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Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Dive Bomber (1941)

A Navy flight surgeon (Errol Flynn) clashes with a daredevil pilot (Fred MacMurray) but they eventually put their difference aside to work together in an attempt to solve blackouts during nose dives as well as high altitude sickness. This overlong (it runs over two hours) aviation adventure needed cutting shears applied to it. Plenty of Technicolor footage of planes taking off, planes flying in formation, planes doing nose dives, planes landing until it ultimately becomes tedious. The irony is that the aerial footage is the best thing about the film! We also could have dispensed with Alexis Smith's character who pops up every now and then to assure us that Flynn and MacMurray are heterosexual. There's a tight no nonsense action picture in there if only the fat were trimmed. As it stands, the aviation buffs will probably enjoy the flying sequences but everyone else will be bored. Still, Bert Glennon's Oscar nominated color cinematography is quite nice. Max Steiner's military score is shamefully lazy. Directed by Michael Curtiz (his 12th and final film with Flynn). With Ralph Bellamy, Craig Stevens, Robert Armstrong, Regis Toomey, Ann Doran and Allen Jenkins.

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