DARE-DEVILS MAKE "HELL'S ANGELS"

Stratford Evening Post, Volume I, Issue 214, 19 August 1931, Page 8

DARE-DEVILS MAKE "HELL'S ANGELS"

Wcrld's Leading Aces Stage Aerial Battles For New Film Sensation An event of more than usual significance is slated for the Stratford movie-goers at the King's Theatre, starting to-night. "Hell's Angels," the j most outstanding film achievement of i all time, is the attraction. "Hell's Angels" is the stupendous drama of air-war which Howard Hughes produced and" personally directed at the staggering cost of four million dollars, and which required three years of continuous filming to complete. It is* admittedly the ace spectacle of war-time aviation—a graphic glorification of the World War in the ai; ' . . ~ . „ According to most critics, it is tlie supreme revelation of realism —the first authentic reproduction of the exploits of both Allied and German airmen during the World War. More than 100 daring pilots, including many of America's foremost stunt flyers, took part in the thrilling air battles which are a spectacular feature of "Hell's Angels." A flying fleet of exactly S 7 real wartime planes, including a giant German Gotha bomber and a German dirigible, was brought together from all parts of the world and flown in this picture.

In one scene alone 50 planes are shown in combat simultaneously. It cost a quarter of a million dollars to put this single scene on the screen and aviation authorities, military and civil, declare it is the most miraculous achievement in the history of both aeronautics and motion pictures. For the first time the exploits of the now world-famous Baron von Riehthofen's Flying Circus are accurately reproduced, and for the first time the sensational war-time Zeppelin raid on London is depicted realistically. Upwards of 20,000 persons took part in the making of "Hell's Angels," and more than 3,000,000 feet of film were ground through the cameras to obtain the astounding realism disclosed in the completed picture. Aside from" its unprecedented and spectacular features in the air, "Hell's Angels" is replete with romance and drama. It is based on one of the most original and dramatic stories ever screened —a story amazing and daring in its originality and treatment. In "Hell's Angels" you will see many new faces. In striving for complete realism Mr. Hughes endeavoured to get away from well-known actors as much as possible, and use instead new players who were in themselves the characters required, so they could live rather than act their parts.