lugonian HELL'S ANGELS (United Artists, 1930), A Caddo Production produced and directed by Howard Hughes, is possibly important in movie history for being a very expensive large-scale production. It began production as a silent movie in 1927 but released three years later as an early aviation talkie with Technicolor and extensive yet exciting aerial sequences. Although much of the names in the cast are virtually unfamiliar to contemporary audiences, especially leading players of Ben Lyon and James Hall, HELL''S ANGELS has become best known recently for historians solely as the first major movie success for newcomer by the name of Jean Harlow (1911-1937). Still in her teens with few minor roles to her credit, this platinum blonde/ bombshell shows star quality for a movie career that was to become short-lived.The story opens in 1914 Germany, before the war, with the plot development centering upon brothers, Monte (Ben Lyon) and Roy Rutledge (James Hall), both students of England's Oxford University. Roy is deeply in love with a girl named Helen, and wants Roy to meet her. They finally do at a festivity hosted by Lady Randolph (Evelyn Hall). Due to circumstances beyond his control, Roy is forced to leave Monte with Helen (Jean Harlow), who takes an immediate attraction towards him. She later invites Roy to her apartment where the two become involved in a romantic interlude. Guilty for his actions, Monte finds Helen cheap and walks out on her. Monte, however, finds himself unable to tell Roy how unfaithful Helen is towards him. As the brothers, now in the British Royal Flying Corps,go through battle in the clouds and see enough action and death against the enemy fliers, this brings forth the cowardice actions in Monte, especially after the brothers are later captured and held prisoners by the Germans.Also in cast support are: John Darrow (Karl Arnstedt, Roy's college friend); Lucien Prival (Baron Victor Von Kranz); Roy Wilson ("Baldy" Maloney); Douglas Gilmore (Captain Redfield, one of Helen's lovers); William B. Davidson (The Major); and Marilyn Morgan, later known as Marian Marsh (SVENGALI, 1931) , briefly spotted as a girl who sells kisses. Ben Lyon as Monte heads the cast as a womanizing brother who is caught romancing a woman by her husband, who then challenges him to a duel. James Hall, who looks more in his fifties than his younger age, makes due as the devoted brother, devoted enough to save his brother's cowardice grace by taking his place in the duel instead. His Roy character is also devoted to Helen, but learns the hard way what type of girl she really is to him. As much as some claim Jean Harlow not to be a good actress, which could be noticed in some of her latter performances, she does just fine here as the flirtatious young girl who wants to enjoy life to the fullest. Lucien Prival's physical style of acting makes one think of other German actor, Erich Von Stroheim, who would have been great had he played the Baron. As much as the situations involving the brothers and aerial photography inside the Zeppelin take up much of the proceedings, Harlow manages to gather enough attention towards her character, enough to remember her long after her final scene is over.Capitalizing in similar war related themes, including WINGS (1927), THE DAWN PATROL (1930), and the most famous ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930), HELL'S ANGELS holds its own in is expensive- looking presentation. Being a super production at 130 minutes, regardless of its age and when it was released, HELL'S ANGELS seems more advanced in its structure, special effects, early color sequences and its overlong flying sequences filmed in sepia. The spoken German dialogue is translated in English through the traditional silent movie technique of inter-titles flashed on the screen. When reissued in 1940, HELL'S ANGELS was reduced to 97 minutes in complete black and white format. Years later it was restored to original length, including color and Ten Minute intermission title card at the midway point.Unseen for decades, HELL'S ANGELS resurrected in the 1980s on cable television, first on USA (1985) and then a big premiere presentation in 1989 on American Movie Classics. In later years, it became available on video cassette and DVD, as well as broadcasts on Turner Classic Movies (TCM premiere: February 28, 2000), more as tributes to hell's angel herself, Jean Harlow, than to aviation movies and war related themes. (***)

jacobs-greenwood This is truly an historical film which not only contains the only color footage of Jean Harlow in a movie, and helped make her a star ("would you be shocked if I put on something more comfortable?"), but some of the best WW I airplane aerial sequences ever put on the screen (it was nominated for a Cinematography Oscar). Of course, this is due to the fact that aviator gazillionaire Howard Hughes produced, directed, and even filmed part of it. In fact, this film was initially going to be a silent with Greta Nissen in the Harlow role. But, during the time it was being made, the transformation from silent films to "talkies" was taking place. So, having more money than God, Hughes decided to reshoot most of it, requiring that he replace the Norwegian actress with Harlow.The story begins with three Oxford classmates, brothers Monte (Ben Lyon) and Roy (James Hall) Rutledge and their German friend Karl Armstedt (John Darrow), sharing a flat in pre-war Germany and fully enjoying the perks. Roy has a girl, Helen (Harlow), back home who he's constantly referring to, while Monte plays the field to excess. In fact, he's even gotten mixed up with a Baroness (Jane Winton), the wife of a German officer Baron Von Kranz (Lucien Prival, a recognizable character actor). When the Baron returns home prematurely, he catches Monte with his wife and challenges him to a duel. Since Monte is a man of little character, he flees back home to school at Oxford. His noble brother, Roy, pretends to be Monte, accepting the challenge to protect his name from disgrace. Though he is wounded, he returns to school and never mentions it to his brother.War breaks out and classmate Karl is summoned to return to Germany to serve. Roy enlists, but of course Monte does not. However, while wanting to kiss the pretty girl at a recruitment station, he accidentally signs up too. Before they go off to war, Roy wants to introduce his brother to his girl, whom Monte assumes must be a "dog". When they meet, both are pleasantly surprised (with Harlow winning the "look 'em over" staring contest;-) and we learn that Helen isn't as faithful to Roy as he thinks she is. This leads to a first "date" affair (and Harlow's signature line, above) but when Roy regrets his infidelity, perhaps for the first time in his life, it causes a rift between the two illicit lovers before he and his brother head off to war.One spectacular visual sequence involves Karl as the bombardier on a German Zeppelin that infiltrates London. Unbeknownst to the ship's commander, he guides it through the fog in order to drop its bombs harmlessly into a lake on the outskirts of the city. Alerted to the Zeppelin's presence, the Allies send several planes to intercept it and the chase is on. When the ship's commander needs more height to avoid their pursuit, and after throwing all non-essential equipment overboard doesn't work, he has the bombardier's pod's cable cut, dropping Karl to his death. He then orders all unnecessary personnel to jump overboard. The commander's ruthlessness almost succeeds, as his gunners shoot down all but one of the planes. However, the last plane utilizes a kamikaze maneuver, sacrificing himself and plane into the heart of the "big balloon".Roy and Monte are both trained as pilots and must fly nightly patrols. Since nearly every night means the end of at least one of the pilots, Monte does his best to avoid the duty. However, when Roy finally learns Helen doesn't love him (serving as a waitress on the war front, he catches her with a ranking officer) and signs up for a risky mission of great importance, his brother's bravery convinces Monte to also volunteer for the effort.The film's most spectacular visual scenes follow and dominate the rest of the film, but there is also a rather clever plot device used to end the drama between the brothers and involving Von Kranz.

Alex da Silva Two brothers, James Hall (Roy) and Ben Lyon (Monte), join the Flying Corps at the outbreak of WW1. They have different personalities - Hall is honourable and longs for the love of 1 woman, Jean Harlow (Helen), while Lyon only lives for his own pleasure and likes to womanize (good lad). Harlow is a bit of a bitch/slag so most women should be able to relate. The brothers volunteer for a dangerous mission to bomb a German ammunition hold.....While the acting is generally wooden with people over-emoting, Jean Harlow is good in her role as a slag - she is funny, cruel and unrepentant. Ben Lyon isn't particularly likable and James Hall would make a good Dracula, but they manage to keep the film ticking along as the 2 brothers. It was interesting to see the tactics that were used to recruit soldiers at the time. The one moment that dooms Lyon is when he succumbs to the recruitment ploy of "kiss the pretty girl and sign up". He kisses her and walks on by but is grabbed back into the recruitment office. Dirty tricks campaigns have been running for a very long time indeed! This film is much better than I expected. It is made up of a series of sections, eg, the Zeppelin raid, the dance, the mission, etc, some of which are done in colour. There are exciting moments, tense moments, funny moments and it's ultimately a tragic story. It certainly doesn't seem like over 2 hours long and this must be a good sign. The acting is sometimes stagey but this film has memorable scenes that will stay with you, eg, the German sacrifices on the Zeppelin.

bkoganbing World War I was the source of two great war films, All Quiet On The Western Front and Hell's Angels in 1930. The first was the Best Picture for that year according to the Motion Picture Academy, the second is known for its special effects and had the Special Effects Oscar been a category that year, Hell's Angels would have won no doubt.The other thing that Hell's Angels is noted for is the screen debut of Jean Harlow in a major part. She had done several bit roles prior to Hell's Angels when Howard Hughes who produced and directed this gave her the big break. Harlow is perfect as the flighty upper class woman who flirts between brothers Ben Lyon and James Hall. Hughes photographed her to best advantage the way he would do for Jane Russell later on in The Outlaw. Harlow was not the accomplished comedienne she later became, but all she has to do in Hell's Angels is be alluring and sexy and that she did without practice.When it came to the special aerial effects and filming of same, no film could touch Hell's Angels. The film received it's one Academy Award nomination for cinematography. It lost to the documentary film, With Byrd At The South Pole. If there had been a documentary category that year, the Admiral Byrd film would have been in that category and probably an easy winner. As it was the real life heroics of Richard E. Byrd trumped any make believe that Howard Hughes put on the screen.But Howard Hughes was not a man of thespian profession and was no director of actors. He was also no judge of scripts. The plot is an overwrought melodramatic one involving two brothers, one a heroic if somewhat dull figure, the other one both a ladies man and a weakling as well. Maybe with a real director the acting would have been of a better caliber.The most famous sequence is the aerial battle between the German Zeppelin and the Royal Flying Corps squadron sent up to bring the big dirigible down. Even there with the well done battle sequences there's a bit of ridiculousness where the German crew after everything else has been tossed overboard to lighten the load and gain altitude is asked to sacrifice themselves. And you see them jumping out the plane for the Kaiser and the Reich as they put it WITHOUT PARACHUTES. I mean PLEASE give me a break. The German commander who had a run in with the brothers before the war when they were touring Germany as Oxford students is played by Lucien Prival. He must have been the guy that the producers called for when they couldn't get Erich Von Stroheim. He had all of Von Stroheim's bullnecked Teutonic personality down to the last sneer. He did fine with the part, but it must have been something with this guy to be cast in these parts and only when the producers couldn't get Von Stroheim.Aviation fans will love this film, but for all its technical wizardry it's not close to being as good as All Quiet On The Western Front.