Fokker D.VII's have appeared in a number movies. In the time between the wars, a number of original D.VII's were used in movies like 'Wings' and 'Hell's Angels'. After the Second World War, a number of movies were shot using flying Fokker D.VII replica's. These replica's were originaly build for 'The Blue Max', but were used in a number of other movies like 'Von Richthofen and Brown'.
Movies featuring D.VII's are:
(NOTE: Info on this page comes from Marshall Cram's Military Aviation Movie List)
The Blue Max
1968 *v
WWI- George Peppard; modern WWI drama. Great biplane footage. Replica
Pfaltz D.III, Moraine 230 (reserve plane). Albatross DII, 2 SE.5A replicas,
Caudron 272 Fokker Dr.I replica, 3 Fokker D.VII replicas Triplanes Tiger
Moths ('Fokkers').
Crimson Romance
1934 v
WWI- E.V. Stroheim: S.E.5, Fokker D.VII and footage from 'Hell's Angels'.
Darling Lili
1970 *v
WWI- Rock Hudson (ex USN); Spoof of WWI spy/biplane movies. Shot with the
Blue Max replicas, including Fokker Dr.1 Replica, Fokker D.VII Replicas,
and an SE.5 replica in the background.
Dogfight scene |
Dawn Patrol
1938 *v
WWI- D. Niven; The classic WWI aviation epic. Remake of the 1930 Dawn
Patrol, which was then retitled 'Flight Commander'. Much if not most of the
stunt footage was re-used. Neuiport 28's, Travelair 4000's ('Fokker'),
Thomas-Morse S.4C, and Pfalz D.XII, all mainly on the ground.
Two staged crashes by Frank Clarke. Directed by Howard Hawks, written by
J.M Saunders, both previously WWI pilots.
Eagle and the Hawk
1933
WWI- C. Grant; 2 WWI fliers dislike each other, one has a breakdown. DH-9,
Curtiss P-1 Hawk ('Fokker'), 'Wings', 'Lilac Time', 'Dawn Patrol' footage.
Static Nieuport 28's. Written by J.M. Saunders, ex WWI pilot.
Flight Commander
1930 v
WWI- Douglas Fairbanks; WWI epic. Nieuport 28's., Travel Airs
('Nieuports'), Fokker D.VII's, 2 Pfalz D.XII's, Standard J-1. Directed by
Howard Hawks (WWI pilot).
(This was originally 'Dawn Patrol'. It was retitled after the the second version came out in 1938)
Hell's Angels
1930 v
WWI- B.Lyon; Howard Hughes made this epic about 2 Americans who join the
RFC. Made with up to 87 biplanes and 80 pilots (including Roscoe Turner),
although some reports say no more than about 40 aircraft at one time.
Types included 5 Thomas-Morse Scouts S4.C (as 'Camels'), 3+ SE.5, Sikorsky
S-29 ('Gotha'), this crashed killing a stuntman) 8 Fokker D.VII, 2 Jennies
('Avro 504') Snipes?, Camels? DH.4. Many Travelair 2000/4000's ('Fokker')
Many crashes both planned and accidental, 3 of them were fatal. DH.4,
Travelair camera plane. Models.
Filmed at several 1920's Los Angeles Fields- Caddo (Van Nuys), Inglewood,
Chatsworth, Riverside, Encino, Santa Cruz, Glendale and Oakland in the San
Francisco area.
Men with Wings
1938
USAAC- Ray Milland (future USAAF Flight instructor); Story of two rival
fliers from 1903 to 1938. Original colour (a first for aviation movies).
Made with Buhl Pup, 3+ DH.4's 2 Garland Lincoln LF-1's(Nieuport replica),
Boeing 247's ('bombers'), Boeing P-12's. Nieuport 28C.1, SPAD VII.
Also a Whitehead replica, 1910 Curtiss pusher replica, 6 Travelair
('Fokker's'), Fokker D.VII (burnt!), Mantz Stearman C-3, 2 Boeing 100's,
NA.50 and several Jennies.
Camera planes were the Mantz Stearman C-3 and Lockheed Sirus. Apparently it
was filmed around Van Nuys, California. Directed by ex-WWI SPAD pilot
William Wellman.
Suzy
1936 v
WWI- Cary Grant; usual love triangle. Filmed in Triunfo Canyon, California
with SE.5, 6 Thomas-Morse S.4C Scouts, Neiuport 28's, Fokker D.VII, Earl
Populaire.
Von Richthofen and Brown (UK 'The Red Baron')
1971 *
WWI- John Philp Law; Shot with the Blue Max replicas, including a D.VII,
and a original (?) Fokker Dr.1.
Wings
1927 v
WWI- Richard Arlen (ex RFC, future USAAF); American WWI buddies go to
France. One of the greatest aviation epics.
Used over 300 pilots, mostly US Army. Many (220+) USAAC planes, with at
least one of their pilots being killed. Shot at Kelly and Brooks Fields,
and Camp Stanley, Texas in 1926.
Types used include Spad VII (2 w/o in staged crashes), Fokker D.VII (2 w/o
in staged crashes) 2 MB-3's were also deliberately crashed.
Units included the DH.4's of 90 BS. SE.5's, Thomas Morse MB.3 Scouts of 43
PS, DH.4 and MB.2's of 11 BS, Curtiss P-1 Hawk of 17 PS, 27 PS, 94 PS, 95
PS, of the 1 PG, and Vought VE-7's from Langley.
Thomas-Morse MB.3 and DH.4 camera planes from Crissy Field, Curtiss NBS-1
camera plane. USAAC balloons.
Written by F.J Saunders (ex-WWI pilot), directed by William Wellman (ex
SPAD pilot) Actor Buddy Rogers became a USN test pilot in WWII.