Air Force (1943)

Watching "Air Force" the night of 7 December 2016, I was reminded of how much I dislike war movies, and was re-reminded how much I hate governments and the people who run governments and who create the death and destruction that war is about.As many movies as I have seen in my life, I had never before seen "Air Force" until this night when it was presented on Turner Classic Movies as part of a commemoration of Pearl Harbor Day."Air Force" is an extraordinarily well-done motion picture, one of the best I have seen, ever.Howard Hawks as director and Dudley Nichols as author of the original screenplay make an unbeatable team.There is clever dialogue, some really nice byplay between and among the characters that is believable and, at the same time, enjoyable.There is one scene that might be brushed off as corny (reportedly written by the terribly over-rated William Faulkner, whose work I've never liked), but all the rest is so realistic and well done, I wish I could award more than 10 stars.In addition to the great directing and writing, the under-played acting is as close to perfect as one can expect, or hope.And the number of superlative actors in this one war-time movie is not short of astounding. When this many people can perform as an ensemble, you know you have great and talented actors and one heck of a director.But I'm a pacifist. I oppose wars, and opposing wars I oppose governments, the very basis of which is coercion, theft, violence.When I see a movie such as "Air Force" and its dramatization of the death and destruction that war is, I vow -- if only to myself -- that I will work harder to try to educate others on the evils of surrendering one's individuality to governments, to any kind of collective which requires, which demands, that surrender.When people realize their own lives are their own, that individual human beings are self-owned, are not property of governments, of societies, of tribes, and that all human beings are equally valuable, then we can begin to end this horror that is war.When people realize their lives are sacred, we can begin to attain that proper human state of peace and freedom."Air Force" is an exceedingly good, even important, movie, and we will owe it and its makers a huge debt of gratitude if we can learn from it that peace and freedom are our heritage and our right.

A B-17 bomber flies from San Francisco to Hawaii, arriving on...7 December 1941. They arrive in the middle of the attack on Pearl Harbor. They survive Pearl Harbor and are sent to the Philippines, where things aren't much easier.The year of release (1943) should give it away that this is going to contain a fair amount of WW2 propaganda. And it does. Still, it is pretty entertaining, and the jingoism doesn't get excessive. Goodish plot, solidly directed and acted. Some of the battle scenes and plots are quite unrealistic though. Still, the flying scenes are good fun.

Starting with the Lincoln Quote from the Gettysburg Address through the Rah Rah ending, this war movie perfectly reflects the time it is made. These were the dark times when the Pearl Harbor Attack happened. It is the equal to 9/11/2001 in it's time.This movie is about rallying the troops by telling the story of the B-17 Mary-Ann, which starts with the plane flying into Pearl Harbor after the attack all the way to the Philippines. It is quite a story as the tragic consequences of the start of the war are worked into the story.The mood of war propaganda is captured perfectly. In fact, I be the entire movie had to be approved by every government censor of the era. The special effects are top notch and the final battle sequence where it appears half of the Japanese Navy is sunk is pure propaganda. Still, Warner Brothers is successful here packaging the story to the mass audience at the time. The action is worth the admission even if the story is lacking due to the censors.

***SPOILERS*** On a routine flight from San Francisco to Honolulu the crew of the B-17 bomber, one of nine on the flight, Mary-Ann gets the shocking news that Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japaneses that left the US Pacific Fleet in shambles. Angry as hell and wanting to get back at the Japs for what they did the bomber's crew members, despite their differences, unite in the cause to fly the bomb-laden bomber into the teeth of the Royal Japanese Navy and bomb the living hell out of it! Even if in the end they all end up going under, the waves of the Pacific, with it!Rip roaring and at times tragic war movie about how the US got its act together after getting sneaked attacked by the Japs and ended up giving em', the Japanese Pacfic Fleet and imperial Army, hell all throughout the vast and bloody Pacific Theater of War! The hell meted out on the Japs in the movie is that by the crew of the Mary-Ann who island hopped from Hawaii to Wake Island to the Philippians, before the Japs captured them, and ended up leading the charge at the surprised Jap fleet, who thought that they already won the war, in the battle or the Coral Sea. It was the battled scared and heroic B-17 Mary-Ann together with the remainder of what was left of the US Army Air Force that ended up blasting it, the Imperial Japanese Navy, to smithereens in that naval slug-fest!Of course there were losses on our-the USA-side as well that included the Mary-Ann's Captain Quincannon and radio man Chester together with scores of US Army Navy and Marine personal but that was nothing compared what the Japs got in them losing almost their entire navy and air force including dozens of Jap fifth columnists, who were secretly working undercover for Tojo, by the time the movie ended.Effective WWII propaganda movie released at the worst of times for the US and its allies in battling the Axis forces who at the time, late 1942, were in fact winning the war. The B-17-or Mary-Ann's, crew took everything that the Japs could throw at them and ended up shooting down dozens of Jap Zeros before the plane was finally, after losing a wing tip engine and a good part of its fuselage, grounded by Jap Zero machine gun and cannon fire. After being repaired and airborne the Mary-Ann continued to give it back to the Japanese in the final and climactic battle, the Battle of the Coarl Sea, in the film that saw the Japanese fleet, and thousands of its sailors and marines, end up dying for their emperor in ways they never expected to: By them being prevented in kamikaze like suicide attacks in them both dying and taking their hated enemy, the US Army Navy and Marines, along with them!P.S There's some major inaccuracies in the movie especially that of Japanese/Americans, in the Hawaiian island, joining in with the attacking Japs in sabotaging US military and naval installations in and around Pearl Harbor. There's also the fact that the Battle of the Coral Sea, in May 1942, ended in a drew between the US and Japanese navies instead, like in the film, of being a total and decisive victory for the US. But still who need accuracy when your country is in a life and death struggle with a highly motivated and determined enemy and any negative news, accurate or not, could only help its cause. If like in all war propaganda films bending the facts can turn things around on your side, like the film "Air Force" did, and motivate the public to willingly join in the fight who cares it the facts in the film aren't exactly on the level, like in the Battle of he Coarl Sea, or not even right, like in the case of Japanese/American fifth columnists, at all!