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The Dawn Patrol
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The Dawn Patrol (1938) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
7.6/10   908 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
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Director:
Edmund Goulding
Writers:
Seton I. Miller (screenplay) and
Dan Totheroh (screenplay) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for The Dawn Patrol on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
24 December 1938 (USA) more
Genre:
War | Drama more
Tagline:
They roared through the dawn . . . with death on their wings ! more
Plot:
British flying aces in World War I contend with the harsh realities of war. full summary | add synopsis
User Comments:
Exciting & Anguishing Film About "the next man who dies" more

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Errol Flynn ... Captain Courtney
Basil Rathbone ... Major Brand

David Niven ... Lieutenant Scott
Donald Crisp ... Phipps
Melville Cooper ... Sergeant Watkins
Barry Fitzgerald ... Bott
Carl Esmond ... Von Mueller
Peter Willes ... Hollister
Morton Lowry ... Donnie Scott
Michael Brooke ... Captain Squires
James Burke ... Flaherty - Motorcycle Driver
Stuart Hall ... Bentham
Herbert Evans ... Scott's Mechanic
Sidney Bracey ... Major Brand's Orderly (as Sidney Bracy)
Leo Nomis ... Aeronautic Supervisor
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Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Runtime:
103 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English | German
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
Canada:14A (Ontario) | USA:TV-PG (TV rating) | Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #4585)
Filming Locations:
Calabasas, California, USA

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The filmmakers needed several shots of the planes taking off and landing. They assembled a squadron of 17 vintage WW1 aircraft, most of them Nieuports. Flying them proved just as hazardous as in WW1. By the time filming ended, stunt flyers had crashed 15 of them. more
Goofs:
Continuity: In the beginning the planes shown landing and the planes that taxi up to the hangers. more
Quotes:
Capt. Courtney: [Asking Phipps to translate to the German POW] Ask him if he'll drink a toast to the dead. more
Movie Connections:
Features The Dawn Patrol (1930) more
Soundtrack:
Plum and Apple more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
10 out of 10 people found the following comment useful:-
Exciting & Anguishing Film About "the next man who dies", 20 April 2004
Author: mlktrout from Florida

I first saw this movie when I was 16, and didn't understand a lot of its subtleties; I just thought it was an exciting & dramatic war film with a lot of great flying sequences. I caught it again when I was 34 and was surprised at its depth.

I like to watch this movie whenever my own job gets crazy and hectic, with unrealistic deadlines and insufficient support, because it reminds me that I really don't have it so bad after all. The men in this movie were sent up daily in obsolete equipment in a bad state of disrepair; as the film progressed the squadron had about a 70% turnover as the combat veterans were shot down and replaced by green kids whose limited training could not possibly have prepared them for what they would face.

The characters are all dissected, even lesser, supporting roles receive excellent character studies, and the stars of course are downright fascinating. It's a thrill to learn that Errol Flynn (Captain Courtney) really could act, as well as just jump around and wave a sword; David Niven is wonderfully innocent and almost childlike as "Scotty," and Basil Rathbone, a truly great actor who seldom got the chance to strut his stuff since he was usually typecast as a "bad guy" or as Sherlock Holmes, gives a nerve-wrenching performance as Major Brand, who's floundering under the strain. He proves a profound point -- it is often easier to go to your own death than to order others to do so, a lesson Captain Courtney and Lt. Scott must reluctantly learn as well.

I'm now 44, and have seen this movie a couple dozen times, but it never ages. The flying sequences are still exciting; the chivalry and wild antics of the fliers never becomes tiresome or old, and the anguish of war is still as heartbreaking. Truly a movie that will last.

SO, WHY ISN'T IT ON DVD YET???

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