Zeppelin (1971)

The outbreak of World War I places Scots officer Geoffrey Richter-Douglas in an uncomfortable position. Although his allegiance is to Britain, his mother was from an aristocratic Bavarian ... See full summary »

Director:

Etienne Périer

Writers:

Arthur Rowe (screenplay), Donald Churchill (screenplay),

Stars:

Michael York, Elke Sommer, Peter Carsten

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael York	...	Geoffrey Richter-Douglas
Elke Sommer	...	Erika Altschul
Peter Carsten	...	Major Tauntler
Marius Goring	...	Prof. Altschul
Anton Diffring	...	Colonel Hirsch
Andrew Keir	...	Von Gorian (LZ36 commander)
Rupert Davies	...	Captain Whitney
Alexandra Stewart	...	Stephanie
William Marlowe	...	Anderson
Richard Hurndall	...	Blinker Hall - Chief of Naval Intelligence
Michael Robbins	...	Cockney Sergeant
George Mikell	...	German Officer
Clive Morton	...	Lord Delford
Gary Waldhorn	...	Harlich
Alan Rothwell	...	Brandner

Storyline

The outbreak of World War I places Scots officer Geoffrey Richter-Douglas in an uncomfortable position. Although his allegiance is to Britain, his mother was from an aristocratic Bavarian family, and he spent his summers in Germany as a child. When Geoffrey is approached by a German spy who offers him a chance to defect, he reports the incident to his superiors, but instead of arresting the spy they suggest that he accept her offer--and become an Allied agent. In Germany, among old friends, Geoffrey discovers that loyalty is more complicated than he expected, especially when he finds himself aboard the maiden voyage of a powerful new prototype Zeppelin, headed for Scotland on a secret mission that could decide the outcome of the war.

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Plot Keywords:

spy | zeppelin | scotland | airship | blimp | 

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Taglines:

The Great War's most explosive moment!

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | War

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 October 1971 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Zeppelin

Filming Locations:

Cardington, Bedfordshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Getty & Fromkess Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Alan Rothwell and Frazer Hines were dubbed

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Goofs

The British aircraft pursuing the airship include SE5's, which entered service in March 1917, although the movie is set in September 1915.

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Quotes

Geoffrey von Richter-Douglas: Where are the parachutes?
Frau Dr. Ericka Altschul: What parachutes?
Geoffrey von Richter-Douglas: Well, for emergencies. How do you get out of here quickly?
Von Gorian: Jump.

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Connections

Referenced in The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins (1971)

User Reviews

weak ending but a great looking airship

While the film ends with a lot of threads still loose, the film is worth watching for great period costumes, sets, and especially the airship used by the Germans in the raid on England. Whether historically accurate or not in its design, the airship is in a lot of ways the true star of this film. The story does not fully develop the theme of divided loyalty completely and the ending seems a bit abrupt, but the action scenes are exciting and expertly directed. Great aerial footage and many scenes are filmed from very high up

• you may not want to watch this one if you are scared of heights! Worth a

look for World War I or aviation buffs.