Flyboys
Movie Poster for Flyboys
Directed by	Tony Bill
Produced by	Dean Devlin and Marc Frydman
Written by	David S. Ward
Starring	James Franco Martin Henderson Jean Reno Jennifer Decker David Ellison Tyler Labine
Distributed by	MGM
Release date(s)	September 22, 2006
Running time	140 minutes.
Country	United States
Language	English French
Budget	$60 million
IMDb profile

Flyboys is a 2006 drama film set during World War I, starring James Franco, Martin Henderson, Jean Reno, Jennifer Decker, David Ellison and Tyler Labine. It was directed by Tony Bill and written by David S. Ward, based on an original screenplay by Phil Sears and Blake Evans // Please note that following the tradition of the English language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the United States and Canada in 2006; because they may have made most of their income in a later year, they may not be the top-grossing... This article is about motion pictures. ... See also: 2002 in literature, other events of 2003, 2004 in literature, list of years in literature. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 404 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (500 × 741 pixel, file size: 186 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Property of MGM This image is of a film poster, and the copyright for it is most likely owned by either the publisher... Tony Bill (born 23 August 1940, San Diego, California) is an American actor, producer, and director. ... Dean Devlin is a former actor and current screenwriter and producer. ... David S. Ward (born 25 October 1945) is an American film director and award winning screen writer. ... James Edward Franco (born April 19, 1978) is an American actor, director, screenwriter, film producer, and artist. ... Martin Henderson (born October 8, 1974) is a New Zealand actor. ... Jean Reno (born Juan Moreno y Herrera Jiménez (Spanish) [1][2] while French sources spell it as Don Juan Moreno y Herrera Jimenez [3]. on July 30, 1948) is a French actor. ... Jennifer Decker is a French actress. ... David Ellison is an American actor. ... Tyler Labine (b. ... MGM logo Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer or MGM, is a large media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of cinema and television programs. ... // Please note that following the tradition of the English language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the United States and Canada in 2006; because they may have made most of their income in a later year, they may not be the top-grossing... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... // Please note that following the tradition of the English language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the United States and Canada in 2006; because they may have made most of their income in a later year, they may not be the top-grossing... A drama film is a film that depends mostly on in-depth character development, interaction, and highly emotional themes. ... This article is about motion pictures. ... “The Great War ” redirects here. ... James Edward Franco (born April 19, 1978) is an American actor, director, screenwriter, film producer, and artist. ... Martin Henderson (born October 8, 1974) is a New Zealand actor. ... Jean Reno (born Juan Moreno y Herrera Jiménez (Spanish) [1][2] while French sources spell it as Don Juan Moreno y Herrera Jimenez [3]. on July 30, 1948) is a French actor. ... Jennifer Decker is a French actress. ... David Ellison is an American actor. ... Tyler Labine (b. ... Tony Bill (born 23 August 1940, San Diego, California) is an American actor, producer, and director. ... David S. Ward (born 25 October 1945) is an American film director and award winning screen writer. ...

The film follows the enlistment, training and aerial combat service of a group of young Americans who volunteer to become fighter pilots in the Lafayette Escadrille, the 124th air squadron formed by the French in 1916. The squadron consisted entirely of American volunteers who wanted to fly biplanes and fight in the First World War during the early years when the United States remained neutral. Combat has been fought in the air since 1911. ... A SPAD S.XIII in Lafayette Escadrille livery James Norman Hall (1887-1951) of the Lafayette Escadrille, 1917 The Lafayette Escadrille (from the French Escadrille Lafayette) was a squadron of the French Air Service, the Aéronautique militaire, during World War I composed largely of American pilots flying fighters. ... Hs123 biplane. ... Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ...

The film was shot on location in the United Kingdom in Spring 2005 . The trench scenes were shot in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, the same location used for Band of Brothers and Saving Private Ryan. The film was financed privately outside the standard Hollywood studio circuit by a group of filmmakers and investors, including producer Dean Devlin and pilot David Ellison, son of Oracle Corp. founder Larry Ellison; both spent more than $60 million of their own money to make and market Flyboys. Arms of the former Hatfield Rural District Council Hatfield, originally Bishops Hatfield, is in the Welwyn Hatfield district of Hertfordshire, in the south of England. ... Band of Brothers is an acclaimed 10-part television miniseries set during World War II, co-produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. ... Saving Private Ryan is a 1998 Academy-Award-winning film set in World War II, directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Robert Rodat. ... Dean Devlin is a former actor and current screenwriter and producer. ... Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ: ORCL), one of the major companies developing database management systems, tools for database development, and enterprise resource planning software, dates from 1977 and has offices in more than 145 countries around the world. ... Lawrence Joseph Ellison (born August 17, 1944) is the co-founder and CEO of Oracle Corporation, a major database software company. ...

The Nieuport 17s featured in the film were built by Airdrome Aeroplanes, an aircraft company based outside of Kansas City, Missouri. The Nieuport 17 was a biplane fighter aircraft manufactured by Nieuport, and prominent during the World War I era. ... Nickname: Location in Jackson, Clay, Platte, and Cass Counties in the state of Missouri. ...

Plot

A group of young Americans go to France, for different personal reasons, and volunteer to fight in the French Air Service, the Aéronautique militaire, during World War I prior to America's entrance into the war. During the training period, the film mostly follows their personalities and developments; later, the focus shifts to the art of the aerial dogfight. Themes of revenge and love are also explored. The film ends with an explanation of what happened to each character, as the movie was based on real occurrences. “The Great War ” redirects here. ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from...

Cast

• Todd Boyce as Mr. Jensen
• Jennifer Decker as Lucienne
• David Ellison as Eddie Beagle (based on Courtney Campbell and Bert Hall)
• James Franco as Blaine Rawlings (based on Frank Luke)
• Martin Henderson as Reed Cassidy (based on Raoul Lufbery)
• Michael Jibson as Lyle Porter
• Tyler Labine as Briggs Lowry (based on Norman Prince)
• Augustin Legrand as Lt. Giroux
• Keith McErlean as Toddman
• Jean Reno as Captain Georges Thenault
• Ian Rose as Wolfert
• Abdul Salis as Eugene Skinner (based on Eugene Bullard)
• Gunnar Winbergh as The Black Falcon
• Philip Winchester as William Jensen (based on several pilots)

Jennifer Decker is a French actress. ... David Ellison is an American actor. ... Courtney Warren Campbell (April 29, 1895 - December 22, 1971) was a U.S. Representative from Florida. ... Bert Hall (1885-1948) was a film director, actor, writer and military aviator. ... James Edward Franco (born April 19, 1978) is an American actor, director, screenwriter, film producer, and artist. ... Lt. ... Martin Henderson (born October 8, 1974) is a New Zealand actor. ... Major Raoul Lufbery poses next to his Nieuport fighter Gervais Raoul Lufbery (March 14, 1885 – May 19, 1918) was an French-American fighter pilot and flying ace in World War I. Because he served in both the French and later the American air services in World War I, he is... Tyler Labine (b. ... Keith McErlean born in Carndonagh, County Donegal, Republic Of Ireland, is an Irish actor. ... Jean Reno (born Juan Moreno y Herrera Jiménez (Spanish) [1][2] while French sources spell it as Don Juan Moreno y Herrera Jimenez [3]. on July 30, 1948) is a French actor. ... Abdul Salis is a British actor. ... Eugene Bullard in uniform Eugene Bullard Eugene Bullard (9 October 1894 – 12 October 1961) was the first African-American military pilot. ...

Reaction

Reviews of the film were largely mediocre. The Rotten Tomatoes web site, as of September 25, 2006, gave it a "rotten" rating with a mere 30% positive reviews.[1] Google Movies provided an average rating of 2.6 out of 5 as of November 13, 2006. Critics did, however, credit the film for the high quality of the action sequences in the air. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... is the 268th day of the year (269th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 317th day of the year (318th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The movie opened fourth at the box office with a gross of $6 million.[2] On December 26, 2006, Variety named it one of the ten biggest box office flops of the year, citing an estimated shortfall of $90 million.[3]
is the 360th day of the year (361st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Variety is a daily magazine for the entertainment industry. ...

Filming errors

This film has been widely criticized for its lack of historical accuracy, anachronisms, and prochronisms. Various major details of World War 1 fighter aircraft technology shown in the film were highly inaccurate, even beyond typical Hollywood standards of accuracy. For example, the aircraft engines in the CGI scenes are pictured as not moving. The rotary engines used in early aircraft rotated along with the propeller at the same speed. ^[1] The anti-aircraft artillery shown in use by the Germans was not of any type used by any side in the First World War, and those that did exist were not nearly as accurate as that shown. In reality, had any of the portrayed flak burst as close as it appeared in the film, the aircraft would have been most likely destroyed.^{[citations needed]} One major point of contention in the film is the wide usage of Fokker Dr.I triplanes. Not only was the Dr.I not in usage at the time the film supposedly took place, when it was used it was not in such a large role, nor was it regularly painted red.^[2] In the film, the RMS Aquitania is depicted as a luxury liner, however, in early 1914 she was converted to use as an armed merchant cruiser, and by 1915 had been put into use as a troop transport ship and painted with dazzle style camouflage.^[3] Also, one scene describes the Germans as using a new 9mm caliber "Spandau" machine gun, even though no German machine gun was ever produced in 9mm, but rather in 7.92mm. ... For other uses, see Rotary engine (disambiguation). ... American troops man an anti-aircraft gun near the Algerian coastline in 1943 Anti-aircraft, or air defense, is any method of combating military aircraft from the ground. ... The Fokker Dr. I Dreidecker (triplane) was a World War I fighter aircraft designed by Reinhold Platz and built by the company led by Anthony Fokker. ... RMS Aquitania was a Cunard Line ocean liner that was built by the John Brown and Company shipyard near Clydebank, Scotland. ... Countershaded Ibex are almost invisible in the Israeli desert. ...

References

1. ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotary_engines
2. ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fokker_Dr.I
3. ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Aquitania#Career

External links

• Flyboys at the Internet Movie Database
• Official Site
• Apple/Quicktime Trailer
• Flyboys at Rotten Tomatoes