Plot
Unabashedly sentimental, this war film was produced by David Putnam in partnership with Catherine Wyler, whose father William Wyler directed an acclaimed documentary about the real-life events depicted in the film. The ensemble cast is composed of ten young actors portraying the crew of the World War II B-17 bomber "Memphis Belle," anticipating their 25th and last mission before they will be able to go home. Having won fame with their exemplary war record and amazing lack of casualties, they expect their final assignment to be a cakewalk, but instead they are ordered to bomb Bremen, a heavily defended German city that will mean almost certain loss of life. Led by their experienced captain, Dennis Dearborn (Matthew Modine), the crew shoulders its responsibility despite mounting fears, while their commanding officer (David Strathairn) and a public relations specialist (John Lithgow) wait anxiously for their return. Aboard the bomber, there's friction between Dearborn and his disgruntled co-pilot Luke Sinclair (Tate Donovan), and between medical officer Val Kozlowski (Billy Zane) and the rest of the crew when it's learned that Val lied about his qualifications. Despite impressive technical credits and a popular Generation-X cast, Memphis Belle (1990) was a box-office disappointment, its enthusiastic patriotism considered a throwback to a bygone era of filmmaking. ~ Karl Williams, RoviCast
- Matthew Modine - Dennis Dearborn
- Eric Stoltz - Danny Daly
- Tate Donovan - Luke Sinclair
- D.B. Sweeney - Phil Rosenthal
- David Strathairn - Commanding Officer
- Billy Zane - Val Kozlowski
Credit
Norman Dorme - Art Director, John King - Art Director, Alan Tomkins - Art Director, Daivd Toguri - Choreography, Roger Freeman - Consultant/advisor, Tommy Garcia - Consultant/advisor, Bruce Orriss - Consultant/advisor, David Puttnam - Co-producer, Catherine Wyler - Co-producer, Jane Robinson - Costume Designer, Michael Caton-Jones - Director, Jim Clark - Editor, George Fenton - Composer (Music Score), Tommie Connor - Songwriter, Joan Hills - Makeup, Stuart Craig - Production Designer, David Watkin - Cinematographer, Eric Rattray - Producer, Ian Giladjian - Set Designer, Richard Conway - Special Effects, David John - Sound/Sound Designer, Michael Caton-Jones - Screenwriter, Monte Merrick - Screenwriter, Benny Goodman - Featured Music, Lionel Hampton - Featured Music, Mack Gordon - Featured Music, Jimmy Kennedy - Featured Music, Harry Warren - Featured Music, Nilo Menendez - Featured Music| Memphis (1991 Film), Memphis (2011 Film) | |
| Memphis Slim at Ronnie Scott's London (1984 Film), Memphis Slim: Live at Ronnie Scott's (1986 Film) |
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