User reviews

William Wyler's Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress featuring rare color film of WW 2 is another outstanding Why We Fight Documentary showcasing a B-17 and it's crew on its final bombing run over Germany. In this brief doc Wyler not only captures some of the most harrowing air combat footage in history but also gives us an outstanding overview of what it takes to mount a bombing raid, recognizing the importance of all involved, the shared bond of a diverse group.

Some of the outstanding camerawork in the tight confines of the fortress puts you in the waist gunner position with a Messerschmitt, guns blazing roars at you while ominous flak explodes around "Belle" the chaos verbalized over headsets.

Well edited in displaying the might of the Allies and the stoic resolve and everyday courage of its military "Memphis Belle" is more than just propaganda and an outstanding document of WW2 but a gripping suspense with a lot more on the line than a fiction.

Documentary about the 25th and last bombing mission of a B17, the "Memphis Belle". The "Memphis Belle" took part in a great bombing raid on sub-pens in Wilhelmshaven, Germany. On their way they encountered heavy AA fire and interceptors.

The 16 mm color film used did not include sound, and this was added later in Hollywood. The original crew, during their war bonds drive in the United States, made typical appropriate comments to each other while watching the silent movie in a studio. The result was difficult to distinguish from real combat recordings.

Regarding Wilhelmshaven, two thirds of the town's buildings were destroyed during bombing by the Allies of World War II. That is pretty devastating. How much of that can be attributed to the Memphis Belle? While there is plenty of footage of World War II, this is an inside look that is rather atypical. A real crew in a real plane on a real mission. I find it especially interesting because one of the crew was from Green Bay, which is my general neighborhood.

The most interesting thing about this documentary is its inherent paradox. It is a look at a US air base in England, 1944; its preparations for and carrying out of a strike on a prime German economic base. This kind of event is a one-off, necessitating spontaneous film-making (you can't ask for another take). And yet the director is William Wyler. Wyler could be great, it is true, but he was one of the most rigid of filmmakers, with every scene so preprepared and exact that it was often difficult for it to breathe. He was a theatrical kind of director, favouring interior, static set-ups, often base on canoncial, or high-minded material (e.g. Emily Bronte, Henry James, 'Ben-Hur').

Of course, like all documentaries, this film is heavily controlled, its 'reality' mediated by Wyler's craft, as well as the propaganda needs of the War Office. The film follows a very schematic script - preparations, attack, return - which reads more like a Hollywood treatment than the messy loose-ends of a war. Every event and 'actor' is shown to have a purpose, from the glamorous bombers to the lowly mechanics. Several scenes are obviously contrived ('real' people are terrible actors), and we are asked to believe that in the middle of a life-or-death dogfight, salty veterans wouldn't swear.

The didactic narrator, a disembodied Voice of God in a very physical, corporeal conflict, gathers everything authoritively to himself - he tells us what we are seeing; he can inform us what the soldiers are saying; he explains tactics and motives, putting a relatively minor operation into the wider context of the US (definitely US!!) war effort. We are told, no less, what war is for. Images of brutal injury and death are not denied, but are appropriated for the optimistic project: we are tacitly asked to think of the greater good.

So, over fifty years on, with a completely different world view, does this film have any value, or meaning for us? Oh yes. Turn the sound down. Marvel at the sheer FACT (not in a history book, or a film) of history in motion, before your very eyes. Mere statistics now walk and talk and smile like actual people. This not all. The aerial sequences are astoundingly beautiful. There is a remarkable purity of geometry to the air formations, making you think they were set up by Wyler. The film stock, neither Technicolour gloss, nor the vapidly clear image of modern film, gives a bleached, dream-like effect to the spectacle, making you forget that in a few moments these machines are going to murder women and children.

There is also something curiously moving about the transition from the smooth, controllable base footage to the elliptical chaos of the bombing and subsequent dogfight. We are told at the beginning that much of this footage was lost because of over-exposure; its absence - making us confront in our much more potent imaginations what really happened - is a beautiful triumph of the power of imagery, editing and ellipsis (i.e. art) over the sterile, fascist hectoring of the narrator's words.

This Memphis Belle is the real thing, and will be remembered long after the 1990 movie version has been forgotten. It is a documentary filmed during the height of World War II on a USAAF air base in Britain, and also on board the Memphis Belle, a typical B-17 Flying Fortress of the U.S. Army's 8th Air Force.

No blue screens were used in the production of this movie, no Hollywood special effects or computer-generated imaging. William Wyler and his cameramen accompanied the bomber crew on a actual combat missions over Germany. No actors or stunt men were used, either. The men shown flying in the Memphis Belle were the actual crew of the Memphis Belle. In addition, the wounded airmen seen being removed from returning planes were not extras, they really were wounded.

Another aspect of this film that was not faked was the severe battle damage seen on some of the returning B-17s. The fact that some of those planes even managed to get back at all is almost incredible, and the images in this movie stand as a testament both to the skill of the pilots and to the structural integrity of the legendary "Flying Fortress".

The combat footage used in this movie was so good that, for decades, it was used in any movie or television program concerning the air war over Europe, in preference to anything that the Hollywood special effects departments could manufacture. You will see clips from The Memphis Belle in such well-known Hollywood films as "12 O'Clock High" and "Command Decision".

The Memphis Belle is a must-see, both as a tribute to the courageous airmen memorialized in it, and to the intrepid cameramen who literally risked their lives to film it.

This is a documentary made by the US Army Air Corps and directed by William Wyler during WWII and. It features the plane and crew of the Memphis Belle—the first bomber to complete its tour of duty successfully. Because of its successes and luck, the bomber and crew were eventually returned to the US for a bond-raising tour. This film was made to coincide with this.

A few things will probably strike you as you watch. First, it is (unlike most films of the day) in color—albeit a bit grainy and washed out. Second, the narration is very grim and direct—non-romanticized all the way. As for the film itself, it's a delight to air buffs as it not only shows footage of the bomber but shows it in action, explains bombing runs and other technical information. It even shows footage of bombers being shot down and damage to the bombers. Clearly this is not just another gung-ho propaganda film but one that stresses realism above all. As a result of these factors, this is a great film—one that is gripping even when seen today.

"A Story Of A Flying Fortress"

The Boeing B-17 is a modern era legend and one of the most successful weapons of war to ever fly.

This documentary served to tell a story about the men who flew the Belle, as well as other air crews who flew other B-17s in the 91st bomb group along with other bomb groups in the 8th Air Force, all of whom helped win the war in Europe.

The film did not, however, mention the affection that these men often held for their airplane, cleaving unto it like a lover and depending on it to protect them and bring them home safely. Their lives depended upon their airplane's performance, durability, and function. They would regard their particular personal airplane like they regarded a first car, their "hot rod". This is why almost every B-17 received a personal moniker via nose-art, a name, and it was usually female in gender... such as "The Memphis Belle".

"That's my girl over there!"

These airplanes certainly had an identity, a presence, and in a manner of speaking, a soul... and air crews who saw other B-17s around them fatally damaged, going down often in flames, would watch in horror as the B-17 died. They knew a kinship with those other airplanes and the men in them. They would fight viciously at their gun positions to defend their girl from the enemy fighter planes which would kill her and them, if they could. The air war over Germany was a bloody and violent sort of thing, with hundreds of thousands of casualties suffered in the air before war's end.

Some years ago, when the Memphis Belle was in process of undergoing a restoration in Tennessee (much of what was initially done by Memphis Aerotech) I chased down the man who was heading up the restoration efforts to ask if I could have access to the airplane and photograph it, explaining that I was a photographer as well as a war-bird buff, and I was given access to where the airplane was parked, leaving me alone with the world's most famous B-17.

After shooting a hundred or so photographs, I went forward and sat in the cockpit, in the pilot's seat, staring out through the Plexiglas, thinking about WW-II and the missions this airplane flew, remembering that I was sitting in the ONLY surviving B-17 'F' model that saw combat.

THIS was the very same airplane that I'd watched countless times, while viewing Wyler's documentary film that had inspired me so much...

It's no wonder that the Belle is the only surviving 'F' combat model B-17 because so very few of the 'F' models came back, flying earlier in the war when the Luftwaffe was still powerful, tearing up formations of bombers in a hailstorm of bullets and cannon shells, ripping bombers to pieces as their crews desperately fought to defend "their girls", praying and cursing and firing their 50 cal. machine guns at the fighter planes which had been specifically engineered to tear up bombers.

Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.

It is sobering to think about what must have gone through those air crews' minds. It was equally sobering to sit in the cockpit of the Belle and consider that it was only the luck of the draw and the persistence of the USAAF that managed to beat down the resistance of the Luftwaffe, which resulted in the Belle surviving the war instead of ending up in Germany at the bottom of a smoking hole in the ground filled with pieces of B-17.

Pray for the souls of those air crews who gave their all while doing their duty, whether they were Americans, or Germans... they all died equally.

This documentary film is perhaps the ONLY film that makes any headway towards showing the real side of the air war over Germany in the times when missions were NOT cakewalks and the chances of surviving a combat tour of 25 missions was NIL. ...not until the B-17F Memphis Belle, 324th Sqdn 91st Bomb Group, 8th USAAF managed to do it with her original crew intact. They proved that it could be done, and that alone inspired other air crews more than most people would ever know.

One "technical" note: It was only a stroke of luck that the Memphis Belle survived the mass scrapping of combat veteran airplanes that resulted after the war. The Belle was, at the last minute, pulled off a line of bombers that were slated to be scrapped.

After being displayed in Memphis TN for many years, it was "recalled" by the USAF and transported to the Wright Patterson AFB where it is currently undergoing a second restoration and will be placed on permanent display at the Wright Patterson AFB Air Museum.

It's a fitting place for the most famous B-17 in the world. Go see her, and think about the men who flew in her, and be glad that such men lived.

Does a B-17 have a "soul"? Decide for yourself. I think it does... and next time at an air show when you see an old man standing beside a restored B-17 clutching a prop blade with tears on his face, give him a soft pat on the back. If he says anything about his wartime experiences, LISTEN to him. Ask him about his airplane, what its name was, which bomb group, who he flew with...

Remember the Memphis Belle and the men who flew in her, and then go out and buy-rent the documentary film by William Wyler and watch it with a new perspective, knowing that it was real, and not "Hollywood".

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Ever see paramedics resuscitate a dead man? If you have, it's impossible to take a medical drama seriously again. There is absolutely no drama in their actions. "The Memphis Belle" left me with same impression about soldiers. Although they worked in an inherently tense situation, a situation in which their lives could end on a whim, or an instant shift in kharma, it was their calmness that colored them the most. For two magnificent segments, director William Wyler plays taped intercom conversations over the already breathtaking photography. What we get are scenes that put those of ANY fictionalized war movie to shame. In the first, the camera is in the right place at the right time as he captures the waistgunner engaging a charging Messerschmidt. He lets his gun loose, and a stream of tracers goes sailing off into oblivion, wreathing the enemy plane. Then a few hit, then a few more and then the enemy fighter is engulfed in a cloud of black smoke. As he watches the plane drop with a sickening whistle, he hollers over the intercom in joy: "ha, ha, I got him, I got him." The Captain, annoyed, barks back: "don't yell on the damn intercom!" No joy, no bravado, just the grim realities of war. In the second, the camera captures a foundering B-17 turning on its side and slowly nosing down in a beautiful arc. Their response: {calmly} "a B-17 is goin' down at four o'clock" The crew chants in irritation "come on you guys, get out of there. What are you fellows asleep in there, get out!" Finally, two or three parachutes unfurl, closely resembling a Daffodil blooming. War turns out to be beautiful. Kurosawa's "Ran" and Coppola's "Apocalypse Now" argued this same point. But they were just movies. This film with its countless shots of the clear blue skies and the appealing flak patterns, proves it to anyone who dares to believe. In the film, there was not one patriotic utterance, or a single pean to heroic sacrifice, at least not from the men who flew the planes. These men were not heroes, nor were they warriors, or even soldiers in the sense that we portray those things. They were EMPLOYEES of the U.S. Army Air Corps. They did a job, and did it only because the "Boss" told them to. Even if they hated it (and you get the sense that they did), they did it. That impression never leaves me. The human species and its ability to accept any situation and get used to it. From now on, the passions of the soldiers in all the "blockbuster" war flicks will make me sick. Why dramatize that which is inherently full of tension. but we know most people that write war flicks have never been in jeopardy, so what do you expect. "The Memphis Belle" requires no histrionics or flowery dialogue to be the greatest war movie ever made.

To really appreciate this documentary, one must also read "The man who flew the Memphis Belle", written by Bob Morgan the pilot of the memphis Belle, and find out what it was like to be over there. Not only did Morgan and his crew complete 25 missions over Germany with the Eight Air Force, but after a bond tour in the US, he then went to the Pacific theater where he completed 26 missions flying B-29s over Japan.

Thanks to Morgan, and men like him, we are free to see any movies we want, and give our opinions freely and in English, not German.

The Memphis Belle (1944) is a War/History documentary about "The Memphis Belle" which is the 25th & last bombing mission of a B17 in Germany. It is directed by William Wyler and I think that he did a wonderful job. The documentary is clear, easy to understand, entertaining, interesting, and informative which is just about everything you could want in a documentary. I feel that this film would be suitable to show in schools in history class since it is easy to understand so students would probably learn from it.

The documentary explains who is working on each campaign and gives lots of additional information about the campaigns in the introduction. The narrator is sure to include their plans and how they ensure to defeat the Nazis. The documentary shows you the people who are working in the American Army at the time of the mission and who they are and what they did before joining the military.

Although the documentary is old, the imagery and shots are stunning. You can see clear birds-eye views of the bombing missions and are able to see the range of how much destruction they cause. You can see a first-hand perspective of fighter planes flying and getting ready to shoot while the narrator explains exactly what is going on. You can also hear the dialogue between the pilots and crew.

Everyone knows there were a huge amount of world war 2 films and documentaries being released even during the conflict, but one thing we don't see very often is one that's in color. Similarly to a British film, Target for Tonight, Memphis Belle takes viewers on a perilous journey over Hitler's Reich into the cold blue skies during a bombing mission. The title of this film refers to the specific b-17 flying fortress used on the mission. As the film starts, we see the crew prepare for takeoff from a base in England as bombs are loaded into the plane's fuselage. American planes attacking Germany by day around this time did so from very high altitudes, so high in fact that not using an oxygen mask would kill you in a matter of minutes. We're also shown how the nazis have been expecting an american bomber raid for some time, and are ready for it. They have large batteries of anti aircraft cannons and fighter planes to try and stop the allied attack. The germans have also fortified the pens they keep their submarines in to hopefully alleviate some expected bomb damage. The americans know they're up against a battle hardened enemy with tons of advanced weapons at their disposal, so their strategy is to send multiple, separate waves of bombers to attack targets in germany. Some of these formations will head to critical targets and others won't, so the germans will have a hard time guessing which one is poised to cause the most destruction. If the plan succeeds, the germans will send their planes somewhere they aren't needed, and they won't intercept the bombers in time. Once the actual attack is underway, amazing color footage of the mission is displayed. Bomber crews fire back at german planes that try to shoot at them from every conceivable angle, and the crew communicates to each other over an intercom to call out enemy positions. The bombers fly in a tight formation so that the close proximity of their guns helps one another. Like a group of zebras, staying together is the best defense they have. However, the predictable path of the formation allows german flak gunners thousands of feet below to accurately hurl explosive shells into it. Shards of metal go flying everywhere. At one point, a bomber in the formation is hit in the engine, and starts to drift away from the other planes. Like a horde of vultures, german fighters seize on the opportunity and attack the lone and defenseless plane. It's a hard thing to watch because the other bombers aren't allowed to go help. You stay with your flight path or you'll die too. After the mission is over, many planes return to england, but not all of them. Some of them show signs of catastrophic damage, such as one that had its entire rudder shot off. It still managed to return. Later on, many crew members are given the Purple Heart, a medal that is still given out today to servicemen who are badly wounded due to enemy action. Even the King and Queen visit the base to honor the men and their heroic actions that are helping to keep britain safe from Hitler. The film says how the damage the bombers caused to germany will definitely help the allied cause, since now, large amounts of weapons were destroyed that would have otherwise been used against the allies. While Memphis Belle might not be that outlandish in terms of its plot, it still manages to be one of the most important ww2 films ever. I liked how it gave audiences back then a glimpse into the horror that was aerial warfare over germany, as well as what pilots and crews had to remember in order to come back alive. The narration is strangely soothing for a war focused film, and as you see huge groups of bombers all over the sky, you get the feeling that you're part of this gigantic movement to liberate europe. I've seen many world war 2 films before this one, but Memphis Belle is one of the best. Given that it was directed by William Wyler, this doesn't surprise me.

1943 and the allied bombing campaign is at its peak. The Memphis Belle is a B-17 "Flying Fortress" bomber in the US 8th Air Force. Its crew have completed 24 missions - one more and they go home. A documentary film crew captured their 25th mission, from preparation on the ground onwards.

Superb documentary, directed by William Wyler. Captures very accurately the day-to-day lives of US bomber crews in Europe, including the dangers and sacrifices made. Good detail of the mission itself.

Great footage, shot specifically for the documentary. The lives of the documentary crew were also in danger...

Narration is stirring and brings home the importance of the bombers' roles, as well as how endangered the crews' lives were. Very sobering and emotional.

The documentary inspired the great 1990 feature film, Memphis Belle.

Having met most of the men who flew this B-17 as well as the men commanding and the ground crew; it was confirmed to me that ordinary men do what was necessary to do during the War. They faced the enemy and did the job; in spite of a gnawing fear, they flew and became heroes. Men of courage mixed with pure guts most times. I know -----I married one who flew another plane of the same group and gave a part of himself so we could all live in freedom. We were also friends with the Crew Chief of the Memphis Belle.My husband was the Eastern Division Secretary for twelve years while Paul Chryst, Joe Camelleri, Joe Giambrone were Co Chairmen and Treasurer. The 91st Bombardment Group (H) Memorial Association was a wonderful outfit and we had many Rallies and Reunions all over the United States and Europe.

The pilot was 24-year-old Captain Robert K. Morgan from Asheville, North Carolina who was an industrial engineer before joining the Army in 1941; the co-pilot, whom Captain Morgan insisted was "the other pilot', was 25-year-old Captain James A. Verinis from New Haven, Connecticut, who was a business administration student at the University of Connecticut before entering the service in July of 1941; Captain Vincent B. Evans, the 23-year-old bombadier was one of the two married members of the crew, and was a fleet-truck operator in his home town of Fort Worth, Texas before enlisting in January of 1942; Captain Charles B. Leighton, from East Lansing,Michigan and a chemistry student at Ohio Wesleyan before entering the service, was the navigator. The engineer and top turret gunner was Technical Sergeant Harold P.Loch, a 23-year-old stevedore from Green Bay, Wisconsin who joined the service in November of 1941; Technical Sergeant Robert J.Hanson, a construction worker from Washington state and the other married crew member, was the radio operator. The 19-year-old "baby" of the Memphis Belle crew was waist-gunner Staff Sergeant Casimer A. Nastal who was a washing machine repairman from Detroit, Michigan with two confirmed fighter kills to his credit who thought he had more "but never had time to watch whether they went down"; Staff Sergeant Cecil H. Scott, a pressman for a rubber company in Rahway, New Jersey was the ball turret gunner and, at 27, the oldest member of the crew. One of the three cameraman was First Lieutenant Harold J. Tannenbaum, from Binghamton,New York, a World War I veteran who remained in the Navy until 1927. He re-entered the service in July,1942 when he received his commission in the Army Air Force. He was killed in action,age 46,in April of 1944 and received a posthumous Purple Heart.

In May of 1943, the B-17 'Flying Fortress' The Memphis Belle flies one last bombing mission (her 25th) before returning with her seasoned crew to the home-front to sell war-bonds. Excellent cinematography and a true period perspective makes this documentary film a must for WW2 aviation fans. Although the film was made to 'rally' Americans in support of the war in Europe, which was just beginning to turn in the allies favour, it is reasonably matter-of-fact and not overly jingoistic. The footage of aerial combat is unfortunately grainy and jumpy, but considering the conditions under which it was obtained, remains impressive. The venerable old war-bird can now be seen in restored glory at National Museum of the United States Air Force near Dayton, Ohio.

Although not true too life... It is a great movie. If all "war Movies" showed the way it really was... no one will watch them. I feel the film is really about the HERROES that served aboard the Memphis Bell. Living to fly 25 complete missions was a feat upon itself. Along with films like this and "The Battle Of Britan" showed what was involved in doing their "jobs". In the "modern era" of war you do not see as much of the "human instinct of fight or flight". The pilots in World Wars I and II had to do battle by the seat of their pants and get to those battles by dead reckoning. More of a "THE ART OF WAR" as opposed to technical war (ie push button warfare) When a film is degraded by goofs and some impossible situations portrayed in that film, after all a movie is a work of "ART" and will never portray as it really was. In the film "The Longest Day" some people I talked to about say "it was done in B&W soo it was not that great".

This is footage from the 25th bombing mission of the Memphis Belle, a B-17 in the US 8th Air Force. 36 planes would leave England to bomb a German plane factory, railroads, the U-boat pens, and much more. Some 29 came back, more or less.

The colors look amazing. Most importantly, the planes' individual decals really pop. Initially, the scenes are rather pedestrian on the ground. Once they're up in the air, the footage is incredible. The combat is unreal and the damages are brutal. Planes are going down. They land with pieces missing. As a propaganda movie, it would have been intense for the home front. As archival material, this is invaluable.

The Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress (1944)

*** (out of 4)

William Wyler directed this documentary that takes a look at a group of B-17 flyers on their 25th and final mission over Europe. Like many of the WWII documentaries from this era, it's true that they've been replaced in terms of some quality because in recent years people like A&E and The History Channel have been able to produce some spectacular documents of the war. With that said, there's also no doubt that these documentaries serve a great purpose because they show so many important stories and we get to see many historic battles. This documentary doesn't give you a great idea of who The Memphis Belle were as there's very little information given about them but this here is made up by the wonderful footage that we get. Shot in glorious Technicolor, this documentary contains some terrific footage of the men, what they did when not in the air and of course the battle footage. There are some terrific images from the air where we look down on the European countryside and it's so beautiful to look at that you often have to remind yourself that there's a war going on. The bombing scenes are breathtaking as are the scenes dealing with wounded soldiers. There's one sequence where a soldier is getting a blood transfusion and narrator Eugene Kern makes it clear that the blood could be from anyone in America, which was a clear cry for people to keep doing their part by giving blood.

The Memphis Belle is a film that depicts war with realism, without any artifices, and as bland as possible. It is his biggest value but also is the biggest flaw, in the sense, that the action is rarely well place in the shot, the editing is confusing and overstated and the sound is frequently unintelligible.



In any case, a film as historically important as The Memphis Belle or other WWII propaganda can't be ignored whether it is artistically bad or good.