Memphis Belle (1990)

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.

Director:

Michael Caton-Jones

Writer:

Monte Merrick

Stars:

Matthew Modine, Eric Stoltz, Tate Donovan

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Matthew Modine	...	Capt. Dennis Dearborn
Eric Stoltz	...	Sgt. Danny "Danny Boy" Daly
Tate Donovan	...	1st Lt. Luke Sinclair
D.B. Sweeney	...	Lt. Phil Lowenthal
Billy Zane	...	Lt. Val "Valentine" Kozlowski
Sean Astin	...	Sgt. Richard "Rascal" Moore
Harry Connick Jr.	...	Sgt. Clay Busby
Reed Diamond	...	Sgt. Virgil Hoogesteger (as Reed Edward Diamond)
Courtney Gains	...	Sgt. Eugene McVey
Neil Giuntoli	...	Sgt. Jack Bocci
David Strathairn	...	Col. Craig Harriman
John Lithgow	...	Lt.Col. Bruce Derringer
Jane Horrocks	...	Faith
Mac McDonald	...	Les (as Mac Macdonald)
Jodie Brooke Wilson	...	Singer (as Jodie Wilson)

Storyline

It's May 1943 at a US Army Air Corps base in England. The four officers and six enlisted men of the Memphis Belle - a B-17 bomber so nicknamed for the girlfriend of its stern and stoic captain, Dennis Dearborn - will soon start their twenty-fifth mission, having completed their previous twenty-four successfully with nary an incident, while fewer and fewer other planes are coming back from their missions at all. If they complete their next mission successfully, they will be the first Army Air Corps B-17 Crew to complete their tour of duty. Visiting communications officer Lt. Col. Bruce Derringer wants to publicize and highly tout their accomplishment, even before it happens, as a long term good news campaign at a time when there is little good news to report. Derringer's plan is against the wishes of the base commander, Col. Craig Harriman, who would prefer to treat the ten as any of his other hard working men. The previous success of the Memphis Belle is despite the disparate natures ...

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Plot Keywords:

b 17 bomber | england | engineer | airman | bombing | 

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Taglines:

Brave young men who rode on the wings of victory.

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Genres:

Action | Drama | War

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

UK Japan USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 October 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Bela Memphis

Filming Locations:

England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$23,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,026,846, 14 October 1990, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$27,441,977

Company Credits

Production Co:

Enigma Productions,Warner Bros.,Fujisankei Communication Group

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby (35 mm prints)

Color:

Black and White (archive footage) Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The co-pilot of the real Memphis Belle was James Verinas. Col. Morgan always referred to him as the "other" pilot of the "Belle" since he was such an important part of the crew

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Goofs

The real "Memphis Belle" had two additional machine guns pointing through the window in front of the bombardier.

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Quotes

Richard Rascal Moore: Hey is that your new plane out there?
Stan the Rookie: Yeah, Mother and Country.
Richard Rascal Moore: Mother and Country?
[everyone together]
Richard Rascal Moore: Awwww!
Stan the Rookie: We had our first practice today.
Richard Rascal Moore: Oh yeah? How'd it go?
Stan the Rookie: Well, we need a couple more. If you guys have any advice...?
Sgt. Jack Bocci: Yeah, get a gun, shoot yourself in the foot, and go home!
Eugene McVey: Now, that's good advice!
[...]

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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".

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Connections

Featured in The 100 Greatest War Films (2005)

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Soundtracks

Danny Boy
set to the tune of "Londonderry Air" (uncredited)
Lyrics by Frederick Edward Weatherly
Performed by Harry Connick Jr.

User Reviews

A Hollywoodized version of a true story

"Memphis Belle" tells of the last combat mission of a legendary WWII B-17 bomber and her crew. The film is Hollywoodized for entertainment value and doesn't square with history on many counts including a fully fictionalized crew. Nonetheless, the film is offers a good cast, good drama, plenty of suspense and action, and imparts some sense of the daring and danger involved in the Belle's mission #25 and daylight Army Air Corps raids over Western Europe. Worth a look for those unfamiliar with the sacrifices of the air combat crews of WWII.