The Blue Max (1966)

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.

Director:

John Guillermin

Writers:

Jack Hunter (novel), Ben Barzman (adaptation)

Stars:

George Peppard, James Mason, Ursula Andress

Won 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
George Peppard	...	Lt. Bruno Stachel
James Mason	...	General Count von Klugermann
Ursula Andress	...	Kaeti
Jeremy Kemp	...	Willi von Klugermann
Karl Michael Vogler	...	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	...	Feldmarschall von Lenndorf (as Friedrich Ledebur)
Carl Schell	...	Von Richthofen aka The Red Baron
Hugo Schuster	...	Hans. Elderly Servant
Alex Scott	...	The Orator

Storyline

The tactics of a German fighter pilot offend his aristocratic comrades but win him his country's most honored medal, the Blue Max. The General finds him useful as a hero even though his wife also finds him useful as a love object. In the end the General arranges for him to test-fly an untried fighter.

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Plot Keywords:

ambition | fighter plane | fighter pilot | aerial combat | world war one | 

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Taglines:

MIRACLES IN THE AIR! far from the mud and bayonets of no man's land...

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Romance | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 June 1966 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der blaue Max

Filming Locations:

Trinity College Capel, Trinity College, Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

156 min 153 min (FMC Library Print)

Sound Mix:

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

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The monoplane back story was based on the events regarding the historical Fokker D.VIII which also suffered from structural weakness and caused at least one death. The aircraft eventually entered service on the 24th October 1918.

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Goofs

While flying the Triplanes, when ever there is a close up of Bruno and Willi, the cabane struts and top wing are clearly visible. However, when there is a close up from about 45 degrees to the pilot's right, the cabane struts and top wing are missing. The lower mounting lug for the rear cabane strut is visible. Obviously the strut and the wing got in the way of the shot of the actor and had to be removed.

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Quotes

Willi von Klugermann: By the way, Stachel... there's an impression around that... you care more about your unconfirmed kill than you do about Fabian's death.
[long pause]
Bruno Stachel: Perhaps it's force of habit. In the trenches, we couldn't even bury the dead; there were too many of them. I've never had the time... to discuss them over a glass of champagne.

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Alternate Versions

It is believed that this film was at one time released in a 70 mm version (because of its six channel soundtrack), but this has never been confirmed.

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Connections

Featured in Postcards: Postcards from New Zealand (2007)

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Soundtracks

Kaiser-Walzer, Op. 437
(a.k.a. "The Emperor Waltz") (uncredited)
Composed by Johann Strauss (1889)
[Heard under scenes of the aristocracy]

User Reviews

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.