Flying Tigers

This is one of the great WW2 American patriotic propaganda movies. It was released in 1942 at a time when Americans needed heroes. And this movie delivered heroes. Based on the actual operations of the American Volunteer Group aka Flying Tigers but not using the names of any real Flying Tigers as they were still in action against the Japanese when the movie was released.There is some disagreement among various sources as to whether real P-40 fighters were used in this movie. The trivia extra feature of the movie which I streamed through Amazon Prime states that the P-40's on the ground are decommissioned P-40 B's of the type actually used by the Flying Tigers. Another source states that they were wooden mockups powered by automobile engines. The Lydeker brothers, Republic special effects geniuses, said that no actual airplanes were used, that they were all done with special effects. The special effects were nominated for an Academy Award but allegedly, the Academy voters did not know that all of the flying scene were done by the Lydeckers with models and wires so they passed the film by. The music by the great Victor Young was also nominated for an Academy Award.There are many instances of actual war footage being used in the movie. At least one however is used wrongly. The shots of the supposed Japanese anti-aircraft are actually Chinese. For Hollywood, the history is not outrageous but definitely should not be relied upon. For instance the Flying Tigers did not fly their first combat mission until after Pearl Harbor.A major part of the movie centers around the relationship between John Wayne, the commander and John Carroll, a great and brave pilot but a lousy soldier. Undisciplined on the ground, the other pilots do not like him or want to fly with him. There is also a little romantic tension centered around the nurse played by Ann Lee.I streamed this movie via Amazon Prime.

As a pilot, I love movies about flying, and I read that this one has some really good flying scenes. I know the history of the real Flying Tigers and I wanted to see how closely this matched reality. Well, in many respects, it was pretty accurate to more objective history. Of course, this was made during World War II, so, like most Hollywood productions of the time, it glorified our help our of friends (the Chinese in this case) and vilified our enemies (the Japanese in this case). I don't hold that against the film. John Wayne gave a good performance of a commander of an all volunteer group who was trying to keep the group together and alive in the middle of a war. Some of the other actors' acting wasn't quite up to that standard. The flying scenes left me a bit disappointed. I know there was a war on and I know budgets were tight, but the aircraft were so obviously models that it was hard to suspend disbelief. About the only thing you didn't see was the strings on the models. Still, it was a good movie with a rousing patriotic message - even the "bad" guy in the group finally gets the message in the end. This won't be one of my favorite movies, but it is one I'll watch more than once.

I was 8 years old the first time I saw this... Loved it then, love it now. Always thought the Curtis P-40 was a beautiful warbird. And Anna Lee was a beautiful woman!

One of the most iconic movie men of all time, back when it was still okay to be an alpha male in America. Excellent movie.

This fictionalized account of Chennault's Flying Tigers, the foreign volunteer air force that took on the Japanese before the start of World War II. Japan invaded China in 1935, quickly conquering Manchuria (and renaming is Manchukuo), with designs on converting it as they had with Korea into a vassal state. The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk was nimble when compared to the Luftwaffe aircraft, in China it was outperformed by the fighters A6M Zero and Nakajima Ki-43 "Oscar" which lacked the P-40's structural strength for high-speed hard turns. In traditional dogfights, the P-40 often fared poorly. It did have a greater climb capability and Chennault used this to develop the hit-and-run tactics that allowed the pilots to come home. Wayne's character plays the man in charge. The scenes with the orphans were to show the American audiences just what living in war zones meant for children. A good B war flick. Worth a look, and if you're a John Wayne fan, you should add it to your collection.

Okay it seems a bit hokey but it was a different time and we needed all the heroes we could find. This was one of the movies that sold a ton of bonds. It was real war that truly involved the world at large...John Wayne was bigger than life on the screen.

As a product it is in good condition. As a movie, it is true American cinema propaganda. The underdog, against the villain. Good over evil, and America as the shining beacon to save those held under oppression. I think if Joe McCarthy had understood the Chinese mind set and the need to befriend even the communist element at the time, we would not be where are today. But that's history, and this movie is just a part of that history.

It's a good movie, about the P40 Warhawk, a beater plane that somehow became one of the most recognizable planes of double u double u i i. Probably because of its tiger mouth. Or shark mouth, whatever.

At this price I didn't have any illusions about this issue. However, I never expected the awful mess I was viewing. I stopped watching it when the plane which was ( "coming in on a wing and a prayer " ) ie, one engine on fire. After that scene which was in the semi dark, I have never seen such noise on the picture image. Before that, there were scratches and other picture anomalies, and I don't mean the old war footage inserts, (which is acceptable in this kind of war film.)I would think it's the same print as the official Universal/ Republic DVD issue I have, but Digitally enhanced, picture sharpened, brightness and contrast. The soundtrack was exactly the same on both. I re-watched the normal, good quality of the DVD and enjoyed watching the film again. I certainly would not recommend this B/R version out of the two issues.In the US, " The Fighting Seabees " and " The Sands of Iwo Jima " have been done on B/R at a price of around £20 each. They are bound to be restored at this price..I await their arrival...Region B UK review..

it is a good john Wayne movie

Excellent and very entertaining . For all P 40 WARHAWK enthusiasts a very good buy .

Good movie

Thanks.