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IMDbPro

Memphis Belle

  • 19901990
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 1h 47m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
29K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,180
5
Sean Astin, Matthew Modine, Eric Stoltz, D.B. Sweeney, Billy Zane, Harry Connick Jr., Tate Donovan, Reed Diamond, Courtney Gains, and Neil Giuntoli in Memphis Belle (1990)
Home Video Trailer from Warner Home Video
Play trailer1:37
1 Video
39 Photos
ActionDramaWar
In 1943, the crew of a B-17 based in UK prepares for its 25th and last bombing mission over Germany before returning home to the USA.In 1943, the crew of a B-17 based in UK prepares for its 25th and last bombing mission over Germany before returning home to the USA.In 1943, the crew of a B-17 based in UK prepares for its 25th and last bombing mission over Germany before returning home to the USA.
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
29K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,180
5
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Michael Caton-Jones
    • Writer
      • Monte Merrick
    • Stars
      • Matthew Modine
      • Eric Stoltz
      • Tate Donovan
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Michael Caton-Jones
    • Writer
      • Monte Merrick
    • Stars
      • Matthew Modine
      • Eric Stoltz
      • Tate Donovan
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 93User reviews
    • 22Critic reviews
    • 59Metascore
    • Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
      • 1 win & 4 nominations total

    Videos1

    Memphis Belle
    Trailer 1:37
    Memphis Belle

    Photos39

    Memphis Belle (1990)
    Memphis Belle (1990)
    Eric Stoltz in Memphis Belle (1990)
    Eric Stoltz in Memphis Belle (1990)
    Eric Stoltz in Memphis Belle (1990)
    John Lithgow in Memphis Belle (1990)
    Harry Connick Jr. in Memphis Belle (1990)
    Jane Horrocks in Memphis Belle (1990)
    David Strathairn and John Lithgow in Memphis Belle (1990)
    Matthew Modine in Memphis Belle (1990)
    Sean Astin, Eric Stoltz, Harry Connick Jr., Reed Diamond, Courtney Gains, and Neil Giuntoli in Memphis Belle (1990)
    Matthew Modine in Memphis Belle (1990)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Matthew Modine
    Matthew Modine
    • Capt. Dennis Dearborn
    Eric Stoltz
    Eric Stoltz
    • Sgt. Danny "Danny Boy" Daly
    Tate Donovan
    Tate Donovan
    • 1st Lt. Luke Sinclair
    D.B. Sweeney
    D.B. Sweeney
    • Lt. Phil Lowenthal
    Billy Zane
    Billy Zane
    • Lt. Val "Valentine" Kozlowski
    Sean Astin
    Sean Astin
    • Sgt. Richard "Rascal" Moore
    Harry Connick Jr.
    Harry Connick Jr.
    • Sgt. Clay Busby
    Reed Diamond
    Reed Diamond
    • Sgt. Virgil Hoogesteger
    • (as Reed Edward Diamond)
    Courtney Gains
    Courtney Gains
    • Sgt. Eugene McVey
    Neil Giuntoli
    Neil Giuntoli
    • Sgt. Jack Bocci
    David Strathairn
    David Strathairn
    • Col. Craig Harriman
    John Lithgow
    John Lithgow
    • Lt.Col. Bruce Derringer
    Jane Horrocks
    Jane Horrocks
    • Faith
    Mac McDonald
    Mac McDonald
    • Les
    • (as Mac Macdonald)
    Jodie Brooke Wilson
    • Singer
    • (as Jodie Wilson)
    Keith Edwards
    • S-2
    Steven Mackintosh
    Steven Mackintosh
    • Stan the Rookie
    Greg Charles
    • Adjutant
    • Director
      • Michael Caton-Jones
    • Writer
      • Monte Merrick
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The navigator of the real Memphis Belle was Charles Leighton. From Flint Michigan, he retired as a teacher and counselor. He saved the Belle and other B-17s after identifying false German radio beacons designed to lure unwary B-17s into harm's way.
    • Goofs
      In Memphis Belle the bomber force is ordered to circle back to the Initial Point when the Primary Target is obscured by smoke or cloud cover. In reality, this would NOT have happened. First, it is VERY hard to have a formation of 300-plus Forts make a 180 degree turn. Second, such a maneuver would alert all flak batteries as to the actual target. Third, such a maneuver would keep the force under fighter attack longer than need be. In actuality, bomber crews were briefed on a primary, a secondary, a tertiary and targets of opportunity. If the primary target was unable to be hit, the primary became the IP to set up on the secondary. If the secondary were unable to be hit, it became the IP for the tertiary, and if that were unable to be hit, the force commander (NOT the pilot of the lead aircraft) would issue an order to go after targets of opportunity. Failing that, the mission would be aborted and the crews would dump their ordnance in either the North Sea or the English Channel. The mission would count toward tour completion, as the crews would have been in combat, and were over enemy territory.
    • Quotes

      Richard Rascal Moore: [a German fighter has just passed extremely close under the belly of the plane, right past Rascal] That guy had blue eyes!

    • Alternate versions
      The UK cinema version was rated 12, and was uncut. The video release was rated PG, and removed the use of "all fucked up".
    • Connections
      Edited into Dark Blue World (2001)
    • Soundtracks
      The Chestnut Tree
      Written by Tommie Connor, Jimmy Kennedy and Hamilton Kennedy

    User reviews93

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    Curiously Old-Fashioned
    I first saw this movie on video round about 1991, when I was about seven years old or so. I enjoyed it then, because it had airplanes in it, and there was nothing particularly offensive or difficult for a seven year old boy to understand.

    Watching it again some nineteen years later, I'm struck by the exact same things. It's a very family-friendly war movie, earnestly trying to show us the difficult lives of American bomber pilots in Europe in 1943. The cast of characters come out of a guidebook for writing war movies, complete with The Religious One ("There's always a religious one," says John Lithgow's character), The Scared One, The Good-Luck Charm, The Smartass, and The Captain. The screenplay hits all the familiar notes: the crew pulling together for one last mission, overcoming obstacles, bonding as a surrogate family.

    The actors all do a good job. Reed Diamond, Sean Astin, Matthew Modine, and Eric Stoltz are the most noteworthy (and how young they all were in 1990!), plus Lithgow and David Strathairn on the ground. Modine is almost funny as the straight-laced pilot who seems uncomfortably aware of just how boring he really is. Stoltz stands out in the thankless role of the all-around nice guy who gets wounded.

    The flying scenes are exceptional. Real B-17s were filmed at real wartime airfields, and there's a bare-bones authenticity about a lot of it. The scenes inside the Memphis Belle, where most of the movie takes place, do an excellent job of showing you how cramped, cold, and noisy a place like that could be. Not to mention dangerous: the action scenes when German fighters attack the bombers flick by at a very fast pace, which must be something like what the bomber crews experienced. All this, of course, has been cleaned up for movie audiences: real bomber crews would never have taken off their oxygen masks or engaged in the lengthy conversations and horseplay featured in the film.

    So it's a sincere and generally harmless movie, saturated in nostalgia, motivated by a desire to pay tribute to its subjects. That leads it into clichéd territory, leaving me with the feeling that the producers dusted off a screenplay dating to the 1950s, only adding a few lines here and there for modern audiences. Not entirely a bad thing, mind you, but not all that it could have been. Notable, however, is the total absence of the sort of flag-waving patriotism we've come to expect from period war films: there's nary an American flag in sight, and the film is dedicated to all the pilots and aircrews who lost their lives in the war -- not just the Allies.
    helpful•13
    1
    • The_Other_Snowman
    • Apr 9, 2010

    FAQ1

    • What are the differences between the British PG Version and the Uncensored Version?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 12, 1990 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United Kingdom
      • Japan
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Warner Bros. (United States)
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Красуня з Мемфіса
    • Filming locations
      • RAF Binbrook, Lincolnshire, England, UK
    • Production companies
      • Enigma Productions
      • Fujisankei Communication Group
      • British Satellite Broadcasting (BSB)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $23,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $27,441,977
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $5,026,846
      • Oct 14, 1990
    • Gross worldwide
      • $27,441,977
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 47 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Related news

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    Sean Astin, Matthew Modine, Eric Stoltz, D.B. Sweeney, Billy Zane, Harry Connick Jr., Tate Donovan, Reed Diamond, Courtney Gains, and Neil Giuntoli in Memphis Belle (1990)
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