.
Chox.