In Munich, Germany, Roy Rutledge, an Oxford student, is visiting his classmate and friend, Karl Arnstedt, along with his pleasure-loving brother, Monte. When Monte is challenged to a duel by the Baron von Kranz, who catches him with his wife, Monte absconds, leaving Roy to take his place. Later, the boys join their Oxford friends at home, where Roy continues his blind infatuation with Helen, a glittering social butterfly. With the outbreak of war with Germany, Roy enlists in the Royal Fighting Corps, while the cowardly Monte is accidentally recruited through a kiss. At a charity ball given by Lady Randolph, Helen snares Monte with her charms, and they begin a clandestine affair. On a mission to bring down a German zeppelin, the brothers barely escape death, unlike their friends Elliott and Karl. They meet Helen again in France, in Lady Randolph’s Canteen, and she is exposed as a coldhearted flirt. Monte is openly accused of cowardice by fellow officers, and as a result both brothers volunteer for a mission behind enemy lines. When the brothers are captured by the Germans, Monte frantically agrees to reveal the English position to save his life. Roy tries to effect a desperate plan to save him but at length is obliged to shoot him. When he himself refuses to give information to the enemy, he is ordered before a firing squad. The brothers’ sacrifice is not in vain, however, for their brigade’s attack on the Germans is a complete success.
Originally shot as a silent film, Hughes retooled the film over a lengthy gestation period. Most of the film is in black and white, but there is one color sequence—the only color footage of Harlow’s career. Hell’s Angels is now hailed as one of the first sound blockbuster action films. More on Wikipedia
TOP 10 HIGH GROSSING MOVIES FROM 1930
Watch Hell’s Angels (1930)
