Thunder Birds
Actor(s):
Gene Tierney, Preston Foster, John Sutton, Jack Holt, Dame May Whitty
Director(s):
William A. Wellman
Label: 20th Century Fox
Publisher(s):
20th Century Fox
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
Binding: DVD
Brand: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT
MPN: 2234465
Format(s): Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Rating: Unrated
List Price: $14.98
Our Price: $13.49
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Similar Items:
Black Widow (Fox Film Noir)
Shanghai Gesture
Sundown
Dangerous Crossing (Fox Film Noir)
Leave Her to Heaven
Where the Sidewalk Ends (Fox Film Noir)
On the Riviera
Whirlpool (Fox Film Noir)
The Return of Frank James
The Razor's Edge
Editorial Reviews
Description
Preston Foster gives a ?striking performance,? John Sutton ?is excellent? and Gene Tierney ?is outstanding? (The Hollywood Reporter) in this thrilling, topnotch drama directed by Oscar® winner* William A. Wellman. Highlighted by exceptional aerial sequences and suspenseful, heartfelt romance, Thunder Birds remains ?the first story of its kind the world has ever known!? (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Peter Stackhouse (Sutton) wants to overcome his fear of flying in order to earn his wings and fight for his country. He becomes fast friends with Steve Britt (Foster), a patient and understanding instructor who sees the fighting heart in Peter and vows to give him every chance. But when both men fall for the same girl (Tierney), their camaraderie is put to the highest test?even as they fight side-by-side for their beliefs!
Amazon.com
While it certainly shows its age, Thunder Birds is still a perfectly entertaining example of the pre-war programmers that Hollywood churned out at the height of World War II. From a story conceived by Fox studio chief Darryl F. Zanuck (under the pen name "Melville Crossman"), this Technicolor tribute to bomber and fighter-pilot training was a perfect project for director William A. Wellman, an adventurous "man's man" who specialized in aviation films (including his 1927 Oscar®-winner Wings) and took this assignment so Zanuck would agree to finance Wellman's 1943 classic, The Ox-Bow Incident. The movie opens with patriotic commentary by celebrated journalist and author John Gunther (Death Be Not Proud), singing praises for the American, Chinese, and British allied forces who diligently train for battle under the sunny skies of Thunderbird Field, Arizona, where "their job is to fight, and they play the game to win." The standard-issue romance is strictly routine, but it gives radiant star Gene Tierney a chance to shine as she juggles the affections of a seasoned pilot trainer (Preston Foster) and a British trainee (John Sutton) who must conquer his fear of heights before earning his wings. Aviation buffs will love the dazzling Technicolor footage of vintage planes in action, and for all its cornball sincerity, Thunder Birds is worth seeing as a typical example of the kind of sturdy, well-made entertainment that wartime audiences flocked to in support of troops at home and abroad. As an added bonus, this Fox DVD includes brief clips of newsreel footage, showing Tierney christening a B-25 bomber with the name "Thunder Bird" and signing her name in cement at Graumann's Chinese Theater in Hollywood, promoting her film and a war that Americans were determined to win.--Jeff Shannon
Customer Reviews
The PT-17 Stearman
If you were a cadet in the Army Air Forces in WW II, you will enjoy this film. The story is flimsy but the shots of dozens of Stearmen lined up on the tarmak and the shots of them stunt flying will make up for the story line.
This was the movie that in 1942 made me sign up as an Army Air Force cadet.
Awesome
First movie I've seen of Gene and Wow she was gorgeous! I'm also a classic airplane lover, and military wife, so this movie was interesting in every way. I would definately recommend it!
WORLD WAR II FIGHTER PILOT ACE MAJOR RICHARD BONG
WORLD WAR II'S FIGHTER PILOT ACE MAJOR RICHARD BONG IS SEEN IN ONE OF FILMS FLYING SCENES. A FORMATION OF AT6'S.HE GOES ON TO THE PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS AND GETS CREDIT FOR NEARLY 50 JAP PLANES SHOT DOWN. BECOMING THE NUMBER 1 ACE OF WWII.
Flying Under the Radar
This World War II programmer is distinguished by two lovely elements: its leading lady, Gene Tierney; and some spectacular Technicolor photography. Certainly Tierney and Technicolor were made for each other, and "Thunder Birds" offers the actress' fans a singular opportunity to see what she would have looked like in the classic mystery "Laura" had it been filmed in color. For although Tierney was frequently photographed in Technicolor during the early 1940's ("The Return of Frank James", "Belle Starr", "Heaven Can Wait"), her role in "Thunder Birds" was the first - and only - Technicolor film to feature her in a contemporary setting while wearing her hair in the same style and length as "Laura". (Tierney had changed her hair length and makeup style by 1945 and the classic "Leave Her to Heaven".)
So, you may be asking, is there nothing else to recommend this movie beyond Ms. Tierney and the candybox Technicolor photography? Well, not really. The script, based on a story by "Melville Crossman" (a penname for 20th Century-Fox studio chief Darryl F. Zanuck) is a fairly cliched affair in which a flying instructor (Preston Foster) and one of his students (John Sutton) compete for the affections of a local beauty (Tierney) while training at Thunderbird Air Field in Arizona. And William A. Wellman's direction is fairly lackluster - this is one of the two films he was forced to make at Fox in order to get one of his pet projects - "The Ox-Bow Incident" - financed by Zanuck. The film's cast does include a very young Peter Lawford, but his part is actually little more than an "extra" role.
Despite its relative unimportance in the annals of Hollywood history, "Thunder Birds" nonetheless sports excellent production values, and at 78 minutes long, it's a fast and pleasant diversion. Recommended for fans of the spectacularly beautiful Ms. Tierney; Technicolor enthusiasts; and devotees of aerial films. Others may find it decidedly uninvolving.
PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT SOME OF THE CONTENT THAT WE MAKE AVAILABLE TO YOU THROUGH THIS APPLICATION COMES FROM AMAZON WEB SERVICES. ALL SUCH CONTENT IS PROVIDED TO YOU "AS IS." THIS CONTENT AND YOUR USE OF IT ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AND/OR REMOVAL AT ANY TIME.
Powered by PNAmazon © 2003-2007 ttgapers.com
