The Dawn Patrol (1938)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

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 | Drunkenness | Biplane | Gallantry | Suicide Mission

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:

Most of the aerial footage comes from Warner Bros.' previous 1930 version (The Dawn Patrol (1930)).

Goofs:

Continuity: The amount of engine oil on Flynn's face.

Quotes:

Phipps: [Opens package dropped by enemy plane] It's his helmet and goggles. It means a very gallant gentleman died this afternoon. And for what? What have all these deaths accomplished? So many fine chaps have died in this war and are going to die in future wars.
[pause]
Phipps: That's all, gentlemen.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Waltons: The Quilting (#4.21)" (1976)

Soundtrack:

Stand to Your Glasses! (Hurrah for the Next Man to Die)

surprisingly engaging.....

I don't have a lot to say about this movie. Errol Flynn is excellent as Captain Courtney, and the rest of the cast is excellent in their roles. That didn't surprise me. What surprised me was two things. First, how the British flying aces in World War I contend with the harsh realities of war, specifically the deaths of their friends and the decisions that had to be made to send more men to their deaths (excellently portrayed by Basil Rathbone as Major Brand). Whats most impressive, however, is how engaging the air sequences were. They were ahead of their time and they hold up rather well today. I just saw Pearl Harbour, and I would say the Dawn Patrol is more exciting. It holds up well today, and if you get a chance, give it a watch. 8 out of 10.