Hell's Angels - The Criterion Collection 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

Howard Hughes was eccentric, neurotic, fiercely driven, brash, egocentric, and pig-headed. He was also a visionary, and many of his quirks, frailties, and larger-than-life personality traits - not to mention his massive fortune - contributed to his ability to not just think outside the box, but also realize his grandiose ideas. A controversial figure in both the aviation and film industries, Hughes scaled stratospheric heights and crashed and burned, literally and figuratively. He produced scads of movies, but directed only two - Hell's Angels and The Outlaw. The former was a monumental blockbuster, the latter an embarrassing failure. In a nutshell, that's Hughes. Say what you will about the man, but 95 years after the Hell's Angels premiere, this aerial spectacular is still spectacular and definitely something to see.

Hughes' innovation, attention to detail, perfectionism, and blustery showmanship is on full display in this impressively executed World War I drama that mixes thrilling action sequences with a potent anti-war message that maintains its power and relevancy almost a century later. The tale of two devoted British brothers with diametric personalities - Roy (James Hall) is mature, upstanding, and naïve, while Monte (Ben Lyon) is a devil-may-care, irresponsible playboy - who become involved with the same wanton woman was already clichéd in the late 1920s, but a tense German Zeppelin sequence, breathtaking aerial dogfights, an extended two-color party scene, hand-tinted sequences and isolated shots, and frank, pre-Code sexuality eclipse the narrative and keep us engaged and agog throughout.

Hell's Angels boasts some of the most realistic aerial sequences ever put on film. Forget green screens and CGI; what you see on screen is the real deal. The intricate aerial formations and choreography, highlighted by swoops and dives, are dazzling. Tragically, the dangerous maneuvers wound up killing three pilots and one mechanic during shooting. Even Hughes suffered significant injuries after the plane he was piloting crashed while he attempted a daring stunt that all the other pilots refused to perform. Knowing this backstory makes Hell's Angels even more fascinating and awe-inspiring.

Hughes demanded accuracy and authenticity and was willing to spend the money and take the time to meet his ridiculously high standards. For myriad reasons, the movie took almost three years to make. It was nearly completed as a silent when talkies took the industry by storm. Consequently, Hughes scrapped all the dramatic silent footage and reshot the scenes with sound, a decision that forced him to recast his leading lady. (A thick foreign accent doomed his original female star, Greta Nissen.) That leading lady was an unknown 18-year-old with (very) minimal experience named Jean Harlow.

From the moment the camera first zeroes in on Harlow, it's evident she has "it." (Parallels between her and a young Marilyn Monroe 20 years later are striking.) Her acting may be rough around the edges, but she's such an alluring, ebullient presence it's easy to forgive her dramatic shortcomings. Though her selfish, heartless, man-eating character is unlikable (to say the least), it's tough not to love Harlow. And it's an extra special treat to see her in color. Another unique aspect of Hell's Angels is that it provides the only color footage ever shot of Harlow, who sadly died before she could be photographed in sumptuous three-strip Technicolor.

Hall and Lyon, who reportedly piloted his own plane during some of the aerial scenes, fashion a believable fraternal bond that propels the story and heightens dramatic impact. Neither is a great actor, but their sincerity and passion put over their respective characters. Both enjoy good chemistry with Harlow...more evidence of her burgeoning talent that would blossom and become refined in subsequent films.

Hell's Angels can't compete on a thematic level with the Oscar-winning All Quiet on the Western Front, which was released the same year, but it preaches a similar anti-war message. Ironically, though, it's the aerial battle scenes that steal the show and still impress in the 21st century. Hell's Angels may not be a masterpiece, but it's the type of movie that stokes the spirit and provokes a sense of exhilaration over what can be achieved when you dare to dream. Hats off to Hughes. He made a humdinger of a movie.

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
Hell's Angels arrives on 4K UHD packaged in a standard Criterion case. A 10-page, fold-out booklet that includes an essay by author Fred Kaplan, a cast and crew listing, transfer notes, and a few photos is tucked inside the front cover. A 1080p Blu-ray disc that contains all the special features is also included in the package. Video codec is 2160p/HEVC H.265 with HDR and audio is LPCM mono. Once the disc is inserted into the player, the static menu with sound effects immediately pops up; no previews or promos precede it.

According to the liner notes, "Hell's Angels is presented in the aspect ratios of 1.37:1 and 1.54:1. Undertaken by Universal Pictures, this new 4K restoration of the Magnascope road-show version of the film was created from a 35 mm duplicate negative." Magnascope, a precursor to the widescreen formats of the 1950s that enjoyed a brief heyday at the end of the silent era, allowed images to be blown up to a wider aspect ratio for greater visual impact. Hughes employed Magnascope for the aerial combat and Zeppelin scenes to great effect, and this eye-popping 2160p/HEVC H.265 transfer seamlessly integrates those sequences.

This edition of Hell's Angels also beautifully renders the hand-tinted scenes and effects, as well as the extended two-color sequence that stands as the only known color footage of Jean Harlow. The practically flawless source is free of damage and dirt, except for a pesky scratch that slightly mars part of the two-color sequence, and the entire presentation exudes a palpable film-like feel. The original grain structure remains intact, but the texture never overwhelms the image. Cinematographers Tony Gaudio and Harry Perry nabbed Oscar nods for their exceptional work, but the dazzling aerial photography by Elmer Dyer deserves to be mentioned in the same breath and should have been similarly recognized.

The blue and pink tinting is striking, as are the bursts of yellow flames that emanate from machine guns and larger explosions. The meticulous care that went into constructing these images almost a century ago is still evident today and provokes a sense of wonder and respect. The hues in the two-color sequence are vibrant, yet appear surprisingly natural, and the black-and-white photography is impressive, too. Blacks are dense, whites are bright and stable, and the wide grayscale enhances details in costumes and décor. Shadow delineation is quite good and sharp close-ups flatter Harlow and showcase facial hair, dirt, and sweat. Though the transfer lacks HDR, it doesn't suffer from the loss.  I don't own the 2004 DVD, but there's no way in hell this edition of Hell's Angels doesn't obliterate it.

I'm sure the included 1080p Blu-ray disc does, too. A brief sampling of that disc yielded positive impressions, with the clarity, contrast, tinting, and color rivaling the 4K UHD presentation.

The liner notes state "the original monaural soundtrack was remastered from the 35 mm optical soundtrack negative," and the result just might be the best early talkie audio I've ever heard. Antiseptically clean, without any noticeable hiss, pops, or crackle, and exhibiting none of the shrillness and hollow tones that were a byproduct of the era's primitive recording equipment, this track sounds rich and full. Sonic accents like rumbling plane engines, whirring propellers, machine-gun fire, and fisticuffs are crisp, while the subtle noises of the Zeppelin cast an eerie sense of foreboding throughout the soundscape. Most of the dialogue is easy to comprehend; during crowd and combat scenes, some exchanges can be slightly difficult to decipher, but those instances are few and far between. Hell's Angels was produced before music scores augmented the action, but the music that plays over the opening and end credits benefits from good fidelity and a pleasing depth of tone.

Just a few extras add contact and perspective to this impressive film.

• Featurette: "Robert Legato on the Technical Achievements of Hell's Angels" (HD, 12 minutes) - Robert Legato, the visual effects supervisor for Martin Scorsese's Howard Hughes biopic The Aviator, calls Hell's Angels "the most spectacular air film ever made," and in this somewhat superficial piece he talks about Hughes' passion for innovation, his personality, and the amazing flight sequences in Hell's Angels.
• Featurette: "Jean Harlow and her Breakout in Hell's Angels" (HD, 27 minutes) - Film critic Farran Smith Nehme looks at Harlow's life, career, and tragic death at age 26 in this absorbing profile that also details the hellish production of Hell's Angels. Rare newsreel clips from the massive premiere of Hell's Angels and a variety of striking still photographs enhance the featurette.
• Outtakes (HD, 5 minutes) - Harlow biographer David Stenn provides commentary for a series of fascinating and very rare outtakes that feature candid footage of Harlow, an 11-second kiss between Harlow and Ben Lyon, and the earliest known footage of Howard Hughes, who was just 24 years old at the time. 

A helluva good movie that still dazzles the senses with its artistry, innovation, and aerial derring-do, Hell's Angels has been magnificently remastered for this 4K UHD Criterion release. Hughes mixes thrilling dogfight scenes with Harlow's femme fatale allure and tops it all off with a sober anti-war message that still stings. There's plenty of substance in this very stylish extravaganza that's enhanced by a spectacular UHD transfer, robust lossless audio, and a few noteworthy extras. Highly Recommended.