![]() Since weight gain is accomplished more quickly than weight loss, the film was shot in reverse, with Bale fully regaining his weight during the course of the shoot. In preparation for the roles, the actors playing the prisoners spent several months losing weight. Principal photography took place over 44 days in Thailand. Herzog did not want to glorify the prisoners' woes, as the film is rated PG-13. Compared to Little Dieter Needs to Fly, Rescue Dawn understates the suffering of the prisoners, including omitting some of the worst torture experienced by Dengler. He chose to revisit the story in a cinematic theatrical version with Christian Bale portraying Dengler. Please take me home." ĭirector Herzog's fascination with the cruelties of man and nature led his interest in the 1997 documentary Little Dieter Needs to Fly about Dengler's experiences in captivity. Dengler, exhausted by his ordeal, whispered: "I am an American pilot. His backpack turned out to contain only a half-eaten snake. They winched him on board, but fearful that he could be a Viet Cong suicide bomber, the crew pinned the man to the helicopter floor and searched him. Two rescue helicopters were scrambled to rescue Dengler, dropping a cable down to the human figure they spotted below. ![]() Martin was killed by an enraged Laotian villager, but Dengler was able to continue on. Martin made their eventual run from their prisoner camp into dense jungle. The POWs decided they could not wait any longer to make their escape. The prisoners had overheard the guards in mid-June planning to kill all of them and return to their villages because a drought had caused a severe shortage of food and water. A few months after being captured in 1966, Dengler and other POWs who were being held captive targeted July 4 for their mass escape. Rescue Dawn is based on the true story of Dieter Dengler, a charismatic pilot who was shot down in Laos while on a covert attack mission for the United States Navy during the Vietnam War. He is visited by some of the men from his squadron, who covertly take him back to his ship, where he is welcomed as a hero by the crew. compound he is taken to, Dengler is kept isolated in a hospital for debriefing due to the classified nature of his mission. A few days later, he is rescued by an American helicopter. Dengler escapes and flees back into the jungle, hiding from the pursuing villagers. After losing their raft, Dengler and Martin are soon found by a mob of angry villagers, who kill Martin. Dengler and Martin form one group, while Gene and To leave together to an uncertain fate.ĭengler and Martin try to reach the Mekong River to cross over into Thailand, fashioning a crude raft, but are caught in rapids and a waterfall. With insufficient equipment and supplies, the prisoners disperse in the jungle. This involves escaping through a weakened place in the perimeter fence, dividing into two groups, circling the perimeter fence in opposite directions, converging on the guard hut during the lunch hour to overwhelm the guards, and contacting the American forces for rescue.ĭue to one party of prisoners disobeying Dengler's orders, the escape does not go according to the plan and nearly all the guards end up being shot. After some months the food supply worsens further, and they learn that the starving guards are planning to kill them and return to their village, so the prisoners agree to put the long-prepared plan into action. All are suffering from malnutrition, unhygienic conditions and abuse by the guards. ![]() To, Procet and Thai Air America freight employee Pisidhi Indradat, some of whom have been captives for years.ĭengler immediately plans to escape, but receives only grudging approval from the others. Martin, Hong Kong Chinese radio operator Y.C. There he meets his fellow prisoners: American pilots Gene DeBruin and Duane W. Dengler is tortured and taken to a prison camp. Dengler is offered leniency by the province governor, if he will sign a document condemning America, but he refuses. He survives the crash, only to be captured by the Pathet Lao. Navy pilot in squadron VA-145, flying from the carrier USS Ranger, is shot down in his Douglas A-1 Skyraider over Laos. In February 1966, while on a combat mission, Lt.
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