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7.2/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 7.2/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Hell's Angels remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
So, you want to watch Hell's Angels today? Well, buckle up. This 1930 beast is a real time capsule. If you're into that early Hollywood spectacle, with *actual* planes doing insane stunts and a good dose of pre-Code naughtiness, you'll probably find it fascinating. Anyone expecting modern pacing or characters with depth beyond 'dashing' or 'scheming' might find it a *bit* of a long haul. It's definitely a piece of film history.
Howard Hughes basically threw all his money at this thing. And you can see it. The aerial combat scenes, even now, are pretty amazing. You just know those pilots were really up there, doing dangerous stuff. Some of those close calls look too close.
The story itself? It’s very melodramatic. You got two brothers, Monte and Roy, off to war. And then there's Helen. Oh, Helen. She’s the kind of character who just causes trouble everywhere she goes. Roy is the earnest one, kinda naive. Monte is the charmer, a real cad, honestly.
And then there's Jean Harlow. This was her big breakout. She just *pops* off the screen. Even when the dialogue feels a little stiff, she has this undeniable presence. That line, you know, "Would you be shocked if I put on something more comfortable?" It still lands with a certain *oomph*, even if it’s lost some of its original shock value.
The transition from silent to talkie is really noticeable here. Some scenes feel like they're still in the silent era, with actors over-emoting, and then suddenly, there's sound. And sometimes the sound cuts out, or the dialogue feels oddly placed. It's a bit clunky, but also part of its charm, I guess.
There's this whole sequence with a zeppelin raid that is just wild. Like, how did they even film that? It's genuinely exciting. The way the planes swarm it, the explosions... very ambitious for its time.
The pacing, though. Boy, it takes its sweet time getting to the actual war. A lot of drawing-room drama before the real action kicks in. Then it just suddenly explodes. It's a bit uneven, you know?
And those British accents. Some of them are really trying, bless 'em. Others, well, they just sound like they’re from, uh, anywhere. It adds to the slightly chaotic vibe.
The ending is pretty grim. It’s WWI, so you don't exactly expect a happy-go-lucky finish. But it's a stark reminder of the costs of war, even with all the melodrama wrapped around it. It pulls no punches there. Almost like it’s saying, 'Yeah, this is how it really went.'
Sometimes you see a shot of an extra in the background, during a big crowd scene, who looks completely uninterested. Just stands there, waiting for the director to call cut. The Common Law had a bit of that too, but less noticeable.
For all its flaws and its almost comically dramatic plot, there's something genuinely compelling about Hell's Angels. It's a piece of cinema history that pushed boundaries, even if it stumbled a bit along the way. Worth watching for the spectacle alone, if you can forgive its very early talkie quirks. ✈️
IMDb —
1924
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