Hell's Angels (1930)
Posted by DEWEY MEE on Apr 2nd 2024
Howard Hughes' Pre-Code anti-war epic is all over the place, but also frequently arresting. You can tell "Hell's Angels" was made during a transitional period in Hollywood. In the restored print offered at Zeus, most of the film is in Black And White, but a few scenes are in early Technicolor; while a few others seem to have a Sepia tint to them. Hughes was obviously experimenting, or trying to prove he could do everything; be bold and daring in one epic movie.
At the dawn of World War I, brothers Roy and Monte (James Hall and Ben Lyon) both have a (separate) fling with Helen (Jean Harlow).
Monte is wise to Helen from the start. Roy remains romantically and moronically clueless, and egocentric Helen couldn't care less about either Roy or Monte.
Viewers may wonder why Harlow's harlot Helen is in the picture at all, as the "love triangle" is particularly annoying, contrived and peripheral to the plot. The real "plot" of "Hell's Angels" is brotherly love and the sacrifices and horrors of war. Several obedient Germans jump to suicide at the slightest command without question, and Monte obviously suffers from severe PTSD.
"Hell's Angels" really takes off during the alternately thrilling and nerve-wracking ariel flight and fight sequences. These are obviously the sequences Hughes was most interested in. James Whale and Edmund Goulding also served as directors, which, given Hughes' obsessive/ control freak nature, is not surprising at all. I must, however, give Hughes extra points for his ambition.
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