Memphis Belle

I like it too. Although it did not accurately tell the story of the last mission, it does give the viewer a sense of what went on in the skies over Nazi occupied Europe in 1943. What is also nice is that they did not just slap paint onto B-17G's and pass them off as B-17F's. The producers went to great lengths to modify the B-17G's to look exactly like B-17F's, right down to the low profile dorsal turret. Another break in the historical accuracy was their fighter escort. P-51's were used in the film, but in reality Spitfire's were the escort fighters at that time.
 
With only a few exceptions made due to technical limitations, such as noted by stansdds, it's an outstanding showcase of the equipment in use and the general combat environment of the time. Good explanation of how the various crew positions were manned and utilized in combat. The two waist gunners constantly rubbing backs while using their weapons was the reason the waist windows were staggered in later production B-17s. Apparently one exception made to reality was the total and complete lack of goggles among the crew, as I recall not one of them was wearing - or even carrying - a set. It has been said to get some idea of what it was REALLY like, one needs to see "Twelve O'Clock High" with Gregory Peck to get an idea of the mental mindset required to do this, and the horrible strain on crews. As I recall "MB" covered the period where serious losses were just beginning to be felt, it got really bad in the fall of 1943 and winter of 1944 (after the period shown in "MB"), before the P-51 showed up. The summer of 1943, after "MB" happened, is the time referred to in "Twelve O'Clock High" - reference is made to an attack on German ball bearing production, without mentioning the target - that would be First Schweinfurt, in August, 1943.
 
stansdds said:
I like it too. Although it did not accurately tell the story of the last mission, it does give the viewer a sense of what went on in the skies over Nazi occupied Europe in 1943. What is also nice is that they did not just slap paint onto B-17G's and pass them off as B-17F's. The producers went to great lengths to modify the B-17G's to look exactly like B-17F's, right down to the low profile dorsal turret. Another break in the historical accuracy was their fighter escort. P-51's were used in the film, but in reality Spitfire's were the escort fighters at that time.
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I take it you mean the 1990 film? Filmed in UK, I worked on it in part when I was involved with 'Sally B' organisation.

ttfn

Pete
 
Meant to post on this thread awhile ago, but I have been super busy....

We sell the 1990 film in our trailer and when people ask me if it's any good, I am really honest with them. I always say, "Well, it is a really good "MOVIE"... That being said, they kind threw 25 missions worth of events into one... so don't take it for historical fact, but it is quite entertaining."

I really like it because it uses very little CGI. As said before, they used real airplanes, real people... Even the scene with the B-17 landing with one wheel looked pretty convincing I thought, and that was done with a very large scale model, on a giant make-believe runway built like 3 ft above the ground.


On a lighter note, I have got three good rides in on The "Movie" Memphis Belle , and while she's no Liberty Belle, she's still a pretty lady..

-witt

I will post some M.B. photos in a new thread as not to take away from the original topic.
 
Doesn't anybody watch the original Memphis Belle movie that was filmed during an actual mission with the real Belle?
 
Willy said:
Doesn't anybody watch the original Memphis Belle movie that was filmed during an actual mission with the real Belle?
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Have to pick up a DVD of that one sometime perhaps - still have an old VHS copy from when I was really young, but nothing to play it with right now. Being extra nerdy, the footage was shot over three different missions, if I recall correctly - as they were also shooting footage from a few other B-17's as well, which were all getting close to completing their 25 missions.

One of the best features of the 1990 movie, compared to others since, is that it was all shot with real aircraft - something that many consider today to be something that we will never see again, at least on that scale. The B-17's and combat sequences were filmed at around 11,000-12,000 ft, if I recall correctly. I believe they filmed with 5 B-17's (at the height), 5-7 Mustangs at any given time, 3 Buchons, a B-25 (camera ship), and a TBM Avenger (back-up camera ship).
 
I've seen it and it's very good, I like the original color and the P-47's but it's not as "entertaining" as the recent theatrical version for someone not as interested in history but more in story
 
Bomber_12th said:
The still shots that some of the locals and cast/crew shot during the filming, is just as remarkable as some of the moving footage that is in the 1990 movie.

I encourage you to look through the pages of this thread here, which includes just a ton of spectacular air and ground shots that were taken during the filming: http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?t=34240
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My favorite scene in the whole movie is probably when they ride the jeep out to the plane set to music as the crews board the planes.... Great scene... I wish they could convert it to Blu-Ray and make it a lot sharper. I put the DVD in the other day and it just looks pretty grainy, but I'm probably comparing it too much to current films.
 
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