Otto Preminger's "The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell" isn't that well known and it's easy to see why. It's something of a dull history lesson about the court-martial of a former general, demoted to colonel for disobeying orders and now charged with accusing the powers-that-be with criminal intent for their disregard of a fledgling airforce. Mitchell himself is played by Gary Cooper, looking stiff in his uniform, and old-timers Ralph Bellamy and Charles Bickford are the men for and against him. Rod Stieger is also on hand, lending the film a touch of gravitas as a hotshot army lawyer, a role George C Scott would play in Preminger's much better contribution to the courtroom drama, "Anatomy of a Murder". Preminger shoots the film in widescreen and visually it is impressive but it's also more than a little on the turgid side.

"The Court Martial of Billy Mitchell" is an interesting look at the American military in the years after the end of World War I (Nov. 11, 1918). Some of the names have been changed, and some are fictional. Some details have been revised. But, overall, it's an accurate look at a time in American history and an event that was quite controversial.Billy Mitchell was the top American officer with flying experience at the end of WWI. He rose quickly through the ranks, and very early on was convinced of the future of air power and need for an air force. He was well known and liked by the public and the press. But, he soon got into hot water for his criticism of military leadership and his constant nagging of the top brass about the air service. America was reducing its military after the war, and defense dollars were tight. Well before generals George Patton and Douglas MacArthur questioned American military strategies in WW II, Billy Mitchell stuck his neck out to call military leadership incompetent. Yet, the court-martial of a general is rare in history. There might well have been some things other than insubordination that led to Mitchell's court-martial. All of that is played out well in this film. The cast is very good overall. And, while Gary Cooper does a fine job of acting, his rendition of Mitchell doesn't fit the real character. Mitchell was flamboyant and outgoing, where Cooper here is quiet and withdrawn. The real Mitchell had been more vocally critical for some time, and not withdrawn. But he did respect the service as the movie implies.Mitchell's criticism came to a head in September 1925, when he issued a statement to the press. It was prompted by the crash of the Shenandoah zeppelin and death of many of its crew, and then three seaplane crashes enroute from California to Hawaii. Mitchell said, "These incidents are the direct result of the incompetency, criminal negligence and almost treasonable administration of the national defense by the Navy and War Departments." In October, the government brought the court-martial charges. But, it should be noted that after a 1924 inspection of Hawaii, Mitchell had returned and written a 324- page report in which he predicted an attack on Pearl Harbor and war with Japan. Perhaps that public information was too much of a hot potato for the U.S. government to handle. In the movie, Maj. Guillion (played by Rod Steiger) reads from Mitchell's report that says carrier-based planes will lay 150 miles off Hawaii and attack it. But, according to numerous other sources, Mitchell didn't think that carriers would be practical. Instead, he saw the attack coming from Japanese bases on other islands. In the movie, Billy doesn't want his counsel to challenge Gen. Jimmy Guthrie as president of the court, because he is a friend. That character, played by Charles Bickford, is fictional. In real life, Billy's attorney, Congressman Reid (played by Ralph Bellamy) challenged three of the 13 judges for bias. All of them were removed, to leave the court with 10 men as the films shows. Major General Charles Summerall, the president of the court, was one of them removed.A scene during the court-martial is noteworthy. Gen. MacArthur is one of the members of the court, then a major general. He says to the others behind doors that high-ranking officers should be able to voice their opinions as a matter of free speech under the constitution. He said that was something quite different than insubordination. The court, in secret ballot, with two-third concurring, found Mitchell guilty of insubordination. Later research found that MacArthur had voted for acquittal. Mitchell's sentence was suspension from active duty for five years without pay. The movie ends with Mitchell watching as a squadron of planes flies overhead. In real life, President Coolidge changed his sentence to half pay, but Mitchell instead resigned on Feb. 1, 1926. He spent the next decade writing about and campaigning for air power. He died in 1936 at age 56 from influenza and other complications, including a bad heart. Mitchell is considered the father of the U.S. Air Force. After his death, he was given many honors. Franklin Roosevelt made him a two- star general. But, as assistant secretary of the Navy (1913-20), Roosevelt once had called Mitchell "pernicious." Many places and things have been named after Mitchell. It's too bad he didn't live until 1942 so he could be officially and publicly exonerated after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

The first World War had just ended in total victory for the United States and its Allies. Now war was a thing of the past, America disbanded its army and stabled its navy, its air force was still an unwanted child. In 1921 off the coast of Virginia, the high command of the army and navy gathered to consider a revolutionary experiment.William Mitchell was a controversial and famous character in American aviation history, his beliefs and future ideas as regards the importance and advancement of aviation in war got him into so much trouble it culminated in the Court Martial of the title. Though this Otto Preminger directed telling is not completely accurate in its history lesson, it is however (thanks to Gary Cooper's excellent portrayal) an excellent depiction of the man and his staunch nature. Naturally the picture is reliant on long pieces of dialogue, so really if anyone is after a blitzkrieg type war film then they should steer well clear, for this is a lesson in letting talking lead the way, and thus opening the door for the actors to do their respective stuff. Rod Steiger (solid if dangerously close to mugging too much), Ralph Bellamy, Charles Bickford and Elizabeth Montgomery round out the cast with varying degrees of success, but really it's with Gary Cooper that the films borders on success or failure, thankfully he comes thru with a fine line of sympathetic emotion that lifts the piece just above being middle of the road. 6/10

In 1925 the U.S. Naval Air Force's major new piece of military hardware was a zeppelin that had been built in Germany at the end of the First World War, which was given to the U.S as a reparation, and renamed the U.S.S. Shenandoah. The craft had a crack team running it, and it had an excellent head, Commander Zachary Landowne. It was in fair demand around the country, for most people believed that the future of long distance air travel would be in airships, not airplanes. So the Navy brass frequently sent the Shenandoah on public relations flights, rather than using it for military purposes or long distance flights.It was sent to Ohio where local politicians wanted to use the zeppelin to impress voters. Unfortunately, there was a storm front with heavy thundershowers in the path of the zeppelin, and the zeppelin had recently had some damage to a fin on it's tale. There had been no time to repair the damage. So when the zeppelin crossed into the storm front, the zeppelin was ripped apart by the winds and crashed killing Landsdowne and fourteen men. Landsdowne's close friend, Brigadier General Billy Mitchell was exceptionally critical of the disaster. He blamed the politicians and military brass who ordered the flight. As Mitchell had been long a thorn in the side of these two groups, as he tried to push his views on air power and the need for a unified, strong air force, he was charged with insubordination and ordered to be court martial-ed.Gary Cooper plays Mitchell well, as an honest, honorable man, who realizes that the future will be only safe for those who have a strong air arm. He is fighting old fashion ideas, mouthed by old fashioned army leaders like Fred Clark. He does have allies like his lawyer, a Congressman played by Ralph Bellamy, and like one of the judges (General Douglas MacArthur - who was the only one to vote for acquittal). But the issue goes down to the Mitchell's insubordination. And this leads to the dramatic high point, when Cooper is cross-examined by the malicious and clever Rod Steiger. Steiger is able to get Cooper to not only reveal his lack of respect for the brass but to reveal his mistrust of the Japanese. That he is correct in the long run does not save him - he is found guilty and suspended without pay from the army for five years.Mitchell died in 1936, not in time to see his vindication five years later. But he is remembered now as the real founder of the modern American Air Force. The film is a pretty good retelling of his story, and reminds us how frequently a prophet is despised and rejected in his or her time.