The Dawn Patrol (1938)

Director:

Edmund Goulding

Writers:

Seton I. Miller (screenplay) and
Dan Totheroh (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

24 December 1938 (USA)

Genre:

War | Drama

Tagline:

They roared through the dawn . . . with death on their wings !

Plot:

British flying aces in World War I contend with the harsh realities of war.

Plot Keywords:

France | Orchestral Music Score | Commander | Raw Recruit | Honor

Cast

Errol Flynn	...	Captain Courtney
Basil Rathbone	...	Major Brand
David Niven	...	Lieutenant Scott
Donald Crisp	...	Phipps
Melville Cooper	...	Sergeant Watkins
Barry Fitzgerald	...	Bott
Carl Esmond	...	Von Mueller
Peter Willes	...	Hollister
Morton Lowry	...	Donnie Scott
Michael Brooke	...	Captain Squires
James Burke	...	Flaherty - Motorcycle Driver
Stuart Hall	...	Bentham
Herbert Evans	...	Scott's Mechanic
Sidney Bracey	...	Major Brand's Orderly (as Sidney Bracy)
Leo Nomis	...	Aeronautic Supervisor

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:14A (Ontario) | USA:TV-PG (TV rating) | Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #4585)

Filming Locations:

Calabasas, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

The filmmakers needed several shots of the planes taking off and landing. They assembled a squadron of 17 vintage WW1 aircraft, most of them Nieuports. Flying them proved just as hazardous as in WW1. By the time filming ended, stunt flyers had crashed 15 of them.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The opening shot identifies the time as 1915. From the first, the song played over and over on the phonograph is "Poor Butterfly." Sources seem to agree that this song was not published until 1916, and not recorded until later still.

Quotes:

Lt. 'Scotty' Scott: It's a funny war.
Phipps: [sadly] No, not awfully.

Movie Connections:

Features The Dawn Patrol (1930)

Soundtrack:

Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag and Smile, Smile, Smile!

Brave young pilots who defended their country in WW1

A very action-packed drama about First World War British flyers and the risky aerial fighting they undertook. So many young pilots rose to the challenge but flew off in matchstick planes to face a deadly enemy in the sky. We share with them the revelries and tragedies met daily by this small group of flyers, most of whom didn't come back.

It's wonderful to see so many superb actors in a modern day setting for a change, playing in modern wartime roles -- a nice change from the usual pirate pics and westerns we've known them for.

Aviation during WW1 was a time of raw courage, luck, and a devil-may-care outlook on life. Errol Flynn, as Captain Courtney, reflects aloud in some pensive moments about the futility of waging war but it's a brutal reality and must be dealt with, which he does so bravely.

David Niven, as Scotty, turns in a good supportive performance and in the end of the story learns to take on a commander's responsibilities. Actually, in real life Niven also rejoined the army in WW2 and acquired honors along the way, still retaining his popularity in movies during and after the war.

"How many fine chaps will die in this war and in future wars?" -- lines spoken by Phipps (Donald Crisp) seem to warn of the oncoming Second World War.

Now in our new century let's hope we never see those clouds of war on such an enormous scale hanging over England and Europe ever again. An excellent film on heroism in wartime.