Lafayette Escadrille

While the title of the film is "Lafayette Escadrille", it really isn't a movie about this famous unit of American pilots...instead, it's mostly an unconvincing romance. It's a shame, as the real story of these men would have been quite interesting without all the extraneous content and embellishment.

When the story begins, Thad (Tab Hunter) has apparently screwed up again and his father is furious with him. So, Thad runs away and joins the Lafayette Escadrille...a unit in the French Air Corps made up of American volunteers, as the US was not officially in WWI at this time. Once he arrives, you see a bit of his flight training...but soon the headstrong Thad decks an officer and is arrested. He soon escapes and makes his way to his girlfriend...and at least 1/3 to 1/2 of the film is about this and not the war nor pilots.

Had the film been about Thad and his girlfriend, it wouldn't have been much of a tribute to the unit...though it might have worked. But the romance seemed artificial and made little sense. After all, we are to believe that Thad would throw everything away on a romance where neither he nor the lady knew each other's language and had never actually had a conversation! As such, it just seemed like an unnecessary plot which got in the way of the story I wanted to see...about these brave pilots.

When I saw the film, I could understand why writer/director Bill Wellman was not happy with what the studio did to his story. How much of this I can blame on him or the studio, I have no idea but the story just didn't work and seemed dull and senseless. If you want a better film about WWI pilots, there are many better flicks, such as "Wings", "Hell's Angels", "The Dawn Patrol", "The Eagle and the Hawk", "The Blue Max" and "Fly Boys".

Thad Walker (Tab Hunter) steals a car and hits a bicyclist. Luckily, the victim survived. His abusive tycoon father is not so delighted. Thad runs away to Europe as a stowaway on a ship. He joins the Lafayette Escadrille, a squad of American flyers fighting for France during WWI. He falls for French girl Renée Beaulieu. George Moseley (Clint Eastwood) is a member of the squad.

To me, Tab Hunter is a beef cake with limited acting skills. He doesn't have that many chances to be shirtless, but he makes every one of them count. It is interesting that they gave him a scar on his face. It actually helped his acting. The movie is slow and plodding when it's only his story. It becomes more fun when it's the group. It doesn't hurt to have future star Clint Eastwood in the mix. I like the group, but I like the flying more. I love the trainer planes. They look like kites with wings. If there is more room to grow, it would be more flying sequences. I'm a sucker for real planes and real flying. There is some good flying at the end, but the movie needs more of it especially during the middle part.

A project very close to director William Wellman's heart, this semi-autobiographical account of his escapades in the title organization during WWI only partly succeeds. Hunter is a shiftless and troublesome youth who, after stealing a car and causing an accident, decides to enlist in a French air corp which allows American men to wear French uniforms and fight the war against Germany (the U.S. not having entered the war at this point.) On the sea voyage to France, Hunter meets up with older man Janssen and young, eager enlistees Hover and Wellman Jr (playing his own father.) They've scarcely downed their first glass of beer in a cafe when Hunter falls under the spell of misty-eyed French girl Choureau. He disappears with her for ten days, only resurfacing in time for his adventures in the Escadrille. The men are shown training for their flight careers in a comic, credibility-straining way with a bumbling Drillmaster barely able to communicate with them. Eventually, they take to the air and help the cause, though Hunter (due to his obsessive love for Choreau) runs into more trouble than he was in to begin with! Here the film becomes less about the Lafayette Escadrille and more about the troubled and contrived affairs of the young lovers. The films strengths lie in the cheerful, fraternity-like interactions of the men (even if narrator Wellman dwells on each one in the beginning, denoting their ultimate fate before the viewers have even met them), many of whom are played by actors who were just on the verge of greater things. It's interesting to see men like Halsey, Hutchins, Laughlin and especially Eastwood in these roles, though their lack of screen time ultimately becomes a bit of a frustration because their fame lends their smallish roles more weight than they were probably meant to have. Another big plus is gloriously handsome and beaming Hunter, though his looks are altered part way through the film. His charm is utilized throughout to help smooth over his character's selfish and foolish edges. It's also nice to get a glimpse into this little-known aspect of WWI and Wellman clearly wanted to bring various remembrances and details of his experience to the film. What doesn't work is the unevenness in tone of the film. It sways wildly from slapstick comedy to soapy romance to documentary to action. The title suggests a survey of the air corp along with action and aerial sequences (which do occur), yet the film turns into a "Let's Play House" love story complete with unintelligible murmurings from Choreau and a loopy, boozing, one-armed hotelier. This division of focus does more against the film than for it. Though he did manage to carve out a minor Hollywood career for himself, it should be noted that Wellman Jr, though amiable, gives a very stiff, flat performance as his father (though it couldn't have been easy to step into the role and be directed by Wellman Sr!) Hunter is beautiful and gives a committed performance. Janssen doesn't get to do a lot more than smart off and the rest of the men don't appear all that much (but they do show off their attractive physiques occasionally.) There is a (non-PC by today's standards) hilarious little part played by Nakamura as the men's human alarm clock and coffee pourer. In all, an okay film that could have been much better if the focus had remained where it belonged, which is on the fighting men of the Lafayette Escadrille. Studio tampering led to a happier ending for Hunter's character than was intended, much to Wellman's dismay.

The films involving early flying, aircraft and the conflict of air battle are very interesting. However, due to the limited equipment and the lack of good directors and writers, the earliest offerings of movie flying are greatly lacking. The late great Howard Hughes did one called 'Hells Angels' which was not bad, but difficult to follow. This is one of those attempts. The casting is overloaded with prime star material, in fact this movie has some of the best aspiring talent in Hollywood. If you'll look closely, you'll see, David Janssen, playing Duke Sinclair, Clint Eastwood playing George Moseley, Tom (Billy Jack) Laughlin as Arthur Blumenthal, Paul Fix as the General and Will Hutchins as Dave Putnam. Tab Hunter is Thad Walker in this story which is more love story than W.W.I fighting epic, is fine for it's day, but somewhat of a sleeper for modern audiences. Nvertheless, a good offering of primitive flying and fanciful storyline for it's time. ***

Every scene between Thad and what's-her-name dragged the movie down. Sorry, the movie is called "Lafayette Escadrille", not "Thad and, Whomever Get Hitched." Yaaaaaaaaaawwn. David Janssen was terrific. Always a solid performance from him and the rest of the cast was also splendid to watch. Why William Wellman, Jr. didn't get better parts is beyond me. A great actor, nah, but did a nice job. Sure, Tab Hunter was used by the studio as the draw and I enjoyed his performance, and I guess having a love interest isn't a crime, but it took up way too much of the film and frankly ruined the whole experience for me. I'm not against love stories, I've enjoyed my share, but when it becomes a focal point of a movie that's supposed to be about the Lafayette Escadrille, well, let's put it this way; I watched it after recording it and ended up using the fast forward button.

What I found truly sad was, this should have been a superior film about the directors personal experiences and featuring his own son playing him. How rare an opportunity is that? As I read in the 'trivia', I guess the studio is to blame. That sickens me. Movie executives can be block headed, simpleminded twerps just like TV executives. What should have been a brilliant and fascinating film, was a mediocre crapshoot. How very, very sad.