JLRVancouver
Fredric March, Cary Grant, Jack Oakie play three disparate pilots serving in WW 1 France: March is a conscious-stricken ace who is beginning to crack, Grant is a glory-hunting pragmatist who justifies shooting at bailed-out German airmen, and Oakie is a cheerful bon-vivant who is just doing his job between hot baths and fine cheeses. The pre-code film includes a brief appearance by Carole Lombard (simply billed as "The Beautiful Lady"), a nameless flirt with whom March has a brief affair while on leave in London. Much of the film contrasts March, who is burdened with guilt about the men he has killed or were killed while serving with him (he pilots a 2-man observation plane), with both his fellow airman who celebrate the war and with civilians who have a macabre fascination with the killing (the encounter between March and a 'gung-ho' young boy is excellent). The aerial footage is not bad (although most of the planes are not period-correct) and some of the scenes are somewhat contrived (e.g. shot pilots managing to land their plans before dramatically expiring). The abrupt ending, while a bit implausible, is powerful and unexpected. All-in-all, an entertaining (albeit aesthetically dated), unsubtle plea for peace from the interwar years.
cricket crockett
Heck no! Gary Cooper would NOT besmirch the reputation of American lawmen like that, nor would he belittle the memories of U.S. servicemen when he starred as SERGEANT YORK (to paraphrase, "Gunning down Germans is more fun than shooting turkeys"). Apparently, actor Fredric March had no such qualms in portraying an American war hero as a nattering ninny. First his "Lt. Jerry Young" reams out Cary Grant's character for trying to shoot the enemy. Then when he finally sees the most deadly tool of the Kaiser face-to-face after instinctively blasting him away despite himself, March's Lt. Young immediately berates his comrades as fools for doing their best to protect our Homeland, after which he shoots himself in the head. "Lt. Young" and March hardly qualify as eagles OR hawks (unless you include chicken hawks). Director Stuart Walker could have beaten Dalton Trumbo to the punch, and titled this early anti-hero piece JERRY GOT HIS GUN!
robb_772
Criminally underrated war picture details the adventures of a group of WWI volunteer pilots whose excitement turns to anguish and despair when they are confronted with the reality of combat. Director Stuart Walker helms this unabashedly grim WWI drama with tact and honesty, featuring some above average aerial footage and an unflinchingly blatant anti-war message that is still quite surprising and daring for a depression-era studio film. The acting is uniformly excellent, with Fredric March delivering a marvelously conflicted turn in the lead, and Cary Grant is convincingly cast against type as a hot-headed, violent brute. Perhaps a bit too a head of it's time when originally released, THE EAGLE AND THE HAWK is a terrific film that is ripe for rediscovery.
Robrt Powell (vigihawk)
Bought my own copy. A film in the old style with many faults, but for someone who enjoys flying fliks, especially World War One aviation, it is great. Dialogue is terrible, the acting bad, plot predictable, but it has airplanes and derring-do in the air. All the "Dawn Patrol" cliches are there. Good fun and well worth seeing...if you like this sort of thing. I do.cheers, Boom
AD
