The Blue Fleet: A dusty look at propaganda in the clouds

Is this worth your time?

Honestly, only if you have a massive thing for vintage aviation or you are studying how governments used cinema to make war look like a sunny Saturday afternoon. If you go in looking for a tight drama, you are going to be bored to tears. It is mostly for the history buffs who like seeing what people in the 1930s thought the future of air combat looked like.

The Blue Fleet feels like it was written by a committee trying very hard to make flying look like a fun sport for the boys. It is full of that stiff, stagey acting that makes you want to reach through the screen and tell everyone to just breathe for a second.

The three main comrades are supposed to have these big, deep differences, but they mostly just stand around looking slightly annoyed at each other. It reminded me a bit of the forced camaraderie you see in something like In the Diplomatic Service, where the duty to the state always seems to cut the actual character development short.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of The Blue Fleet (1932) through its definitive frames.

Oddly specific moments

• There is a scene where they are staring at the horizon that lasts about five years. I think the camera guy just forgot to call cut.
• The uniforms are all way too clean. It is like they are flying planes made of soap.
• Every time a plane takes off, the music swells like we are witnessing the invention of fire. It is a bit much, guys.

The romance parts? They feel like they were tacked on because the writers realized nobody would watch a movie about three men just staring at wings. They are incredibly awkward. The way the women are introduced feels like they are just waiting by the runway with a thermos and a smile, which is… well, it is exactly what you expect from this era, I guess.

I kept thinking about Tangled Threads while watching this, mainly because both films feel trapped by their own agendas. One is trying to sell you on a lifestyle, the other is trying to sell you on a political ideal. Neither one really cares if you actually like the people on screen.

It is not a total disaster, though. Some of the actual aerial footage—when they stop talking and just show the planes—is kind of neat. It’s got that grainy, high-contrast look that makes you feel like you are looking at a postcard from a timeline that shouldn't exist anymore.

The ending hits exactly like a ton of bricks, which is to say it feels totally inevitable and a little bit hollow. You know they are going to fly off into the sunset for the glory of the state, and you just sort of sigh and check your watch. ✈️