Hell's Angels (1930)

Nominated for 1 Academy Award:

Best Cinematography

Tony Gaudio

Harry Perry

It won 0 Oscars out of a total of 1 nomination in 1929-30.


Hell's Angels follows two brothers, Roy and Monte, as they enlist in the Royal Flying Corps during World War I and attempt to woo the same woman.  But after the brothers sign up for a dangerous mission, the fate of the two is quickly called into question.

A last surviving print of this film that still contained the color segments was discovered in John Wayne's private vault in 1989.  It was restored by the UCLA Film and Television Archive.

This picture was plagued with problems throughout its entire production.  Originally conceived and shot as a silent film, producer and director, Howard Hughes, decided to re-shoot the entire film as a talkie when sound equipment became available.  This caused production to replace their leading lady, run over-schedule, and completely over-budget - in fact, it was the most expensive film ever made at the time.  Additionally, three pilots died during filming, and Howard Hughes was severely injured after attempting an aerial stunt that even the stunt pilots were unwilling to do.

Further troubles arose when it was discovered that Warner Bros. had planned to produce The Dawn Patrol (1930).  Howard Hughes tried earnestly to prevent them from making the film, as he saw it as a direct competitor to his own.  He went so far as to buy up the leases for every period aircraft that he could in order to prevent them from going into production, and even filed a lawsuit against them alleging that they had plagiarized his film.  Hughes would ultimately lose the lawsuit, however, and The Dawn Patrol (1930) would, ironically, see a release even before Hell's Angels.


Editorial:

What this film lacks in story, it more than makes up in craftsmanship.  The eclectic use of film-making techniques no doubt lends itself to the self-conversion of silent to talkie.  Obviously it is a sound film, but title cards are still present at times for the purposes of exposition and translating German (possibly a predecessor to subtitles).  There are also several color segments throughout, utilizing both modern and early technology.  One scene was filmed in Multicolor and printed in Technicolor, while other segments were tinted and hand-colored.  So, this makes for quite an incredible viewing experience, especially when one considers the time in which this was made.

Score  |  08/10  |  This motion picture is essential viewing.