Masters of the Air [Apple]

Notmything

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121933290#Comment_121933290

The commentary about the British is pretty much lifted from Cosby's book from what I remember, definitely the interactions when he was at Oxford.

PhiloCypher

I'm only 4 episodes in, but one criticism I feel is overblown, at least in how it compares to BoB, is the corny americanness of it all. Having rewatched BoB recently, it's accents are just as corny, Garniere's is as cliched an accent as you'll hear , and Dexters Fletchers Bronx accent is everybit as dubious and clichéd as Barry Keoghans.

squonk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121933410#Comment_121933410

Thanks. I haven’t read any of the books but it was just my observations based on the show itself.

Notmything

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121934519#Comment_121934519

Ah yeah I get that, and they were jarring, but the show had deeper issues.

Still it's pushed me to rewatch BoB and the Pacific now.

setanta1984

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121934464#Comment_121934464

To be fair, the real Guarnere speaks at the end of the last episode and I don't think the actor does a bad job at all - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGZHOZj7Lwo

I generally agree with the overblown cheesiness criticism of MotA, for me though its warranted for Austin Butler - though tbf I've not heard the real Cleven speak but I think its unlikely he sounds exactly like Butler...

I really do think this will benefit from re-watches just like BoB and The Pacific - I distinctly remember being cold on the Pacific during the first airing - I've since re-watched it many times, most recently this month, and it is an amazing piece of work, not far behind BoB imo.

squonk

After some thought I think the shoe might have benefited from a little introductory piece. I don’t remember how long the intro interviews were on BoB but even a little 3-5 minute piece stitched together out of the documentary that grounded each episode and talked about the motivations would have been good. As is the main intro seemed enormously long to the point there it necessitated skipping. I’d have targeted a short intro to contextualise the episode. For those coming in cold it would have helped. I think if they’d released the Bloody 100th documentary a week or two before the show aired I’d have gotten more out of the show itself.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121936122#Comment_121936122

BoB certainly benefitted from interviews with characters in the series, more serious docs like Ken Burns Vietnam and the excellent Commando series about UK special forces are better for interviews with real soldiers. I get that MotA is not a documentary, but it is supposed to be based on real war events. Problem for MotA, they are likely all dead (certainly if you go by the limited bios at the end of the series), I think this series was mooted around the time of BoB in the early 2000s I read somewhere, but they waited until 2013 for a book to base it on, so they possibly should have started interviewing pilots at the same time as infantry.

squonk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121936146#Comment_121936146

They should. Hindsight is 20-20 though so I suppose they had one on their plate with BoB not to mention third party projects to be on top of everything. How long were the interview segments on BoB? Even without the men themselves even a quick one minute voice over images of the type saying how far into the overall mission they were, what was happening re morale, planes, losses etc. Judt a kind of précis of the reject section from the documentary would have grounded the show more.

al87987

It was fine, bit of a letdown, some good aerial fights but they gradually subsided as the series went on.

Austin Butler was horribly miscast though, he must have been in that camp for about a year and he still looks like he's ready to walk the red carpet at any point.

Main problem was I didn't really connect with many of the people portrayed, Crosby and Egan probably the only ones.

Rosie, Cleven, Tuskagee stories were all a bit meh.

Sleepy

The Bloody Hundredth companion documentary is definitely worth a watch imho.

The Black Oil

I have hoped to comment weekly, but life got in the way. I generally found this disappointing, a bit limp and bland. I felt much of Butler's dialogue was done via ADR, I dunno. They did go all in with the scale and the human side of it towards the end, which I appreciated.

It's been covered on a few podcasts. One popped up in German when I searched, don't speak the language. Another I've listened to is the National WWII's Museum 'Making of Masters of the Air'.

donaghs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122017194#Comment_122017194

Was a little disappointed with it. But overall enjoyed it. And looking back a few months later, its still the best TV I've seen in 2024.