HBO Tuskegee Airmen movie

[mustangdriver]

With all of the talk of Red Tails, I just thought it would be interesting to hear what you guys think of the first movie. Also if there is anyone on here that has pics of the filming or was part of it. It seems that they used alot of real deal warbirds in the movie. How do you think you will like it compared to the new one?

[JohnCFord]

I have not seen it because I have never bought cable my entire adult life. Is the HBO film available on DVD?

~J~

[Bear]

I have not seen it because I have never bought cable my entire adult life. Is the HBO film available on DVD?

~J~

Here you go.

http://www.amazon.com/Tuskegee-Airmen-John-Lithgow/dp/B00319ECI8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325875704&sr=8-1

[The Inspector]

All in all, not a bad MFTVM (seen several big screen aircraft movies that were shot in 'smell-o-vision and stunk up the screen much more). I think it was Malcom Jamal Warners first other than Cosby Show role, Lawrence Fishburns character was SOOOO cool, his deicers must have been on full time. The only thing I found to be really funny was Andre Braugher wearing a really cheesy looking wig since he shaves his head and was playing a detective on another series TV show at the time, I could watch it again-

[cooper9411]

HBO's Tuskegee Airmen is a very good film. It is actually one of the few war themed films I could watch repeatedly. The Red Tails film should be better as Lucas, I'm sure had a much bigger budget to work with. Tuskegee Airmen rank right up there with "Band of Brothers" and "South Pacific". This is just my opinion, and I am entitled to it

[Jerry O'Neill]

The old guy (Leonard) on CBS who reviewed films and hated everything, actually loved it!
Jerry

[Dave Homewood]

The Red Tails film should be better as Lucas, I'm sure had a much bigger budget to work with.

It's not the size of your budget that counts, it's what you do with it. Lucas is a bit of a ham so i don't really expect great things. He may surprise me, I hope so.

Tuskegee Airmen rank right up there with "Band of Brothers" and "South Pacific".

"South Pacific"? That really gay 1950's musical?

My opinion of the HBO Tuskagee Airmen is it was a very good film indeed. For me it was a real eye opener as we have never had the apartheid style racism and seperatism here in NZ that was prevalent in the USA, and seeing how those chaps were treated was appaulling.

In WWII the RNZAF had many Maori pilots, aircrew, groundcrew and WAAF's, who were all just part of everyday units with everybody else, and were treated no differently. So long as they could do the job, they were in. There was never any division along racial lines in our Air Force. That would have been totally unthinkable in NZ society I believe.

NZ did have No. 28 (Maori) Battalion which was one of our many Army battalions which was set up at the insistence of Maori leaders and with the Companies within being divided along tribal lines. It was never anything about seperatism from the rest of the army though, it was all about Maori pride in their tribal system. They were traditionally great warriors and proved so again in WWII. Many Maori people served in the other battalions and units of the Army too, as a matter of choice. And the Maori Battalion was hugely respected by the whole Army, and even by the Germans, with Rommel singling them out as his greatest enemy at one point.

Some Maori did very well indeed in the RNZAF, one of NZ's fighter aces was Maori pilot Bert Wipiti who fought in Buffalo fighters against the Japanese in 1942 and later fought and died flying Spitfires against the Germans in Europe. Another well known Maori pilot was John Pohe, who was one of the 50 murdered by the Germans after the Great Escape. You can watch a documentary on Pohe's life here: http://www.nzonscreen.com/title/turanga ... story-2008

I don't mean to profess that NZ is a eutopia, there are certainly people with racist views here, and always will be on both sides. But it has never been to the extremes as seen in the USA. So, for me it was a bit difficult to watch the treatment of those Tuskagee guys, watching those white southern hicks on a power trip. They were certainly no better than anyone else.

I had of course watched other US films, etc., on slavery and had a good understanding of the institutionalised racism that existed back then, but it was still very nasty indeed watching it in the WWII USAAF. I can see why these days these airmen are so reverred for their courage because they had to overcome so many more challenges than the average white US pilot, and that is before they even left their own country. And their fine record in combat and their bravery was superb.

I will watch Lucas's film one day when it comes on DVD but I don't expect it to be better than the HBO version.

[cooper9411]

no not the 50's musical, I was corrected, it is called The Pacific.

Last edited by cooper9411 on Fri Jan 06, 2012 10:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Jarink1]

"South Pacific"? That really gay 1950's musical?

How can you listen to songs like these and call that movie "gay"?
"Bali Hai"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81NROmUb7o0
"There is nothin' like a dame"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgzvTHsOxSQ&feature=related
"I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUtSrN_W5I8&feature=related

[Steve T]

I agree with the generally positive opinion here of HBO's Tuskegee film...most of the issues there are minor, often to do with the telescoping of events and composite characters. Mr Lucas' version looks to be far more flamboyant; HBO's will remain the nearest to a docudrama version of the story...

My chief objection to HBO's version is the "free pass" they've given us Canucks in regard to how welcoming the RCAF of the day was to black fighter pilots; in reality the racism was here too, even if less overt, and surely if Canada had been that accommodating there would have been a veritable flood of "Lt. Glenns"...which there wasn't, of course.

The straight-to-Mustangs progress of the unit in the film (and the more-or-less complete absence of reference to the not-quite-parallel stories of the "freelance" 99th FS and the 332nd FG) is another quibble, but really does the basic story no harm...just disappoints the many P-40 (and P-39 and P-47) fans watching the movie...

And the erroneous statement about the 332nd never losing a bomber to enemy fighters--actually it goes further, referring to "enemy action"--appears ahead of the closing credits. An honest mistake at the time, probably; and it sure does look splendid in print at the conclusion of what really is a stirring story.

All that said, I'm very much looking forward to seeing Lucasfilm's version.

S.

Last edited by Steve T on Sat Jan 07, 2012 6:20 pm, edited 2 times in total.

[mustangdriver]

It's funny you mention South Pacific with regards to The Pacific. Robert Lecki (spelling) is one of the central characters in the series The Pacific. His book "A Helmet For My Pillow" was used for a lot of the storyline. He wrote the book after seeing the musical "South Pacific" and saying what garbage it was.