The Memphis Belle
About The Memphis Belle
The documentary follows the crew of the B-17 Memphis Belle on a raid against submarine pens at Wilhelmshaven. In May 1943 the plane became the third U.S. heavy bomber to finish 25 missions over Europe, and the first of those to come home to the United States. The picture uses the crew's next-to-last mission, flown on 15 May 1943. Eugene Kern narrates.
Cast & crew
More about The Memphis Belle
Major William Wyler directed and wrote it for the First Motion Picture Unit of the U.S. Army Air Forces. Captain William H. Clothier, commanding the 4th Combat Camera Unit, photographed the scenes at RAF Bassingbourn. Gail Kubik wrote the music. Paramount distributed the film. It runs 45 minutes. First Lieutenant Harold J. Tannenbaum, one of three cinematographers, was killed on 16 April 1943 when the bomber he was in was shot down over France. The stock is 16mm color of actual flights.
Themes
Background
Wyler made the film as a home-front account of one bomber crew's last missions in the spring of 1943.
Look
William H. Clothier shot the station at Bassingbourn. Harold J. Tannenbaum was killed filming a mission on 16 April 1943.
Music
Gail Kubik composed the score. Eugene Kern narrates.
Preservation
Copies are on the Internet Archive and on Wikimedia Commons.
Notes
- The full title is The Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress.
- Ground scenes are at Bassingbourn. The raid on screen is Wilhelmshaven.
- Copies are on the Internet Archive and on Wikimedia Commons.
Scenes
- The crew goes out on the 15 May 1943 raid, the mission the film uses as their next-to-last.
Also available
- Internet Archive (MemphisBelle)
