Fresh and Exciting

Best movie ever!

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

By now, everyone knows that this film is significant to anyone writing a dissertation on obscenity in popular culture because of the flipping of the bird. However, this is not the film's only claim to modernity. The collaboration of many skilled film makers at the beginning of the talkie era, it has several imaginatively crafted scenes, with one (you will know which one I mean) being positively Jarmuschesque. The sound track in particular is brilliant. I can't get the song of the wind out of my head.Plus, if you love Erich von Stroheim, and who doesn't, his character is based on him, or his reputation. Of course you love von Stroheim, who doesn't love Max from Sunset Boulevard? Here, he gets to show his directorial style, while giving the sort of all out performance he was trying to get out of his actors. If you like this, try "The Great Flamarion".I am not surprised to read that the ending was re-shot. My husband and I were both mystified the first time we saw it. Some of the plot is hackneyed, but the acting and production values transcend.

The Lost Squadron concerns four men who are the last of a squadron of aviators from World War I, pilots Richard Dix, Robert Armstrong, and Joel McCrea and their orderly Hugh Herbert. The war is over now, but flying is what they know and love. They now make a living doing stunt flying for the movies, recreating some of the dangers they went through in the war for war films.That can be as dangerous if not more dangerous when you are working for a director like Erich Von Stroheim who wants his films to be the last word in realism. And things get real tense on the set when Von Stroheim discovers that his wife Mary Astor still has a thing for Dix.I won't go on any further except that but for Von Stroheim everyone behaves gallantly. It's what terribly dates this film. If it were done today the characters would be far more cynical and probably come up with a creative way to deal with their tyrannical director.Von Stroheim is the best thing about The Lost Squadron he pulls all the stops out in doing his terrible Teuton. If Von Stroheim was the man folks went to the movies in order to love to hate him, this film will send many into orgasms.

This is a gritty pre-code adventure/thriller that just happened to be on TV last week at 1.30 in the morning!! It has a similar theme to another film "Lucky Devils" made in 1933.Dorothy Jordan was a very pretty ingenue who was kept extremely busy until her retirement in 1933 when she married Merian C. Cooper. Apparently she was about to be cast in "Flying Down to Rio" (1933) as Honey Hale but backed out to go on her honeymoon. The role went to Ginger Rogers. Dorothy plays "Pest" Curwood, kid sister of Woody (Robert Armstrong) one of a group of friends who were flying aces during the war. This gritty film shows how shamefully returned soldiers were really treated. They return to find things have changed. "Red" (Joel McCrea) returns to find his place of employment in the middle of re-trenchments. The war has made "Red" restless and he chooses to travel rather than go back to his old job. Woody is also restless but finds while he was away "on important business in France" his former business partner has swindled the company. Gibby (Richard Dix) returns to find his ambitious girlfriend, Follette (Mary Astor) has left him for a richer man.Years later "Red", Gibby and Fritz (Hugh Herbert) down on their luck, find themselves in Hollywood, hoping to catch up with Woody. Woody is the chief aerial stunt man in "Sky Heroes" which is having it's Hollywood premiere. The star is none other than Follette, who is married to the director Von Furst (Erich Von Stroheim in another intense performance) - a "terrible fathead" according to Woody. He persuades his mates to go to work as aerial stuntmen. Von Furst is a tyrannical director who rules his crew and his wife with an iron fist!!! Follette believes Von Furst (because of his insane jealousy) will tamper with Gibby's plane. He actually puts acid on the control wires - but Woody is the one flying it, to pay back a favour Gibby did him, when he was too drunk to fly.From an action packed aviation adventure it turns into a tight psychological thriller. The last 10 minutes takes place at night in a disused hanger. Richard Dix is heroic and manly, Robert Armstrong gives another great character performance and Joel McCrea was an up and coming new talent. For all her top billing Mary Astor didn't have much to do.Recommended.

A very good movie representing the early 30's. George Archainbaud directs this excellent drama depicting an autocratic film director Arthur von Furst(Erich von Stroheim), who hires three former World War I flying aces to fly stunts in a Hollywood war movie. The aces, Capt. 'Gibby' Gibson(Richard Dix), Lt. 'Woody' Curwood(Robert Armstrong) and Red(Joel McCrea)are astounded by the fact that the director has them flying maneuvers as dangerous as if they were still in battle. For a little feminine charm there is Dorothy Jordan as Curwood's little sister; and then there is the movie star Follette Marsh played by Mary Astor. Wanting realism, the director has planes rigged to crash. There is romance, infidelity and murder involved along with the stunning aerial sequences. Other players include: Hugh Herbert, Ralph Ince and William B. Davidson.Astor gives a certain touch of class to the film. Dix and Armstrong every bit the matinée idols. And von Stroheim superb as the overbearing movie director.