Der Ostwind (2007)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Kohl Glass

Writer:

Kohl Glass (writer)

Genre:

Short

Plot:

The battle-worn German ace known as Der Ostwind, stops at nothing in his pursuit of a mysterious and invincible American pilot across the war torn skies of WWI. |

Plot Keywords:

WWI | Honor | Aviation

Cast

Taylor Cline	...	Other German Pilot
David Geist	...	Other German Pilot
Patrick Rosier	...	The American
Alex Schmalz	...	Old Wolfgang von Kellermann (voice)

Runtime:

USA:10 min

Country:

USA

Language:

German

Color:

Color

Company:

Brigham Young University

Despite only so-so graphics, this was a neat little animated film

If you only look at the quality of the graphics and nothing else, then this short animated film probably won't impress you. That's because in this time of ever-improving computer graphics, we are coming to expect more and more from CG films and this one looks almost like a video game from a decade ago with live film inserted into it. It isn't bad looking, exactly, but there are many, many Hollywood productions (especially FLYBOYS) which are light-years ahead.

However, if you do only compulse over the animation, then you really are missing the point. Despite a thin budget, the film is very high on "the cool factor". The story about a WWI German ace who is bored and looking for a challenge is well written but especially well narrated. The narration (in German) sounds so perfect for the film--so menacing and cold. The voice and dialog really work well and sure kept my attention. So much so that I would love to see what these people could do if they had a real budget--one that would better complement the film.

FYI--It didn't bother me, but being a history teacher and airplane nut, the big battle in the film could NOT have happened like it did, as WWI planes had a very limited supply of ammo and long battles simply weren't possible. Many planes ran out after 30-60 seconds of firing.