Post by petrolino on Aug 11, 2018 22:27:43 GMT
In 'Thunder Birds : Soldiers Of The Air', the United States Air Force is readying itself for combat duty in World War 2. World War 1 flying ace Steve Britt (Preston Foster) can't sit idly by, so he takes a job as a primary flight instructor at Thunderbird Field which is overseen by base commander Lieutenant Colonel Mac 'Attack' MacDonald (Jack Holt). Britt's ulterior motive is to woo his former girlfriend Kay Saunders (Gene Tierney) who's known to volunteer at a local branch of the Red Cross. When aerial hopeful Peter Stackhouse (John Sutton) seeks special guidance from Steve, both men enter a race to win Kay's affection.
Gene Tierney
'Thunder Birds' is a rousing propaganda picture designed to lift spirits during the 2nd World War. Dana Andrews was originally set to take the lead opposite Gene Tierney with either H. Bruce 'Lucky' Humberstone or Archie Mayo directing, but the project was placed in 'Wild Bill' Wellman's lap. Wellman used this as leverage to secure a passion project with writer Lamar Trotti, a chance to film an adaptation of Walter Van Tilburg Clark's novel 'The Ox-Bow Incident' (1940), which Wellman began doing as soon as 'Thunder Birds' had wrapped. Andrews dropped out of 'Thunder Birds' and moved on to 'The Ox-Bow Incident' (1943). Wellman, Andrews and Tierney would later create the essential political document 'The Iron Curtain' (1948).
'The Ox-Bow Incident'
'The Iron Curtain'
William Wellman's uniquely eccentric camera angles must surely come from his pilot's eye view gained during military service. I love the shot in 'Thunder Birds' that's taken through the bars connecting the wings of the plane that Steve gets into when he's preparing to deliver Peter's first flying lesson. The aviation sequences are at times stunning but not the only highlight of the film. I think some of the most enjoyable moments are comedy skits with the volunteers at the Red Cross, where American, Chinese and British airmen assist with medical training by becoming live test subjects. Kay's incredibly cruel and sarcastic when dealing with the men, but still likeable.
'Paint The Sky With Stars' - Enya
'Thunder Birds' is one of the better propaganda pictures I've seen and delivers a strong message regarding patriotic duty at a time of global conflict. David Buttolph's sprightly music score has some surprisingly dainty melodies and is just the tonic needed when the airmen are getting heated. The film is shot in lustrous Technicolor.
