The Blue Max (1966)

Director:

John Guillermin

Writers:

Jack Hunter (novel)
Ben Barzman (adaptation) ...
(more)

Release Date:

21 June 1966 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | War | Action

Tagline:

MIRACLES IN THE AIR!

Plot:

A young pilot in the German air force of 1918, disliked as lower-class and unchivalrous, tries ambitiously to earn the medal offered for 20 kills.

Plot Keywords:

Ambition | Fighter Pilot | Machine Guns | German Soldier | Color In Title

Awards:

Won BAFTA Film Award. Another 4 nominations

Cast

George Peppard	...	Lt. Bruno Stachel
James Mason	...	General Count von Klugermann
Ursula Andress	...	Countess Kaeti von Klugermann
Jeremy Kemp	...	Willi von Klugermann
Karl Michael Vogler	...	Colonel Otto Heidemann
Anton Diffring	...	Holbach
Harry Towb	...	Kettering
Peter Woodthorpe	...	Corporal Rupp
Derek Newark	...	Ziegel
Derren Nesbitt	...	Fabian
Loni von Friedl	...	Elfi Heidemann (as Loni Von Friedl)
Friedrich von Ledebur	...	The Field Marshal (as Friedrich Ledebur)
Carl Schell	...	Von Richthofen aka The Red Baron
Hugo Schuster	...	Hans. Elderly Servant
Alex Scott	...	The Orator
Roger Ostime	...	The Crown Prince
Ray Browne	...	Pilot
Timothy Parkes	...	Pilot
Ian Kingsley	...	Pilot
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Warren Crosby	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
John Guillermin

Writing credits
Jack Hunter		(novel)
Ben Barzman		(adaptation) and
Basilio Franchina		(adaptation)
David Pursall		(screenplay) &
Jack Seddon		(screenplay) and
Gerald Hanley		(screenplay)

Produced by
Christian Ferry	....	producer
Elmo Williams	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Jerry Goldsmith

Cinematography by
Douglas Slocombe

Film Editing by
Max Benedict

Casting by
Stuart Lyons

Production Design by
Wilfred Shingleton		(as Wilfrid Shingleton)

Art Direction by
Fred Carter

Makeup Department
Patricia McDermott	....	hairdresser (as Pat McDermott)
John O'Gorman	....	makeup artist: Ursula Andress
Charles E. Parker	....	head makeup artist (as Charles Parker)
Tony Sforzini	....	makeup artist: George Peppard (as Tony Sfortzini)
Jay Sebring	....	hair designer: George Peppard (uncredited)

Production Management
René Dupont	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jack Causey	....	assistant director
Derek Cracknell	....	assistant director
Anthony Squire	....	director: aerial unit

Art Department
Joseph Musso	....	production illustrator (uncredited)

Sound Department
John Cox	....	sound
Chris Greenham	....	sound editor
Claude Hitchcock	....	sound
Bob Jones	....	sound

Special Effects by
Maurice Ayers	....	special effects
Ron Ballanger	....	special effects
Karl Baumgartner	....	special effects

Stunts
Ken Byrne	....	aerial stunts
Tim Clutterbuck	....	aerial stunts
Pat Cranfield	....	aerial stunts
Tim Healey	....	aerial stunts
Peter Hillwood	....	aerial stunts
Joan Hughes	....	aerial stunts
Darby Kennedy	....	aerial stunts
Darby Kennedy	....	stunt coordinator
Roger Kennedy	....	aerial stunts
Liam Mulligan	....	aerial stunts
Derek Piggott	....	aerial stunts
Taffy Rich	....	aerial stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Skeets Kelly	....	aerial photographer
Skeets Kelly	....	camera operator
Skeets Kelly	....	photographer: second unit
Donald C. Rogers	....	photographer: second unit
Chic Waterson	....	camera operator
Mike Fox	....	focus puller: second unit (uncredited)
Ginger Gemmel	....	camera operator: second unit (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Elsa Fennell	....	wardrobe supervisor
John Furniss	....	wardrobe creator: Miss Andress

Editorial Department
Norman Cohen	....	assembly editor
Elizabeth Thoyts	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Jerry Goldsmith	....	conductor

Transportation Department
Arthur Dunne	....	transportation captain (uncredited)

Other crew
Johnny Maher	....	air engineer
William O'Kelly	....	production liaison: Ireland
Allen Wheeler	....	air supervisor
Helen Whitson	....	continuity

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1966) (USA) (theatrical)
• Centfox (1966) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1971) (USA) (TV) (original airing) (pan/scan)
• CBS/Fox (199?) (USA) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• Belle & Blade Studios (video)
• Magnetic Video (video)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment Germany (2004) (Germany) (DVD)

Other Companies

• People and the Government of the Republic of Ireland  20th Century-Fox express their gratitude to

Runtime:

156 min | USA:153 min (FMC Library Print)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

6-Track Stereo | 4-Track Stereo (magnetic prints) (Westrex Recording System) | Mono (optical prints) (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Canada:G (Quebec) | Ireland:12 (old rating) | Germany:12 (DVD rating) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:Unrated | West Germany:16 (f) | Singapore:NC-16 | Iceland:12

Filming Locations:

Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

The Irish Air Corps also lent their facilities at Casement Aerodrome (Baldonnel) to filming, however after filming, many of the aircraft replicas remained in storage between Casement and Powerscourt House, County Wicklow until the 1980's and were to be seen flying occasionally in the area.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The German artillery pieces being towed by horses bounce and vibrate too lightly, indicating that they are probably wooden mockups.

Quotes:

General Count von Klugermann: Stachel. I want him brought to Berlin immediately.
Holbach: Yes, Herr General.
General Count von Klugermann: There is some difficulty?
Holbach: Well, I don't know what you have in mind, Herr General, but, uh, with the offensive at its height, well, there'd have to be some legitimate excuse to order him to come.
General Count von Klugermann: He's wounded, isn't he?
Holbach: Yes, Herr General.
General Count von Klugermann: Hmm. A mentionable wound?
Holbach: Uh, in the arm.
General Count von Klugermann: Good. The people like soldiers who were shot in the right places. Order Stachel to Berlin for special hospital treatment. I want you to ensure that all our newspapers give full prominence to this gallant episode - photographs, everything.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Top Secret! (1984)

Forget about Top Gun as the ultimate 'fighter pilot' movie!

I'm a fan of World War One-movies and I've got several of them in my private DVD collection. "The Blue Max" isn't in it yet, but if I ever find it on a DVD, I won't hesitate for one moment to buy it. I want to have it, not only because it deals with WWI in general and because it is a good movie, but also because it gives an idea of how the war in the air was fought and how these pilots acted and saw themselves...

This movie tells the story of Bruno Stachel, an ordinary infantry soldier who has been turned into a fighter pilot. His colleagues aren't happy with him, not only because he isn't an aristocrat like they are, but also because he's extremely ambitious. He will do anything to win him his country's most honored medal, the Blue Max. But to win it, he'll have to shoot down 20 enemy aircrafts, which will all have to be confirmed by his comrades, without getting killed himself. And while being hated by his fellow pilots, he's seen as the people's hero and perfect propaganda material by the general and as the ideal lust object by the general's wife...

"The Blue Max" shows very well how the pilots during WWI were almost always noblemen (I guess the most famous one of them all was Manfred Freiherr von Richthofen, better known as the Red Barron), who considered the concept of an honorable death at the hands of a "worthy" opponent still as one of the most important things during their fights. Even at the end of the war in 1918, while on the ground troops had been anonymously slaughtered by the thousands with machine guns and gas, they still considered chivalry as one of the highest goods.

Next to the historically correct situation of the story, I also admire the rest of the movie. I know, if you aren't interested in WWI, than this might not be the most spectacular movie you've ever seen, but even than the movie has plenty of good and interesting things to offer. The story on itself is nice, the acting is very good and the airplanes are magnificent to watch, on the ground as well as in the air. This is one of those movies that has stood the hands of time, but that is known by only a small audience, which is really a shame. Personally I'm a big fan of this movie and that's why I reward it with an 8/10. My advice: don't call "Top Gun" the ultimate fighter pilot movie before you've seen this one.