El águila y el halcón

THE EAGLE AND THE HAWK is well on the way to being the best film of it's day and contains Frederic March's most impressive performance, nicely set against Cary Grant who had yet to make his own screen presence identifiable.

This stands along side any of it's cycle of aviation films - the great WINGS, HELL'S ANGELS, THE LOST SQUADRON, the draggy Hawks version of DAWN PATROL, THE LAST FLIGHT. The impact is not from the air action but from the way the familiar breaking point material is worked out in terms of character. The mess hall climax and subsequent resolution can't be faulted.

It is amazing that a film saying something so substantial, so well was not singled out by critics or subsequently "discovered." The same may be said of several of March's other films of the day. He remains the most underestimated film star we have.

Though credited to Stuart Walker, it is widely held that the film is the director debut of Mitchel Leisen who did the later and presentable plane movie I WANTED WINGS.

Though just over an hour the film does not have the feeling of slightness. It's tempo is impeccable. I'm impressed every time I run this one.

Powerful anti war movie - the scenes with Frederic March in particular and Cary Grant are quite intense and grim, but there is some relief to counter balance this aspect of the movie in the characters played by Jack Oakie (comic) and Carole Lombard (sympathy).

As another person has noted this was really directed by Mitchell Leisen. who is credited as assistant director. This was his second movie (after Tonight is Ours, also with March in it) and he does a fine job. It shows what a versatile director he was, considering he made him his name later with romance / comedy type movies like Midnight.

It was done pre code but re-released in 1939 with some editing that apparently lessens its impact (I have only seen the edited version). These are referred to in the book Mitchell Leisen Hollywood Director. The scenes with Carole Lombard are longer and imply a sexual relationship afterwards. Cary Grant survives the war but is a broken man.

Would love to see the original (please let me know if anyone has it). If the edited parts are still available this movie would warrant a restoration to its original vision. A DVD release along these lines would be most welcome.

Eagle and the Hawk, The (1933)

**** (out of 4)

Extremely hard-hitting and emotional anti-war film from Paramount features Fredric March, Cary Grant and Carole Lombard but for some reason it seems that history has forgotten this movie. March and Jack Oakie play pilots who are sent to France to lead up a group who, with gunners as protection, fly over hot zones to take pictures of the enemy. March quickly becomes a hero but his soul begins to hurt as he feels responsible for the gunners who are being killed on his mission. Soon the third pilot of the group (Grant) shows up to be a gunner for March but by this time the veteran pilot finds himself questioning the war and his missions. I had never heard of this film or even heard a mention of it when early war films were discussed and that's a real shame because this film deserves to be known by more people. I was really shocked at how brutally honest and at times heart breaking this film was and it's wasn't afraid to show it's feelings towards war. Most war films from this era always ended with a strong victory but this one here isn't about the victories but instead the deaths that it takes to get a win in battle. The film is also rather graphic in some of the death scenes with one of the biggest scenes coming when March must wipe blood off his hands. I've always called March one of the greatest actors in the history of film but this might very well be the best I've seen him. There are two sequences in the film, which the actor just really amazed me and surpassed the greatness he delivered to countless other films. One sequence is where he's having a nightmare about seeing pilots on fire and falling through the air. The second comes when he is being toasted for killing an ace pilot and March finally lets his feelings known. Grant is pretty good in his role as is Oakie. Carole Lombard has a brief, two scene role as a woman who helps March. As with many war films from this era, the aerial scenery is quite breathtaking with some beautiful stunts. These stunts are very good but they never take away from the main goal of the film, which is to show what costs there are to victories. I had never heard of this film but I'm so glad I watched it because it's certainly one of the best of the decade.

The Eagle and the Hawk are Fredric March and Cary Grant, a couple of enlistees in Britain's Royal Flying Corps in World War I. March is Grant's training officer and he washes him out as a pilot. Grant resents this of course and bops him one on the snoot. He gets to be a tailgunner.

When they get over there March becomes an air ace. But soon all the deaths of comrades around him really gets to him. He's a sensitive soul and he starts to crack up. By then Grant is on the scene as his tailgunner, but they're still not getting along.

The Eagle and the Hawk covers a whole lot of the same ground as The Dawn Patrol did. But the players here know their business and serve the clichés up well done. Cary Grant plays very much against type. A few years later the public would never have accepted him in the part he plays here.

Jack Oakie is around to do the comic relief. Carole Lombard is in this as well for about 10 minutes as a woman March encounters while on a 10 day leave. I'm not quite sure what her purpose is in this film other than to give the men in the audience something to gape at.

It's a good anti-war film and the ending will surprise you.

THE EAGLE AND THE HAWK (Paramount, 1933), directed by Stuart Walker, is not a national geographic story about birds in the wilds of the forest but a vivid account of three men (two Americans, one British) from different walks of life serving in the British Flying Corps during the World War. Featuring Fredric March, Cary Grant and Jack Oakie as the three men in question, the plot revolves mostly on the March character as he slowly goes through mental strain.

Without wasting much time in plot development on these three central characters, their backgrounds are depicted briefly during the opening credits, leaving some indication to the audience to whom there are: Fredric March as Jerry Young riding his horse in a polo match, indicating he comes from a rich family; Cary Grant as Henry Crocker as foreman in a construction site socking one of his workers for speaking up to him, indicating he's a common man with a quick temper; and Jack Oakie as Mike Richards, a happy-go-lucky fellow shown eating a sandwich in a diner, indicating a simple-natured fellow good for a lot of laughs. Before the story gets underway in France, Richards is seen going on a scale to get his weight, then taking a card popping from the machine that reads, "You will soon be facing great danger." Next scene finds Mike in uniform, laughing loudly while reading the book, "A Night in the Turkish Harem." Jerry Young, an ace pilot, chooses several men to accompany him in England. He excludes Crocker, whom he doesn't like. Because of this decision, Crocker socks him in the jaw. After losing five observers within two months, Young not only becomes embittered by seeing these young men die in action before his eyes, but soon acquires Crocker as his new ace fly together on several missions. Regardless of their bitter disagreements, especially after Crocker kills a helpless enemy on a parachute, it is Crocker who sees the strain Young is going through, especially at night while talking in his sleep during one of his recurring nightmares. Realizing his emotional state, Crocker recommends for flight commander Major Dunham (Sir Guy Standing) to send Jerry on a ten-day leave, which Jerry does take. While in England, Jerry encounters an attractive blonde (Carole Lombard) at a social function who takes an interest in him. Upon his return to battle, things become seriously worse for Jerry, especially after the death of Richards in one of his air missions and witnessing John Stevens (Kenneth Howell) plunging to his death by falling out of the airplane without a parachute.

Based on a story by John Monk Saunders, one who specialized in war related themes, notably WINGS (Paramount, 1927), the first Best Picture Academy Award winner, THE EAGLE AND THE HAWK is one to give the impression of being more inspired by another aviation war drama, THE DAWN PATROL (Warner Brothers, 1930) starring Richard Barthelmess and Douglas Fairbanks Jr., where two men in the same corps with their dislike one another teaming up on flying missions. Quite underrated and leisurely paced, THE EAGLE AND THE HAWK offers more than just an all-star cast but a realistic view on the mental breakdown of a war hero during his day-to-day air battle of aerial combat with the enemy and himself. Aside from many medals, bar drinks with his buddies and hero worshiping by others, the Jerry Young character gets to tell the new recruits, "You're fighting for humanity and for the preservation of civilization." Quite relevant today as it was then, THE EAGLE AND THE HAWK adds more through its narrative in both speech and in actions.

One of the big surprises in THE EAGLE AND THE HAWK is the casting of fourth billed Carole Lombard. Her role, coming 45 minutes into the start of the movie, in what's basically an extended eight minute cameo. First shown in white gown in a drawing room observing one of the guests (March) who tells the son (Douglas Scott) of the hostess (Virginia Hammond) the true meaning of war, she then follows Young into a cab where the two meet, and soon get acquainted while sitting on the bench in the park. Lombard's character, in expensive looking fur coat, bears no name and several extreme close-ups during the park sequence. Following this scene, she's never seen or heard about again. Cary Grant, years before specializing best in romantic comedies, shows his dramatic skills in several key scenes. In 1936, Grant was also featured in another World War I story, that being SUZY (MGM) starring Jean Harlow. Interestingly, both films come to similar conclusions.

Commonly broadcast on commercial television before slowly fazed out by the 1970s, THE EAGLE AND THE HAWK had its share of cable TV exposure in later years, notably on American Movie Classics (1992-93) before making its Turner Classic Movies premiere October 20, 2008. Distributed to home video in 1997 by MCA which includes original theatrical trailer, the video box to THE EAGLE AND THE HAWK features Cary Grant and Carole Lombard rather than the leading performer, Fredric March.

While the aforementioned DAWN PATROL was remade by Warners in 1938 with Errol Flynn and David Niven, THE EAGLE AND THE HAWK was not, contrary to the same title used for the Paramount's 1950 production, a western starring John Payne, Rhonda Fleming and Dennis O'Keefe. That's where the similarity ends. Not as well known as some other aviation dramas, THE EAGLE AND THE HAWK makes fine viewing, especially for Memorial or Veteran's Day. (**1/2)