 Released
in 1930, Howard Hughes’ Hells Angels was a technical
achievement the likes of which had never been seen. Everything
about the film, from its innovative two-strip Technicolor segments
to its daring aerial photography and its unprecedented 3.8 million
dollar price tag was a reflection of Hughes himself. The film's
unexpected financial success rocked the movie going world and
established Hughes as a top tier celebrity from that moment forward.
Hells
Angels tells the story of two brothers who find themselves caught
up in the perils of World War I and in conflict with one another
over the love of a beautiful, promiscuous woman. Roy, the elder
and more responsible brother, is involved with Helen who he fervently
believes is devoted to him in every way. Monty, the younger brother
is a gadfly womanizer who Helen seduces, unbeknownst to Roy.
Meanwhile, with the outbreak of war, both men enlist in the RAF
and become fighter pilots, taking on dangerous missions over German
territory.
Though the bulk of the plot revolves around the love triangle
the real meat of the film is its spectacular aerial sequences.
Hughes purchased dozens of surplus biplanes and enlisted veteran
WWI aces to fly them into situations that rivaled the peril they
faced in the war itself. Where similar airborne epics had used
stock footage and rear projection shots, Hughes insisted on strapping
expensive photographic equipment to the planes and filming the action
as it actually happened, high above the California landscape. He
choreographed dogfights involving swarms of aircraft, swirling
and diving through the sky and the result is a palpable sense of
impending disaster. In fact, during the course of filming three of
the pilots were killed and when it came time to photograph the climactic
scene the aces refused to fly, forcing Hughes himself to take the
stick. The aces were right to be reticent as Hughes was nearly killed
getting the critical footage.
 The air battle sequences weren’t the only technical high
points in Hell’s Angels. The film was also one of the first
to employ sound (Hughes insisted on re-shooting much of the footage
with sound after seeing The Jazz Singer) and includes two segments
in two-strip Technicolor, which had been in limited use since 1922
but saw its first really high profile outing in Hughes’ film.
Hell’s Angels includes the only color footage ever shot of
Jean Harlow.
Hughes is credited with directing Hell’s Angels but
it’s a not-so-well kept secret that the actual work
was done by James Whale who is credited as dialogue director.
Whale, known for his artistic masterpieces Frankenstein (1931)
and The Bride of Frankenstein (1935) probably wasn’t
too disappointed about not getting a directing credit on Hell’s
Angels as the acting in the film is far from top notch. Hughes
was obviously much more interested in the technical aspects
of the production than in subtlety of plot and performance.
The result is wooden dialogue and delivery, even by 1930s
standards. Ben Lyon (Monty) and James Hall (Roy) deliver almost
laughable performances and Jean Harlow (Helen) was still a
year away from her first truly competent outing in 1931’s
Public Enemy. Never the less, Harlow was the sensation of
the picture, probably more due to her scandalous attire which
would be considered very revealing by even contemporary standards.
One bright spot is Lucien Prival as the deliciously sinister
and comical Baron Von Kranz, the primary villain of the piece.
Special Features
Universal’s DVD of Hell’s Angels was rushed out
to capitalize on the theatrical release of Martin Scorsese’s
Hughes bio The Aviator and the result is a bare bones edition.
Not even the theatrical trailer is included on the disc. This
is a missed opportunity in that Hell’s Angels would
have benefited greatly from a full-fledged special edition.
As it is we’re left with the movie and nothing more.
Subtitles are available in English, Spanish and French.
Picture & Sound
The UCLA Film and Television Archive restored Hell’s
Angels and the result is serviceable if not spectacular. The
1.33:1 Academy aspect ratio elements show a good deal of grain,
some jitter due to worn sprocket holes and fading that results
in a slight flashing between darker and lighter frames in
some scenes. None of these flaws are unexpected in a film
of this age and they’re far from fatal. There are no
dropped frames or jarring jump cuts. The tinted scenes are
nicely saturated and the Technicolor scenes, though faded,
are still very dynamic. The monaural sound is surprisingly
crisp and clear with only a small amount of hiss. The levels
are very consistent throughout and pleasant to listen to.
Conclusion
Hell’s Angels is a landmark film that deserves a special
edition release and with the critical and financial success
of The Aviator it’s not beyond the realm of believability
that Universal will give it that treatment in the not too
distant future. With an MSRP of $14.99 and a street price
closer to $10.00 this bare bones edition is a suitable stopgap
for those interested in adding the film to their collection.
The UCLA restoration is nicely done and the viewing experience
is better than might be expected for a movie of this age.
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