The Tuskegee Airmen
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Movie Reviews of The Tuskegee Airmen
Movie Review: The Tuskegee Airmen: Both Historic and Dramatic
Summary: 4 Stars
Historically accurate? Pretty close. The Tuskegee Airmen is a 1995 film based on a World War II fighter squadron called the Tuskegee Airmen. This fighter squadron was the first all black fighter squadron in the U.S. Air Force. It was first activated on March 19, 1941 in Rantoul, Illinois and was called the 99th Pursuit (later, Fighter) Squadron. Later, it moved to the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. The 99th began missions in North Africa, mainly doing ground attack missions. It later joined the 332nd Fighter Group with three other all black fighter squadrons. Since they joined the 332nd, their missions changed to bomber escort. Much of the film was based on this information.
Most of the events and people in the film were based on their historic counterpart. Almost all of the characters are fictional, but are based on real people. Only two people were real, them being Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. (Andre Braugher) and Eleanor Roosevelt. The other main characters, such as Hannibal Lee (Laurence Fishburne), were representations of real Tuskegee Airmen and the events that they went through. An example of this representation is when Hannibal takes Mrs. Roosevelt up in his training airplane; this is based on Charles Alfred Anderson taking the real Eleanor Roosevelt in his training airplane. Despite this accuracy, some details were left out. An example is the fact that Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. was the real commander of the 99th, although this is not pointed out until the North Africa campaign. He was actually placed in command of the 99th since its activation. Another element of the film's historic accuracy was its use of WWII footage. A great deal of the fighter scenes made use of WWII footage. It gives the film a bit of authenticity. The film also films along side the fighters, giving a person the feeling of flying with the fighters, while looking out the cockpit.
In addition to this feeling of authenticity the film also shows how bad the racism was for blacks at the time. Racism did play a part in the making the 99th fight in WWII. An example was a committee that was considering whether the "experiment" was worth the go ahead. Some committee members did submit a scientific paper that said that black people do not have the intelligence to operate complex machinery, but the majority of the committee voted in favor of the Airmen. What added to the effects of racism was the acting. An example is when three of the main characters were forced to move to the back of the train in order to make room for German POWs. The characters showed great surprise and anger, but kept that to themselves like many blacks probably did at the time. All of the actors had also clearly displayed the pride and determination that many of the Airmen had. An example is when Leroy Cappy (Malcolm-Jamal Warner) was about to give up trying to graduate from the Air Force academy, but Lee, Walter Peoples (Allen Payne), and Billy Roberts (Cuba Gooding Jr.) put pride back into Cappy by questioning him if he was going to give up as if they were Cappy's commanding officers. After this, Lee, Cappy, Roberts, and others graduated from the academy despite growing pressure from racism.
Despite little details missing or slightly altered, this film is a tightly wrapped package. It represented what really happened with the 99th with few elements and details changed. It used real footage from WWII, along with footage from its own production. It used racism to show how the airmen were treated, despite the fact that they were going out to fight a war for a country that discriminates against them. This film strived for historical accuracy.
Movie Review: "They were our country's best defense ... and its greatest glory"
Summary: 4 Stars
The Tuskegee Airmen (Laurence Fishburne) 106 minutes. (for a more historical account check out the PBS with the same title)
Movie starts out with the scene of a black kid on a farm watching a plane fly by. The narrator reads "We all have dreams, regardless of skin color." The Little kid screaming "Wait for me"
The director uses various scenes to show the ugly face of racism: The scene where the black cadets have to get off the train-car, then camera focuses on "whites only" sign for drinking fountain, and then the camera focuses on german prisoners getting off a bus, escorted by american white military soldiers. Quite a lot of symbolism for racism in one little scene. The black cadets are forced to give up their seats for german prisenoners of war (they had to go to the "Jim Crow car"). The introductary talk of the white commanding officer of the base to the newly arrived negro corp, was simply despicably racist, not just the expected putdown from commanding officer, but pure and un-adulterated hate.
The second shock, and this is to my own assumptions ... I was shocked when the negro cadets informally introduce each other and how cerebral some of them were (aeronautical engineer, pre-med, english literature, political science, art history, sociology, economics majors). These were some bright minds there on base to prove America that they could make it.
Another excellent example of contradictory racism, is when a negro pilot does an emergency landing, and the white sherrif watching over a group of negro convicts, a chaingang, says "It's one of our boys" and later learns the opposite.
I love it when the good wins while fighting the evil - the white major who gets in trouble with his commander for implementing his racist ideas.
If you want to comprehend the little nuances of racism and its evil, then this is a good movie to see. If you want to understand discrimination and racism in 1940s US (not Canada) while we Americans were fighting Nazis in Europe, as experienced on an airforce base, then this is a good movie to see. Not the whole presentation is profound, but there are moments of laughter, smiles, and chuckles.
In this movie only the ones "who want to learn how to fly" succeed above the rest - those who react instead of subversively ignore the racism around them . And the remaining negro cadets surely proved to be some pretty darn good pilots and US Airmen. It's an awefully great moment when racism is fought subversively and peacefully. And there are plenty of these moments in this movie.
Or the moment, when the Bomber white pilot locates the fighter pilots who saved his crews lives, but is actually upset when he finds out they are colored.
The movie has a beautiful turn, and ending. I will not spoil the details, just re-print the message of the last screen:
"The 332nd Fighter Group never lost a single bomber to enemy action."
Movie Review: The price paid for racism
Summary: 4 Stars
Americans have paid a high price for their treatment of Blacks through the last century and a half. What has been lost in the worlds of business, the arts, medicine and science, can only be guessed at. Tuskegee Airmen gives some real, although narrow, insight into what was lost in WWII by a nation which continued to treat Blacks as an inferior people. Sadly, it wasn't just Americans who paid this price; the whole free world lost much because brave, highly skilled men were relegated to the backwaters of the war and not allowed to use their skills in the defense of freedom.
This movie is well acted. It makes no extravagant claims, speaks not in a loud demanding tone of voice and is all the more compelling because it simply lets the story tell itself.
The Tuskegee Airmen is a true story about real men who were ready and willing to help the fight against Germany and Japan, only to be rebuffed time and again, ignored by the buffoons sitting in the US Senate and Congress and at the top of the armed services.
That this band of pilots finally got into some form of combat is a testimony to their dedication and determination. This is a feel good/feel bad movie. I felt tremendous admiration at the courage and resilience these men showed, at the same time I felt a sense of despair in wondering how long the world will continue to waste talent and ability simply because of the color of someone's skin. Perhaps some progress is being made, in that such a story at least has been turned into a film that lays bare the stupidity and destructiveness of racism. I would recommend this film to anyone who wants some adventure and an interesting story mixed in with a history lesson.
Movie Review: The "Tuskeegee Experiment" is a great and informative film.
Summary: 4 Stars
I tend to get very emotional about this film. I can never see the ending without tears of appreciation, joy and intense pride. HBO is by far the best at making original movies and shows. The film has technical flaws... every film does... but beyond them it tells a story that, by design or negligence, has been ignored by American history for almost a half century.
Laurence Fishburne and Andre Braugher deliver stellar performances as Hannibal Lee and the great military leader Benjamin O. Davis. The other great actors who have some sort of direct or distant connection to the cause, to contribute were Cuba Gooding Jr., Courtney B. Vance, Allen Payne, Malcolm Jamal Warner, and Andre Braugher.
This film was wrapped up for me when a red necked White bomber pilot says in the final briefing: "I have a crew whose lives are my responsibility. If it's all the same to you Sir, I want the 332nd to take me to Berlin and back". That cinematic statement is a long overdue.
`Tuskegge Airmen' is a movie that should be viewed by all Americans interested in seeing a slice of Americana that's been neglected. Most will identify with the raw emotion evoked by the plight of these brave and talented men. Black Americans will be moved to tears as we are reminded of what those trailblazers overcame so that future Black soldiers, airmen and every day citizens could take their rightful place in American society, proud of their past and heritage. We all owe a debt of gratitude to the Tuskegee Airmen. This movie makes it clear why. I hope HBO continues it's long trend of fantastic films and series.
Movie Review: The Tuskegee Airmen
Summary: 4 Stars
A part of our history which deserves to be much more known.
Great actors with a moving and exciting storyline which sometimes moves a bit too fast. Good mix of real footage and play. The 1940ies become alive again -a lot of correct historical details. Very interesting for those fond of vintage aircrafts and flying.
Another schocking and sad chapter from the history of racism in the U.S.A.