leeper@mtgzy.att.com (Mark R. Leeper) (11/21/90)
THE MEMPHIS BELLE (by William Wyler)
Film comment by Mark R. Leeper
This year's MEMPHIS BELLE directed by Michael Caton-Jones is a popular
film describing the last mission of the first B-17 to complete its assigned
twenty-five missions. What has not been mentioned anywhere is that MEMPHIS
BELLE is a partial remake of a previous film called THE MEMPHIS BELLE. The
original was directed by one of Hollywood's great directors, William Wyler,
who directed such films as MRS. MINIVER, THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES, THE
DESPERATE HOURS, THE BIG COUNTRY, BEN HUR, and FUNNY GIRL. After he
completed MRS. MINIVER, Wyler enlisted in the Army Air Corps only to be
assigned to make documentaries about the day-to-day business of the Army Air
Corps. He made two; one was THUNDERBOLT and one was THE MEMPHIS BELLE. The
latter was bout the B-17 crews stationed in England who bombed Germany and
used as a focal point the last mission of the Memphis Belle. The Discovery
Channel on cable just happens to be running Wyler's MEMPHIS BELLE this
month.
[The following paragraph will include some spoilers about the 1990
movie.]
Wyler apparently went on several bombing missions to create the
documentary, though he has what is at best only a minute or so of footage
from the Belle's final flight, and that is from the landing and taken from
the ground. The 1990 films seems to have much exaggerated the danger of the
final mission. The following are apparently inaccuracies of the later film:
- There were no injuries on the Belle on her final mission.
When she landed the crew was grinning from the windows and the
glass nose. There is a reference to a transfusion in some
places but it is not the Belle. The Belle had no fires, did not
have to throw out its guns, and was not losing fuel.
- In the original most of the planes are not named for or
illustrated with pictures of sexy women. More common are names
like "Old Bill." The nose paintings usually show cartoons of
nasty things happening to a frightened- looking Hitler.
- The 1990 film shows some spectacular collisions. The original
film does not, but probably would not mention the dangerous
mishaps.
- The 1990 production could get only eight planes. The original
gives more of a feel of an armada.
- The crew looks considerably older in the original. There are
references to crew members in their late teens, but most looked
more like mid-thirties.
- The Belle was not assigned to Bremen; it was assigned to the
submarine pens at Wilhelmshaven.
The Wyler documentary is worth seeing and makes a worthwhile supplement
to the movie. After the documentary there are interviews with crew members
who flew the B-17s. The contention is made that this is one of the best-
designed planes ever built. Every architectural element has a backup so if
it were shot away the backup takes over. The planes could be horribly shot
up and still be in good flying condition, as both versions of the film
showed. A German flier is quoted as saying that attacking a B-17 was "like
making love to a porcupine ... on fire."
Mark R. Leeper
att!mtgzy!leeper
leeper@mtgzy.att.com