646f9e108c World War I ace Dick Courtney derides the leadership of his superior officer, but Courtney is soon promoted to squadron commander and learns harsh lessons about sending subordinates to their deaths. During the First World War, British combat pilot Dick Courtney mocks his commanding officer Major Brand for being too cautious, unaware that Brand is tormented by the requirement of his command that he send young men to their likely deaths in substandard aircraft and with insufficient training. When Brand is transferred, Courtney becomes the commanding officer and quickly realizes the burden Brand labored under. When Courtney&#39;s best friend, Douglas Scott, asks him to spare his newly arrived and inexperienced brother Gordon Scott from combat duty, Courtney cannot justify doing so. A rift grows between the friendsCourtney realizes the tragic demands of his job. The Dawn Patrol tells the story of a British flying squadron in WW I. Dick Courtney (Richard Barthelmess) is the ace pilot facing the problem that his squadron is sent on mission impossible almost every day. Major Brand (Neil Hamilton) is his commander who suffers under the circumstances that he has to send inexperienced pilots on those missions with the knowledge that every time his squadron is at least halved.<br/><br/>The first half of the film we see the struggle between Courtney and Brand. The Major is criticized and blamed by Courtney for sending all those young pilots into their untimely death. Brand defends himself because he only follows the orders of his superiors. Then Major Brand is promoted and Courtney becomes commander of the squadron. Instead of flying with his pals he faces a career behind a desk and after a while he realizes that he is in the same positionMajor Brand before him. He looses himself in depression and alcohol before operating in a final heroic flight.<br/><br/>At first we don&#39;t see to many action in this movie. Most scenes are in Major Brand&#39;s office or at the bar of the airport. We see the companionship between the pilots but also the despair, the fear and a lot of drinking. In the second part we follow the pilotsthey do their missions. Taking into account that this movie was made in the early thirties the war in the air is very well pictured. Those scenes were used again for the remake of 1938. Still I don&#39;t think that The Dawn Patrol gives a realistic view of the lives of RAF pilots during the Great War. It wouldn&#39;t be possible to consume so many alcohol and still control those early airplanes to survive the missions into enemy territory.<br/><br/>The film shows a lot of respect for the pilots but also for the enemy. When a German is captured he joins the drinking bout before he is taken to prison. The most striking moment in the film is the salute that Courtney gives the German pilot who has just shot him down. The pilots are portrayedmodern knights whose war in the air knows other rules and the dirty war on the ground.<br/><br/>So in a year wherein legendary anti war films like All Quiet on the Western Front and West front 1918 were made The Dawn Patrol was already a bit old fashioned. Although the harsh reality of war is shown by the losses of young men&#39;s lives and the hard choices that the command of squadron had to made the film also glorifies the pilots, their loyalty and their respect for their enemy. The action scenes are very well photographed but that doesn&#39;t compensate the long scenes in the office and at the bar with drunken pilots. As said better movies are made about the Great War and the circumstances the soldiers were in. Great WW1 flying drama. A very gritty and accurate look at life, and death, in a Royal Flying Corps (RFC) fighter squadron. Details fairly well the burden of command, of sending pilots to almost certain death.<br/><br/>Incredibly good flying action scenes, especially for 1930. Great cinematography, for the time. The non-action scenes are good too, filled with drama and the realities of living with a Sword of Damocles over one&#39;s head.<br/><br/>Reasonably good performances all round. No real stand-outs. Pity that American actors had to be used for some parts,it ruins the authenticity somewhat.<br/><br/>For some reason the movie was remade 8 years later, alsoThe Dawn Patrol, and with Errol Flynn in the lead role. Copied the plot to the letter and didn&#39;t add much, so not sure why it was made. Was still a good movie though.
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