Criminally underrated war picture details the adventures of a group of WWI volunteer pilots whose excitement turns to anguish and despair when they are confronted with the reality of combat. Director Stuart Walker helms this unabashedly grim WWI drama with tact and honesty, featuring some above average aerial footage and an unflinchingly blatant anti-war message that is still quite surprising and daring for a depression-era studio film. The acting is uniformly excellent, with Fredric March delivering a marvelously conflicted turn in the lead, and Cary Grant is convincingly cast against type as a hot-headed, violent brute. Perhaps a bit too a head of it's time when originally released, THE EAGLE AND THE HAWK is a terrific film that is ripe for rediscovery.
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robb_7722 October 2006
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JHC319 December 1999"The Eagle and the Hawk" follows the World War One exploits of three American volunteer airmen who are members of Britain's Royal Flying Corps (which was later to be renamed the Royal Air Force). After months of training, Jeremiah Young (March) and Mike Richards (Oakie) are transferred from England to an observer unit in France. The third airman, Henry Crocker (Grant), washes out and later becomes an aerial gunner.
The observer unit flies two-seat biplanes doing primarily reconnaissance work, but this does not stop Young from being a very successful pilot, downing two enemy aircraft on his first mission alone. His initial jubilation over this feat is crushed when he discovers that his observer has been killed. Though he continues to shoot down many German aircraft, he has the appalling luck of losing five observers in his first two months.
The film follows the career of this heroic pilot and his comrades, including Crocker who ultimately becomes his observer. As the weeks go by, Young becomes more and more guilt-ridden, not only over losing those who fly with him, but over the many young Germans he has slain.
"The Eagle and the Hawk" is a well-made, well-acted film with decent aerial footage and a wonderful, anguished performance by Fredric March. Though he might be overlooked, Forrester Harvey's character is rather thought-provoking. He plays an enlisted man who has the unenviable task of collecting the belongings of slain airmen for safekeeping. On Young's first day, he had to perform this task five times.
This film is truly a gem which presents a strong anti-war message, one which is particularly interesting considering the time it was made (1933 being the year that Hitler achieved power in Germany and the 1930s being the period of appeasement). Its ending has a pair of surprises which are well worth the price of admission. This is a film which is highly recommended for classic movie fans. -
allans-711 May 2008Powerful anti war movie - the scenes with Frederic March in particular and Cary Grant are quite intense and grim, but there is some relief to counter balance this aspect of the movie in the characters played by Jack Oakie (comic) and Carole Lombard (sympathy).
As another person has noted this was really directed by Mitchell Leisen. who is credited as assistant director. This was his second movie (after Tonight is Ours, also with March in it) and he does a fine job. It shows what a versatile director he was, considering he made him his name later with romance / comedy type movies like Midnight.
It was done pre code but re-released in 1939 with some editing that apparently lessens its impact (I have only seen the edited version). These are referred to in the book Mitchell Leisen Hollywood Director. The scenes with Carole Lombard are longer and imply a sexual relationship afterwards. Cary Grant survives the war but is a broken man.
Would love to see the original (please let me know if anyone has it). If the edited parts are still available this movie would warrant a restoration to its original vision. A DVD release along these lines would be most welcome. -
Mozjoukine30 January 2003THE EAGLE AND THE HAWK is well on the way to being the best film of it's day and contains Frederic March's most impressive performance, nicely set against Cary Grant who had yet to make his own screen presence identifiable.
This stands along side any of it's cycle of aviation films - the great WINGS, HELL'S ANGELS, THE LOST SQUADRON, the draggy Hawks version of DAWN PATROL, THE LAST FLIGHT. The impact is not from the air action but from the way the familiar breaking point material is worked out in terms of character. The mess hall climax and subsequent resolution can't be faulted.
It is amazing that a film saying something so substantial, so well was not singled out by critics or subsequently "discovered." The same may be said of several of March's other films of the day. He remains the most underestimated film star we have.
Though credited to Stuart Walker, it is widely held that the film is the director debut of Mitchel Leisen who did the later and presentable plane movie I WANTED WINGS.
Though just over an hour the film does not have the feeling of slightness. It's tempo is impeccable. I'm impressed every time I run this one. -
jcappy17 March 2008spoilers-yes
A hidden anti-war gem. A marvel for its courage.
"The Eagle and the Hawk" is a minimal but concrete recreation of the lives of Air Force volunteers during world war one. Jerry Young (Fredric March) is a Flying Corps pilot who is more responsible for shooting (documenting) German positions than shooting people. But it's war close up and he' anguished and awed by the severe endings to the young lives who serve as his tail observers. Actual war deaths, as opposed to the glorifying and benign fictions fed him, evoke in him compassion and guilt. When Crocker (Carey Grant), a crack gunner, and the personification of cold-blooded macho, kills a parachuting German balloon observer (opposed to rules of engagement) from Young's tail position, Jerry's shell cracks. Broken-heartened and disillusioned, his life is robbed of sleep and solace. But because of his own survival of so many critical missions have given him hero status, he cannot cut and run. Caught in vicious cycle of metals, ribbons, honors, dinners, toasts, he is also caught in a deeper vicious cycle of killing and bloodshed. Tormented, he has but one exit, and after one final attempt to publicly lay bare his plights and that of lives he feels responsible for, he shoots himself.
Ironically, Crocker, the only soldier with the stomach to hear his speech, is the one who breaks away from this celebration in Young's honor, and finds his body. No longer able to feign callousness, he conceals his partner's corpse till the dawn mission, when he can set up an heroic battle death which is actually a double suicide--the eagle and the hawk going down together. This completes the unified statement this movie makes against war--so like the Winter Soldier Testimony held by Vietnam Vets and most recently by Iraqi Vets--in which "the war to end all wars" is exposed as a deeper commitment to the machinery of war. -
bkoganbing21 October 2005The Eagle and the Hawk are Fredric March and Cary Grant, a couple of enlistees in Britain's Royal Flying Corps in World War I. March is Grant's training officer and he washes him out as a pilot. Grant resents this of course and bops him one on the snoot. He gets to be a tailgunner.
When they get over there March becomes an air ace. But soon all the deaths of comrades around him really gets to him. He's a sensitive soul and he starts to crack up. By then Grant is on the scene as his tailgunner, but they're still not getting along.
The Eagle and the Hawk covers a whole lot of the same ground as The Dawn Patrol did. But the players here know their business and serve the clichés up well done. Cary Grant plays very much against type. A few years later the public would never have accepted him in the part he plays here.
Jack Oakie is around to do the comic relief. Carole Lombard is in this as well for about 10 minutes as a woman March encounters while on a 10 day leave. I'm not quite sure what her purpose is in this film other than to give the men in the audience something to gape at.
It's a good anti-war film and the ending will surprise you. -
lugonian12 June 2011THE EAGLE AND THE HAWK (Paramount, 1933), directed by Stuart Walker, is not a national geographic story about birds in the wilds of the forest but a vivid account of three men (two Americans, one British) from different walks of life serving in the British Flying Corps during the World War. Featuring Fredric March, Cary Grant and Jack Oakie as the three men in question, the plot revolves mostly on the March character as he slowly goes through mental strain.
Without wasting much time in plot development on these three central characters, their backgrounds are depicted briefly during the opening credits, leaving some indication to the audience to whom there are: Fredric March as Jerry Young riding his horse in a polo match, indicating he comes from a rich family; Cary Grant as Henry Crocker as foreman in a construction site socking one of his workers for speaking up to him, indicating he's a common man with a quick temper; and Jack Oakie as Mike Richards, a happy-go-lucky fellow shown eating a sandwich in a diner, indicating a simple-natured fellow good for a lot of laughs. Before the story gets underway in France, Richards is seen going on a scale to get his weight, then taking a card popping from the machine that reads, "You will soon be facing great danger." Next scene finds Mike in uniform, laughing loudly while reading the book, "A Night in the Turkish Harem." Jerry Young, an ace pilot, chooses several men to accompany him in England. He excludes Crocker, whom he doesn't like. Because of this decision, Crocker socks him in the jaw. After losing five observers within two months, Young not only becomes embittered by seeing these young men die in action before his eyes, but soon acquires Crocker as his new ace fly together on several missions. Regardless of their bitter disagreements, especially after Crocker kills a helpless enemy on a parachute, it is Crocker who sees the strain Young is going through, especially at night while talking in his sleep during one of his recurring nightmares. Realizing his emotional state, Crocker recommends for flight commander Major Dunham (Sir Guy Standing) to send Jerry on a ten-day leave, which Jerry does take. While in England, Jerry encounters an attractive blonde (Carole Lombard) at a social function who takes an interest in him. Upon his return to battle, things become seriously worse for Jerry, especially after the death of Richards in one of his air missions and witnessing John Stevens (Kenneth Howell) plunging to his death by falling out of the airplane without a parachute.
Based on a story by John Monk Saunders, one who specialized in war related themes, notably WINGS (Paramount, 1927), the first Best Picture Academy Award winner, THE EAGLE AND THE HAWK is one to give the impression of being more inspired by another aviation war drama, THE DAWN PATROL (Warner Brothers, 1930) starring Richard Barthelmess and Douglas Fairbanks Jr., where two men in the same corps with their dislike one another teaming up on flying missions. Quite underrated and leisurely paced, THE EAGLE AND THE HAWK offers more than just an all-star cast but a realistic view on the mental breakdown of a war hero during his day-to-day air battle of aerial combat with the enemy and himself. Aside from many medals, bar drinks with his buddies and hero worshiping by others, the Jerry Young character gets to tell the new recruits, "You're fighting for humanity and for the preservation of civilization." Quite relevant today as it was then, THE EAGLE AND THE HAWK adds more through its narrative in both speech and in actions.
One of the big surprises in THE EAGLE AND THE HAWK is the casting of fourth billed Carole Lombard. Her role, coming 45 minutes into the start of the movie, in what's basically an extended eight minute cameo. First shown in white gown in a drawing room observing one of the guests (March) who tells the son (Douglas Scott) of the hostess (Virginia Hammond) the true meaning of war, she then follows Young into a cab where the two meet, and soon get acquainted while sitting on the bench in the park. Lombard's character, in expensive looking fur coat, bears no name and several extreme close-ups during the park sequence. Following this scene, she's never seen or heard about again. Cary Grant, years before specializing best in romantic comedies, shows his dramatic skills in several key scenes. In 1936, Grant was also featured in another World War I story, that being SUZY (MGM) starring Jean Harlow. Interestingly, both films come to similar conclusions.
Commonly broadcast on commercial television before slowly fazed out by the 1970s, THE EAGLE AND THE HAWK had its share of cable TV exposure in later years, notably on American Movie Classics (1992-93) before making its Turner Classic Movies premiere October 20, 2008. Distributed to home video in 1997 by MCA which includes original theatrical trailer, the video box to THE EAGLE AND THE HAWK features Cary Grant and Carole Lombard rather than the leading performer, Fredric March.
While the aforementioned DAWN PATROL was remade by Warners in 1938 with Errol Flynn and David Niven, THE EAGLE AND THE HAWK was not, contrary to the same title used for the Paramount's 1950 production, a western starring John Payne, Rhonda Fleming and Dennis O'Keefe. That's where the similarity ends. Not as well known as some other aviation dramas, THE EAGLE AND THE HAWK makes fine viewing, especially for Memorial or Veteran's Day. (**1/2) -
mlamar-323 October 2008As the others have said, this surprisingly turned out to be a realistic, antiwar movie. Frederick March gives an Academy-Award-worthy performance as the jaded fighter pilot, and Cary Grant gives a good performance as his rival. Since Hollywood made more pro-war movies than isolationist movies up to Pearl Harbor, this one was a bit startling, judging from its era and its title. Perhaps that is why it has not received its due rewards. Those who have experienced war usually try to prevent its recurrence, and the grim reality of its death and destruction are shown in this film about as graphically as they were allowed at that time. I have heard that even Germany's greatest ace in WWI, the "Red Baron," was very disillusioned when he went home the last time before his death. When his mother asked him who his friends were in a photo, he told her sadly when each of them had been killed. War is only glamorous from a great distance and in games. "The Eagle And The Hawk" captures the real essence of so many wasted lives in the Lost Generation and the destruction of prewar civilization.
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blanche-24 March 2015Fredric March and Cary Grant star in "The Eagle and the Hawk," a 1933 film about World War I.
March plays Jerry Young, a Flying Corps pilot responsible for filming documentary positions. It's extremely difficult for him; a sensitive man, seeing all the tragedy devastates him.
Crocker (Cary Grant) is an ambitious gunner, anxious to get in the air, and loves killing Germans.
The film has wonderful aviation scenes (and Mitchell Leisen is rumored to have been the actual director of this film) which are very impressive.
A powerful antiwar statement, and very unusual for its time. The ending is quite stunning and partially unexpected.
Both men give excellent performances - in today's world, March may seem a bit over the top, but it was the style in those days. Carole Lombard has brief scenes as someone who tries to be helpful to him.
The overall atmosphere of this film is depressing, so don't watch it if you want to be entertained by something light. However, it's ahead of its time and definitely worth seeing. -
This is a mostly forgotten film today, though it deserves to be seen. It bears a lot of similarity to the great All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) in that the film is meant to warn against the horrors of war instead of glamorize it.
Frederick March does an excellent job in portraying a troubled WW1 ace. Despite his success, he can't seem to forget that each victory equals him killing another human being. This inner turmoil continues throughout the film and climaxes when he is given yet another accolade.
I don't want to spoil the film by revealing what happens next. But, it came as a bit of a surprise! The ending clearly makes the movie.
By the way, the VCR box cover shows Cary Grant. Yes he was an important supporting actor in this movie, but considering March's performance, it is a darn shame they are trying to capitalize on Grant and not March.
PS--if you liked this film, try watching the hard to find ACE OF ACES, starring Richard Dix. It's very similar except that Dix is a pacifist who only reluctantly goes to war. Once he becomes a pilot, unlike March, he finds he LOVES killing and his personality changes dramatically! A truly unusual film. -
jamesrupert20148 April 2018Fredric March, Cary Grant, Jack Oakie play three disparate pilots serving in WW 1 France: March is a conscious-stricken ace who is beginning to crack, Grant is a glory-hunting pragmatist who justifies shooting at bailed-out German airmen, and Oakie is a cheerful bon-vivant who is just doing his job between hot baths and fine cheeses. The pre-code film includes a brief appearance by Carole Lombard (simply billed as "The Beautiful Lady"), a nameless flirt with whom March has a brief affair while on leave in London. Much of the film contrasts March, who is burdened with guilt about the men he has killed or were killed while serving with him (he pilots a 2-man observation plane), with both his fellow airman who celebrate the war and with civilians who have a macabre fascination with the killing (the encounter between March and a 'gung-ho' young boy is excellent). The aerial footage is not bad (although most of the planes are not period-correct) and some of the scenes are somewhat contrived (e.g. shot pilots managing to land their plans before dramatically expiring). The abrupt ending, while a bit implausible, is powerful and unexpected. All-in-all, an entertaining (albeit aesthetically dated), unsubtle plea for peace from the interwar years.
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utgard142 December 2014Powerful WWI film about the horrors of war, with an exceptional performance by Fredric March as an American pilot flying with the RAF who grows increasingly disturbed by all the death he sees. Cary Grant has an important supporting role as another pilot who clashes with March. This is one of the earliest dramatic roles for Cary that showed what he was capable of. Carole Lombard has only one scene as the appropriately-titled Beautiful Lady. Jack Oakie is March's sidekick, the closest thing to comic relief in the film. About midway through the film, look for a brief scene with Kenneth Howell playing a young pilot. He walks into the scene wearing eye shadow, lipstick, and penciled-on eyebrows!
Terrific aviation action scenes and short runtime are pluses. Sincere, believable antiwar film that gets its message across more powerfully than a hundred preachier movies of its type. Not as well-remembered as some of its contemporaries but it should be. -
marcslope17 April 2018Stuart Walker, who directed almost nothing of value, did splendidly with this 1933 antiwar opus, which has plenty of action (some of it borrowed from "Wings" footage) and deeper-than-usual psychological insights for this genre. Fredric March, an American in a Brit World War I air unit, becomes a daredevil ace, and is increasingly repulsed by the death toll he engenders, to the point of madness. Meantime, his "observer" (he snaps pictures from the rear seat) Cary Grant relishes combat, and American compatriot Jack Oakie provides emotional ballast, until he's gunned down. Carole Lombard is also on hand, for two scenes, looking gorgeous and wearing quite a gown. The screenplay's unusually intelligent and despairing, but what really makes it work is March, at the top of his game. Watch him in a scene where a friend's young son asks for gruesome detail about what happens in combat, and see the anguish play across his face. A truly fine actor.
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barnesgene10 November 2008Personally, I prefer "The Dawn Patrol." In "The Eagle and the Hawk" the acting is less compelling, the dialog is more forced and more melodramatic, the aerial dogfight scenes are less convincingly edited (but there are some dandy shots too). You never know quite when the March character is going to blow up, but you do know it'll be sooner or later. I give Cary Grant's performance higher marks than most of the other reviewers do; his ambiguities feel as if they are sincerely wrought, and he comes and goes like a Bodishatva throughout the film. Carole Lombard is a knockout and the right choice for the Beautiful Lady; I appreciated her efforts to make her minor character a memorable one.
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Michael_Elliott14 November 2008Eagle and the Hawk, The (1933)
**** (out of 4)
Extremely hard-hitting and emotional anti-war film from Paramount features Fredric March, Cary Grant and Carole Lombard but for some reason it seems that history has forgotten this movie. March and Jack Oakie play pilots who are sent to France to lead up a group who, with gunners as protection, fly over hot zones to take pictures of the enemy. March quickly becomes a hero but his soul begins to hurt as he feels responsible for the gunners who are being killed on his mission. Soon the third pilot of the group (Grant) shows up to be a gunner for March but by this time the veteran pilot finds himself questioning the war and his missions. I had never heard of this film or even heard a mention of it when early war films were discussed and that's a real shame because this film deserves to be known by more people. I was really shocked at how brutally honest and at times heart breaking this film was and it's wasn't afraid to show it's feelings towards war. Most war films from this era always ended with a strong victory but this one here isn't about the victories but instead the deaths that it takes to get a win in battle. The film is also rather graphic in some of the death scenes with one of the biggest scenes coming when March must wipe blood off his hands. I've always called March one of the greatest actors in the history of film but this might very well be the best I've seen him. There are two sequences in the film, which the actor just really amazed me and surpassed the greatness he delivered to countless other films. One sequence is where he's having a nightmare about seeing pilots on fire and falling through the air. The second comes when he is being toasted for killing an ace pilot and March finally lets his feelings known. Grant is pretty good in his role as is Oakie. Carole Lombard has a brief, two scene role as a woman who helps March. As with many war films from this era, the aerial scenery is quite breathtaking with some beautiful stunts. These stunts are very good but they never take away from the main goal of the film, which is to show what costs there are to victories. I had never heard of this film but I'm so glad I watched it because it's certainly one of the best of the decade. -
kyle_furr27 January 2004I wasn't expecting much when i watched this, maybe something like the dawn patrol. Fredric March is excellent in this movie and cary grant is ok. Carole Lombard is only in one scene, and i had never heard of the director before. Watch it if you like these kind of movies.
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AlsExGal2 August 2020This was directed by Stuart Walker with assistance from Mitchell Leisen. It was written to cash in on the success of Howard Hawks' The Dawn Patrol over at Warner Brothers.
Fredric March is an ace pilot for the RAF during WWI. Cary Grant is his rival, a screw-up as a pilot though perhaps too successful as a gunner (called "observers," because their main task is to photograph enemy installations). March succeeds in mission after mission while his observers are killed, and the pressure begins to mount. On furlough the only person who understands his feelings is a character known in the credits as "the Beautiful Woman," appropriately played by Carole Lombard, who makes the most of her one appearance. Jack Oakie provides some comic relief. As in The Dawn Patrol, the death of a young and enthusiastic recruit creates a crisis, and as in many movies, the hero's rival is the one who finally understands and appreciates him.
Fredric March has several big dramatic scenes which he plays very well. As is often the case in his early films, Cary Grant isn't yet the actor he would become, but he's still reasonably effective. I would guess that Mitchell Leisen had something to do with Carole Lombard's look and her outfit; Leisen knew how to make his stars look good. Leisen and Lombard became close friends.
The Eagle and the Hawk is not especially well paced in the early going, and the film leans heavily on the talent of its actors, and the aerial footage, some of it taken from Wings. It is surprisingly dark in places, with its consideration of battle fatigue, suicide, and the morality of shooting down enemy fighters who have parachuted from their plane. -
Doylenf20 October 2008Not too much is new in THE EAGLE AND THE HAWK. It's an anti-war story about fliers, the men in command and the new men who are really just kids and who lose their lives in what seems like a senseless string of tragedies.
It's been done before in stories like DAWN PATROL--and more effectively when it concentrated on the men and their relationships under stress. Here, for no apparent reason, CAROLE LOMBARD has a brief ten minutes of screen time as "a beautiful woman" who gives emotional support (and more) to FREDRIC MARCH, who is hell bent on trying to forget the casualties of war under his command.
The anti-war sentiment is hammered home pretty hard with March as the stressed out lieutenant who has to cope with the losses around him and animosity in his relationship with CARY GRANT, a tail gunner who confronts him in cynical distrust and appears to be jealous of March's medals. Their unstable interplay is the only aspect of the story that is given a new twist, especially toward the end.
There are plenty of good flying scenes and most of the performances are smooth, but Lombard's part is little more than a bit at a time when she had the leading femme role in many other films. The decision to use her here is questionable.
Grant hadn't yet developed his lighter persona but is reasonably good as the conflicted gunner and March is excellent as the equally conflicted top gun.
Personally, I prefer DAWN PATROL to this World War I tale of men under combat stress. -
mark.waltz28 November 2015Fredric March gives an outstanding performance as an Army pilot officer dealing with the issues of mortality as he deals with constant death surrounding him. Five of his men are killed in front of his eyes in a short period of time and when the next one comes in, it is Cary Grant, whom he had earlier fought with. March quietly keeps everything in, only managing a smile thank to the comic antics of the bombastic Jack Oakie.
One long sequence has March finding comfort thanks to a glamorous stranger he meets, played by Carole Lombard. Intent on obviously seducing him, she provides a much needed shoulder as she realizes the impact that the war has had on him.
More war drama than action, this gives a private peak into the inner turmoils that men face while fighting. Even killing an enemy can lead to extreme psychological issues as the impact takes affect.
Powerful and profound, this is part anti-war and part pro as it deals with both sides of the situation. One of the best World War I dramas, this ranks up there with "Wings" and "All Quiet on the Western Front" although its short running time indicates a B film. It definitely ranks among the A's. Grant is supporting but does get a characterization that is strongly shifted by the circumstances surrounding him. -
vigihawk1 January 2004Bought my own copy. A film in the old style with many faults, but for someone who enjoys flying fliks, especially World War One aviation, it is great. Dialogue is terrible, the acting bad, plot predictable, but it has airplanes and derring-do in the air. All the "Dawn Patrol" cliches are there. Good fun and well worth seeing...if you like this sort of thing. I do.
cheers, Boom -
TheLittleSongbird23 August 2020War is not my favourite genre when it comes to film, but it is a much appreciated one and re-visited every now and again. With there being so many brilliant, incredibly well made and important war films out there in each decade, and not just the First and Second World wars. The cast was another big selling point, have always had a thing for great casts, having often liked very much Fredric March and Cary Grant (the latter against type for back then).
'The Eagle and the Hawk' didn't disappoint. It is not quite one of the best and most important films in the genre, but it was to me at that point and still is nearly ninety years on one of the best war-set aviation films. 'The Eagle and the Hawk' is to me and many others a very powerful, emotionally moving and inspiring film, with some messaging, and it's exceptionally well written and performed across the board. Not optimistic and not an easy watch, but in no way is that a bad thing.
It is a shame that somewhat that lovely Carole Lombard is given so little to do, but although her screen time is small (and rather too brief) her presence is not.
March though is truly outstanding, his conflict being both intense and moving, giving one of his best earlier performances. Grant also excels in an atypical role for the time, not having as much of his usual urbane charm but more a hard-edged persona. Did worry that Jack Oakie would not be funny, would be annoying and would be out of place, but actually he proved to be amusing and welcome but not distracting levity that blended better than expected. In fact, casting-wise one couldn't have asked for better. The characters are well drawn and flaws and all they were not difficult to get behind. 'The Eagle and the Hawk' is very assuredly and sympathetically directed while having edge too.
Visually 'The Eagle and the Hawk' is accomplished, with atmospheric and beautifully framed photography in particular. The aerial footage is inserted with skill and with very little sign of awkwardness, it doesn't look cheap. The score didn't seem too loud or too constant and it's thoughtfully and sincerely scripted. The story has an unusual for the time bitterness and not many films at this point of film history were this strongly against war, but the film conveys this with conviction without being preachy in my view. Emotionally, it's powerful stuff and incredibly poignant. The action thrills, has intensity and brings a lump to the throat. The aviation sequences are similarly scintillating and have a real sense of authenticity. The ending stuck with me.
Altogether, great with a lot of emotional impact and a brilliant cast. 9/10 -
ofumalow26 August 2020This is one of several bitterly antiwar movies from the early 1930s that occurred in a brief window between a vogue for movies that celebrated WW1 combat, and the need to turn Americans away from pacifist sentiments by later in the 1930s. Aside from "All Quiet on the Western Front," these movies (like the excellent "The Last Flight and "Heroes for Sale") aren't very well-remembered, and probably weren't particularly popular at the time, as they're...well pretty bleak, despite a certain amount of comedy (here supplied by Jack Oakie, who nonetheless shows more dramatic capability that he normally got a chance to demonstrate), manly banter and such. There isn't much room for women in them, and Carole Lombard's one-scene role as "The Beautiful Lady" (really, that's about the extent of her character) indeed strikes the one false, gratuitous note here, though it's hardly her fault.
Anyway, this is a strong little drama with Frederic March as a flyer who's decorated for shooting down so many "Jerries," but doesn't enjoy that, or even less the fact that his co-pilots have so often been killed. Cary Grant offers good support as an initially adversarial fellow flyer whose attitude is more cavalier than March's, but who comes to understand him--and provide a great, thankless service to him at the end. There's a fair amount of aerial footage involving dogfights, but this is really more a psychological study than an action movie.
I'm not sure why this director (the successful stage entrepreneur Stuart Walker) quit that job for producing soon afterward, as the dozen or so films he directed in the early 30s seem well above average as a whole. Then he died of a heart attack at just 51, in 1941. If his screen career hadn't been so brief, he'd surely be regarded ore highly today. -
Kinokima6 September 2009Often when a classic movie is forgotten there is a good reason for it. However this is not the case with Eagle & the Hawk. Sure it's no masterpiece but it's a pretty solid WWI movie that focuses on the realities of war. It reminds me somewhat of "All Quiet on the Western Front." It's not quite as good as that but it has similar themes.
The movie stars Fredric March & Cary Grant. Cary Grant is probably the more well known star today but back in 1933 March was the bigger name and he is the main star with Grant as the supporting player. I love Cary Grant and he does a pretty good job here playing a character that is not completely sympathetic. This is the type of part that you would not really see from him later in his career. However March is the real star of this picture and he is absolutely fantastic as a soldier who slowly loses his nerve. It's a real shame March is not better remembered today. Overall March and Grant have great on screen chemistry and interact well as two WWI pilots who dislike each other yet respect the others' abilities. The ending in my opinion is also quite memorable.
The only sour point of the film is a small cameo by Carole Lombard. Don't get me wrong I am a big fan of Lombard but her part is pretty pointless here and it doesn't mesh with the rest of the film. It just seems the writers wanted to add a little romance to the movie whether it fit or not. -
In the vein of films like Hell's Angels and Wings, The Eagle and the Hawk takes its place as possibly the third best air film of the era. March is perfectly cast and does a great job with his character. Oakie is OK, and Grant is passable as a washout. However, Grant did not excel in military films, and another actor in this role might have been more effective. Still, a watchable and entertaining film.
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kenstallings-6534615 April 2018It's rare to the point of nearly impossible to find someone who fights in a war to be truly pro-war. So, when the phrase "anti-war" is so easily tossed around in Hollywood circles, it implies a falsehood. That falsehood is that one has to divorce himself from the notion of professional duty to be anti-war.
In the years between the world wars, it was perhaps chic to label war as so utterly evil that the only moral men to engage in warfare are those who's souls are eaten up by it. Witnessing the wholesale slaughter of the World War I battlefields, combined with the horrible events after the war ended, one could understand being jaded.
But, this film takes it to a whole other level. Cynically portraying the star of the film as so totally destroyed psychologically that he committed suicide, and then has his suicide covered up by another member of the squadron who takes him up in a plane while already dead to fake his death by enemy action, might play well to the "war is for losers" crowd, but hardly fit in with the stark truth of why war is sometimes the last resort against evil.
The end credits of the film start with the scene of a plaque inscribed: "Captain J.H. Young, who gallantly gave his life in aerial combat to save the world for democracy."
The obvious message is that fighting to preserve democracy is a cheap act, rendered amoral by the evil of warfare.
Such drivel was driven entirely out of public discourse just a few years later with the rise of the Nazis. The reality that sometimes war can be fought out of simple survival was driven home plainly enough. Moreover, war is sometimes the only way to defeat true evil. And in that effort, those who sacrifice their lives deserve more than to be thought of as psychotic beings.
The reason this film went into obscurity is that this truth became so crystal clear when war in Europe erupted in late 1939. By the time the brutal reality of the Holocaust was fully revealed after 1945, the need of war to vanquish evil was no longer a theory, but a reality soaked with the blood of millions.
There is nuance to the evils of war, as well as to the reality that sometimes war is necessary. This film attempts to strike no such balance. It is a blunt force effort that sets out to show war as entirely evil, an exercise of pure butchery devoid of necessity, and one that in the act must resort to deceit to portray itself in false heroic terms. It renders war as little more than senseless violence, much as a dog getting run over by a truck.
Worse, a film like this one openly projects anyone who seeks to understand these nuances as being perverted. Such paternalistic rubbish might have appealed to an audience chaffed by the experiences of World War I, but not to audiences wizened by the cataclysm of World War II. After that war, no theater would have dared to play it to the public for risk of provoking anger.
Most who have fought in war are affected in many ways, physical and psychological. But, in a more nuanced manner than portrayed in this film, and for the most part not in a manner that renders pointless the reasons for war, especially a war to fight against barbarity that seeks to enslave humanity.
Mankind best lives in a world of peace, but peace is not merely the absence of war, but instead is the presence of human liberty. Consequently, the true lesson of war is that it is evil, but those who fight it can be heroic men of duty, who nonetheless recognize the better nature of true peace.