The story of 10 young men based on the true-life documentary of ``Memphis Belle'' master William Wyler.

Authentic photography using existing equipment

The B-17, the best aircraft of the US Army Air Corps, was developed by Boeing in 1934 as America's first strategic heavy bomber, and was nicknamed the "Flying Fortress." The aircraft's smooth, streamlined lines, strong bulletproof equipment, and overwhelming armament made it worthy of the nickname "Flying Fortress." It was so stable that it could fly even if two of its four engines stopped working, and it was often able to return to base safely even after suffering major damage.

Later, in the latter stages of World War II, the B-17E appeared, which had strengthened defensive armament and was specialized for high-altitude aerial combat. Based on this, the B-17E was further strengthened in armament and bulletproofing, increased bomb load, and improved for mass production, resulting in the B-17F, the Memphis-Bell model.

Memphis Belle(c) 2010 Warner Bros Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Of the eight B-17s that were able to fly in the late 1980s, five were used for filming in this film. It's surprising that they used the real thing, but even more surprising is that they managed to find an actual B-17 for filming. There are two remaining planes in the US, two in France, and one in the UK, and skilled pilots were gathered from all over the country to fly them. Among them is a British veteran who actually flew a B-17 during the war, and he was credited as the coordinator of the aerial photography portion, making use of his extensive experience and track record.

That alone is amazing, but what's even more surprising is that of the four Messerschmitts (German fighter planes) that were flyable at the time, three still surviving planes flew for the filming, and eight Mustangs (American fighter planes) that escorted the B-17s also took part in the filming.

Even director Christopher Nolan was surprised by this truly authentic film. You will be overwhelmed by the realism and beauty of the images, which can never be expressed through digital processing using CGI or special effects using miniatures.

Reference: Theater program for the film "Memphis Belle"

Text: Hayato Otsuki

Born in May 1993 in Sapporo, Hokkaido. Writer, editor. He started his writing career in 2016 and currently contributes columns, movie reviews, etc. to various media. By reading the creator's Arrival from a bird's-eye view, we incisively analyze and explain the original intention of the work. His writing publications include "THE RIVER", "IGN Japan", and "Real Sound Movie Club". My specialty is action and fantasy.

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"Memphis Belle" DVD ￥1,572 (tax included)

Publisher: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment

Distributor: NBC Universal Entertainment

(c) 2010 Warner Bros Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.