Operation Dumbo Drop
Encyclopedia
Operation Dumbo Drop is a 1995 American comedy-drama
film directed by Simon Wincer
. The storyline was conceived from a screenplay written by Gene Quintano
and Jim Kouf
; based on a true story as depicted by United States Army Major Jim Morris. The film stars Danny Glover
and Ray Liotta
as Green Berets during the Vietnam War
in 1968, who attempt to transport an elephant through jungle terrain to a local South Vietnamese village who in turn help American forces monitor Viet Cong activity. Actors Denis Leary
, Doug E. Doug
and Corin Nemec
also star in principal roles.
A joint collective effort to commit to the film's production was made by Interscope Communications and PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
. It was commercially distributed by Walt Disney Pictures
theatrically, and by Buena Vista Home Entertainment for home media. Following its cinematic release, the film failed to garner any award nominations from mainstream motion picture organizations for its production merits or lead acting. Operation Dumbo Drop explores war, politics, and animal welfare.
Operation Dumbo Drop premiered in theaters nationwide in the United States on July 28, 1995 grossing $24,670,346 in domestic ticket receipts. The film was technically considered a moderate financial success after its theatrical run, but was generally met with negative critical reviews before its initial screening in cinemas. As a backdrop for Vietnam, primary shooting and photography took place in Thailand.
Cahill and Doyle enlist the help of three other soldiers; CW3 Davis Poole (Denis Leary), Sp4 Harvey Ashford (Doug E. Doug) and Sp5 Lawrence Farley (Corin Nemec) to secure and deliver a new elephant to the villagers. The soldiers agree to purchase an elephant from a Vietnamese trader in a village a few hundred miles away. They also agree to accompany the elephant's handler Linh (Dinh Thien Le), who has experience with verbal commands in guiding the elephant. Along the way, Vietcong soldiers attempt to halt their advancement with the elephant towards Dak Nhe; but without success. Following a failed air transport move, the soldiers use a combination of land and sea methods to reach Pleiku Airbase before their final journey towards Dak Nhe.
At the base, Major Pederson (Marshall Bell
), notifies the soldiers that the mission to deliver the elephant as a favor, has been cancelled. Pederson informs the soldiers that the enemy supply route has changed direction, and the army no longer needs the support of the local village. Against regulations, the soldiers commandeer a cargo aircraft with the elephant on-board to deliver to the villagers as promised. The aircraft comes under enemy fire as the soldiers along with the elephant aboard a crate, parachute out to safety. The company land unharmed within the village, but one of the soldiers who parachuted out, Ashford, gets stuck in a tree and becomes separated from the corps. Vietcong forces suddenly appear to disrupt the operation, threatening to take the remaining soldiers hostage and kill the elephant. Ashford however, is able to free himself and create a diversion long enough to distract and incapacitate the Vietcong troops. The soldiers complete their original intended mission, and to the delight of the U.S. Army, capture high-ranking enemy combatants in the process.
The premise of Operation Dumbo Drop is based on the true story relating to the cooperation of South Vietnamese villagers and the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War in the late 1960s. The U.S. Army viewed many villages as a strategic value due to their proximity to enemy weapons supply routes, such as the Ho Chi Minh trail
. Elephants found in villages were typically the primary source of farm labor. To appease hostile villagers, the U.S. offered elephants as a token of appreciation. According to actor Glover, one such operation took place specifically on April 4, 1968; but received fairly little coverage due to the death of a Vietnamese military leader on the same day. The film is based on a story depicted by retired United States Army Major Jim Morris; who related his experiences surrounding the elephant air-droppings during the ongoing war.
A 26-year old Asian elephant
named Tai was used for the part of Bo Tat. The female elephant was chosen for the part because of her calm demeanor and friendly disposition, which allowed her to be placid and relaxed during scenes with simulated gunfire. Many depictions in the film such as the elephant being sedated and lying down or following that, moving her legs and standing up were actually accomplished with an animal trainer.
. Other filming locations included film studios in Los Angeles
, California and Miami, Florida.
Certain scenes where the elephant was shown aboard a marine boat actually had I-beams under the deck to support the animal. Additionally, ballast was added to the boat to keep it afloat. One of the later scenes where the elephant was aboard the aircraft with gunfire and missiles being shot at it; was filmed in cuts with both fake elephants and a mechanical elephant being used in the jump. The real elephant was used only for close-ups.
During the village food cart scene, a trainer as an extra, ran along side the elephant telling her to keep moving. There was also another trainer in front of her encouraging her constant movement and ensuring that nothing got in her path. Wire was attached to crates and tables which were pulled over as the elephant ran by, making it appear as though she were knocking everything aside. In a flashback scene, the character of Linh sees an elephant being shot, as he tells of how his parents were killed. The film crew accomplished this feat by instructing the trainer to tell the elephant to lie down, while then shooting the scene in slow motion. To ensure the health of the elephant, her food and water, including her bathing water, was shipped from the U.S. to Thailand throughout the production. Furthermore, she was bathed in purified water every day. Young native Thai men were hired to hold umbrellas over the elephant when the cameras weren't conducting shooting. And throughout filming, almost everything the elephant walked on was reinforced with timber and steel. Other animals used as a background were local cattle, chickens, and goats. Twelve elephants were also used as extras in the jungle mountain scenes.
According to Denis Leary
, production on the film was terrible, claiming that the film took such a long time to shoot. Leary said he, along with co-stars Ray Liotta
and Danny Glover
had done the movie for money to buy property that they all wanted.
, Aretha Franklin
and Jackie Wilson
among others. The music for the film was composed by David Newman
; while being edited by Tom Villano. The sound effects in the film were supervised by William Jacobs. The mixing of the sound elements was orchestrated by Doc Kane."When I See an Elephant Fly", is last seen from the ending of Operation Dumbo Drop performed by the Black Crows from the Disney animated film, Dumbo
with the music composed by Oliver Wallace.
reported that 29% of 24 sampled critics gave the film a positive review, with an average score of 4.0 out of 10.
Hal Hinson, writing in The Washington Post
said, the film is "so peculiar that one barely knows where to start." He noted that "the real audience for the film—the kids—will have not the slightest hint of all this. They'll be far too consumed—as well they should be—with the goofy antics of Bo-Tat, who, as movie elephants go, is actually pretty wonderful." In mixed fashion, he concluded by saying, "Operation Dumbo Drop isn't a shoddy piece of work or a cynical one. It's well acted, well directed and far more interesting visually than most children's films. In its heart of hearts, though, it is more than slightly schizoid. On the one hand, it's a diverting entertainment for children and young adults; on the other, it's a ludicrous fantasy about a war whose complexities cannot be contained by facile metaphors." Roger Ebert
in the Chicago Sun-Times
offered a mostly negative review commenting, "the story is so sentimentalized, so sanitized into a family comedy, that I do doubt the reality was anything like this." He expressed disappointment by saying, "There is a moment when Nguyen can shoot the elephant, but chooses not to, using dialogue that I somehow doubt was uttered by any member of the Viet Cong at any time: 'I did not join this army to shoot elephants - especially ones that fly.' " In conclusion he sadly noted, "As a family movie, "Operation Dumbo Drop" is sort of entertaining. As history, it's shameless." In the Deseret News, critic Chris Hicks reserved a mild compliment for some of the lead acting and directing saying, "Glover and Liotta play against each other pretty well, though there is none of the chemistry Glover has with Mel Gibson in the "Lethal Weapon
" films." He noted how Director Wincer "moves things along quite well, and there is some impressive stunt work". But overall, he felt the film's screenplay was "strictly by-the-numbers stuff and contains some wildly implausible elements."
Janet Maslin
writing in The New York Times
felt the film was at its most, "pleasantly innocuous when it doesn't strain itself with that kind of moralizing and instead concentrates on the logistical nightmare of elephant-moving. Beyond that, it doesn't have much plot, but the idea of tossing an elephant out of an airplane certainly makes for adequate suspense." In comparison to other films, Maslin thought, "The model for this is a lot closer to "McHale's Navy," which is mentioned here, than it is to "Platoon
." But in the end, this generally lighthearted Vietnam caper does try to teach a lesson of sorts, since the gift of an elephant becomes a form of war reparations." In a mostly positive review, Joe Leydon of the Variety Staff
, felt Operation Dumbo Drop was "a well-crafted and entertaining pic with broad, cross-generational appeal." and that "Glover is well cast and establishes an effectively edgy give-and-take with Liotta." He also reserved praise for "Russell Boyd's splendid cinematography and Rick Lazzarini's convincing animatronics." Film critic Gene Siskel
of the Chicago Tribune
gave the film a thumbs down review gruffly calling it, "preposterous" and saying "I'm not buying it all the way through." He also ridiculed the outdoor market scene as "the world's most dangerous profession in the movies; selling fruit on a city street." Lisa Schwarzbaum writing for Entertainment Weekly
gave the film a positive "B Grade" rating and viewed the film as a "concept, supposedly based on a true story, is weird — this is what Vietnam movies have come to? But at least the Disney quadruped has the grace to say nothing, and Leary, still an interesting motormouth, knows enough not to smoke or swear when there are elephants around." Peter Stack writing for the San Francisco Chronicle
, saw the film as "not the terrible movie that its ubiquitous trailers would indicate. But it is an odd one," and that "Glover and Liotta, though not exactly great comic actors, play off each other with real spark, the two vying for command of the outlandish mission to deliver the elephant across 200 miles of impossible jungle terrain to the mountain village."
Gary Kamiya of The San Francisco Examiner
bluntly referred to the film as descending "upon the hapless viewer like a vast load of pachyderm dung." He believed "even the most vigorous tear-duct manipulation, and a few funny scenes, cannot save "Dumbo" from its dominant tone of stilted corniness and prefab sentimentality." Critic Joey O'Bryan of The Austin Chronicle did not waste any time with negativity saying, "Operation Dumbo Drop is a terribly irresponsible picture that seems shamefully patterned after director's Wincer's other box office success, Free Willy
". He thought the film had numerous pitfalls including, "illogical scripting, inconsistent performances, sloppy direction, or the unbelievably offensive oversimplification of the atrocities of the Vietnam war". He concluded his review by exclaiming "Operation Dumbo Drop is a disastrous miscalculation that leaves the viewer with only one burning thought: 'What the hell were they thinking?' " On a positive front though, writer Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times
viewed Operation Dumbo Drop as a "pleasing family adventure-comedy". He thought the film was "handsomely photographed by Russell Boyd" and that under "Simon Wincer's brisk, efficient direction, Glover, Liotta, Leary, et al., give the kind of full-bodied portrayals essential to making basically formulaic material come alive." Left unimpressed, critic Leonard Maltin
wrote that the film was "Surprisingly flat until the climax" and thought the events relating to the Vietnam War was "an odd choice of setting and subject for a Disney
family film ... which explains the lack of swearing and the toning-down of Leary's conniving character."
soundly beat its competition during that weekend opening in first place with $21,171,780. The film's revenue dropped by 33.2% in its second week of release, earning $4,271,252. For that particular weekend, the film fell to 9th place screening in 2,158 theaters but still holding on to a top ten position. Waterworld, remained in first place grossing $13,452,035 in box office revenue. The film went on to top out domestically at $24,670,346 in total ticket sales through a 21-week theatrical run. For 1995
as a whole, the film would cumulatively rank at a box office performance position of 67.
video format on March 19, 1996. The Region 1 Code
widescreen
edition of the film was released on DVD
in the United States on May 6, 2003 and includes a Closed Caption feature; Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound; a French-language track; Spanish subtitles; and a Full-Screen (1.33:1) option. Currently, there is no exact set date on a future Blu-ray Disc
release for the film.
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
film directed by Simon Wincer
Simon Wincer
Simon Wincer is an Australian film director and film producer. He attended Cranbrook School, Bellevue Hill, Sydney from 1950 to 1961. On leaving school he worked as a stage hand at TV Station Channel 7. By the 1980s he directed over 200 hours of television. In 1986 he directed the made for TV...
. The storyline was conceived from a screenplay written by Gene Quintano
Gene Quintano
Gene Quintano is an American film actor, producer, writer and director best known for writing sequels to the hit film Police Academy and directing films such as Dollar For The Dead and Loaded Weapon 1, both starring Emilio Estevez. Quintano acted in two 3-D films during the early 1980s; Comin' At...
and Jim Kouf
Jim Kouf
Jim Kouf is an American screenwriter, director, and producer. He received the 1988 Edgar Award for Best Motion Picture Screenplay for his work on Stakeout .-Filmography :...
; based on a true story as depicted by United States Army Major Jim Morris. The film stars Danny Glover
Danny Glover
Danny Lebern Glover is an American actor, film director, and political activist. Glover is perhaps best known for his role as Detective Roger Murtaugh in the Lethal Weapon film franchise.-Early life:...
and Ray Liotta
Ray Liotta
[File:Ray Liotta is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of Henry Hill in the crime-drama Goodfellas, directed by Martin Scorsese and his role as Shoeless Joe Jackson in Field of Dreams...
as Green Berets during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
in 1968, who attempt to transport an elephant through jungle terrain to a local South Vietnamese village who in turn help American forces monitor Viet Cong activity. Actors Denis Leary
Denis Leary
Denis Colin Leary is an Irish-American actor, comedian, writer and director. Leary is known for his biting, fast paced comedic style and chain smoking...
, Doug E. Doug
Doug E. Doug
Douglas Bourne, better known as Doug E. Doug is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, producer, and film director. He started his career at age 17 as a stand-up comedian...
and Corin Nemec
Corin Nemec
Corin "Corky" Nemec is an American actor. Nemec is known for playing the title character on Parker Lewis Can't Lose, Jonas Quinn on Stargate SG-1, and Harold Lauder in the ABC miniseries The Stand.-Personal life:Nemec's mother was a graphic artist as well as a painter, writer and poet...
also star in principal roles.
A joint collective effort to commit to the film's production was made by Interscope Communications and PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
PolyGram Filmed Entertainment was a film studio, founded in 1979 as a European competitor to Hollywood, but eventually sold and merged with Universal Pictures in 1999....
. It was commercially distributed by Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film studio owned by The Walt Disney Company. Walt Disney Pictures and Television, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Studios and the main production company for live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, based at the Walt Disney...
theatrically, and by Buena Vista Home Entertainment for home media. Following its cinematic release, the film failed to garner any award nominations from mainstream motion picture organizations for its production merits or lead acting. Operation Dumbo Drop explores war, politics, and animal welfare.
Operation Dumbo Drop premiered in theaters nationwide in the United States on July 28, 1995 grossing $24,670,346 in domestic ticket receipts. The film was technically considered a moderate financial success after its theatrical run, but was generally met with negative critical reviews before its initial screening in cinemas. As a backdrop for Vietnam, primary shooting and photography took place in Thailand.
Plot
During the Vietnam War in 1968, Captain Sam Cahill (Danny Glover) has been working hard to create good relations between American soldiers and Montagnard Vietnamese in the village of Dak Nhe. The U.S. Army is looking to monitor enemy Vietcong operations from a clandestine weapons supply route which passes through the village at night. Cahill is coming close to his retirement, and explains to his successor Captain T.C. Doyle, (Ray Liotta) the delicate nature of Vietnamese customs as well as the counter intelligence involving covert enemy activity. In a lapse of judgment with surrounding Vietnamese children, Doyle accidentally lets the Vietcong know of their cooperation with the local villagers. In punishment, Colonel Nguyen (Hoang Ly) of the Vietcong shoots the villager's elephant dead, right before a spiritual festival. To aid the villagers, Cahill promises to replace the slain elephant before their upcoming ceremony.Cahill and Doyle enlist the help of three other soldiers; CW3 Davis Poole (Denis Leary), Sp4 Harvey Ashford (Doug E. Doug) and Sp5 Lawrence Farley (Corin Nemec) to secure and deliver a new elephant to the villagers. The soldiers agree to purchase an elephant from a Vietnamese trader in a village a few hundred miles away. They also agree to accompany the elephant's handler Linh (Dinh Thien Le), who has experience with verbal commands in guiding the elephant. Along the way, Vietcong soldiers attempt to halt their advancement with the elephant towards Dak Nhe; but without success. Following a failed air transport move, the soldiers use a combination of land and sea methods to reach Pleiku Airbase before their final journey towards Dak Nhe.
At the base, Major Pederson (Marshall Bell
Marshall Bell
Archibald Marshall Bell is an American actor. He has appeared in many character roles in movies and television. His best-known movies are probably A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge , Stand by Me , Twins and Total Recall .-Early life:He was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he lived until...
), notifies the soldiers that the mission to deliver the elephant as a favor, has been cancelled. Pederson informs the soldiers that the enemy supply route has changed direction, and the army no longer needs the support of the local village. Against regulations, the soldiers commandeer a cargo aircraft with the elephant on-board to deliver to the villagers as promised. The aircraft comes under enemy fire as the soldiers along with the elephant aboard a crate, parachute out to safety. The company land unharmed within the village, but one of the soldiers who parachuted out, Ashford, gets stuck in a tree and becomes separated from the corps. Vietcong forces suddenly appear to disrupt the operation, threatening to take the remaining soldiers hostage and kill the elephant. Ashford however, is able to free himself and create a diversion long enough to distract and incapacitate the Vietcong troops. The soldiers complete their original intended mission, and to the delight of the U.S. Army, capture high-ranking enemy combatants in the process.
Development
Ho Chi Minh trail
The Ho Chi Minh trail was a logistical system that ran from the Democratic Republic of Vietnam to the Republic of Vietnam through the neighboring kingdoms of Laos and Cambodia...
. Elephants found in villages were typically the primary source of farm labor. To appease hostile villagers, the U.S. offered elephants as a token of appreciation. According to actor Glover, one such operation took place specifically on April 4, 1968; but received fairly little coverage due to the death of a Vietnamese military leader on the same day. The film is based on a story depicted by retired United States Army Major Jim Morris; who related his experiences surrounding the elephant air-droppings during the ongoing war.
A 26-year old Asian elephant
Asian Elephant
The Asian or Asiatic elephant is the only living species of the genus Elephas and distributed in Southeast Asia from India in the west to Borneo in the east. Three subspecies are recognized — Elephas maximus maximus from Sri Lanka, the Indian elephant or E. m. indicus from mainland Asia, and E. m....
named Tai was used for the part of Bo Tat. The female elephant was chosen for the part because of her calm demeanor and friendly disposition, which allowed her to be placid and relaxed during scenes with simulated gunfire. Many depictions in the film such as the elephant being sedated and lying down or following that, moving her legs and standing up were actually accomplished with an animal trainer.
Set design and filming
Principal filming took place primarily on location in ThailandThailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. Other filming locations included film studios in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California and Miami, Florida.
During the village food cart scene, a trainer as an extra, ran along side the elephant telling her to keep moving. There was also another trainer in front of her encouraging her constant movement and ensuring that nothing got in her path. Wire was attached to crates and tables which were pulled over as the elephant ran by, making it appear as though she were knocking everything aside. In a flashback scene, the character of Linh sees an elephant being shot, as he tells of how his parents were killed. The film crew accomplished this feat by instructing the trainer to tell the elephant to lie down, while then shooting the scene in slow motion. To ensure the health of the elephant, her food and water, including her bathing water, was shipped from the U.S. to Thailand throughout the production. Furthermore, she was bathed in purified water every day. Young native Thai men were hired to hold umbrellas over the elephant when the cameras weren't conducting shooting. And throughout filming, almost everything the elephant walked on was reinforced with timber and steel. Other animals used as a background were local cattle, chickens, and goats. Twelve elephants were also used as extras in the jungle mountain scenes.
According to Denis Leary
Denis Leary
Denis Colin Leary is an Irish-American actor, comedian, writer and director. Leary is known for his biting, fast paced comedic style and chain smoking...
, production on the film was terrible, claiming that the film took such a long time to shoot. Leary said he, along with co-stars Ray Liotta
Ray Liotta
[File:Ray Liotta is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of Henry Hill in the crime-drama Goodfellas, directed by Martin Scorsese and his role as Shoeless Joe Jackson in Field of Dreams...
and Danny Glover
Danny Glover
Danny Lebern Glover is an American actor, film director, and political activist. Glover is perhaps best known for his role as Detective Roger Murtaugh in the Lethal Weapon film franchise.-Early life:...
had done the movie for money to buy property that they all wanted.
Soundtrack
The original motion picture soundtrack for Operation Dumbo Drop, was released by the Hollywood Records label on July 28, 1995. It features songs recorded by veteran musicians Marvin GayeMarvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
, Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
and Jackie Wilson
Jackie Wilson
Jack Leroy "Jackie" Wilson, Jr. was an American singer and performer. Known as "Mr. Excitement", Wilson was important in the transition of rhythm and blues into soul. He was known as a master showman, and as one of the most dynamic singers and performers in R&B and rock history...
among others. The music for the film was composed by David Newman
David Newman (composer)
David Louis Newman is an American composer and conductor known particularly for his film scores. In a career spanning nearly forty years, he has composed music for nearly 100 feature films.-Life and career:...
; while being edited by Tom Villano. The sound effects in the film were supervised by William Jacobs. The mixing of the sound elements was orchestrated by Doc Kane."When I See an Elephant Fly", is last seen from the ending of Operation Dumbo Drop performed by the Black Crows from the Disney animated film, Dumbo
Dumbo
Dumbo is a 1941 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and released on October 23, 1941, by RKO Radio Pictures.The fourth film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, Dumbo is based upon the storyline written by Helen Aberson and illustrated by Harold Pearl for the prototype of a...
with the music composed by Oliver Wallace.
Critical response
Among mainstream critics in the U.S., the film received mostly negative reviews. Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reported that 29% of 24 sampled critics gave the film a positive review, with an average score of 4.0 out of 10.
Hal Hinson, writing in The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
said, the film is "so peculiar that one barely knows where to start." He noted that "the real audience for the film—the kids—will have not the slightest hint of all this. They'll be far too consumed—as well they should be—with the goofy antics of Bo-Tat, who, as movie elephants go, is actually pretty wonderful." In mixed fashion, he concluded by saying, "Operation Dumbo Drop isn't a shoddy piece of work or a cynical one. It's well acted, well directed and far more interesting visually than most children's films. In its heart of hearts, though, it is more than slightly schizoid. On the one hand, it's a diverting entertainment for children and young adults; on the other, it's a ludicrous fantasy about a war whose complexities cannot be contained by facile metaphors." Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
in the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
offered a mostly negative review commenting, "the story is so sentimentalized, so sanitized into a family comedy, that I do doubt the reality was anything like this." He expressed disappointment by saying, "There is a moment when Nguyen can shoot the elephant, but chooses not to, using dialogue that I somehow doubt was uttered by any member of the Viet Cong at any time: 'I did not join this army to shoot elephants - especially ones that fly.' " In conclusion he sadly noted, "As a family movie, "Operation Dumbo Drop" is sort of entertaining. As history, it's shameless." In the Deseret News, critic Chris Hicks reserved a mild compliment for some of the lead acting and directing saying, "Glover and Liotta play against each other pretty well, though there is none of the chemistry Glover has with Mel Gibson in the "Lethal Weapon
Lethal Weapon (film series)
Lethal Weapon is a series of films starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover as a pair of LAPD detectives. All four films in the series were directed by Richard Donner, and also share many of the same core cast members.-Lethal Weapon :...
" films." He noted how Director Wincer "moves things along quite well, and there is some impressive stunt work". But overall, he felt the film's screenplay was "strictly by-the-numbers stuff and contains some wildly implausible elements."
| "I am not asking that "Operation Dumbo Drop" be hard-edged realism. It's not that kind of movie. I'm not even very bothered by the scene where the elephant's chute doesn't open, and Liotta goes into free-fall to save it. (No, he doesn't grab the elephant and open his own chute so they can ride down together.) What bothers me is that a chapter of our history is being rewritten and trivialized, as we win in the movie theaters a war that did not, in fact, turn out very well for us." |
| —Roger Ebert, writing in the Chicago Sun-Times |
Janet Maslin
Janet Maslin
Janet Maslin is an American journalist, best known as a film and literary critic for The New York Times. She served as the Times film critic from 1977–1999.- Biography :...
writing in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
felt the film was at its most, "pleasantly innocuous when it doesn't strain itself with that kind of moralizing and instead concentrates on the logistical nightmare of elephant-moving. Beyond that, it doesn't have much plot, but the idea of tossing an elephant out of an airplane certainly makes for adequate suspense." In comparison to other films, Maslin thought, "The model for this is a lot closer to "McHale's Navy," which is mentioned here, than it is to "Platoon
Platoon (film)
Platoon is a 1986 American war film written and directed by Oliver Stone and stars Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe and Charlie Sheen. It is the first of Stone's Vietnam War trilogy, followed by 1989's Born on the Fourth of July and 1993's Heaven & Earth....
." But in the end, this generally lighthearted Vietnam caper does try to teach a lesson of sorts, since the gift of an elephant becomes a form of war reparations." In a mostly positive review, Joe Leydon of the Variety Staff
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
, felt Operation Dumbo Drop was "a well-crafted and entertaining pic with broad, cross-generational appeal." and that "Glover is well cast and establishes an effectively edgy give-and-take with Liotta." He also reserved praise for "Russell Boyd's splendid cinematography and Rick Lazzarini's convincing animatronics." Film critic Gene Siskel
Gene Siskel
Eugene Kal "Gene" Siskel was an American film critic and journalist for the Chicago Tribune. Along with colleague Roger Ebert, he hosted the popular review show Siskel & Ebert At the Movies from 1975 until his death....
of the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
gave the film a thumbs down review gruffly calling it, "preposterous" and saying "I'm not buying it all the way through." He also ridiculed the outdoor market scene as "the world's most dangerous profession in the movies; selling fruit on a city street." Lisa Schwarzbaum writing for Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
gave the film a positive "B Grade" rating and viewed the film as a "concept, supposedly based on a true story, is weird — this is what Vietnam movies have come to? But at least the Disney quadruped has the grace to say nothing, and Leary, still an interesting motormouth, knows enough not to smoke or swear when there are elephants around." Peter Stack writing for the San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
, saw the film as "not the terrible movie that its ubiquitous trailers would indicate. But it is an odd one," and that "Glover and Liotta, though not exactly great comic actors, play off each other with real spark, the two vying for command of the outlandish mission to deliver the elephant across 200 miles of impossible jungle terrain to the mountain village."
Gary Kamiya of The San Francisco Examiner
The San Francisco Examiner
The San Francisco Examiner is a U.S. daily newspaper. It has been published continuously in San Francisco, California, since the late 19th century.-19th century:...
bluntly referred to the film as descending "upon the hapless viewer like a vast load of pachyderm dung." He believed "even the most vigorous tear-duct manipulation, and a few funny scenes, cannot save "Dumbo" from its dominant tone of stilted corniness and prefab sentimentality." Critic Joey O'Bryan of The Austin Chronicle did not waste any time with negativity saying, "Operation Dumbo Drop is a terribly irresponsible picture that seems shamefully patterned after director's Wincer's other box office success, Free Willy
Free Willy
Free Willy is a 1993 family film directed by Simon Wincer, and released by Warner Bros. under its Family Entertainment label. The film stars Jason James Richter as a young boy who befriends an orca whale, named "Willy."...
". He thought the film had numerous pitfalls including, "illogical scripting, inconsistent performances, sloppy direction, or the unbelievably offensive oversimplification of the atrocities of the Vietnam war". He concluded his review by exclaiming "Operation Dumbo Drop is a disastrous miscalculation that leaves the viewer with only one burning thought: 'What the hell were they thinking?' " On a positive front though, writer Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
viewed Operation Dumbo Drop as a "pleasing family adventure-comedy". He thought the film was "handsomely photographed by Russell Boyd" and that under "Simon Wincer's brisk, efficient direction, Glover, Liotta, Leary, et al., give the kind of full-bodied portrayals essential to making basically formulaic material come alive." Left unimpressed, critic Leonard Maltin
Leonard Maltin
Leonard Maltin is an American film and animated film critic and historian, author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives.-Personal life:...
wrote that the film was "Surprisingly flat until the climax" and thought the events relating to the Vietnam War was "an odd choice of setting and subject for a Disney
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
family film ... which explains the lack of swearing and the toning-down of Leary's conniving character."
Box office
The film premiered in cinemas on July 28, 1995 in wide release throughout the U.S.. During its opening weekend, the film opened in a distant 6th place grossing $6,392,155 in business showing at 2,980 locations. The film WaterworldWaterworld
Waterworld is a 1995 post-apocalyptic science fiction film. The film was directed by Kevin Reynolds and co-written by Peter Rader and David Twohy. It is based on Rader's original 1986 screenplay and stars Kevin Costner, who also produced it. It was distributed by Universal Pictures...
soundly beat its competition during that weekend opening in first place with $21,171,780. The film's revenue dropped by 33.2% in its second week of release, earning $4,271,252. For that particular weekend, the film fell to 9th place screening in 2,158 theaters but still holding on to a top ten position. Waterworld, remained in first place grossing $13,452,035 in box office revenue. The film went on to top out domestically at $24,670,346 in total ticket sales through a 21-week theatrical run. For 1995
1995 in film
-Top grossing films:-Events:* March 22 - The Dogme 95 movement is officially announced in Paris by Danish directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg.* March 28 - Actress Julia Roberts and singer Lyle Lovett announce their plans for separation....
as a whole, the film would cumulatively rank at a box office performance position of 67.
Home media
The film was initially released in VHSVHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
video format on March 19, 1996. The Region 1 Code
DVD region code
DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region...
widescreen
Widescreen
Widescreen images are a variety of aspect ratios used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ratio greater than the standard 1.37:1 Academy aspect ratio provided by 35mm film....
edition of the film was released on DVD
DVD-Video
DVD-Video is a consumer video format used to store digital video on DVD discs, and is currently the dominant consumer video format in Asia, North America, Europe, and Australia. Discs using the DVD-Video specification require a DVD drive and a MPEG-2 decoder...
in the United States on May 6, 2003 and includes a Closed Caption feature; Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound; a French-language track; Spanish subtitles; and a Full-Screen (1.33:1) option. Currently, there is no exact set date on a future Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
release for the film.
External links
- Operation Dumbo Drop at Rotten TomatoesRotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
- Operation Dumbo Drop at the Movie Review Query EngineMovie Review Query EngineThe Movie Review Query Engine also known as MRQE, is an index of movie reviews published online. Registered users are able to access movie-specific forums and provide their own reviews. The site aggregates reviews, news, interviews, and other material associated to specific movies...