The Crew of the Dora (1943) User Reviews (3)

You really need to like your fellow airman in a Ju-88

[robinakaaly · 7/10 · 30 January 2011]

I was taught at school that you couldn't understand history properly until at least fifty years after the event, and I am particularly convinced of this truism in the light of the popular perception of WWII and the events leading up to it. (For example, "Mirror, mirror, on the wall, Who was the most evil dictator of all?") The Internet Archive is therefore to be congratulated for posting a large number of German and Soviet films from the thirties and forties which have previously been unavailable. It is to be hoped that eventually Japanese films will similarly appear. The great value in these films, which may well be considered propaganda, or at least morale raisers, is that they give a clue to how people thought of and saw themselves. Whilst the propaganda elements may be distrusted (but then so can the American "Why We Fight" series), the pictures themselves have real historical value.

In this film, the main lines of the plot were straightforward (the love lives of a Ju-88 aircrew), but being in German, I missed almost all the detail of the dialogue. The film starts with some aerial sequences of the Ju-88, which is apparently a photo reconnaissance version on the Eastern Front. The aircraft is apparently damaged and does a wheels up landing: the footage was of a real accident, not a model. There are scenes on the air base, probably in Poland from the village scenes round about, where "Heil Hitlering" is not as common as more modern films would have you believe. Much of the romance is carried on in Berlin, in roof-top cafes and around and on the Wannsee. The impression is of a great city going about its normal business, with the war being a long way away and food shortages of the sort William Shirer reported on from Berlin not pressing. There is no evidence of air raid precautions. Everybody seems young and gay and the trams ran to time, albeit with girl conductors. In the hospital all is neat and orderly and under control. Occasionally the aircrew go on missions and are attacked but unharmed by Russian fighters. Actually, the aerial sequences give a good impression of how cramped the 4 seat Ju-88 was. The air crew are transferred to North Africa where they sample oriental delights, including a topless dancer (Goebbels liked these - vide Münchhausen). Back on active service their aircraft makes another forced landing. The desert sequences were particularly effective in showing what it must have been like to be stranded in the desert. Near death, they are spotted by an Italian air force Savoia-Marchetti (possibly an SM-79 variant) and rescued. Back in Berlin, the rivals in the air crew find their nurse ladylove about to marry one of her patients. After a lavish wedding with many horse-drawn carriages, the rivals head after alternative conquests. Apparently the film was withdrawn in 1944 because of references to going to live in the East ("Gouvernement").

Pretty Good Straight Adventure Flick

[boblipton · 6/10 · 25 October 2021]

The Dora is a photographic unit plane the sort that flies over enemy locations and takes pictures for the wonks to figure out what the items of military importance are. It's not about the Dora, but, as the title states, her crew, all good-looking young men. It starts out with Josef Dahmen about to be married to Charlott Daudert, but she changes her mind at the last minute. This means that his mates try to deal with his depression by hooking him up with another girl.

This and other plots about the love life of German Luftwaffe crew makes up about half the movie. The other half consists of most of the crew in the African campaign, stranded in the desert and waiting for rescue that seems will never come.

In other words, it's an ordinary war movie, competently made by Karl Ritter. He has a reputation of being a bad film maker, a reputation I feel that is based on the large amounts of propaganda in his movies from the middle of the 1930s; yes, it's there, and it's annoying, but somehow no one ever complains about the propaganda content of Soviet films from the 1920s and 1930s. Looking at Ritter, I will freely admit that as a writer-director-producer, he was not a great writer, but here, with a standard sort of adventure movie, with the propaganda not noticeable, it's a nice flick.

Who do you think Goebbels was kidding?

[cynthiahost · 10/10 · 23 June 2011]

Who do you think he was kidding . The German film audience? The pro war ,pro military , the cross. All the uniforms and Nazi tassels and but only one Nazi salute with no Hi Hitler? Then it all disappears and becomes normal salutes. Do you think the audience was that dumb? This hilarious pro war Nazi propaganda comedy is about 4 crazy Nazi air force guys, who fly a plane for the Nazi air force call the Dora. Hannes Seltzer, Hurbert Kiurina ,joseph Dahmen,who was also in Die Goldene Stadt and a young George Thomalla. Wolfgang Priest, who was in die Grosse liebe, portrays the staff doctor of the little Nazi air force unit, Character actor stalwart, Clemens Hasse shows up at a staff officer.The women of this Nazi comedy are Carsta Lock, the one who would play the secretary in the great Mandarin , As a street car ticket lady. Susi Graf , who Ironically plays a Doctor in spite of the fact that Women were viewed as inferiors by the Nazi government, who works at a lake side hospital clinic for soldiers , which looks exactly like the same location that Opfergang and Immensees were shot, packed with a chorus of nurses. Charlotte Dauder, who works at a professional farm. When these men go on assignments they never get killed or even injured. Their enemies ? A wasp and a bunch of cowardly Russians. They aren't very responsible . In the begging all the members of the Air force unit are worried cause they haven't showed up. All of a sudden they show up but forget to pull the wheels out when landing and ending up a crashed landing.Well it's furlough time. The four men set their vacation time in Berlin. At the clinic Hospital two close friends, or are they twins? flirt with the doctor. In the city George meets what seems to be friend ,played by Carsta Lock , at the street car as he greets her with a kiss. But Carsta Becomes interested Joseph Dahmen. The Bobsy twins are now at the farm where they flirt with Charlotte Daudier but she becomes interested in George Thomala. When both couples ,Charlotte, George, Joseph, Carsta go to a café in Berlin the orchestra is playing illegal music,jazz. The band is playing the Carioca , dubbed with the sound track from flying down to Rio without R.K.O. permission. This must of been from Goebbels own copy. Fraulein doctor romances and teases some of the air force men, Beside the twins, she shows interest in one of the Dora men,Hans Seltzer, as they both go sailing, as part of the doctors therapy, on the lake. But when the Captain, played by Ernest Von Klipstien, gets injured they too go sailing on the lake too but she falls in love with him.It's fun an adventure for the boys of the Dora as they go out to defend there furor doing nothing while every body fighting.As the furloughs is over they leave on their plane to another destination of war ending up playing some pool at the Nazi recreation club. Eventually all three women get together at the clinic for tea and cookies talking about the boys. Well finally they do get an assignment. they go to Africa, to watch a topless dancer at the cafés and tour the country.But something does seriously happen. The enemy knocks them down, The British? the Americans ? the Russians? Nope. It's the ,dessert. Their plain breaks down and they have trouble fixing it. This is the serious part of the movie. All four men are laying down and slowly dying for thirst. One of the two men put their head together and rubbing each other as they talk about the good old days. The Italians come to the rescue . Yes ,The black shirts save them.When they go back to Berlin, the Bobs y twins try to propose to Fraulein doctor but she surprises them. Their captain is now her man. Joseph goes back to Carsta. Thomalla goes Back to Charlotte.They all decide to get married and at a church. At a church? Wasn't that illegal too? Unless it was the church of the third Reich. Charlotte gets late for her wedding. The men go back to war, probably just to play around, Every body live happily ever after knowing they are going to win against Americans Russians and British.Huh! that's what they thought. 07/8/13. International Historical films just released the restored digital from 35MM version with subtitles .Now I understand it.The sub plot between Joseph Dahmen,who has turtle shape eyes, and the dumb blond of third Reich cinema, Charlotte Daudert, is that she had agreed to marry Joseph,but, during his furlough she changed her mind cause she hates farming. George Thomalla tries to change her mind,but end up falling in love with her ,while Dahmen falls in love with George's girl friend ,Carsta Lock.Banned in the video markets in Austria and German has not taken a second look and lifted their ban.It was not seen by third Reich audiences .Because of German loosing the war on Russia ,Goebbels decide to ban it too.It was only shown to the Luftwaffe and guest.On the menus a recreation of the publicity book .Karl Ritter blames and lies that England started the war.this worth collecting now since mainstream broad casting classic film channels are promoting self censorship against showing films like these cause it might offend families of world war 2 veterans and the Jewish.Isn't that's ridiculous? Any how their is no television rights yet to this film.Mainstream rental won't touch this or corporate department store like, example Wallmart.Not even on line.The you tube public domain print has no subtitles and it's a bad print.Take advantage of it I.H.f. offers digital rights but they are expensive. 07/09/13. I might been wrong about the r.k.o. musical track dubbed into the café scene.