Flyboys (Widescreen Edition)
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: James Franco, Mac McDonald, Philip Winchester, Scott Hazell, Todd BoyceBrand: FRANCO,JAMES
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language), DTS 5.1; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; English (Dubbed), DTS 5.1; French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; Spanish (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 139 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-01-30
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Movie Reviews of Flyboys (Widescreen Edition)
Movie Review: The Story of America's First Fighter Pilots
Summary: 5 Stars
James Franco stars in this exciting movie based on the true story of the Lafayette Escadrille, a group of American pilots flying for the French in the early days of World war I.
Franco portrays Blaine Rawlings, a young rancher from Texas who's family ranch has just been repossessed. While watching a movie at the local moviehouse, he sees a newsreel about pilots fighting in Europe. He decides to enlist with the French Lafayette Escadrille and battle the Germans. Soon, Rawlings and fellow pilots William Jensen (Philip Winchester), Lyle Porter (Michael Jibson), Eddie Beagle (David Ellison), Eugene Skinner (Abdul Salis), and Briggs Lowry (Tyler Labine) are on their way to France. All have come from different backgrounds and circumstances, but they all share one common goal; to fight and defeat the Germans.
Upon arriving in France, they are met by Capt. Thenault (Jean Reno). It's Thenault's job to train the American pilots proper tactics in order to battle the Germans. There are already some American pilots in France. One is Reed Cassidy (Martin Henderson). He has become one of the best pilots in the Lafayette Escadrille, already having shot down over twenty German aircraft. The lead pilot for the Germans is the menacing Black Falcon (Gunnar Winbergh) and his group of skilled pilots. All of the Germans fly the famed Fokker triplane, painted blood-red. All except the Falcon's, who's is jet black.
After completing their training, the Americans are finally ready to take to the skies and do battle with the Germans. During the course of the movie, there are several thrilling aerial combat sequences between the Americans and Germans, especially the sequence where the Germans send a zeppelin to bomb Paris. Relationships develop among the pilots as well. Rawlings becomes the de facto leader of the group, and many of the other pilots look to him for support and advice. Rawlings has also developed a relationship with a local French girl named Lucienne (Jennifer Decker). She bandaged Rawlings' leg after a flying accident, and he became attracted to her. However, she can't speak English and he can't speak French. But the language barrier can't hide the feelings between the two.
The missions become more and more dangerous for the Americans, and soon, some of the pilots are lost in combat. But the Americans keep going up to fight it out with the Germans despite their lack of experience. Their will to fight and courage is unquestioned as these heroic men continue to do battle with the enemy.
This is an outstanding movie. The story of the famed Lafayette Escadrille is told with complete historical accuracy. The acting, especially by James Franco and Jean Reno, is excellent. The plot is well-conceived, and the amazing aerial combat sequences are the highlight of the film. The romance between Rawlings and Lucienne his handled wonderfully. It does not become so out of control as to take over the movie. Rather, it is allowed to grow at a slower pace that holds the viewer's interest.
I give this great movie my highest recommendation. History fans will enjoy it for its great combat sequences and attention to detail. Laypersons will enjoy the romance between Rawlings and Lucienne. Watch "Flyboys" and see how a group of inexperienced American pilots became one of the most feared squadrons of World War I.
Summary of Flyboys (Widescreen Edition)
Inspired by true events, tells the story of the Lafayette Escadrille, a group of American men who volunteered to fight for the French before the U.S. entered World War I and became the country's first fighter pilots.Genre: Feature Film-Action/Adventure
Rating: PG13
Release Date: 18-SEP-2007
Media Type: DVD
World War I aviation action gets an impressive digital upgrade in Flyboys, a welcome addition to the "dogfight" sub-genre that includes such previous war-in-the-air films like Hell's Angels, Wings, and The Blue Max. While those earlier films had the advantage of real and genuinely dangerous flight scenes (resulting, in some cases, in fatal accidents during production), Flyboys takes full (and safe) advantage of the digital revolution, with intensely photo-realistic recreations of WWI aircraft, authentic period structures, and CGI environments requiring a total of 850 digital effects shots, resulting in an abundance of amazing images, many of them virtually indistinguishable from reality. Unfortunately, the film's technical achievement is more impressive than its screenplay, which conventionally and predictably tells the fact-based story, set in France in 1916, of the daring young pilots of the Lafayette Escadrille, a pioneering French air-combat unit that welcomed American enlistees prior to the United States' entry into the war.
There's a familiar cliché to match every thrilling scene of aerial combat, but director Tony Bill manages to keep it all interesting, from the romance between a young American maverick (James Franco) and a pretty French girl (newcomer Jennifer Decker) to the exciting action in the air, which includes a stock variety of heroes (many of them composites of real-life WWI pilots) and an intimidating villain known only as "The Black Falcon," whose Fokker Dr-1 triplane (one of many in the film) recalls the exploits of German "ace of aces" Manfred von Richtofen, the dreaded "Red Baron" of legend. With impeccable production values that will impress even the most nit-picking aviation buffs, Flyboys (like Superman Returns and Apocalypto, also released in 2006) was also one of the first feature films to be shot with Panavision's state-of-the-art Genesis digital cameras, resulting in beautiful images that meet or exceed the visual nuance of film. Flyboys also benefits from painstaking attention to physical detail, making it easier to forgive its shortcomings as a generic and formulaic slice of romanticized history. So while some viewers may have wished for a more realistic and grown-up depiction of the Lafayette Escadrille, it's safe to say that Flyboys will be thrilling its target audience for many years to come. --Jeff Shannon
Extras from Flyboys
 Director Tony Bill on Filming Dogfight Sequences |  ...On throwing away the script for pilot training |  ...On the real-life stunt pilot who stars in the film |
Beyond Flyboys
 More "War in the Sky" Films |  SPA124 Lafayette Escadrille: American Volunteer Airmen in World War 1 |  More "Military and War" Films |
Stills from Flyboys
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