About The Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress (1944)
The story behind the film
In 1942 the Hollywood director William Wyler — director of Mrs. Miniver, Wuthering Heights and The Little Foxes — joined the US Army Air Forces as a major and was sent to England to film the daylight bombing campaign over Europe. The heavy bombers of the Eighth Air Force were suffering terrible losses, and crews were told that after 25 combat missions they could go home. Few were making it that far.
Wyler and his small team, working with the First Motion Picture Unit, flew on real combat missions with B-17 Flying Fortress crews from RAF Bassingbourn, using 16mm colour film and cameras mounted in different positions around the aircraft. The crew they ultimately followed was that of the Memphis Belle, piloted by Captain Robert K. Morgan, which in May 1943 became one of the first B-17 crews to complete 25 missions and was the first to return to the United States, where it toured the country to promote war bonds.
The film presents the Belle's "last" mission — a raid on Wilhelmshaven, Germany — from briefing to take-off, to the flak and fighter attacks over the target, to the anxious wait on the ground as the planes return. In fact, it combines footage from several missions, and the flight shown was actually the crew's next-to-last.
Cast & crew
- Directed by William Wyler for the US Army Air Forces
- Narrated by Eugene Kern
- Cinematography by William Wyler, William H. Clothier and Harold J. Tannenbaum
- The real crew of the Memphis Belle, including Capt. Robert K. Morgan (pilot) and Capt. James A. Verinis (co-pilot)
Why it's worth watching
Few films capture what the air war was actually like as directly as this one. The colour footage — shot in freezing temperatures at high altitude, in the middle of real combat — shows the cramped interior of the B-17, the gunners at their stations, the flak bursts and the German fighters diving in. Wyler doesn't hide the cost: we see damaged planes struggling home and wounded men being lifted out. It was made as a morale-boosting film for audiences at home, but it has the force of a document.
At about 40 minutes, it's an essential watch for anyone interested in World War II history or aviation.
Fun facts
- One of the cinematographers, First Lieutenant Harold J. Tannenbaum, a veteran of World War I, was killed when the bomber he was filming from was shot down over France in April 1943.
- Wyler flew several combat missions himself while making the film; on a later flight he lost much of his hearing in one ear.
- The story inspired the 1990 dramatised feature Memphis Belle, co-produced by Wyler's daughter Catherine Wyler.
- The real Memphis Belle aircraft has been restored and is displayed at the National Museum of the US Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.
Public-domain status
The Memphis Belle was produced by the US Army Air Forces. Works created by the US federal government are not protected by copyright (17 U.S.C. §105), so the film is in the public domain. See "Rights & source" below.