A Movie Idea

[Kirk]

In today's high tech world of computer animation, wouldn't the story of Frank Luke make a great movie? The Hollywood types could build a couple replica SPAD's and then easily create the balance of the aircraft using computers. The story is great and the characters are exciting. Luke is the perfect "rebel without a cause" type of hero Hollywood likes.

Mr. Spielberg, do you visit this forum?

Good idea, Kirk! We have not had a good aviation movie on W.W. 1 since the "The Blue Max" .
Does anyone have any contacts in Hollywood?
As to the acting, how about Brad Pitt as Franck Luke?

In don't know. 14 of his 18 victories where against balloons. I think Holywood would be more interested in dogfights.

[stephen]

Like MvR, Luke is the perfect drama/tragedy, with an appropriately dramatic ending for Hollywood. About two or three years ago on this forum, there was a lot of talk about a Luke movie being made but it never came to anything that I'm aware of. And apparently there is a script, already written, on Luke that has already been bought by a major motion picture company (somebody help me here) but never produced.

Regardless, Luke, MvR or Voss have all the credentials and the perfect dramatic ending for a great film.

[Kirk]

Nungesser wouldn't be a bad choice either but shots of Luke whizzing past exploding Drachens would be pretty exciting. He'd be dodging the Flak and MG fire. And of course the dogfights would be there, but they just wouldn't be seen every time he takes off. There would be enough variability in it to keep everyone interested.
I honestly believe the technology exists today to make a great WWI aviation film that stays true to the facts. They wouldn't need to paint up a couple old Dehavilland Tiger Moths and call them Fokker DVII's. With computers being what they are, the theater could be filled with authentic looking Allied and German aircraft.

[Lufbery]

I honestly believe the technology exists today to make a great WWI aviation film that stays true to the facts. They wouldn't need to paint up a couple old Dehavilland Tiger Moths and call them Fokker DVII's. With computers being what they are, the theater could be filled with authentic looking Allied and German aircraft.

Hi Kirk,

I'm of two minds on the issue of movie making technology. On the one hand, I agree with you that computer animation is looking pretty good these days. The Phantom Menace, the Matrix, Gladiator, and The Fellowship of the Ring looked great, and each was progressively better than the last.

On the other hand, what I saw of Pearl Harbor (which wasn't much) was okay, but the Zekes were seen doing some really odd maneuvers. However, the air battle scene in Tora Tora Tora, using real planes, was fantastic. I'm beginning to feel that real, physical objects are preferable to computer generated images.

There was an episode of Young Indiana Jones (Attack of the Hawkmen) where he flew with the Lafayette Escadrille and got to meet a bunch of famous WWI pilots from both sides. That episode's air scenes were filmed using R/C models, and I was completely fooled. I guess the CGI stuff has progressed to the point where it looks really good, but it still doesn't look completely authentic. Models, however, can fool almost anybody. My ideal, then, would be a movie using a judicious mix of models and computer generated imagery.

Personally, I'd love to see a movie about the 94th U.S. Aero Squadon.

Regards,

Greetings!
A movie about Lothar von Richthofen (sic?) would be terrific. The guy tore things up while he was out there, and had he not almost put his face through the dashboard he might have outscored Manfred.

Joe McCarthy

[vince14]

I think there are loads of WW1 airmen's stories that would make great movies - the Richthofens, Mannock, Bishop etc, but (lets face it) Hollywood would only do an authentic WW1 aviation film if the lead role was an American. Therefore, if one ever gets made it's going to be about Luke.

Knowing the history re-writing skills of Hollywood scriptwriters though, (Pearl Harbor or U-571 for example) I suspect that they'd have an American shooting down Manfred whilst flying underneath the Eiffel Tower!

Vince

[BobE]

I'm afraid Hollywood will never understand that the reality is a hundred times more interesting than what they can do to it. Too many creative types that have to show how "creative" they are. You know what they would do (and have done) to MVR. A really complex personality but invariably reduced to a stereotypical stick figure. But we can dream!
Bob E

Frank Luke would be the ideal subject for a Great War aviation flick. *Flaming Drachens, Parisian debauchery, his buddy Joe Wehner . . . why, the last stand alone would deserve an entire reel unto itself!!But, *please*, no Brad Pitt . . . Luke woulda puked . . .Yours aye,Bill