# George Lucas planning to make a WWII film "Red Tails"



## Soundbreaker Welch? (Jul 19, 2008)

Based on the Tuskegee Airmen. 

Don't know how that will turn out. 



Just to clear up, George Lucas is not directing his first non-Star Wars movie in 35 years. I repeat, George Lucas is not returning to the director's chair. Once again ... never mind, I think you've got it.

Two days ago there was an AP story about Lucasfilm's Tuskegee Airmen film, Red Tails -- perhaps you caught my post -- but it didn't note what Lucas' involvement would be. As I wrote, the article seemed to assume that he was directing the project. A number of sites around the web also treated the news (more like an update) as if it claimed that Lucas was indeed helming the WWII-set picture. Others speculated that he was taking the reigns. Well, he's not. He's merely serving as executive producer. There is no director signed on yet.

The clarification comes via David Cohen, posting on Anne Thompson's blog. He relates the following facts received from Lucasfilm: the only people on board so far are Lucas, producers Rick McCallum and Charles Floyd Johnson and screenwriter John Ridley. There is no distributor, no financing yet. And while Lucas is not going to direct the project, neither is Steven Spielberg, who apparently is not interested.

While I'm sure that some people are disappointed by this update, I've seen enough comments around this week to believe that most will be relieved Lucas isn't directing. But now the real question is: will he ever direct again?




Haven't had much P-51 stuff in movies since "Empire of the Sun," and even that was just one scene. 

Oh yeah, and "Dogfights."


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## comiso90 (Jul 19, 2008)

Perhaps Lucas willl use this as an opportunity to atone for all his previous tripe.
Nahhh... it will be utter mainstream crap geared towards selling Christmas toys!


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## Soundbreaker Welch? (Jul 19, 2008)

I wonder if he's hoping it will do better if Barack Obama becomes President.


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## comiso90 (Jul 19, 2008)

Lucas is a marketeer bent on making money. I think your comment has merit.

.


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## Soundbreaker Welch? (Jul 19, 2008)

thanks.

Nice to know someone else is on here too. it's gettig pretty late where I'm at.


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## lesofprimus (Jul 19, 2008)

Silly walkin Bastard, I like the siggy Cosimo.....

There are soooo many other topics worth making a movie about concerning the air-war during WW2.... Why a bunch of over-hyped black guys flying Mustangs is more interesting than say the Cactus Air force or the Black sheep or the disasters at Schweinfurt (sp) or Cassel is lost on me....

There already has been a movie about the Tuskeegee Project, and in it they propagated the myth even more so about not losing a single bomber while escorting....


Pure horseshit...


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Jul 19, 2008)

More than likely this will be the same story that everyone knows. In this politically correct world, he will not be able to tell the thruth with Rev. Jackson or the NAACP sueing his ass.


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## Velius (Jul 19, 2008)

lesofprimus said:


> There are soooo many other topics worth making a movie about concerning the air-war during WW2.... Why a bunch of over-hyped black guys flying Mustangs is more interesting than say the Cactus Air force or the Black sheep or the disasters at Schweinfurt (sp) or Cassel is lost on me....
> 
> There already has been a movie about the Tuskeegee Project



I don't got anything against George Lucas but I agree with you on this one. I think remakes can only go so far. Directors should use their talents to make new movies of other events in WWII that were just as, if not more, significant. 

Even so, you can only hope that they direct/film the movie while still giving the event it's justice. For a lack of better words let me sum it up this way- we don't need another "Pearl Harbor".


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## Flyboy2 (Jul 19, 2008)

Exactly. I was just watching Pearl Harbor (using the skip button liberally) and i was thinking that we just need a good film about aerial combat in World War II. With all the CGI and special affects you could make a great movie. I think it would be good if it was similar to a Band of Brothers feel.


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## comiso90 (Jul 19, 2008)

lesofprimus said:


> Silly walkin Bastard, I like the siggy Cosimo.....
> 
> There are soooo many other topics worth making a movie about concerning the air-war during WW2.... Why a bunch of over-hyped black guys flying Mustangs is more interesting than say the Cactus Air force or the Black sheep or the disasters at Schweinfurt (sp) or Cassel is lost on me....
> 
> ...



Thanks Les... They dont make comedy ike that anymore!

If they want to make a movie about the contribution of African Americans, why not The Red Ball Express? The advance on the western front woulda been much more slow without the supply lines staffed mainly by blacks.

It may not be as sexy of a topic but they did more to win the war then the Red Tails.

.


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## drgondog (Jul 19, 2008)

comiso90 said:


> Thanks Les... They dont make comedy ike that anymore!
> 
> If they want to make a movie about the contribution of African Americans, why not The Red Ball Express? The advance on the western front woulda been much more slow without the supply lines staffed mainly by blacks.
> 
> ...



Comiso - I totally agree about Red Ball Express, an important untold story.

Red Tail smells of politics but I suppose it won't be out with Obama starring before November


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## Erich (Jul 19, 2008)

it should be lame and probably some self glorification, sure the 332nd is not well known but so is the 8th AF 356th fg which their story should be definately told, or how about Bill's Dads outfit the 355th fg ...........geez there is so much with all the new tech from the best to now.......

forget the silly politics and this is exactly what it is about


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## lesofprimus (Jul 19, 2008)

The 355th, while exciting, would be kinda depressing with all the guys goin in with their Mustangs on those damn airfield strafing missions... They's also have to skip over all those bad weather socked in days.... 

I would like to see a mainstream big budget movie about the battle to reach 300 kills... And all the guys who died trying to reach the most improbable of victories....

Some big name actor has to play Hartmann and Barkhorn...

Who could pull it off???


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## Njaco (Jul 19, 2008)

Red Ball Express ws made with Sydney Poitier. Not a bad movie.

Red Ball Express (1952)

There are sooooo many other stories they could make into movies. How about the Finnish flyers. Or the attack on Bari (the Pearrl Harbor of the Med). So many others.


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## Erich (Jul 19, 2008)

the prob Dan would be it would be centered around a "bad guy" and that isn't going to sell in this world now or ever, no monies made, doing an aerial battle might be another thing just like November 26th or 27th 1944 or.....Schweinfurt like you mentioned ~ Kassel castastrophe or .........

how about the graphics for chasing Me 262's after it goes through a B-17 box and then chased by Mustangs over it's AF ? many scenarios could be filled, just think getting back to the 332nd fg we are going to see the B.S. myth about this unit never losing a heavy bomber under it's protective care which is pure nonsense


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## CharlesBronson (Jul 19, 2008)

> I would like to see a mainstream big budget movie about the battle to reach 300 kills... And all the guys who died trying to reach the most improbable of victories....
> 
> Some big name actor has to play Hartmann and Barkhorn...
> 
> Who could pull it off???



Agreed, that would be something. The actors should be german definately even speaking english I think they probably get closer to the historic character.


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## drgondog (Jul 19, 2008)

Erich said:


> it should be lame and probably some self glorification, sure the 332nd is not well known but so is the 8th AF 356th fg which their story should be definately told, or how about Bill's Dads outfit the 355th fg ...........geez there is so much with all the new tech from the best to now.......
> 
> forget the silly politics and this is exactly what it is about



The primary reason the 355th is important is the collective 'whole' of 66 years (very long for uSAF) of excellence from WWII through VietNam and today. The 355th was ony 5th of 15 for air scores in the 8th, but number 1 on ground scores ant number 3 in losses attacking German airfields.

But in Viet Nam - two Medal of Honors ot the total of 12 awarded in the AF, six AFC's contraste with 7 DFC's awarded to 355th in WWII. 202,000 *tons* of bombs dropped in Vietnam by F-105s (1/3 of B-17 total, all in, every combat org, in in WWII) in only18 months of combat over the highest threat environment ever encountered by USAF, and 20 Migs air- 9 ground, number two only be behind Robin Olds' Wolfpack - and as Billy Sparks - Wild Weasel Commander said, " we were the bait".

Tip your hat to all of them, every single, swing di#k that strapped on a chute and took off to meet whatever fate awaited them be thay Chinese, N.Korean, Japanese, Brit, Aussie, Canadian, German, Russian, Pole - whatever. They had balls, and the ones that were terrified had bigger balls.

The 332nd is 'interesting' by comparison to about 25-50 USN/USMC Air Wings and USAAF Fighter Groups and even single squadrons with higher totals in WWII. We haven;t even mentioned such 'pitiful' combat orgs like the RAF and LW and VVS and IJN fielded.

I respect the 332nd for their service but puleeeeeze put it in historical perspective. It has taken on the persona of 'Hancock" playing at your local theatre today.

I think I will gather my Wolfies, grab a beer and 'sing' with them.


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## drgondog (Jul 19, 2008)

CharlesBronson said:


> Agreed, that would be something. The actors should be german definately even speaking english I think they probably get closer to the historic character.



Who in the hell would you cast as Hartmann, Rall, Bader, Johnson, (Case), Boyington, Yeager, Bolt, Rudel, Gabreski or Preddy (or Sakai, etc). IMHO there isn't a character or actor today who has the remotest concepts of what it takes to be a fighter pilot.. Back in 'the day' guys like McQueen, Bronson, Connery, Lee Marvin, Robert Mitchum, maybe Tommy Lee Jones or a young Gene Hackman, might have pulled it off if they had the skills at the age of 20-22 - but who today? Clooney, Pitt? Pulleeeeze, Angelina would be better. Clive Owen maybe, Denzel Washington, maybe..but Lucy lawless (Xena) would be more credible than the last generation of young actors

Nobody asked my opinion - I'll go get the 12 wolfies and grab a beer


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## Soundbreaker Welch? (Jul 20, 2008)

Orlando Bloom did blackhawk down as a helicopter pilot, but I don't think he would bring a lot of character to a role as a WWII fighter pilot. 




> Red Tail smells of politics but I suppose it won't be out with Obama starring before November



Oh I'm am so glad, that he can't star in it.........yet. 

It would be just like him if he became President to star himself in a risky exciting role as a "top gun" pilot, even Hitler and Stalin didn't do that. 

The media would praise him to the skies for being so versatile. 


But at least he wouldn't be the first. Ronald Reagan was the first. But I'm glad Reagan did it _before_ he became President.


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## CharlesBronson (Jul 20, 2008)

> Who in the hell would you cast as Hartmann, Rall, Bader, Johnson, (Case), Boyington, Yeager, Bolt, Rudel, Gabreski or Preddy (or Sakai, etc). IMHO there isn't a character or actor today who has the remotest concepts of what it takes to be a fighter pilot..



Nodody said it going to be easy


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## Njaco (Jul 20, 2008)

Bloom played a Ranger grunt who was injured in the first few minutes of the operation - fell out of the copter.

How about Mark Wahlberg?


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## Lucky13 (Jul 20, 2008)

I can bet a whole weeks worth of pay, that it'll just be another f*cking Pearl Harbor disaster.... A bl**dy film about fr*cking lovey dovey-little Miss too goody two shoes-falling in love with clean cut fighter pilot-hugs and kissing-boo-f*cking-bl**dy-hoo-has to leave to fight the baaad and scary Germans-wave white handkerchief-dry tear from the wrong color fr*cking glass eye-piece of cr*p flick! You sneeze and by God should you sneeze TWICE, two minutes or less between, you miss all the dogfight action etc....


What the h*ll! What was that....!? D*mn.....I missed it! I want my money back!


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## parsifal (Jul 20, 2008)

Compare "Tora Tora tora" with "pearl harbour". Pretty much tells you wherere Hollywood is heading with all of this. 

I would like to see a true to life docu-drama on the flying tigers. Far enough away from the US for some hope of semi-truth to be told, whilst close enough to give some hope of a reasonable financial return


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## drgondog (Jul 20, 2008)

Lucky13 said:


> I can bet a whole weeks worth of pay, that it'll just be another f*cking Pearl Harbor disaster.... A bl**dy film about fr*cking lovey dovey-little Miss too goody two shoes-falling in love with clean cut fighter pilot-hugs and kissing-boo-f*cking-bl**dy-hoo-has to leave to fight the baaad and scary Germans-wave white handkerchief-dry tear from the wrong color fr*cking glass eye-piece of cr*p flick! You sneeze and by God should you sneeze TWICE, two minutes or less between, you miss all the dogfight action etc....
> 
> 
> What the h*ll! What was that....!? D*mn.....I missed it! I want my money back!



LOL - what do you REALLY think? and how many short, cute or steely eyed, Spike Lee's or Prince's or Michael Jackson's can we recruit for this gig...

actually there are some young black actors to pull this off and it's not like Lucas has always pulled marquee names for his films.

An remember the story line isn't so much about those dreaded Huns, but more about dreaded Jim Crow and the "baaad KKK in the USAAF"


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## drgondog (Jul 20, 2008)

Njaco said:


> Bloom played a Ranger grunt who was injured in the first few minutes of the operation - fell out of the copter.
> 
> How about Mark Wahlberg?



How 'bout make up Njaco? maybe they could film it in 'print negative'?

I would cast Prince and Spike Lee - all kidding aside bloom and wahlberg could play the dreaded Hun, Denzell Washington could easily do Benjamin O Davis.. they could cast it well.


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## Lucky13 (Jul 20, 2008)

drgondog said:


> LOL - what do you REALLY think? and how many short, cute or steely eyed, Spike Lee's or Prince's or Michael Jackson's can we recruit for this gig...
> 
> actually there are some young black actors to pull this off and it's not like Lucas has always pulled marquee names for his films.
> 
> An remember the story line isn't so much about those dreaded Huns, but more about dreaded Jim Crow and the "baaad KKK in the USAAF"


Don't know about Jackson or Prince, they would probably break out doing moonwalks and other weird dances on the steelplates besides their P-51's, while the groundcrew look like *what the f...!*


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## Trebor (Jul 21, 2008)

I, for one am pretty dang excited to see this movie. I've been wondering if there would be a movie about the Tuskegee airmen anytime soon. x)


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## Marshall_Stack (Jul 21, 2008)

There was already a HBO movie about the Tuskegee Airman (which I thought was really good) and I don't have a problem with another movie coming out. 

There is a book out about African-Americans serving in a tank unit in the ETO. That would make for a more interesting movie (unless they have something like M-1 Abrams as the German tanks and M-60s for the Americans)

Spike Lee is also supposedly coming out with a movie about African-American marines.


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## comiso90 (Jul 21, 2008)

Njaco said:


> Red Ball Express ws made with Sydney Poitier. Not a bad movie.
> 
> Red Ball Express (1952)
> 
> There are sooooo many other stories they could make into movies. How about the Finnish flyers. Or the attack on Bari (the Pearrl Harbor of the Med). So many others.



I'll check that out..

Finnish Flyers yes... defense of Malta.. Japanese invasion of Alaska.. Cockleshell heros... too many to mention


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## Erich (Jul 21, 2008)

the LW attack on Bari would be quite interesting covering the ploys of the Allies using poisonous gas that was stored deep within several ships hit..........

an interesting somewhat stealth scenario, wonder if it would be protrayed as a fantasy piece


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## Velius (Jul 21, 2008)

Trebor said:


> I, for one am pretty dang excited to see this movie. I've been wondering if there would be a movie about the Tuskegee airmen anytime soon. x)





Marshall_Stack said:


> There was already a HBO movie about the Tuskegee Airman (which I thought was really good) and I don't have a problem with another movie coming out.



I'm not sure how many movies there on the the Tuskegee group, but the one I'm thinking of is the one that has Laurence Fishburne as Hannibal Lee.


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## Erich (Jul 21, 2008)

just got assailed in todays post from this site :

not sure if it is legit or what ? The Red Tail Project

funny the enclosed letter was suppose to be from former member Harold Brown states that the 332nd fg is almost completely unknown in the media and literature...........NOT !


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## Matt308 (Jul 21, 2008)

I vote the the B-24 raids on Ploesti. Now that would be impressive. Drama, sadness, triumph... and the scale. Oh man...


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## ToughOmbre (Jul 21, 2008)

Matt308 said:


> I vote the the B-24 raids on Ploesti. Now that would be impressive. Drama, sadness, triumph... and the scale. Oh man...



Now you're talkin'!

And five Medals of Honor awarded.

TO


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## Marshall_Stack (Jul 21, 2008)

Got my vote!


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## Marshall_Stack (Jul 21, 2008)

Speaking of tragedy, how about Torpedo Squadron 8 at Midway??


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## Marshall_Stack (Jul 21, 2008)

Or the Marines flying the Buffaloes?


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## comiso90 (Jul 21, 2008)

good account of The Raid on Bari:

World War II: German Raid on Bari » HistoryNet - From the World's Largest History Magazine Publisher

.


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## Erich (Jul 21, 2008)

thanks Comiso and here is another rather lengthy thesis in more detail, still trying to find out the Ju 88 KG that did the damage, one report says only 20 Ju 88A-4's did the carnage ........

Curt Maynard's Blog: Bari Revisited


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## drgondog (Jul 21, 2008)

Matt308 said:


> I vote the the B-24 raids on Ploesti. Now that would be impressive. Drama, sadness, triumph... and the scale. Oh man...



Matt - Could not possibly have a better choice of an epic and important illustration of perhaps the greates life and death drama of USAAF heavy bombers on one of the most important missions of the war - 

Leon Johnson taking the 44th in with delayed action fuses going off from the 93rd just minutes earlier, gunners dueling with flak batteries and a flak train running parallel, coming home with wheat and corn stalk chaff in the bomb bays and only one more guy from the lead squadron .. 5 MoH..

Who could possibly capture that on film?

somebody tell me again about the 332nd?


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## FLYBOYJ (Jul 21, 2008)

drgondog said:


> Matt - Could not possibly have a better choice of an epic and important illustration of perhaps the greates life and death drama of USAAF heavy bombers on one of the most important missions of the war -
> 
> Leon Johnson taking the 44th in with delayed action fuses going off from the 93rd just minutes earlier, gunners dueling with flak batteries and a flak train running parallel, coming home with wheat and corn stalk chaff in the bomb bays and only one more guy from the lead squadron .. 5 MoH..
> 
> ...


I heard a rumor back in the 70s that some producers were looking to do a movie about Ploesti in the same scale as Tora, Tora, Tora and Midway, but the USAF didn't want to cooperate because it was going to make them look bad - plus the lack of B-24s didn't help.


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## Matt308 (Jul 21, 2008)

Erich said:


> thanks Comiso and here is another rather lengthy thesis in more detail, still trying to find out the Ju 88 KG that did the damage, one report says only 20 Ju 88A-4's did the carnage ........
> 
> Curt Maynard's Blog: Bari Revisited



Erich, I have no doubt that most all countries entertained the use of weapons whose use would result in horrific repercussions.
And when we are talking about the survival of not only of nations, but of good versus evil, I can imagine some truly unbelievable plans were put forth to the leadership of all sides. Survival is one of those primeival/reptile cortex responses that on one hand is humanly terrifying and on the other is utterly beautiful in its Darwinistic simplicity.


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## drgondog (Jul 21, 2008)

FLYBOYJ said:


> I heard a rumor back in the 70s that some producers were looking to do a movie about Ploesti in the same scale as Tora, Tora, Tora and Midway, but the USAF didn't want to cooperate because it was going to make them look bad - plus the lack of B-24s didn't help.



Yeah - hard to replicate one flyable B-24D x 153 times


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## kool kitty89 (Jul 22, 2008)

They could do it now though.


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## Flyboy2 (Jul 22, 2008)

Oh yeah, with computer graphics and stuff. Look at Star Wars, none of those space ships were really flying  That would be a great movie


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## Jerry W. Loper (Jul 22, 2008)

Back in the mid-1970's I read a paperback book by Martin Caidin titled _The Last Dogfight_; the book had the infamous blurb on the cover that said "Soon to be a major motion picture." Which of course, eventually it wasn't. Too bad, it would've been an interesting movie, although not historically accurate. (Major fighter types used in the book were Curtiss P-40, Lockheed P-38, and Mitsubishi Zero.)


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## Erich (Jul 22, 2008)

Matt my response with link posted was just to give another overview, funny how everyone gets a bunched up panties once in awhile during the war, what if and if you do we will retaliate with something even more evil. In a movie form if there would be any truth and not a fantasy the attack on Bari would be something, doubt it will ever happen as it was a total govt, cover-up during the war and still is. the 1-3 books on the subject are sadly lacking


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## Hollywood (Jul 22, 2008)

They would have to say "they never lost a truck"..........


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## comiso90 (Jul 22, 2008)

Erich said:


> thanks Comiso and here is another rather lengthy thesis in more detail, still trying to find out the Ju 88 KG that did the damage, one report says only 20 Ju 88A-4's did the carnage ........
> 
> Curt Maynard's Blog: Bari Revisited



Nice find...
Man.. what a mess! A nightmare.

.


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## Matt308 (Jul 22, 2008)

Erich said:


> Matt my response with link posted was just to give another overview, funny how everyone gets a bunched up panties once in awhile during the war, what if and if you do we will retaliate with something even more evil. In a movie form if there would be any truth and not a fantasy the attack on Bari would be something, doubt it will ever happen as it was a total govt, cover-up during the war and still is. the 1-3 books on the subject are sadly lacking



I hear ya Erich. My only point is that it is amazing how civil societies can sink in depravity so quickly during the hell of war.


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## Njaco (Jul 22, 2008)

Erich, I have the Germans losing two Ju 88s on Bari -

Uffz. Karl-Heinz Hellwig's Ju 88A-4 of 3./KG 30
Fw. Walter Klein's Ju 88A-4 of 1./KG 54

I've lost the refrences, will try to find where I got them.


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## Erich (Jul 22, 2008)

yes Matt so true.............how could we stoop that low, but we did as well as everyone else.

Njaco thanks and yes please see what you can find, as there is about nothing on the units and most likely as you pointed out with the 2 losses from two different units. One was based in Italy somewhere the other having a longer flight over the Adriatic based out of Yugoslavia.

E


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## Matt308 (Jul 22, 2008)

The thesis noted two losses too. But there was no unit designations.


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## Soundbreaker Welch? (Jul 22, 2008)

not to sound racist or anything, but I was hoping if they made a P-51 movie it would be about the Blue Nosed Bastards of Bodney. 

That squadron had a lot of good adventures, even if they weren't as famous as the Red Tails.


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## Erich (Jul 23, 2008)

Roger that Matt, and yes would like to see a flick on the Blue Nosers..........

for Bari it was 6 gruppen at varied strength all with the Ju 88A-4. I./II. gruppen of KG 30, I./II. gruppen of KG 54, I./II. Gruppen of KG 76


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## Njaco (Jul 23, 2008)

Found the source....

Pages 289-299


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## Flyboy2 (Jul 23, 2008)

Good call Soundbreaker. That would be a pretty intense movie.


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## Erich (Jul 23, 2008)

Njaco:

yes that is it. Nick B. replied to me and sent me over to his ghostbombers web-site. now to find the bombers in fotos but maybe we can start another thread on Bari instead of clogging up this one on the red-tails


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## Njaco (Jul 23, 2008)

sounds good. He has a fantastic site!


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## blkstne (Oct 10, 2008)

_


lesofprimus said:



Silly walkin Bastard, I like the siggy Cosimo.....

There are soooo many other topics worth making a movie about concerning the air-war during WW2.... Why a bunch of over-hyped black guys flying Mustangs is more interesting than say the Cactus Air force or the Black sheep or the disasters at Schweinfurt (sp) or Cassel is lost on me....

There already has been a movie about the Tuskeegee Project, and in it they propagated the myth even more so about not losing a single bomber while escorting....


Pure horseshit...

Click to expand...

_
Just joined your forum today and I'm already disapointed by disrespectful comment I see. I joined forum because of my love of warbirds and love to research and talk about all things aircraft. I build and fly 1/6 scale warplanes as a hobby. My grandfather started my love of aircraft with his stories about working on p-47, p-51, p-39 and p-40's. He was a aircraftmechanic with the Tuskegee airmen. My grandfathers stories inspired my father to serve in the Airforce and me to serve in the Navy. Because of my grandfather I have researched everything about the airmen. *LET me explain the so called never losing a bomber myth*. A newspaper article(Chicago Tribune I believe) was written state side during the war about the Black flyers who had flew about 200 missions without losing a bomber due to hostile aircraft. *AT the time the article was written the information was true. After the article was published 25 bombers were lost by the end of the war.*
_It is sad to see 60+ years later I am still seeing some of the hostility/bigotry my grandfather talked about. _

The first Tuskegee airmen movie (good movie)was a low budget HBO movie made in 1995. It was made long before that military historian researched and found out about the lost 25 bombers.

I myself would love to see a real movie with real facts done about The Tuskegee airmen. I grew up all my life watching the hundreds of ww2 movies rarely seeing any black units from that time frame.


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## blkstne (Oct 10, 2008)

_


lesofprimus said:



Silly walkin Bastard, I like the siggy Cosimo.....

There are soooo many other topics worth making a movie about concerning the air-war during WW2.... Why a bunch of over-hyped black guys flying Mustangs is more interesting than say the Cactus Air force or the Black sheep or the disasters at Schweinfurt (sp) or Cassel is lost on me....

There already has been a movie about the Tuskeegee Project, and in it they propagated the myth even more so about not losing a single bomber while escorting....


Pure horseshit...

Click to expand...

_


I also wouldn't mind seeing a movie done about the 761st.
761st Tank Battalion


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## muggs (Jul 29, 2011)

Trailer is out, looks great imo ! The cast's not bad either

Red Tails trailers and video clips on Yahoo! Movies


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## Airframes (Jul 29, 2011)

Could be good, but not keen on some of the CGI work.


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## Trebor (Jul 29, 2011)

I am even more excited to see this film after seeing the trailer. absolutely amazing special effects, the CGI models of the planes are amazing. I'm especially excited to see the German Jets included


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## Messy1 (Jul 29, 2011)

Looks very good. I guess the CGI is a tradeoff, maybe there is not a way for the movie to be made as realistic as possible with the large amount of planes involved without cgi. Done right, most people will never know the difference. I hope it is done like Saving Private Ryan, as realistic as possible, not in the way of Windtalkers. With Lucas involved, I am fairly excited to see it!


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## rochie (Jul 29, 2011)

i think it looks great


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## evangilder (Jul 29, 2011)

Interesting that Cuba Gooding Jr was also in the Tuskegee Airmen. I'll go see it.


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## renrich (Jul 29, 2011)

No way I will go see it. I get enough propaganda just trying to watch the news on TV. The media in this country which includes Hollywood is so one sided, for the most part, I believe they are out greatest enemy.


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## pbfoot (Jul 29, 2011)

renrich said:


> No way I will go see it. I get enough propaganda just trying to watch the news on TV. The media in this country which includes Hollywood is so one sided, for the most part, I believe they are out greatest enemy.


Gotta agree with you on the propaganda some of it even makes Texas look good.. I'll be heading out to watch that flick


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## TheMustangRider (Jul 30, 2011)

Given the unfortunate fact that new WWII movies are rarer and rarer as time passes by, I'm looking forward to see this film and hope they will make it as accurate as possible.
Wish I was alive in the 60's and 70's when so many movies about the war were made and get to see them in the big screen.


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## GrauGeist (Jul 30, 2011)

I'll give the "Red Tails" a yawn and pass on it. They've already pumped up the Tuskagees enough and with the lack of coverage on other historical points in the war, I think that they could spend thier time and money on other historical events of that war.

Why not a movie about the 442nd "Nissei" in Europe for example? The possabilities are close to infinite, but it seems that Hollywood prefers to stay in a comfort zone these days...


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## Crimea_River (Jul 30, 2011)

I agree with Terry. The tendency seems toward making the skies too crowded and everything too close together. Not to mention the 25G turns.


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## Messy1 (Jul 30, 2011)

Spielberg and Lucas are good friends and collaborate on many movies. Maybe Spielberg will have something to do with this movie too? any ideas on credits yet?


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## Messy1 (Jul 30, 2011)

Never mind. answered my own question. Cast is pretty strong, several academy award winners, hopefully the movie will make use of them.


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## bobbysocks (Aug 1, 2011)

it was kind of interesting that the one guy who is playing a 332nd pilot in this flick played one in "hart's war". the one who was on trial. its not all CGI....your dog fights are but there are some good real "merlin moments". i posted this in the other thread about this....a vid taken in prague of filming...some good flybys...and washing the 332 makeup off of Old Crow.


_View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=athETK-ba5w_

its going to be a hollywood movie...make no bones about it. there will be a lot of dramatization and polishing up of legends and stories. i will watch it for the few good flying scenes and chuckle at the blunders but will probably wait for it to come to pay per view.


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## riacrato (Aug 2, 2011)

I watched one hollywood movie purely for the CGI WW2 flight action once (Pearl Harbor), I'm not going to make that same mistake again.


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## seesul (Aug 5, 2011)

Why are the Red Tails escorting 8th USAAF bombers *instead of 15th*???


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## Airframes (Aug 5, 2011)

THAT'S what looked wrong about the B17's !! Those red fins looked like the 91st or 391st BGs, both 8th USAAF.


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## seesul (Aug 6, 2011)

Right Terry, and look at the rudder of some Bfs...yellow horizontal stripe on it...


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## Ratsel (Aug 6, 2011)

*Really?*


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## Airframes (Aug 6, 2011)

Frankly, the whole thing looked like a mediocre computer game, interspersed with over-the-top 'Gung Ho' b*ll*cks !!
Reminded me of the comics we had as kids in the 1950s.


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## seesul (Aug 6, 2011)

Simply put...Star Wars...


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## GrauGeist (Aug 6, 2011)

heh...looks almost like screenshots from IL-2: Sturmovik


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## Ratsel (Aug 6, 2011)

GrauGeist said:


> heh...looks almost like screenshots from IL-2: Sturmovik









a little, but I think IL-2 has much more authentic looking aircraft  well, mostly.


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## seesul (Aug 6, 2011)

Ratsel said:


> a little, but I think IL-2 has much more authentic looking aircraft  well, mostly.


Right!


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## phas3e (Aug 6, 2011)

I'm pickier than most but I will still take time out to watch this, as they will never make a movie that aviation fans will be happy with.

I read an intersting point about Master and Commander, a Nopoleanic Navel movie which I really enjoyed, but as I have no knowledge of navel warfare of the time and the movie was probably full of little things they did wrong, but did I notice? no, did it truely matter? no, does it make it a bad movie? no. 
The same will go for the Movie goers who see red Tails, if it gives them the push they need to learn about the air war during WWII then all the better.

To the average person the only units invloved in WWII were the 101st Airborne and the SS


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## GrauGeist (Aug 7, 2011)

I think my 2 main "bitches" about this movie are the fact that this has been done before and as it's been noted, the allied aircraft and the German aircraft are not identified properly.

*IF* this were a movie based on fiction, then it could be dismissed like the movie "Flyboys" where the director had all the Fokker DR.1 aircraft painted red (so the audience could tell who the bad guys were...even though a Dreidecker was pretty obvious by it's profile) but this movie is supposed to be representing historical fact. 

They took the time to construct the appropiate wireframe in the CG program and to skin it, why not follow through with the correct markings and identification. It seems to me that if they can't portray the aircraft with accuracy, then what about the facts in the rest of the story?


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## bobbysocks (Aug 7, 2011)

hollywood is under the assumption that reality doesnt sell. truth is boring in their minds so they have to embelish the storyline and/or sex it up in some way. the right LW ac probably didnt look evil enough for them and of course no one is going to pay attention to those kinds of details anyways. the main story is the heroic fight of these men and who would want minor details like historical fact to detract from that.


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## seesul (Aug 7, 2011)

Unfortunately I guess you´re right...check this out Red Tails Movie Trailer link


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## Airframes (Aug 7, 2011)

It's a shame, as, having seen the 'stills' posted by Roman some time ago, taken on the airfield in the Czech Republic used as the main 'set', I thought the attention to detail (on the set) was rather good. I was therefore looking forward to seeing the finished movie, but now, I _might_ get it out when it's released on DVD - maybe.


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## Ratsel (Aug 7, 2011)

It wouldn't have cost anymore money to make the a/c historically correct. with all that documentation out there. Bf109 had to have been the most photographed a/c in WWII. B-17s too. I understand there selling the 'hollywood image' here, but just like bobby said nobody will notice, its equally true nobody would notice if its correct. well::: except for us, and a few others. come on LUCAS... get with the program already!!!


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## tyrodtom (Aug 7, 2011)

What are we complaining about ? I can't remember a great deal of accuracy in the older movies. I can remember Bf 108s standing in for Me 109s, Mustangs even for Me 109s, Texans for Zero's, About as good as it ever got was Texans rebuilt to resemble Zeros in Tora Tora Tora, Or the Spanish Merlin powered Hispano Ha1112's for 109's in the BOB.
As fewer warbird owners are willing to put their rare aircraft at the extra risk of a movie production, we're going to have to be satified with computer generated flight scenes. It's just seems when they can now can get things accurate if they really wanted to, but they have to jazz it up.


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## Crimea_River (Aug 7, 2011)

Simple, back then, you did the best with what you had. Now with CGI, there's no excuse to get it wrong.


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## Ratsel (Aug 7, 2011)

if Mr. Lucas ever decides to do a film of the battles in the Pacific, this period correct photo should come in handy for reference:


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## GrauGeist (Aug 8, 2011)

Ratsel said:


> if Mr. Lucas ever decides to do a film of the battles in the Pacific, this period correct photo should come in handy for reference:
> 
> View attachment 175157


Aww c'mon...you can clearly tell that photo has been manipulated!!

The squadron markings are censored...


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## seesul (Aug 8, 2011)

Ratsel said:


> if Mr. Lucas ever decides to do a film of the battles in the Pacific, this period correct photo should come in handy for reference:
> 
> View attachment 175157


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## seesul (Aug 8, 2011)

tyrodtom said:


> What are we complaining about ? I can't remember a great deal of accuracy in the older movies. I can remember Bf 108s standing in for Me 109s, Mustangs even for Me 109s, Texans for Zero's, About as good as it ever got was Texans rebuilt to resemble Zeros in Tora Tora Tora, Or the Spanish Merlin powered Hispano Ha1112's for 109's in the BOB.
> As fewer warbird owners are willing to put their rare aircraft at the extra risk of a movie production, we're going to have to be satified with computer generated flight scenes. It's just seems when they can now can get things accurate if they really wanted to, but they have to jazz it up.



Yes, you got the answer in your post. If, in the older movies, they were using different planes instead of the real planes, I can understand it. There were limits. But with today´s PC possibilities, is it really such a big problem to make the movie as real as possible? No. You only have to hire the right historian who´s able to tell you which is wrong and which is corect. It would be more helpful than to pay the people who don´t have any idea about the units, insignias and historical facts.
For me it´s a manifestation of ignorance to the 15th USAAF vets at least.


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## Messy1 (Aug 8, 2011)

Nicely done Ratsel~


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## rochie (Aug 8, 2011)

seesul said:


> Yes, you got the answer in your post. If, in the older movies, they were using different planes instead of the real planes, I can understand it. There were limits. But with today´s PC possibilities, is it really such a big problem to make the movie as real as possible? No. You only have to hire the right historian who´s able to tell you which is wrong and which is corect. It would be more helpful than to pay the people who don´t have any idea about the units, insignias and historical facts.
> For me it´s a manifestation of ignorance to the 15th USAAF vets at least.



very well said Roman


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## Airframes (Aug 8, 2011)

I agree. The props and art departments went to the trouble of re-painting Mustangs, building full-size replicas of Mustangs and P40s, and 'dressing' the airfield authentically, so why not take the time to do the relatively simple job of getting the air to air scenes right!?!


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## Milosh (Aug 8, 2011)

Will they show them shooting down some SAAF Dakotas?


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## parsifal (Aug 9, 2011)

Thats very funny Ratsel. I like it


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## pbfoot (Aug 9, 2011)

Milosh said:


> Will they show them shooting down some SAAF Dakotas?


I believe thats a fallacy


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## claidemore (Aug 10, 2011)

Hmmm, a little off topic, but I wonder why they went with wing mounted guns in the X-wing fighter rather than centerline?

and! are they cannon or heavy machine guns, or just generic laser variants?


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## tyrodtom (Aug 10, 2011)

I think those cannons or lasers automatically converge at the targets range.


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## Ratsel (Aug 10, 2011)

yep. 37mm cannons which converge at target with the use of Radar (dome shaped object top of fuse, behind cockpit).
accident was caused when the front skid failed to deploy, and the #1 rocket engine thrust vectoring failed.



GrauGeist said:


> The squadron markings are censored...


yes, ultra security was posed on this fighter. 'Imperial' japanese need not know the origin or it.


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