Enjoy viewing the Flyboys DVD! (Fairview Library!) What was "real" in the film and what was fiction? How do you know? How does Hollywood impact the public with movies that portray war?
During the air battles you see in Flyboys, the French and English are in biplanes, and the Germans are in bright red triplanes. This is so you, the viewer, can easily tell who are the good guys and who the bad guys are. However, most of the planes that the Germans used were biplanes, not triplanes. As for the bright red paintjobs, not all of their triplanes were like that. You may know that the Red Baron flew a bright red triplane. This is to identify him as the leader of his squadron, and to identify him as an ace fighter pilot. The Red Baron also flew biplanes with a red finish, not only triplanes. Making the good guys and bad guys easily recognizable in Flyboys makes a better movie, because if everyone was flying biplanes the viewer might get confused. The viewers are lucky compared to WWI pilots. The pilots of WWI did not have the luxury of an enemy that only flew in bright red triplanes.
---Please note I started working on this before Geoffrey posted his so any overlap is completely unintended.
After viewing and researching “Flyboys,” I found much proof that this movie was very historically inaccurate (much to my dismay because I thought it was a pretty good movie). Probably the largest and easiest to point out inaccuracy was that the German fighters were portrayed as Fokker Dr.I triplanes. These were very commonly used and recognized aircraft during WWI. However, they never saw combat before February 1917 and were not widely used until early 1918. Since this movie is set before the U.S. entered the war (April 6, 1917) including them was counterfactual to the time period. Further, no squadron of fighters was bright red. This may have been a reference to Jagdgeschwader 1 (a German unit of fighter planes). The unit was the first to be commissioned to fly Fokker Dr.I planes and became known as “the flying circus” for painting their planes vibrant colors. Even the Red Baron was part of it although everyone didn’t just copy him and fly red planes. Yet, still, this unit was formed in June 1917, after this movie supposedly took place. Basically the whole portrayal of German fighters at the time was incorrect. Granted, it did make it easy to tell friend from foe during frantic dogfights.
Another big mistake was the French squadron “Flyboys” was centered around was called the Lafayette Escadrille. The Lafayette Escadrille was a squadron during World War I, but the movie confused the Lafayette Escadrille with the Lafayette Flying Corps. This can be proven because there was a black pilot in the film. The only black pilot for the Allies* in World War I was Eugene J. Bullard. (He fought all through WWI and ended up spying on Germans and fighting during the Second World War. Throughout his military career he was a tremendous service to the Allies as a whole.) Corporal Bullard never flew in the Lafayette Escadrille rather; he served in the Lafayette Flying Corps.
One, less noticeable, problem was the zeppelin Reed Cassidy destroyed by flying into it. The German zeppelin was labeled L32. This airship was used to attack Great Britain and ended up being shot down by British cruisers. It would have been more accurate to use the LZ35 since it attacked France and was eventually shot down. So, there were many inaccuracies to “Flyboys.” Granted everything did have something to do with World War I.
Apart from the fiction in the movie, it did have some real aspects. The portrayal of the Lafayette Escadrille was fairly accurate (except for the inclusion of Eugene Bullard). Both in the movie and in real life their planes bore the Indian head insignia and the red, white, and blue “target like” insignia of the French Air Force. It was also, surprisingly, accurate that the squadron did have a lion named Whiskey as their mascot. The uniforms worn in the movie reflected those that real pilots were given (light colored, same style, and same kepi [hat]). Most of the characters were based on real people and, while their experiences were different, backgrounds were sometimes true. For example: Eugene Bullard did go to France because of the treatment America gave blacks and he was a boxer before he entered the war.
Although, Bullard was not in the Unit portrayed in the Movie He was However considered Escadrille! See I don't believe your comprehend what Escadrille denotes. It was all Lafayette Flying Corp and if you were American fighting for the French under the French Flag. You were considered Escadrille!
The portrayal of no man’s land as blackened rubble where explosions occurred was fairly accurate. Also true was when the two French soldiers went out to help the downed pilots and they were killed. It was called no man’s land for a reason (the two pilots surviving was fictitious but the main characters in a movie don’t die that soon). Another truth was the representation of the Nieuport 17 (the planes the French flew). These biplanes really were used by the French and the description seen in-movie was perfect.
Overall, the movie “Flyboys” was meant to be entertainment and not educational. Watching this movie is exciting while watching a movie of real combat might make you want to join the United Nations. This movie, like many war movies, does not portray real war. It was made to impact the audience with action and drama in order to persuade them and others to have fun seeing a good movie. It’s hard to find a movie that accurately portrays war because it’s better for Hollywood business to show something fallacious than to show the truth that many just don’t want to see.
*The only other black pilot in World War I was Ahmet Ali Çelikten, who served from 1916-1917 for the Ottoman Empire.
Special note: I had to post this in 2 parts because it was too long.
During the air battles you see in Flyboys, the French and English are in biplanes, and the Germans are in bright red triplanes. This is so you, the viewer, can easily tell who are the good guys and who the bad guys are. However, most of the planes that the Germans used were biplanes, not triplanes. As for the bright red paintjobs, not all of their triplanes were like that. You may know that the Red Baron flew a bright red triplane. This is to identify him as the leader of his squadron, and to identify him as an ace fighter pilot. The Red Baron also flew biplanes with a red finish, not only triplanes. Making the good guys and bad guys easily recognizable in Flyboys makes a better movie, because if everyone was flying biplanes the viewer might get confused. The viewers are lucky compared to WWI pilots. The pilots of WWI did not have the luxury of an enemy that only flew in bright red triplanes.
ReplyDelete---Please note I started working on this before Geoffrey posted his so any overlap is completely unintended.
ReplyDeleteAfter viewing and researching “Flyboys,” I found much proof that this movie was very historically inaccurate (much to my dismay because I thought it was a pretty good movie). Probably the largest and easiest to point out inaccuracy was that the German fighters were portrayed as Fokker Dr.I triplanes. These were very commonly used and recognized aircraft during WWI. However, they never saw combat before February 1917 and were not widely used until early 1918. Since this movie is set before the U.S. entered the war (April 6, 1917) including them was counterfactual to the time period. Further, no squadron of fighters was bright red. This may have been a reference to Jagdgeschwader 1 (a German unit of fighter planes). The unit was the first to be commissioned to fly Fokker Dr.I planes and became known as “the flying circus” for painting their planes vibrant colors. Even the Red Baron was part of it although everyone didn’t just copy him and fly red planes. Yet, still, this unit was formed in June 1917, after this movie supposedly took place. Basically the whole portrayal of German fighters at the time was incorrect. Granted, it did make it easy to tell friend from foe during frantic dogfights.
Another big mistake was the French squadron “Flyboys” was centered around was called the Lafayette Escadrille. The Lafayette Escadrille was a squadron during World War I, but the movie confused the Lafayette Escadrille with the Lafayette Flying Corps. This can be proven because there was a black pilot in the film. The only black pilot for the Allies* in World War I was Eugene J. Bullard. (He fought all through WWI and ended up spying on Germans and fighting during the Second World War. Throughout his military career he was a tremendous service to the Allies as a whole.) Corporal Bullard never flew in the Lafayette Escadrille rather; he served in the Lafayette Flying Corps.
One, less noticeable, problem was the zeppelin Reed Cassidy destroyed by flying into it. The German zeppelin was labeled L32. This airship was used to attack Great Britain and ended up being shot down by British cruisers. It would have been more accurate to use the LZ35 since it attacked France and was eventually shot down. So, there were many inaccuracies to “Flyboys.” Granted everything did have something to do with World War I.
Apart from the fiction in the movie, it did have some real aspects. The portrayal of the Lafayette Escadrille was fairly accurate (except for the inclusion of Eugene Bullard). Both in the movie and in real life their planes bore the Indian head insignia and the red, white, and blue “target like” insignia of the French Air Force. It was also, surprisingly, accurate that the squadron did have a lion named Whiskey as their mascot. The uniforms worn in the movie reflected those that real pilots were given (light colored, same style, and same kepi [hat]). Most of the characters were based on real people and, while their experiences were different, backgrounds were sometimes true. For example: Eugene Bullard did go to France because of the treatment America gave blacks and he was a boxer before he entered the war.
Although, Bullard was not in the Unit portrayed in the Movie He was However considered Escadrille! See I don't believe your comprehend what Escadrille denotes. It was all Lafayette Flying Corp and if you were American fighting for the French under the French Flag. You were considered Escadrille!
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ReplyDeleteThe portrayal of no man’s land as blackened rubble where explosions occurred was fairly accurate. Also true was when the two French soldiers went out to help the downed pilots and they were killed. It was called no man’s land for a reason (the two pilots surviving was fictitious but the main characters in a movie don’t die that soon). Another truth was the representation of the Nieuport 17 (the planes the French flew). These biplanes really were used by the French and the description seen in-movie was perfect.
ReplyDeleteOverall, the movie “Flyboys” was meant to be entertainment and not educational. Watching this movie is exciting while watching a movie of real combat might make you want to join the United Nations. This movie, like many war movies, does not portray real war. It was made to impact the audience with action and drama in order to persuade them and others to have fun seeing a good movie. It’s hard to find a movie that accurately portrays war because it’s better for Hollywood business to show something fallacious than to show the truth that many just don’t want to see.
*The only other black pilot in World War I was Ahmet Ali Çelikten, who served from 1916-1917 for the Ottoman Empire.
Special note: I had to post this in 2 parts because it was too long.
Thanks for pointing out both accurate and inaccurate aspects of the movie!
ReplyDelete