Pacionsbo Absolutely Fantastic

FirstWitch A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

AshUnow This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Hayden Kane There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Scott LeBrun Based on the story by John Monk Saunders, "The Eagle and the Hawk" is a grim anti-war film starring Fredric March and Cary Grant. It takes place during WWI, when pilot March and gunner / observer Grant are often at odds with each other. March becomes a highly decorated pilot, yet never is comfortable with it. Shrugging off his accomplishments, he finds no glory in killing other human beings - even if they are the enemy.Although Stuart Walker ("Werewolf of London") is given the official directing credit, much of the film is the work of Mitchell Leisen ("Death Takes a Holiday"), who's listed as "associate director". It combines both drama and comedy to good effect, and in fact begins on a blatantly comic note, as March and Grant land a plane upside down. Co-star Jack Oakie functions as principal comedy relief, and he's quite chipper and engaging, but in fact this viewer found Grant, whose character is hot-tempered and confrontational, even more humorous. Both Grant and March are excellent, setting off some believable sparks, and March does a wonderful job of doing the heavy lifting dramatically. You really do feel for his character, as does a pretty high society type (Carole Lombard, in a cameo) who lends a sympathetic ear. But then, the whole cast, also including Sir Guy Standing, Forrester Harvey, Kenneth Howell, and Leyland Hodgson, is a joy to watch.Ultimately, "The Eagle and the Hawk" is quite sobering - and tragic. Still very timely in terms of its themes, it devastatingly makes the point that there is a real price to be paid for war. March can't get over the fact that one high-ranking enemy pilot whom he shoots down is still basically a kid.Action and flight scenes are good, but are in service of the story rather than becoming the focus.A good, solid film that does get its point across in a succinct matter, wrapping up in a trim 74 minutes, unlike more modern pictures which try to be more "epic".Eight out of 10.

utgard14 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.

MartinHafer This is a mostly forgotten film today, though it deserves to be seen. It bears a lot of similarity to the great All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) in that the film is meant to warn against the horrors of war instead of glamorize it.Frederick March does an excellent job in portraying a troubled WW1 ace. Despite his success, he can't seem to forget that each victory equals him killing another human being. This inner turmoil continues throughout the film and climaxes when he is given yet another accolade.I don't want to spoil the film by revealing what happens next. But, it came as a bit of a surprise! The ending clearly makes the movie.By the way, the VCR box cover shows Cary Grant. Yes he was an important supporting actor in this movie, but considering March's performance, it is a darn shame they are trying to capitalize on Grant and not March.PS--if you liked this film, try watching the hard to find ACE OF ACES, starring Richard Dix. It's very similar except that Dix is a pacifist who only reluctantly goes to war. Once he becomes a pilot, unlike March, he finds he LOVES killing and his personality changes dramatically! A truly unusual film.

JHC3 "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.