The Dawn Patrol (1938)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Edmund Goulding

Writers:

Seton I. Miller (screenplay) and
Dan Totheroh (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

24 December 1938 (USA)

Genre:

War | Drama

Tagline:

They roared through the dawn . . . with death on their wings !

Plot:

British flying aces in World War I contend with the harsh realities of war.

Plot Keywords:

France | Drunkenness | Biplane | Gallantry | Suicide Mission

Cast

Errol Flynn	...	Captain Courtney
Basil Rathbone	...	Major Brand
David Niven	...	Lieutenant Scott
Donald Crisp	...	Phipps
Melville Cooper	...	Sergeant Watkins
Barry Fitzgerald	...	Bott
Carl Esmond	...	Von Mueller
Peter Willes	...	Hollister
Morton Lowry	...	Donnie Scott
Michael Brooke	...	Captain Squires
James Burke	...	Flaherty - Motorcycle Driver
Stuart Hall	...	Bentham
Herbert Evans	...	Scott's Mechanic
Sidney Bracey	...	Major Brand's Orderly (as Sidney Bracy)
Leo Nomis	...	Aeronautic Supervisor

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German

Colour:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:14A (Ontario) | USA:TV-PG (TV rating) | Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #4585)

Filming Locations:

Calabasas, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

The filmmakers needed several shots of the planes taking off and landing. They assembled a squadron of 17 vintage WW1 aircraft, most of them Nieuports. Flying them proved just as hazardous as in WW1. By the time filming ended, stunt flyers had crashed 15 of them.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The opening shot identifies the time as 1915. From the first, the song played over and over on the phonograph is "Poor Butterfly." Sources seem to agree that this song was not published until 1916, and not recorded until later still.

Quotes:

Capt. Courtney: Hooh, I did't understand a word, did you?
Lt. 'Scotty' Scott: No, I took German in school but...
Capt. Courtney: So did I, but I can't understand the way these foreigners speak it.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Behind the Tunes: Crash! Bang! Boom! - The Wild Sounds of Treg Brown (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag and Smile, Smile, Smile!

It's a rotten job, but someone has to do it.

Having not seen the Howard Hawks original made in 1930, i obviously have no frame of reference as regards if this remake does that particular film justice, but the evidence here suggests this Errol Flynn led piece can justifiably hold its head up high.

It's World War 1 and we are in the company of the 59th Squadron in France, these brave airmen are the dawn patrol, the men {boys} who fly the most dangerous missions at the crack of dawn, this squadron has a high mortality rate such is the perilous nature of their duty. Capt. Courtney, Lt. Scott, and Maj. Brand are the main characters of the piece, and all three men are faced with mounting tensions and perhaps the spectre of impending tragedy ?.

This film is one of those pieces that drives home the harshness of war whilst pumping the blood at the bravery of those involved. Here we witness young men literally ecstatic at the chance to get up in the air and fight the enemy, and this with very few hours actual flight experience behind them. It becomes like a production line of cannon fodder, and this is not lost on the superior characters in the film. The film perfectly portrays the futility of it all by leaving us in no doubt about the insane approach from those sitting in their comfy chairs, barking orders with no care for the graveness that the squadron faces. The men while away their hours drinking and singing startlingly revealing songs, full of bravado and gusto for the war effort, and it's the courage and loyalty of these guys that drives the films emotional heart.

A wonderful cast lifts this piece to a very high standard, Errol Flynn, Basil Rathbone, and David Niven firmly grasp the characters essential points, and coupled with a very astute piece of pacing from director Edmund Goulding, the film plays out perfectly. It's got the daring-do flying sequences, and some of the overhead bomb drop shots are wonderful, but be under no allusion here, this film is about the characters who are tough in fortitude, and really the ending is as good as it gets for the genre because it jolts you back to the whole sorry point of it all.

8/10