This is one of the better historical films made about the war in the Pacific. and the 'thirties and 'forties aviation navy.
I was in naval aviation near the time this was written about, and know the aircraft depicted. The depictions are accurate; one of the rare movies not to throw in the wrong airplane in a battle scene. Like many other similar films about that period (Midway, Pearl Harbor, Tora, Tora, Tora, etc.) using U.S. Navy film footage from the color documentary, filmed aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise, The Fightin Lady, the footage shown was appropriate for the type of aircraft shown, including my favorite naval fighter of all time, the F6F "Hellcat" Grumman fighter which is credited with shooting down nearly eighty percent of all Japanese aircraft shot down in combat in the Pacific in whole war, closely followed by its little brother the F4F "Wildcat," which was declared obsolescent at the war's beginning--and outclassed by the A6M2 Mitsubishi "Zero."
Although many other airplanes are more famous. I will never forget the bellow of those Pratt & Whitney 2,800 cubic inch double row radials belching fire as they strained at their brakes and chocks at full throttle, waiting for the salute signalling take-off.
Or the sight of the SBD Douglas "Dauntless" dive-bombers dipping from sight below the bow and then struggling back up with their bomb loads as they left the deck. Great aircraft, and far more graceful than the SB2C Curtis "Helldiver" which replaced them (no relation to the biplane "Helldiver" depicted flying off the Langley in the early part of the film)
This is a good story, following a fictional aviator's career (Jonathan Scott), from the early days aboard the CV-1 (Langley) fighting for recognition of the role aviation was to play against the old battle ship admirals who almost scuttled our aviation program, with the assistance of a no-nothing Congress, through the war from its beginning to end. (The carrier depicted at the end of the movie was the U.S.S. Franklin, CV-13, an Essex class carrier. She was badly mauled at Okinawa and lucky to survive the Kamikazes. Now a museum ship in New York City.)
This is a fictional story about a real navy, and historically quite accurate, although not as much so as Midway in the names used and the actual battle. It is much closer, however, in many details. It does not show, as do most of such films, for example, the venerated SBD Douglas "Dauntless" dive bombers mis-cast as Japanese dive bombers attacking Pearl Harbor. Each time I see that footage, it makes me cringe. These guys have researchers and advisors. Why don't they use them?
Much of the film is black and white, but it ends in technicolor, as the flashback of Scott's career ends. Cooper is good in his part as he progresses from a junior officer through captain and of course the veteran actor Walter Brennan plays his part as the admiral flawlessly.
Joseph (Joe) Pierre, USN (Ret)
author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books
