The Eagle and the Hawk

Starring Fredric March, Cary Grant and Carole Lombard

Before he became one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, Cary Grant was still finding his screen persona in films like The Eagle and the Hawk. Released just a year after his breakthrough and long before the sophistication of The Philadelphia Story or the comic brilliance of His Girl Friday, this powerful First World War drama captures Grant at the very beginning of his journey to stardom.

Set amid the dangers and psychological pressures of aerial combat, the film follows a group of fighter pilots confronting the brutal realities of war. While aviation often appears as a symbol of adventure and progress in 1930s cinema, The Eagle and the Hawk offers a darker and more thoughtful perspective, exploring the personal cost of conflict alongside its thrilling flying sequences.

The result is a surprisingly complex and emotionally resonant film that remains one of the most remarkable aviation dramas of the pre-Code era. For Cary Grant enthusiasts, the film’s particular fascination lies in seeing an actor who has not quite become “Cary Grant” yet. The familiar mannerisms, confidence and effortless comic timing are only beginning to emerge. Instead, we see a young performer experimenting, developing and learning the craft that would make him one of cinema’s most enduring stars.

Screening earlier in the day than Only Angels Have Wings, the film offers a wonderful opportunity to compare two very different stages of Grant’s career. In The Eagle and the Hawk, he is a promising newcomer still establishing himself in Hollywood. By the time of Howard Hawks’s aviation masterpiece six years later, he had become a fully formed leading man, commanding the screen with the charisma and authority audiences would come to love.

A compelling wartime drama, an important aviation film and a fascinating snapshot of Cary Grant in the making, The Eagle and the Hawk shows the future star preparing for take-off.