UnowPriceless hyped garbage

Moustroll Good movie but grossly overrated

Geraldine The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Son-of-WRA I love the silents because the story relies as much on motion, lighting, and mannerism as they do dialogue panels. This movie was excellent. Now the special effects get a pass because of the times but that is no reason to not spend about 100 minutes of your life enjoying this little gem. You are treated to the camaraderie of a group of cadets about to graduate from the United States Naval Academy, follow their career development through training in Florida and California, and witness two friends vie for the affection of a beautiful water skier. I found myself caring about the characters and in wonderment at a short visual history lesson on military technology of the time. I wish more movies were made this way.

xerses13 This is our first review of a 'Silent Film' and we felt we should explain the ground rules of our rating. Though the 'Silent Film' is part of the visual medium it should not be considered in the same light as the 'Sound Film'. Nor is it a derivative of the 'Stage'. It is an entity of its own with a separate language, the art of acting in pantomime and visual expression. THE FLYING FLEET is a fine example of this medium. To be correct though, made in 1928 (release 1929) it is a transition 'Silent' by M.G.M. It came at the end of a twenty-five (25) year development of the feature 'Silent Film' starting with THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY (1903). So it had more then a piano, organ or orchestra a synchronized soundtrack. The soundtrack would be used to enhance the visuals and featured Music, Sound Effects and Voice Overs. The InterTitles carried the dialog of the principals (ie actors).THE FLYING FLEET starts with the story of six (6) MidShipMen from just before their graduation. All six (6) are friends and going for the same goal, to become Naval Aviators. The story involves their careers. Four (4) of them FAIL for the following reasons; Trivial, Physical, Fear and Tragic. Two (2) succeed, STEVE (Ralph Graves) and TOMMY (Ramon Navarro) who become involved in a romantic triangle with ANITA (Anita Page). What follows is a standard service rivalry with a logical conclusion. Those familiar with the screenplays of Frank 'Spig' Wead have an instant advantage because he co-wrote it.The United States Navy gave its "sanction" for the making of this film. Which meant its full support. So we are treated to what was then the latest in aircraft and technology. One (1) thing this film clearly illustrates is that the U.S.N. WAS NOT anti-air minded, contrary to bogus claims of General Billy Mitchell. The U.S.N. was very interested in the development of its air-power. The only restraints upon it were monetary and the technical developments of the time. The U.S.N. wisely invested its limited resources in developing its MEN the Aviators. The only AirCraft Carrier footage coming from the converted collier LANGLEY (CV1) a largely experimental unit useful only for training. LEXINGTON (CV2) and SARATOGA (CV3) commissioned in 1927 were not featured at all. Most likely because of their size, second only to the British BattleCruiser H.M.S. HOOD and their advanced features such as aircraft arrestor gear. At that time the U.S.N. thought (rightly) they had most powerful warships in the world.This 'Silent Film' has much to offer the viewer as do many others. For those who have never watched a 'Silent Film' or have trouble watching one (1) we have a few tips that will help out. ONE (1), turn off all the lights and watch the film after dusk so there is no ambient light. The only light should be coming from your T.V. TWO (2) NO EATING you may have drinks but thats it. If anyone needs a refill or go to the washroom pause the film and DO NOT restart till everybody settles back down. THREE (3) 'EVERYBODY' keep your comments to yourself till the picture ends. In other words SHUTUP! No running commentary or criticism. Just because YOU don't get it does not mean you should spoil it for others or YOU do get it and your embarrassed, keep it to YOURSELF. WATCH, LEARN and ENJOY.

Rich Drezen (Drezzilla) This is the second Ramon Novarro picture I've seen (the first being 1925's "Ben-Hur") and it is every bit enjoyable as the last picture I saw with him. Ralph Graves delivered a great performance but I somehow had mistaken him for Burt Lancaster (?!?!?!?!). No joke, I thought he really looked like a young Lancaster (which he couldn't have been since Burt was only 15 when this picture was made). Though it is mainly an adventure film, parts of it are really funny. The funniest moment is when Novarro dives his plane toward his friend on the ground and nearly runs him over. Anita Page was a year younger than me (I'm 19) when she took this part, and as small as her part was, she deserved the upmost praise for her early, but dazzling performance. The synchronized music track is phenomeonal considering that it was produced in 1928. To whoever scored this picture, you're not only a genius, but you made this picture work!

BoYutz Ramon Navarro and Ralph Graves are two young Navy flyers vying for lovely Anita Page. They are also training for carrier landings and competing for the honor of piloting a large flying boat to Honolulu.The story is pedestrian at best, puerile at worst, with a few moments of high drama. What makes this film truly memorable is the awesome aireal photography of cinematographer Charles A. Marshall. It's amazing that work of such quality was done at this time. There's also very good footage of the USS Langley, the Navy's first aircraft carrier, not to mention all the first generation naval aircraft. This lends great historical importance to this otherwise trivial film.George W. Hill directed, and seems to have taken elements of this film and grafted them onto his later (1932) 'Hell Divers.'