Red Tails

In researching the film, Lucasfilm invited some of the surviving Tuskegee Airmen to Skywalker Ranch, where they were interviewed about their experiences during World War II.

In 1944, as the air war over Europe is entering a deadly phase with increasing losses of bombers, the 332d Fighter Group (the Tuskegee Airmen) consisting of young African-American USAAF fighter pilots, after enduring racism throughout their recruitment and training in the Tuskegee training program, are finally sent into combat in Italy. Although flying worn-out Curtiss P-40 Warhawk aircraft and chafing at their ground attack missions against trains and enemy ground transport, the Tuskegee Airmen recognize that they may never fight the Luftwaffe in fighter-to-fighter combat. The tight-knit group of Capt. Martin Easy Julian (Nate Parker), 1st Lt. Joe Lightning Little (David Oyelowo), 2nd Lt. Ray Ray Gun or Junior Gannon (Tristan Wilds),horse tails 2nd Lt. Andrew Smokey Salem (Ne-Yo), and 2nd Lt. Samuel Joker George (Elijah Kelley) under the guidance of Major Emanuel Stance (Cuba Gooding, Jr.) and Col. A.J. Bullard (Terrence Howard), ce a white military bureaucracy still resistant to accepting black flyers as equals.

Cooper, Charlie, Ann Cooper and Roy La Grone. Tuskegees Heroes. St. Paul: Minnesota: Motorbooks International Publishing Company, 1996. ISBN 0-7603-0282-0.

In the ce of media criticism of the portrayals of the Tuskegee Airmen in Red Tails, a number of activists took to social media to protest against what was thought to be a racially-tinged effort to denigrate the contribution of the wartime fighting unit. Beginning with statements to support the film made by surviving Tuskegee Airmen who had seen the film in previews, and spurred by the comments made by Lucas in a candid interview on The Daily Show where the producer openly discussed the difficulties of trying to get Red Tails made over the past 23 years, a Facebook campaign was started. In the Oakland, California premiere, two sold-out screenings were a testament to the success of the campaign. Effie Teshun, one of the organizers, explained, When [Lucas] said Hollywood does not want to touch black films, it really hit me I thought we should get together and all go and support [this film]. Regardless of what Hollywood thinks, we all want to see positive messages of black people in the movies ... We need to speak, and speak loud, and speak with our dollars, because thats where people pay attention, when you start talking with your money, Teshun said. We are sending a message that this is what we want.

While shooting in the Czech Republic, the actors also underwent a boot camp program, during which they lived in similar conditions to the actual Tuskegee Airmen.

In order to achieve a realistic reaction, actors were flown in actual P-51 Mustangs at the Planes of Fame in Chino, California, to experience the forces involved in dogfighting.

Lucas invited storyboard artist David Russell (son of Tuskegee Airman James C. Russell) to design key aerial combat sequences.

In a similar vein, aviation historian Budd Davison, in agreement with fellow historian Barrett Tillman, although cognizant of the Hollywood treatment, had a caution to aviation enthusiasts looking for a ithful reenactment of the Tuskegee legend, ... buy some popcorn, lean back and enjoy, this is Hollywood telling a story, not a documentary. Save your gufws until afterward with your friends.

The Lucas template for photographing computer-generated imagery (CGI) dogfighting involved lots of action, continuous motion, moving camera, streaks, loops and rolls, and all of the things aerial photography allows you to do in live action.

Aerial scenes in Red Tails involved actors sitting in a gimbal-mounted cockpits (and mock-up fuselages and wings), in front of a green screen, rocked back and forth by production crew members.

Later, in February 2013, Red Tails won the NAACP Image Award in the categories of Outstanding Motion Picture and Outstanding Independent Motion Picture at the 44th NAACP Image Awards.

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The film is a fictionalized portrayal of the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of (USAAF) servicemen during World War II.

Red Tails is a 2012 American war film produced by Lucasfilm and also released by 20th Century Fox, and starring Terrence Howard (who had also portrayed a Tuskegee pilot in Harts War), and Cuba Gooding, Jr. (who previously starred in 1995s The Tuskegee Airmen, an HBO made-for-television film about the same group of pilots) in his first theatrically released film since 2007s American Gangster.

A number of writers worked on the project until John Ridley was hired in 2007 to write the screenplay.

Windham, Ryder, Daniel Wallace and Pablo Hidalgo. Star Wars: Year By Year - A Visual Chronicle. New York: DK Publishing, 2010. ISBN 978-1-4053-4167-7.

P-47 Thunderbolts flown by Maj. J. Myers and Lt Manfred O. Croy shot down the first Me 262 (from 1./KG 51, flown by Ofw H. Lauer) near Brussels.

A vehicle was fitted with a technical center so that the production could quickly move between locations.

is a nickname given to a military pilot or other flight officer. With origins back to World War II, the call sign is a substitute for a name, and is used on name tags, aircraft and radio conversations, to simplify communications and possibly mask the origin of the person from the enemy. The call sign is given and was a source of contention with Junior Gannon who wants others to call him Ray Gun.

Tillman, Barrett. Tales of the Red Tails; Inside the Tuskegee Legend: The men, the machines,Horse tail hair-Herds the missions. Flight Journal, February 2012.

Nijboer, Donald. No 126 Wing RCAF (Aviation Elite Units). Oxford, UKRed Tails: Osprey Publishing, 2010. ISBN 978-1-84603-483-1.

Lucas commented on the films reception: It had an affect [sic] on a lot of kids and adults. Now its the one thing that everyone comes up to me and says thank you for - Im proud of that. We didnt get to a point when [the film studios] said, Oh lets just do black movies. But every time you poke em, it makes an effect.

Ultimately, the Tuskegee Airmen are awarded the Presidential Unit Citation in honor of their achievements.

Kline, Sally, ed. George Lucas: Interviews (Conversations with Filmmakers series). Jackson, Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi, 1999. ISBN 978-1-57806-125-9.

In an interview on The Daily Show on January 9, 2012, Lucas stated that the long delay in the production of the film was because major film studios balked at financing and marketing a film with an all-black cast and no major white roles. He went on to explain that studios receive 60% of their profit from overseas, and the studios feel there is no market there for films with all-black casts.

OLeary, Michael. North American Aviation P-51 Mustang (Osprey Production Line to Frontline 1). Oxford, UK: Osprey, 1998. ISBN 978-1-85532-703-0.

In rebuttal, co-writer Aaron McGruder commented on the films tone: Some people are going to like this tonal choice and some people are going to say, Oh it shouldve been heavier and it shouldve been more dramatic. But theres a version of this that doesnt have to be Saving Private Ryan. We can be Star Wars, as crazy as it is.

When I first started working with George he told me about the story and the initial plan was to make this epic three or four hour movie. We wanted to start in the United States and show the full racism these guys had to go through, then go to the heroic story that were telling now and then come back and do the beginning of the Civil Rights movement. But it was just so unwieldy and also at that time, there was no way to have a roadshow three-hour movie in American cinemas. Every epic film had been a financial disaster, and we felt there just wasnt an audience we could get the film out to. Then we got heavily into Young Indiana Jones, which ran for three or four years, then the and the prequels, but throughout we did continue talking. However, once we finished Episode III we decided to go and meet people in the black community.

This article is about the 2012 film. For the African-American fighter pilots, see Tuskegee Airmen. For other uses, see Red tail.

Interview with Rick McCallum, June 9, 2012:

The Boondocks creator Aaron McGruder was brought in late in production, after Hemingways principal photography, to provide re-writes for the Lucas-directed reshoots.

Meanwhile, Bullard is able to secure a chance to light up the board when the Tuskegee Airmen are chosen to support the Allied landings at Anzio, Italy known as Operation Shingle. There, they battle Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters led by a German ace pilot they nickname, Pretty Boy (Lars van Riesen), scoring their first aerial victories over the enemy, as well as destroying a German airfield. However, Ray Gun is injured during the battle and suffers impaired vision in one eye. Ray Gun begs Easy to keep him on the flight roster despite his impaired vision. Easy is reluctant, but ultimately relents and allows Ray Gun to keep flying.

The film also states in the epilogue that the Tuskegee Airmen established one of the best fighter records in the U.S. Air Force. The film notes that 96 Distinguished Flying Crosses were awarded to the unit and 66 Tuskegee Airmen were killed in action. Officially, the Tuskegee Airmen did not produce a single fighter pilot ace, although Lee Archers record is still in dispute.

Red Tails portrays largely fictional events based on the exploits of the Tuskegee airmen, although many viewers were left with the impression that the film was entirely historically accurate. Through a series of three webinars, entitled: Tuskegee Airman Webinars - Was the Movie Accurate? sponsored by the Commemorative Air Forces Red Tail Squadron, surviving Tuskegee Airmen Colonel Charles McGee and Colonel Harold Brown provided perspectives related to the films interpretation. Although discussions as to use of equipment and dates were mentioned, false tails three claims made in the film were the most contentious: the number of losses suffered by bomber crews under escort, the encounters with Luftwaffe jet fighters and the overall record established by the Tuskegee Airmen.

The Tuskegee Airmen are then tasked with escorting the first American bombers to attack Berlin. However, despite their P-51s having more than enough fuel for the trip, the 332nd is only asked to escort the bombers on the first leg of their journey due to propaganda reasons. But the fighter squadron meant to relieve the 332nd never arrives, and Easy makes the decision to stay with bombers all the way. They are then attacked by Pretty Boy, now leading a flight of the revolutionary new Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighters. Despite being outclassed by their superior speed and 30mm cannon, the Tuskegee Airmen are able to shoot a multiple down. Pretty Boy manages to get on Easys tail and is about to shoot him down, but at the last moment, Lightning attacks and kills Pretty Boy in a head-on attack. Although victorious, he is mortally wounded, and Lightning dies, and his plane crashes soon afterwards. Easy is then forced to inform Sofia about Lightnings death and consequently overcomes his alcoholism for good. At Lightnings funeral, Ray Gun returns, having survived his escape from German captivity, invoking Lightnings memory.

Strife develops between roommates and best friends, Easy and Lightning, each of whom are battling their own inner demons; Lightning is a hotheaded and reckless pilot who takes too many risks, while Easy is an alcoholic prone to self-doubt. After returning to base from a mission, Lightning spies a pretty Italian girl named Sofia (Daniela Ruah), becomes instantly intuated with her, and starts a relationship.

In April 2009, Tuskegee Airman Lt. Col. Lee A. Archer Jr. was selected to be an advisor for Red Tails. He died in 2010 while the film was in post-production and the final credits bear a tribute to Archer.

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Red Tails is the first Lucasfilm production since the 1994 film Radioland Murders that is not associated with the Indiana Jones or Star Wars franchises.

At the end of webinars, host Brad Lang, the CAF Red Tail Squadron Leader, described the interaction as important to reconciling the historical record with the Red Tails films essentially dramatic retelling of the Tuskegee Airmen saga. Both colonels also agreed that the discussions were important to resolving the controversy over the film.

. The tails of the aircraft are painted bright red and become the unofficial name of the outfit. Bullard noted that the flaw of previous escort fighters is that they would recklessly pursue German fighters at the cost of protecting the bombers, so he orders his pilots to stay with the bombers at all costs. Their first escort mission is a success, with the 332nd downing multiple Luftwaffe aircraft without the loss of a single bomber. However, Ray Gun is shot down and captured while Deke crash lands and nearly dies.

According to period records, it was long believed that the Tuskegee Airmen did not lose a single bomber due to enemy fire, a statement made by a bomber pilot in the film. However, this claim has been proven inaccurate and an Air Force report from 2006, showed that at least 25 bombers were lost to enemy fire.

Tuskegee Airmen: Capt. Wendell O. Pruitt with his crew chief, S/Sgt. Samuel W. Jacobs, c. November 1944

Pre-production began in January 2009, with location scouting having taken place in June 2008 in Prague, Czech Republic, Italy and Croatia.

Lucas covered the cost of production with his own money, and provided a further $35 million for distribution.

Bullard is then approached by the USAAF Bomber Command, who are impressed with the Tuskegee Airmens performance and ask him to use his fighters as Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bomber escorts due to unacceptably high casualties among bomber crews. Bullard accepts on the condition that his unit be supplied with the new North American P-51 Mustang

(March 1944), later with Republic P-47 Thunderbolts (JuneJuly 1944), and finally the fighter group acquired the fighter aircraft with which they became most commonly associated, the North American P-51 Mustang (July 1944).

The film had a presence at 2011s New York Comic Con; Lucasfilm sponsored a panel featuring many of the cast and crew, as well as a .

Red Tails was released on DVD and Blu-ray/DVD combo, as well as via digital download, on May 22, 2012. The Blu-ray/DVD combo includes Double Victory, a companion documentary to the film that debuted on January 13, 2012 on H2. It details the full real life story of the Tuskegee Airmen, and includes interviews with many of the surviving members.

which took place in the Czech Republic, Italy, Croatia and England over a period from August to December.

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film two-and-a-half stars out of four, stating, Red Tails (is) entertaining. Audiences are likely to enjoy it. The scenes of aerial combat are skillfully done and exciting.

Adolph Reed, professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania, said the film trivializes segregation in the military by reducing it to a matter of bad or outmoded attitudes. The ironic effect is significant understatement of both the obstacles the Tuskegee airmensic ced and their actual accomplishments by rendering them as backdrop for a blackce, slapped-together remake of Top Gun.

The main criticism was directed to the tone of the film; Stephen Holden in The New York Times review, noted, In structure and tone, Red Tails proudly harks back to the 1940s and 50s, when good guys were good, and bad guys bad.

Production began in March 2009 with high-definition Sony F35 cameras used for principal photography,

Red Tails received mixed to negative reviews from film critics. Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 40% based on 126 reviews, with the consensus on the site indicating: Despite a worthy ct-based story and obvious good intentions, Red Tails suffers from one-dimensional characters, corny dialogue, and heaps of clichs.

The Blu-ray/DVD combo also includes several featurettes that focus on the films cast and crew. The only bonus feature included on the regular DVD edition is a series of highlights from Double Victory.

Red Tails is also the last film Lucasfilm made independently before being bought by The Walt Disney Company on October 30, 2012.

Ina Diane Archer, daughter of Lee Archer (Tuskegee airman and advisor for Red Tails) in writing for Film Comment, criticizes the films disconnect between aerial scenes and the rest of the film, saying, One longs for more scenes between the ensemble on the ground, but the emphasis on aerial (and digital) technology leaves the characters without context. Theres a particularly troubling absence of black women (but for a painting on Lightnings plane) who go unmentionedno gal back home? no sisters, no Mamas?nor do we ever see the African Americans who followed the squadrons adventures.

As depicted in the climactic scene, the Luftwaffe Me 262 interception of a Tuskegee Airmen escort mission did not result in the first victory over the vaunted jet fighters, credited to another U.S. unit much earlier in the war.

Lucas held discussions with Samuel L. Jackson regarding Jackson possibly directing and acting in the film. Although Jackson praised the script, he did not commit to either role.

Editing began while the production was in Prague. Avid editing systems were used simultaneously in a Prague studio and at Lucasfilm.

Filmed in March and July 2009. It was directed by Anthony Hemingway from an original screenplay by John Ridley, with additional material shot the following year with executive producer George Lucas

As a result of his injuries, Deke is discharged, and Ray Gun is assumed to be dead. Easy realizes it was his ult Ray Gun was allowed to fly, blames himself and spirals deeper into alcoholism. Lightning, worried about his friend, makes a deal with Easy; he will follow orders and fly less recklessly as long as Easy remains sober. Meanwhile, attitudes against the Tuskegee Airmen begin to change as they earn the bomber crews respect, even being allowed into the whites only officers club. Ray Gun is sent to a POW camp, where he is recruited by a group of POWs who are planning to escape. The escape attempt is successful, but some of the POWs are spotted by a guard so Ray Gun draws the Germans attention while the other POWs escape. One of the POWs manages to reach the 332nds base and informs them about Ray Guns sacrifice, assuming him to be dead. Later, Lightning finally proposes to Sofia and though she originally hesitates, she later accepts as long as he stays in Italy, which he agrees to do.

Lucas originally conceived of the film as a long, detailed narrative similar to Lawrence of Arabia, and as a trilogy,

Anthony Hemingway, a former production assistant for Lucas The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles TV series,

In March 2010, Lucas took over direction of reshoots, as Hemingway was busy working on episodes of the HBO series, Treme.

Harkening back to his early work on Star Wars where he had studied World War II aerial footage to create the space aerobatics performed by and TIE fighters, Lucas was miliar with World War II aerial combat.