Zeppelin

Trailer—Zeppelin

source: Zeppelin

Zeppelin

This was a not-entirely-satisfying tribute to neutrality and pacifism with many minor plot lines ``resolved'' in a sophomoric fashion. As an example, does the Doctor make his decision because of the Germans' military use of his life's work; York and Sommer's faux-affair (for which there is no evidence, anyway); A patriotic attempt to ``drop ballast''??? Still, the plot was compelling, a British officer torn between his current loyalty and his recent German roots. I had sympathy for York's character, but the conclusion had too many loose ends and was too vanilla to satisfy.

During the First World War, the German super-weapon that had the British general staff most worried was the mighty zeppelin. They tried to work out weapons to take down the mighty vessels composed of hot air and sausage skins, but had no recourse to send in Michael York, whose German ancestry gave him an uncanny resemblance to his cousin, to make love to Elke Sommer and winkle out the secrets of the dirigible fleet. There seems to have been a flurry of World War One movies in this period which attempted to recreate the ambiance of the period, but wound up being bloated failures. Filled with upbeat orchestral scores -- here by Roy Budd -- and one or two grand images that didn't make up for spending the first thirty minutes of this movie on back-story exposition, followed by a long series of scenes set in indoor sets and cramped sets, followed, eventually, by the dirigible exploding.

Can you believe the Germans thinking they could cow Britain into surrender by--destroying the original of the Magna Carta? Can you believe taking the female sex interest, wearing a fashionable fur coat no less, along on the raid? Can you believe a Zeppelin could carry about a battalion of stormtroopers in full kit? Almost as many unintentional laughs as "Shining Through", and that's saying a lot.

During WWI, German Zeppelins are unopposed while bombing London. Junior British officer Geoffrey Richter-Douglas (Michael York) is having a fling with Stephanie, a German spy trying to recruit him. The British military want him to be a double agent. He escapes to Germany pretending to be a deserter. In Germany, he connects with old friend Professor Altschul and young wife Erika (Elke Sommer), both Zeppelin scientists. The human story is rather slow and boring. Once he gets on the Zeppelin, it becomes a submarine movie. The miniatures are fun. It's a fun thriller while they're on the Zeppelin. I do have many questions about Geoffrey's actions. At the very least, he wouldn't get back on the ship. I do like the dog fight, but he's only there to be there. The writing is not this movie's strong suit.

There's lots of hydrogen-filled action in 1971's Zeppelin, a teddibly British WWI flick about using lighter-than-air ships to bomb, um, I can't remember . . . It's the English against the Hun with Michael York looking young and dependable, Anton Diffring oozing achtung menace kerbibble, and Elke Sommers fulfilling the standardized need for war movie cleavage. It can't be all bad and besides, you get to see the nasty pre-Nazi (still goose-stepping bastards, aren't they all?) Kaiserphiles get their just desserts. Biff, boom, bang, and lots of PG-rated orange movie blood. Why does the phrase "silent and violent" come to mind?

A very interesting tale of a German mission to destroy the Magna Carta provides exciting airborne action during WWI. A German-born British flier is emotionally torn by duty and homeland. The special effects are better than average and responsible for the films atmosphere. The story line leaves too many questions. This melodrama was filmed in Scotland. The notable cast includes: Michael York, the fascinating Elke Sommer, Andrew Keir and Peter Casten. Neutrality sometimes walks a tightrope.

Picture seeing a colossal silver fish resting on the surface of a Norwegian fjord. That image from "Zeppelin" is unforgettable. The story of a secret German airship raid on a Scotish Castle to destroy British historical documents hidden there, is fast moving with little time for character development. There is also a tremendous stretch of believability. Nevertheless the special effects are so superior, that the script deficiencies are easily forgiven. Michael York is adequate as the British spy, and Elke Sommer plays the wife of the zeppelin's designer. Though not always logical, the film is imaginative and surprisingly entertaining, with images that will not soon be forgotten. Recommended. - MERK