[Epapazian]

Many of the old air combat classics had gaping accuracy and continuity flaws, to say nothing about primitive special effects, overdone romantic entanglements, etc. Still, we enjoyed them. Here's a partial list of some of my favorites. Which one of these ---or any other you wish to add---would you most like to see remade with its errors eliminated, romantic and other distractions minimized and modern special effects used properly---to enhance the story telling, not dominate it?

1) Wings ( 1927 )

2) Flying Tigers ( 1942 )

3) Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo ( 1944 )

4) Fighter Squadron ( 1948 )

5) Flying Leathernecks ( 1951 )

6) Bridges At Toko-Ri ( 1954 )

7) The Dam Busters ( 1955 )*

8) The Blue Max ( 1966 )

9) The Battle Of britain ( 1969 )

10)Tora, Tora, Tora (1970 )

11)Midway( 1976 )

* I believe this movie is being remade.

[Paladin18]

Originally Posted by Epapazian

Many of the old air combat classics had gaping accuracy and continuity flaws, to say nothing about primitive special effects, overdone romantic entanglements, etc. Still, we enjoyed them. Here's a partial list of some of my favorites. Which one of these ---or any other you wish to add---would you most like to see remade with its errors eliminated, romantic and other distractions minimized and modern special effects used properly---to enhance the story telling, not dominate it?

1) Wings ( 1927 )

2) Flying Tigers ( 1942 )

3) Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo ( 1944 )

4) Fighter Squadron ( 1948 )

5) Flying Leathernecks ( 1951 )

6) Bridges At Toko-Ri ( 1954 )

7) The Dam Busters ( 1955 )*

8) The Blue Max ( 1966 )

9) The Battle Of britain ( 1969 )

10)Tora, Tora, Tora (1970 )

11)Midway( 1976 )

* I believe this movie is being remade.

That's a tough one. I'm sure Hollywood, with all its special effects technology today, can do a great job remaking any of the above movies. But if I have to choose, it will be Midway, Tora Tora Tora, Battle of Britain and Flying Tigers in that order.

[Cruver Collecter]

I like the old classics, but would really like to see some new material put out. Maybe something about the Cactus Air Force at Henderson Field during the Guadalcanal campaign (Little chance of romance tangent in that one) or how about something that deals with the Soviet Air Force durning the opening stages of WWII (Quite a few I-16s available right now).

[Epapazian]

Originally Posted by Cruver Collecter

I like the old classics, but would really like to see some new material put out. Maybe something about the Cactus Air Force at Henderson Field during the Guadalcanal campaign (Little chance of romance tangent in that one) or how about something that deals with the Soviet Air Force durning the opening stages of WWII (Quite a few I-16s available right now).

The Jonh Wayne/Robert Ryan epic, "Flying Leathernecks", was set in the Guadalcanal area. Of course, the U.S. Marines weren't flying F6Fs then, as depicted in the picture, and the Japanese were more formidable fighter pilots at this stage of the war then the boobs Wayne and Ryan's guys shot down so easily.

[Nimrod48]

IMHO the BoB would be improved by removing the dreadful music during some of the dog fight scenes near the end of the movie... the opening music is one of my favourite movie tracks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNVVoH9-QH0

[flyXwire]

Originally Posted by Nimrod48

IMHO the BoB would be improved by removing the dreadful music during some of the dog fight scenes near the end of the movie... the opening music is one of my favourite movie tracks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNVVoH9-QH0

Yes, the opening score from BoB is one of my favorites as well. I love war movie soundtracks and have quite a collection. I've bought all the movie soundtracks from BoB, Blue Max, The Right Stuff, Midway, and other non-airwar movie soundtracks and then some.

[jim]

Originally Posted by Nimrod48

IMHO the BoB would be improved by removing the dreadful music during some of the dog fight scenes near the end of the movie... the opening music is one of my favourite movie tracks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNVVoH9-QH0

Interesting to read your point about the music in the dogfight scenes Nimrod.

Each to their own , but I thought it added something to the point that was being or was trying to be made.
To me it emphasised the horror of the battle and the loss of young lives in a way not tried before.
I thought it was very dramatic and definitely affected me.
The title music is very good and stirs the necessary patriotic feelings of pride.


My vote would go to the Flying Tigers, I enjoyed the original but It left a lot of room for improvement.
Second would have to be Flying Leathernecks.
I saw that film as youngster and loved ever minute of it, of course back then I had no idea of what was correct or not.
I have this film on DVD and I still watch it now and again.

[Gort]

Many disagree, but of all war movies, Midway has to rank among the most deplorable. The flick bursts with stock footage and edits from Thirty Seconds over Tokyo and Tora, Tora, Tora, while torturing viewers with visual errors, anachronisms, moments of historical “license,” and planes not in service in 1942—plus a fictitious, smarmy love affair that begs for a swift, merciful death.

The problem partly lay with a screenplay that attempted to be both a documentary and melodrama (a la The Longest Day and A Bridge too Far), which spotlighted a Navy father-and-son duo played by Charlton Heston and Edward Albert, two towering drama queens who toiled mightily through savaged subplots.

Just a few highlights ...

• The clip showing “Tom Garth’s” Wildcat crashing and breaking in two is the most used WWII crash sequence in film history. It was then, and still is, a cliché so mind-numbingly boring, it’s a wonder the director/film editor used it.

• As Charles Heston collides with the carrier deck and explodes into flaming shards, Glenn Ford (the captain) studies the fireball, shrugs, and turns as if to say, “Lunch, anyone?”

• When the USS Enterprise pulls into "Pearl Harbor," the camera pans across southern pine and oak tress surrounding the port, suggesting the Enterprise is actually pulling into Pensacola, Florida, the home port of the USS Lexington (at the time of filming).

• In port, middle-aged sightseers tricked out in gaudy Hawaiian togs gawk at the Enterprise as if it were the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Carnival Destiny come to whisk them away on a fun-drenched, 3-day cruise. Which is odd in the extreme, considering Navy security shot tourists who displayed their sunscreen-lathered buns anywhere near the carrier. Let alone wear ridiculous flowery ensembles.

In other words, yeah ... practically anybody with $10 and a cheap digital movie camera could produce a better flick.

[Vifam7]

I don't know if I'd want a remake of an old classic. I like some of them for what they are and some of them are decent enough to not be messed around by Hollywood.

Battle of Britain doesn't need to be remade IMHO. The last time Hollywood sorta remade Tora Tora Tora, we got Pearl Harbor from the wonderful Michael "jiggle camera" Bay. Romantic entanglements doesn't get any worse than a film directed by Michael Bay and starring Ben Affleck

Also, I don't think Hollywood these days has enough gumption to make an air combat movie using REAL airplanes. I'm not too fond of computer generated stuff.

Sorry to sound pessimistic.

[1250ships]

First I'm very pleased that Twelve O'Clock High on your list. I can't imagine it being remade without it turning into a complete disaster given the abilities of current actors vs. Gregory Peck.

Midway is a horrid movie full of mistakes. It is such a dramatic story in reality that you don't need to mess with it to make it entertaining.

In the "don't touch!" category for me are 30 Seconds Over Tokyo, Tora, Tora, Tora, and Bridges at Toko-Ri. 30 Seconds is pretty accurate to the book and I find a certain attachment to the movies made during the war. Tora is pretty accurate and feels actually more a documentary than an entertainment product. As mentioned earlier in the thread a better remake is unlikely. Toko-Ri is a classic. There is really no need to re-do it. If you wanted to where would you get the Panthers?

As a side note I find most CGI to look unreal. As someone who studies ships I found the CGI in Titanic to be strikingly bad. It was painfully obvious that the ship was not real. When you stack a bunch of CGI generated equipment next to today's crappy actors it is a recipe for a lousy movie.