History Film / HellsAngels

''Hell's Angels'' is a 1930 [[UsefulNotes/ThePreCodeEra pre-Code]] war film directed by Creator/HowardHughes and starring Ben Lyon, James Hall, and Creator/JeanHarlow in her StarMakingRole.

''Hell's Angels'' is a pre-Code war 1930 film directed by Creator/HowardHughes and starring Ben Lyon, James Hall, and Creator/JeanHarlow in her StarMakingRole.

* BetterToDieThanToBeKilled: When Roy talks Baron von Kranz into letting him kill Monte as his price for telling the Germans about the Allies' battle plans, he asks for two bullets - in case he misses the first time. He is clearly planning to use the second bullet on himself, and von Kranz knows this, so he only gives him one bullet.

* ColdEquation: See HeroicSacrifice below.

* DownerEnding: Roy shoots his brother and is promptly executed by the Germans.
* EmergencyCargoDump: See HeroicSacrifice below.

* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent: Jean Harlow makes no attempt to sound British.

''Hell's Angels'' is a 1930 film directed by Creator/HowardHughes and starring Ben Lyon, James Hall, and Creator/JeanHarlow in her StarMakingRole.

* TakingYouWithMe: A British pilot plows his plane into the Zeppelin.

''Hell's Angels'' is a 1930 film directed by Creator/HowardHughes and starring Ben Lyon, James Hall, and Creator/JeanHarlow in her StarMakingRole. Lyon and Hall play Monte and Roy Rutledge, students at Oxford at the start of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI. Harlow is Helen, the local society girl that Roy is sweet on--although unfortunately for Roy she is not as sweet on him. Roy is the serious, high-minded one who wants to have a family with Helen, while Monte likes good times and carousing.

The TroubledProduction of ''Hell's Angels'' was notorious at the time, and was dramatized 75 years later in ''Film/TheAviator''. Shooting lasted for three years. Hughes, who was 22 years old when production started in 1927, was DoingItForTheArt, spending rivers of money on elaborate sets and dozens of planes used for the flying scenes. The entire film was in the can when the talkie revolution spurred Hughes into scrapping almost all of his silent footage and re-shooting everything with sound. Greta Nissen, the Swedish actress who had played Helen during shooting of the silent film, was replaced by the 18-year-old unknown Harlow when filming of the talking scenes commenced. Hughes hired and fired three directors before taking on the aerial scenes himself and hiring James Whale, who would soon have his breakout hit with ''[[Film/{{Frankenstein1931}} Frankenstein]]'', to direct the talking scenes. (Hughes received sole directing credit.) The film didn't earn its money back because Hughes spent so much, but it was well received, winning an UsefulNotes/AcademyAward for cinematography.

Compare ''Film/TheDawnPatrol'', another 1930 film about Royal Flying Corps pilots fighting the Germans.

* SexyBacklessOutfit: Harlow wears one for the ball scene.

''Hell's Angels'' is a 1930 film directed by Howard Hughes and starring Ben Lyon, James Hall, and Creator/JeanHarlow in her StarMakingRole. Lyon and Hall play Monte and Roy Rutledge, students at Oxford at the start of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI. Harlow is Helen, the local society girl that Roy is sweet on--although unfortunately for Roy she is not as sweet on him. Roy is the serious, high-minded one who wants to have a family with Helen, while Monte likes good times and carousing.

The TroubledProduction of ''Hell's Angels'' was notorious at the time, and was dramatized 75 years later in ''Film/TheAviator''. Shooting lasted for three years. Hughes, who was 22 years old when production started in 1927, was DoingItForTheArt, spending rivers of money on elaborate sets and dozens of planes used for the flying scenes. The entire film was in the can when the talkie revolution spurred Hughes into scrapping almost all of his silent footage and re-shooting everything with sound. Greta Nissen, the Swedish actress who had played Helen during shooting of the silent film, was replaced by the 18-year-old unknown Harlow when filming of the talking scenes commenced. Hughes hired and fired three directors before taking on the aerial scenes himself and hiring James Whale, who would soon have his breakout hit with ''[[Film/{{Frankenstein1931}} Frankenstein]]'', to direct the talking scenes. (Hughes received sole directing credit.) The film didn't earn its money back because Hughes spent so much, but it was well received, winning an AcademyAward for cinematography.

Roy signs up with the RAF immediately at the start of the war. Monte is essentially tricked into signing up by a pretty girl at a recruiting station. The brothers are assigned to the same unit and go off to France, where they learn the truth about Helen and about war. They survive an attack on a German zeppelin, but later have to go on a dangerous mission behind enemy lines to bomb an ammunition depot.

* HeroicSacrifice: Most of the crew of the zeppelin willingly jump to their deaths to try and lighten the load so it can escape the RAF. A couple have to be pushed.

* SlipIntoSomethingMoreComfortable: Helen says this almost word-for-word when seducing Roy. She then re-emerges wearing a robe tied loosely enough that it appears to reveal a breast. (Yes, this film was made before enforcement of TheHaysCode.) This film is believed to be the TropeMaker.

''Hell's Angels'' is a 1930 film directed by Howard Hughes and starring Ben Lyon, James Hall, and JeanHarlow in her StarMakingRole. Lyon and Hall play Monte and Roy Rutledge, students at Oxford at the start of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI. Harlow is Helen, the local society girl that Roy is sweet on--although unfortunately for Roy she is not as sweet on him. Roy is the serious, high-minded one who wants to have a family with Helen, while Monte likes good times and carousing.

* SlipIntoSomethingMoreComfortable: Helen says this almost word-for-word when seducing Roy. She then re-emerges wearing a robe tied loosely enough that it appears to reveal a breast. (Yes, this film was made before enforcement of TheHaysCode.)

* SexyBacklessDress: Harlow wears one for the ball scene.