The Blue Max

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.

At the beginning of The Young Lions Marlon Brando tells Barbara Rush how difficult it is to rise in class in Europe as opposed to America. It's one of the reasons he's thinking that Adolph Hitler and the Nazis will be a good thing for Germany. George Peppard plays a more ruthless version of the Brando character in the previous generation in The Blue Max. He's a survivor of the trenches who gets an opportunity to learn to fly and transfer in the Air Corps. What comes with it is a commission and while Peppard is now an officer he's no gentleman. There's a whole different ethic operating in the Air Corps. The pilots see themselves as an updated version of the Teutonic Knights of old. A view by the way shared by both sides. The fliers on both sides see themselves as old fashioned chivalrous sorts who glory in single combat. They are also upper middle class and aristocratic types and Peppard doesn't quite fit in. You can put him in a biplane and give him rank, but his outlook doesn't change. What Peppard does see is that if he makes 20 confirmed kills he gets awarded the Blue Max decoration and his future and respectability is secure. James Mason who commands the Flying Corps takes an interest in Peppard's rise. His political instinct tells him revolution is in the body politic. Make heroes out of someone like Peppard who would be part of the proletarian masses will help give those masses a vested interest in the Wilhelmine regime and would forestall revolution. Of course wife Ursula Andress has some different ideas about Peppard. I like The Blue Max because it is a film about more than aviation. It is about what was happening in Germany during those last days of World War I when Germany was desperately trying to break the stalemate on the western front and pull out a victory before American troops were in sufficient numbers. They almost pulled it out in fact. It's about attitudes, old, new and changing. All three of the leads suit their roles perfectly. As a veteran of World War I if he didn't gain the respectability out of the war he craved, Peppard would have been ripe for the Nazi propaganda that filled Germany and was finally heeded during the Depression. The Nazis filled their ranks with Peppards up and down Germany. Which is why The Blue Max should be seen and learned from because it is not just about World War I aviators as good as the aerial footage is here.

source: The Blue Max

Trailer—The Blue Max

The Blue Max

I liked this movie--probably because I love airplane films and the cinematography and stuns were great. In many ways it's like a 1960s version of HELL'S ANGELS or WINGS as told from the German perspective (plus a little bit of nookie). I loved the character George Peppard played--a guy perhaps ahead of his time because he hated outdated but popular notions of chivalry. No, he was out for personal glory and sexual conquests (not the most noble but certainly practical goals). The problem for me, though, was when the film shifted from the action to romance, the movie kind of lost its way. I really wanted to see more action as well as the cockiness and grittiness of Peppard's character. With a little bit of a re-write, this could have been a great film. However, it's still worth watching--though little kids are not the best audience, due to violence and non-explicit sexuality.

As a kid I used to force myself to stay up half the night whenever this movie would appear on late night TV. It has never lost its ability to intrigue, and every time I see it I find new dimensions to appreciate. Beyond the spectacular aerial photography, I found the core moral dilemma the most engaging aspect of the film. While the German aristocrats see an absolute need for chivalry and honor to maintain their humanity in the face of horror and death, Stachel sees only hypocrisy and prefers the honesty of naked aggression and ambition. Ultimately, it is left up to the viewer to decide the morality of their philosophies. On the downside, I've always found it hard to accept Peppard as German, and the dry performance of Andress brings the pace to a dead halt whenever she appears on screen. Mason was brilliant as ever, though, as were Vogler and Kemp.

The Blue Max is an entertaining and extremely well-acted and beautifully filmed motion picture. Filmed in 1966, it's George Peppard in his prime. I'd rather remember him here, than as the bloated, red-faced character he played on A-Team. Handsome, ruthless, charming, and doomed. That's Peppard's character. Driven by ambition to succeed, it's clear that his future is destined for destruction. The Blue Max rates as Peppard's third greatest performance(after the Carpet Baggers & Breakfast at Tiffany's). The movie however is stolen by Jermey Kemp. Kemp is outstanding as the "gentleman" ace, whose time has come and gone. The film is a romantic tale of war, love, and hero worship. It ending is a major shock; reminding one of the surprise finale in The Sand Pebbles. The Blue Max is a must-see for any George Peppard fan.