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Couldn't find this as a topic as yet, loved Band of Brothers, and to a lesser extent, The Pacific, so really looking forward to this on friday.
Empire review is up:
https://www.empireonline.com/tv/reviews/masters-of-the-air/
I know it will be very US-centric with lots of great haircuts single-handedly winning the war, but if it is half as good as BoB i'll be happy.
if it is half as good as BoB i’ll be happy.
They are set in the same universe.
https://twitter.com/TaubHistory/status/1748760659762749808
Another reason to renew Apple TV. They don't have the mass that Netflix has but seem to have a lot of quality.
I got Apple TV free for 6 months because we ordered a fridge from Curry’s for my mother in law.
Hopefully this will be part of the package unlike the Taylor Swift stuff that was extra, much to my daughter’s disgust.
Was reading up on it. They shot the cockpit footage in The Volume (where they did The Mandalorian) so the actors could look out of the window and see flak, FW190s, Germany etc instead of a green screen and some tennis balls on sticks.
They are set in the same universe.
So was The Pacific but I didn't manage to get to the end of that series
We purchased 2x new iPhones from Apple last month so was expecting to get 3 months of free access, as they promise. But turns out we are not eligible as we accessed the same offer 3 years ago. Seems a bit tight to me. But this series looks to be well worth paying for.
Is it on anything other than apple TV? I'm fundamentally opposed to giving apple any money, ever.
Is it on anything other than apple TV? I’m fundamentally opposed to giving apple any money, ever.
It's Apple only, I'm not a fan of the company or their products but "fundamentally opposed" seems a bit extreme. It'll be easily available from the usual places though if that's your bag.
Apparently Apple were the only provider that would front the vast sums of money to make it. It was HBO originally, but they wouldn't fund it
Not binge-able yet..
Apple is releasing the first two episodes together, then subsequent episodes weekly, which also seems apposite. For all of its wonders, Masters of the Air feels like the end of something – a season finale to the long-running series Extravagant TV.
Another 5/5 review
Not binge-able yet..
Apple is releasing the first two episodes together, then subsequent episodes weekly, which also seems apposite. For all of its wonders, Masters of the Air feels like the end of something – a season finale to the long-running series Extravagant TV.
whens the last episode? currently running on my free 3 months for buying an iphone.
Looking forward to this.
As other have said Apple TV+ has nothing like the content of Netflix (it probably has less than Prime and Disney+ too) but makes up for it in quality.
For All Mankind, Silo, Lessons in Chemistry, Slow Horses and Severance were all excellent
Seen a few good things on Apple TV, The Silo was excellent and really enjoyed Foundation.
This looks good too (reviews are all 5 star).
Plus Slow Horses!
^ also give “Criminal Record” a try - crime drama with Peter Capaldi & Cush Jumbo. Another on weekly episode release.
I’m fundamentally opposed to giving apple any money, ever.
Wait for it all to be available, sign up for apple TV, watch it in the 7 day free trial, cancel subscription. Bongo.
The silo is based on a trilogy of books, well worth reading.
By all accounts (online) the unit was a bit of a shambles with regards to discipline and technical ability/competence. I wonder if there will be some revisionism with regards to pilots navigating home or getting lost during training?
Thanks for starting the thread. I've been keeping vague tabs on this for years, being a huge fan of BoB. I really really hope it lives up to most if not all of the production credentials of BoB. The Pacific was a gory melodrama and a let down. The way they filmed the action sounds good, I just hope the final edit doesn't make it look ridiculous. One of the trailers wasn't that reassuring, but I bought an apple tv sub as I want to watch the whole thing. It's 9 episodes so hopefully it'll be worth it. Never had apple tv before but there's some other quality TV and films on there which is a good sign. I can absolutely do without the vast array of chaff that's on netflix.
I've read the book this is based on and it's an excellent and illuminating read. Bravery and grimness, and incredible fortitude abound. Being hanks and Spielberg I expect a dose of yank schlock, and some laughable UK characters (like BoB). But they're capable of communicating a gripping sense of the historic reality, which I hope prevails.
I watched some historical realism commentary
on YouTube about the trailer, and it bodes well because their complaints are so petty/vexatious.
Long post, sorry!
Looking forward to this! My paternal grandfather was a navigator in a B17 & was shot down over France. Survived and escaped with the help of the local resistance. All at the age of 23!
I saw the trailer. Whilst most of the reviews have been very positive if the cgi in the trailer is representative then I would find it very difficult to watch without shouting ‘planes don’t fly like that’ a few times an episode and upsetting the dog. Now some might regard that as petty/vexatious but it’s more a defying physics thing for me rather than historical accuracy.
The silo is based on a trilogy of books, well worth reading.
They are filming season 2 at the moment .
Not watched season 1 yet, does it tie in with the ending of the first book , i.e will season 2 be book 2 etc ?
I would find it very difficult to watch without shouting ‘planes don’t fly like that’ a few times an episode
In what way?
Looking forward to it, I think their efforts to maintain accuracy seems praise worthy, and the story of the 100th is a compelling one. Something like 80% of the original crews that came over to England were lost within months, so dramatizing that is a challenge with having to introduce characters, most of who are going to either die or be captured.
the unit was a bit of a shambles with regards to discipline and technical ability/competence.
I think that was probably as true of the 100th as it was for most of the US armed forces as they started to join the war in late '42. I do know that the lead navigator of the 100th, who became the Group Lead Nav was in fact one of the worst navigators at the beginning, and got the job mostly because he survived long enough to become good at it.
That was my concern a bit too (on flying sequences), I hate it when you get cartoon moves that make it seem like a video game. It takes away from the seriousness of the story, and it's so unnecessary. The actual action is nail-biting enough, it doesn't need the methods from a star wars or Marvel film. For me the benchmark for US daylight raids is Twelve o'clock high. A fantastic film that uses actual footage from raids, and they had the luxury of using a real B-17 to stage a real belly landing.
Fun fact: It's a Wonderful Life was James Stewart's first film after his service in a squadron based in England (with great distinction). I often wonder how much of his war experience filters through to the anguish of his character. It could have just been pure acting of course! Anyway, I wonder if he'll make a cameo appearance in the series, either CGI as a younger man or as a brief acted appearance...?
I would find it very difficult to watch without shouting ‘planes don’t fly like that’ a few times an episode
In what way?
I have had a bit of experience with historic aircraft volunteering with the Shuttleworth Trust, spending some time talking to the pilots who fly their veteran and vintage aircraft. The cgi that I saw showed Bf109G models manoeuvring in a way that would be impossible for two related reasons. First they were doing rolls at a speed of rotation that wasn’t possible for any aircraft of the era ( although possible now with something like an Extra 300 aerobatic plane)and Messerschmitt’s in particular at speed, and then pulling turns that would have ripped the wings off if the pilot actually had the strength to try it. It is common with many films though, Pearl Harbor was a shocker in that respect.
the story of the 100th is a compelling one
Indeed it is Nick, the ‘Bloody Hundredth’ they were known as. Thorpe Abbots, where they were based, is a 30 minute leisurely cycle for me. It’s a cracking museum and standing on top of the control tower looking out over were the hardstands and runways were is very evocative. The volunteers that run it are passionate about the history of the place and had Hanks in for a visit years ago when the project was first muted.
The CGI is probably going to annoy me too however.
Well, of the CGI that I do know they've done; when the B17s/B24 are on missions. They're 'flying' over accurate maps of both the landscape and the targets, so much so that as far as they can; down to buildings are where they are in real life. They've found the planes that took part in particular raids, and recreated them, and if it happened to the plane IRL, they re-create it in this even down to (as far as they can) the aircraft that shot it down. Their commitment to accuracy has been one of the things they're most proud. It would seem odd if they just abandon that for the sake of a high-G turn or fast barrel roll, no?
I appreciate that you have knowledge of aircraft through the Shuttleworth collection, but Bf109s and the like could pull sustained 4-5G and even as much as 8G for short periods, Black outs and grey outs for pilots were well recorded and that starts to happen for well experienced pilots at about 6G..
I guess this is the problem, it is a lot easier to recreate war on land with BoB and Pacific, as opposed to in the air, especially with (i believe) no current flying aircraft of the type they flew, so it has to be CGI, but if anyone has the budget to do it justice it would be them, plus it can only be better than it would of been if they had tried to do it 20 years ago i guess?
First they were doing rolls at a speed of rotation that wasn’t possible for any aircraft of the era
Becasue I am a nerd, I went and looked at the trailer. Could you getting confused between an aileron roll and a snap roll? Aileron rolls (as you rightly point out) for these sorts of planes are something like 80-100degs a sec so about three and a bit seconds for 360degs, and just using ailerons and low AoA, but in the trailer, those 109s are definitely doing flick/snap rolls and those are elevator/rudder at v high AoA and can be something like a second for the full roll, although obvs most of the time it's a half roll, or a vertical spilt s sort-of-thing. I doubt 109 drivers are doing lazy-assed aileron turns in the middle of a stack of B17s.
...and yet; I don't get invited to parties...
I appreciate the effort mentioned by nickc, I guess the issue that all films have is trying to get a visually cohesive image on screen showing the scale of the formation and the number of attacking aircraft into a small space which renders the action more exciting/ visceral to the viewer which leads to tweaks that I can appreciate relatively few people are worried about.
And as has been mentioned in historic aircraft forums, the trailer cgi may not be representative of the whole film.
Once all the episodes are out I'll be looking for an available source to download from. Apple aren't seeing a penny of my money.
Spoiler alert, the Germans lose.
over what time period are we talking?
Great point! A younger Stephen E. Ambrose gives a very good overview of 'who won the war' in The World at War series, I think 'Reckoning'.
Don't get invited to parties either!
Once all the episodes are out I’ll be looking for an available source to download from. Apple aren’t seeing a penny of my money.
That's great. I'm sure all the producers / actors / set builders / makeup and all the rest of the crew will be glad to hear you don't wish to make any sort of contribution to their livelihoods for the future 😉
On a related note youtuber "Lord HardThrasher" has recently done an interesting series on the European bombing campaign:
going into both the RAF and USAAF strategies/approach/experiences separately.
*He's perhaps a bit clarkson-esque in his presentation style if that bothers you
** I don't know enough about the subject to assess it's validity but it comes across as well researched to me
Richard Overy's The Bombing War is an excellent book that looks at bombing as a whole, whichever country used it in the WW2 period. It's illuminating to understand more about the strategies of the USAAF and RAF and some takes on their respective effectiveness and moral questions that hang over them...
Once all the episodes are out I’ll be looking for an available source to download from. Apple aren’t seeing a penny of my money.
I know, they’re bastards for putting the money up to produce it when HBO* pulled out.
(*or whoever it was.)
On a brighter note I’ve just finished a great big long post about the pros and cons of CGI, giving examples etc, but the website ate it (a three number error of some sort) and I’m not typing it all out again.