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7.0/10
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The pilots of a Royal Air Force squadron in World War I face not only physical but mental dangers in their struggle to survive while fighting the enemy.The pilots of a Royal Air Force squadron in World War I face not only physical but mental dangers in their struggle to survive while fighting the enemy.The pilots of a Royal Air Force squadron in World War I face not only physical but mental dangers in their struggle to survive while fighting the enemy.
- Directors
- Writers
- Stars
- Awards
- 2 wins total
Guy Standing
- Major Dunham
- (as Sir Guy Standing)
Robert Seiter
- Arnold Voss
- (as Robert Manning)
Ted Billings
- Cockney Soldier
- (uncredited)
Lane Chandler
- Flier
- (uncredited)
Paul Cremonesi
- French General
- (uncredited)
Olaf Hytten
- Story-Telling Officer at Party
- (uncredited)
Jacques Jou-Jerville
- French General's Aide
- (uncredited)
Crauford Kent
- General
- (uncredited)
- Directors
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
8JHC3
"The Eagle and the Hawk" follows the World War One exploits of three American volunteer airmen who are members of Britain's Royal Flying Corps (which was later to be renamed the Royal Air Force). After months of training, Jeremiah Young (March) and Mike Richards (Oakie) are transferred from England to an observer unit in France. The third airman, Henry Crocker (Grant), washes out and later becomes an aerial gunner.
The observer unit flies two-seat biplanes doing primarily reconnaissance work, but this does not stop Young from being a very successful pilot, downing two enemy aircraft on his first mission alone. His initial jubilation over this feat is crushed when he discovers that his observer has been killed. Though he continues to shoot down many German aircraft, he has the appalling luck of losing five observers in his first two months.
The film follows the career of this heroic pilot and his comrades, including Crocker who ultimately becomes his observer. As the weeks go by, Young becomes more and more guilt-ridden, not only over losing those who fly with him, but over the many young Germans he has slain.
"The Eagle and the Hawk" is a well-made, well-acted film with decent aerial footage and a wonderful, anguished performance by Fredric March. Though he might be overlooked, Forrester Harvey's character is rather thought-provoking. He plays an enlisted man who has the unenviable task of collecting the belongings of slain airmen for safekeeping. On Young's first day, he had to perform this task five times.
This film is truly a gem which presents a strong anti-war message, one which is particularly interesting considering the time it was made (1933 being the year that Hitler achieved power in Germany and the 1930s being the period of appeasement). Its ending has a pair of surprises which are well worth the price of admission. This is a film which is highly recommended for classic movie fans.
The observer unit flies two-seat biplanes doing primarily reconnaissance work, but this does not stop Young from being a very successful pilot, downing two enemy aircraft on his first mission alone. His initial jubilation over this feat is crushed when he discovers that his observer has been killed. Though he continues to shoot down many German aircraft, he has the appalling luck of losing five observers in his first two months.
The film follows the career of this heroic pilot and his comrades, including Crocker who ultimately becomes his observer. As the weeks go by, Young becomes more and more guilt-ridden, not only over losing those who fly with him, but over the many young Germans he has slain.
"The Eagle and the Hawk" is a well-made, well-acted film with decent aerial footage and a wonderful, anguished performance by Fredric March. Though he might be overlooked, Forrester Harvey's character is rather thought-provoking. He plays an enlisted man who has the unenviable task of collecting the belongings of slain airmen for safekeeping. On Young's first day, he had to perform this task five times.
This film is truly a gem which presents a strong anti-war message, one which is particularly interesting considering the time it was made (1933 being the year that Hitler achieved power in Germany and the 1930s being the period of appeasement). Its ending has a pair of surprises which are well worth the price of admission. This is a film which is highly recommended for classic movie fans.
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.
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.
Criminally underrated war picture details the adventures of a group of WWI volunteer pilots whose excitement turns to anguish and despair when they are confronted with the reality of combat. Director Stuart Walker helms this unabashedly grim WWI drama with tact and honesty, featuring some above average aerial footage and an unflinchingly blatant anti-war message that is still quite surprising and daring for a depression-era studio film. The acting is uniformly excellent, with Fredric March delivering a marvelously conflicted turn in the lead, and Cary Grant is convincingly cast against type as a hot-headed, violent brute. Perhaps a bit too a head of it's time when originally released, THE EAGLE AND THE HAWK is a terrific film that is ripe for rediscovery.
Fredric March and Cary Grant star in "The Eagle and the Hawk," a 1933 film about World War I.
March plays Jerry Young, a Flying Corps pilot responsible for filming documentary positions. It's extremely difficult for him; a sensitive man, seeing all the tragedy devastates him.
Crocker (Cary Grant) is an ambitious gunner, anxious to get in the air, and loves killing Germans.
The film has wonderful aviation scenes (and Mitchell Leisen is rumored to have been the actual director of this film) which are very impressive.
A powerful antiwar statement, and very unusual for its time. The ending is quite stunning and partially unexpected.
Both men give excellent performances - in today's world, March may seem a bit over the top, but it was the style in those days. Carole Lombard has brief scenes as someone who tries to be helpful to him.
The overall atmosphere of this film is depressing, so don't watch it if you want to be entertained by something light. However, it's ahead of its time and definitely worth seeing.
March plays Jerry Young, a Flying Corps pilot responsible for filming documentary positions. It's extremely difficult for him; a sensitive man, seeing all the tragedy devastates him.
Crocker (Cary Grant) is an ambitious gunner, anxious to get in the air, and loves killing Germans.
The film has wonderful aviation scenes (and Mitchell Leisen is rumored to have been the actual director of this film) which are very impressive.
A powerful antiwar statement, and very unusual for its time. The ending is quite stunning and partially unexpected.
Both men give excellent performances - in today's world, March may seem a bit over the top, but it was the style in those days. Carole Lombard has brief scenes as someone who tries to be helpful to him.
The overall atmosphere of this film is depressing, so don't watch it if you want to be entertained by something light. However, it's ahead of its time and definitely worth seeing.
Powerful WWI film about the horrors of war, with an exceptional performance by Fredric March as an American pilot flying with the RAF who grows increasingly disturbed by all the death he sees. Cary Grant has an important supporting role as another pilot who clashes with March. This is one of the earliest dramatic roles for Cary that showed what he was capable of. Carole Lombard has only one scene as the appropriately-titled Beautiful Lady. Jack Oakie is March's sidekick, the closest thing to comic relief in the film. About midway through the film, look for a brief scene with Kenneth Howell playing a young pilot. He walks into the scene wearing eye shadow, lipstick, and penciled-on eyebrows!
Terrific aviation action scenes and short runtime are pluses. Sincere, believable antiwar film that gets its message across more powerfully than a hundred preachier movies of its type. Not as well-remembered as some of its contemporaries but it should be.
Terrific aviation action scenes and short runtime are pluses. Sincere, believable antiwar film that gets its message across more powerfully than a hundred preachier movies of its type. Not as well-remembered as some of its contemporaries but it should be.
Did you know
- TriviaWhen interviewed by David Chierichetti, for the book "Mitchell Leisen: Hollywood Director", Leisen confirmed that, although credited as "associate director" , he had in fact directed the vast majority of the film: "One day the script for the Eagle and the Hawk came through for us to start work on the sets. I read it and was dying to direct it. It was the only time in my career where I felt I just *had* to direct anything... I burst into Bayard Veiller's office and told him I wanted to make it. He said, "William A. Wellman's on his way over here and I don't even want him to see you here so get out!" I was very discouraged and I said, "Well, I think I'll splurge and have lunch at the Ambassador Hotel." While I was down there I got a call to come back to the studio. It seemed that Mr Wellman didn't like the script at all and wanted to change the whole thing. Veiller said "If you want to do it, go ahead", but the studio was a little leery that I might not know enough about dialogue, so they put Stuart Walker on it to assist me with that end of it. I stuck Stuart in the sound booth again, and he didn't say a word through the whole thing... From the beginning it was clearly understood on all sides that I was the director of The Eagle and the Hawk, and it was Stuart Walker who was assisting me. When we finished, however, Stuart pointed out a clause in his contract that stated he would always get full directorial credit no matter what, and since I didn't have any contract at all, there was nothing I could do about it. The studio was just as furious as I was. Now I happened to know that Stuart had his heart set on Le chant du berceau (1933) and Trois jours chez les vivants (1934). I didn't know anything about Cradle Song but when the studio asked me what I wanted to do next, I said Cradle Song just to get back at Stuart. After I'd been shooting that a couple of weeks, they asked me what I wanted next and I said Death Takes a Holiday. Those turned out to be two of my favorite pictures, so at least Mr Walker had good taste, even though he couldn't direct a picture." Fredric March was interviewed for the book and verified this also. When Paramount reissued "The Eagle and The Hawk" in 1939, after Leisen had already become a renowned director, they rewrote the advertising to say "Directed by Stuart Walker and Mitchell Leisen."
- GoofsAt end, Jerry is referred to as a captain, but throughout the film he had two pips on his uniform which is the insignia for a first lieutenant. A captain is three pips and a major is a crown.
- Quotes
Jerry H. Young: I didn't expect to be a chauffeur for a graveyard, driving men to their deaths day after day.
Major Dunham: And yet, that's just exactly what it is.
- Alternate versionsCurrent prints of "The Eagle and the Hawk" run 68 minutes. Several scenes were cut for a 1939 re-issue to comply with the Production Code.
- ConnectionsEdited from Les ailes (1927)
- How long is The Eagle and the Hawk?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Runtime
- 1h 13m(73 min)
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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