Lafayette Escadrille (DVD-R)

US Import

The brave Americans who flew for France before the U.S. entered World War I are saluted in Lafayette Escadrille, a rousing and flavorful adventure filled with flyboy camaraderie. '50s screen idol Tab Hunter stars as Thad Walker, a troubled youth who signs up with the elite corps. Love, however, throws a stumbling block in his path. He deserts to be with his sweetheart -- but ultimately returns to dogfight glory. Besides a compelling look at the pilots' training, Lafayette Escadrille offers the fun of seeing actors whose careers had yet to soar to their full heights: movie superstar Clint Eastwood, Tom Laughlin (Billy Jack), David Janssen (The Fugitive) and Will Hutchins (Sugarfoot). Real-life Escadrille combat hero William A. Wellman (The Public Enemy, Battleground) provides the film's story and directs. It's a story close to Wellman's heart and the last of the nearly 80 films in his renowned career.