They've
flown 24 perilous missions. Now there's only one thing keeping the
flyboys of the B-17 Memphis Belle from going home to a hero's
welcome: Mission #25, a daylight raid over Germany that's their most dangerous ever.Matthew Modine (Full Metal Jacket, And the Band Played On)
heads the dynamic star cast of Memphis Belle, an acclaimed
high-flying adventure inspired by true-life World War II heroes. Legendary director William Wyler, who flew five battle runs in the famed
Flying Fortress, first told the Memphis Belle's story in a
1944 documentary. Using that as inspiration, producers David Puttnam (Chariots
of Fire) and Catherine Wyler (William's daughter) scoured the world
to find enough operable B-17s to give their movie wings. They found five
of the now-rare aircraft, along with 13 other vintage planes.
These airborne marvels are joined with impressive model work, wartime
footage and a stirring story of the guts and teamwork required when the
flak gets so thick you can walk on it. The result is a movie that soars
with the spirit of courageous men who took to the skies during one of the world's darkest
hours. Sean Astin plays "Rascal," the excitable young
ball-turret gunner.
