The Blue Max
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Movie Reviews of The Blue Max
Movie Review: An upstart who doesn't fit in but does stand out
Summary: 5 Stars
Filmed in Ireland (which explains the somewhat puzzling absence of trenches and mud in many of the aerial dogfighting shots, and the even more puzzling sight of the Irish parliament building in Dublin, a city masquerading as Berlin), this film is interesting in that the First World War's Western Front is merely the backdrop to a story surrounding a man who finds himself fighting not just the enemy (the British in this case), but fighting the attitudes of his fellow aviators.
Bruno Stachel (ably played by George Peppard) is a man who intends to climb not just out of the trenches but into the air, but also in terms of his social status as he does anything he believes appropriate in order to win the so-called "Blue Max", the highest medal the Germans awarded for gallantry until 1918. While his commanding officer, Otto Heidemann (Karl Michael Vogler) detests what he perceives as a low-lifer who totally disregards "how the upper class does things", the Countess von Klugermann (Ursula Andress) finds this man somewhat fascinating purely because she wants something different and wants to know what makes Stachel tick.
It is somewhat puzzling as to why her husband, the General (James Mason), and her nephew, Willi (Jeremy Kemp), do or say nothing to chase away this upstart from this upper-crust man-chaser, yet undoubtedly, in the absence of the actual fighting at the front, the sub-plots needed to work, interwoven as they are with the main plot involving Willi himself, who wins the medal after destroying 20 enemy aircraft. Stachel's ambitions are spurred when Willi is awarded the medal, though he is somewhat shaken after his rival (and, dare I say it, friend) accidentally ends up crashing into a lone chimney stack and killing himself after a reckless stunt to prove who was better at flying aeroplanes.
His commanding officer's prejudice is well maintained (kudos to Vogler) and is unremitting even when he demands that the general have Stachel court-martialled for disobeying orders, only for the latter to refuse outright - the man was now a hero to the common people, something that the general had planned once he realised Stachel's abilities. Heidemann then realises that the war did not revolve around individuals and that what had been certain and applicable before was not necessarily applicable now. He is therefore forced to back down.
Yet a white lie by Stachel, who rejects a fiery Countess's advances, landed him unknowingly in a predicament that he remains totally unaware of. Given the ending (which is different to that in Jack Hunter's original novel, but which I won't reveal here), it reveals that just as people are prepared to put them up on pedestals, so the same people are prepared to drag them down in as shocking a way as possible.
This is a well-done movie about the human psyche in time of war, not a collective psyche as seen in many American war movies like "Platoon" and "Full Metal Jacket", but of an individual who stands out and makes his mark by bucking the trend as very much a non-conformist who does things his way and doesn't care who knows it or who objects to it. Peppard does an excellent job, even though, back in 1966, he was not a star and was surrounded by star actors like Mason and Andress (who'd been in THAT bikini just a few years before when Connery popped up). Like "Battle of Britain", filmed over England in 1968, the aerial sequences are spectacular and well done but they remain strictly secondary and do not overpower the plot.
Personally, I would have liked the film to explore more of Stachel's personality - about what really drove a working-class man to reach new heights in the face of a social class whose way of thinking and acting was totally alien and anathema to him. His involvement with the Countess seemed also a bizarre sub-plot, but, as in "Zeppelin" (1971), her involvement was merely to serve as a (female) distraction in a male-dominated society that would change irretrievably after the fall of Imperial Germany in 1918.
Movie Review: Adult war film of ambition, classism, and revenge.
Summary: 5 Stars
This is very much an adult war movie, primarily because the film explores classism and ambition within the context of a World War I dramatic war film. The film and the plot of the story are constructed around triangles.
The first triangle is that between Commander Heidemann, played perfectly by Karl Michael Vogler, and two men under his command; Bruno Stachel (played well by George Peppard) and Willi Klugermann (played masterfully by Jeremy Kemp). In this triangle of relationships, Commander Heidemann must maintain discipline despite the rivalry between these two men under his command. Whereas Stachel boils with resentment against the upper class airmen in his squadron, Willi is an arrogant risk taker. Heidemann is a man of priciple, Stachel is a man of talent and raw ambition, Willi is a man of natural gifts and elegance. Tensions mount as the competition between Willi and Bruno rise during the film; a potentially destructive process that Heidemann can not control. Yet, ironically, it is Heidemann and Willi who are most appreciative of Bruno's abilities. As the film progresses, Willi is the closest person to a friend for Bruno but Bruno is so blind to his ambition and feelings of classism that he sees Willi only as someone he must defeat. This triangle is where the hero emerges with his deeds.
The second triangle is between General Klugermann (played perfectly by James Mason) and Commander Heidemann and Bruno. General Klugermann, the most truly Machiavellian character in the story, sees Bruno as a middle class war hero that can keep the lower classes engaged and motivated to support the war. Heidemann will have none of it and Heidemann is the man of principle who will not compromise. Bruno does not fully appreciate at first that the General is just using him for national gains and it is Heidemann that really sets the standards that he wishes to exceed. This is the triangle where the hero is recognized for his deeds and is crowned in some way.
The third triangle is totally necessary for it is the situation in which the hero falls. Bruno has made the mistake of competing with Willi not only as a pilot but also for the affections of Willi's lover, a Countess who is Willi's aunt by marriage. She is beautiful but decadent. Bruno succeeds in seducing her. At first she is enthralled by the competition of two handsome men for her favors, and she assumes thier competition is about her. However, later after Willi has died, Bruno reveals to her that of the 22 planes he has shot down, two were really shot down by Willi, and thus Bruno did not need to claim them since he would have exceeded the 20 plane threshold without Willi's 2 planes. However, Bruno then makes the mistake of letting Countess, played by Ursula Andress, know that she is only a trophy, only a prize for the winner in a competition of men. She is armed with his confession and she acts to bring him down.
George Peppard is very good as Bruno, for you never really like him throughout the film. This is not a film with a hero, it is a film with complex human emotions and relationships. The ending is as cold blooded and calculated and opportunistic as I have seen on film. General Klugermann destroys Bruno, not because he had an affair with his beautiful wife, he destroys him because the 2 bogus planes are about to be revealed and therefore he must ensure his hero dies in flaming glory.
Bravo to everyone involved in this well crafted tale of ambition, principle, class, and revenge.
Movie Review: A masterpiece about World War I aerial combat
Summary: 5 Stars
I've seen most of the notable war flicks and "The Blue Max" from 1966 is one of my all-time favorites (other favorites include the original "Apocalypse Now," "Where Eagles Dare," "Platoon" and "The Eagle has Landed").
THE PLOT: During World War I a low-class German soldier, Bruno Stachel (George Peppard), transfers from the muddy trenches to the aristocratic air officer corps. Stachel naturally becomes a bit of a fish out of water with his new higher class comrades-in-arms, but this doesn't bother him as Stachel is interested in only one thing -- gunning down twenty enemy planes to get the coveted Blue Max, Germany's Meddle of Honor. In fact, he's so focused on this goal that he'll do anything to achieve it, honorably or dishonorably. His success as a driven fighter pilot prompts his commanding officer to use him as a propaganda tool, a hero from the lower classes who is "common as dirt."
Critics of the film complain that Stachel is unlikable and therefore not a very good hero to root for. It is true that Stachel doesn't seem very friendly, but how friendly would you be toward high-class "gentleman" after years of brutal trench warfare? It's also true that he's selfishly ambitious and rebels against the team spirit of the squadron, not to mention direct orders. In addition he's an alcoholic and an adulterer. But, as the German general played by James Mason states, he's brave ruthless and driven -- precisely what Germany needs at the closing months of the war. Stachel isn't a hero, he's an anti-hero.
Let's face it, real life offers up few perfect heroes and "The Blue Max" is a powerfully realistic portrayal of air combat during World War I. The story should simply be digested as is without looking for a hero.
One of the best sequences takes place in the first half of the picture: Stachel justly feels he is robbed of a "kill" because the plane he shot down couldn't officially be confirmed (even after he forces a corporal to escort him around the rainy countryside for half a day to find his downed plane). Later, while escorting an enemy plane back to home base he shoots the plane down when a wounded tailgunner awakes and instinctively starts shooting. Stachel lands and runs over to the downed plane along with numerous other Germans; he cuts the emblem from the plane and bitterly throws it at the feet of his superiors adamantly stating, "Confirmed." This is one of the most powerful scenes in filmmaking history.
The film is universally praised for its scenic and compelling air combat sequences, but some people inexplicably criticize the drama on the ground. Personally, I find the ground story equally as interesting as the air fighting, maybe even more so. Besides, how interesting is mindless non-stop action without interesting character-defining drama?
Other highlights include a brief appearance of the Red Baron, the ravishing Ursula Undress -- I'm sorry, I mean Andress -- as the general's adulterous wife and an excellent score by (who else?) Jerry Goldsmith.
The cinematography and Irish locations are excellent. The overall look of the film is cold, dark, cloudy and wet. In other words, kind of depressing. But, of course, World War I was no happy day at the beach!
BOTTOM LINE: "The Blue Max" is a film of epic scope and certainly one of the greatest war films ever made. It may be from 1966 but it's not dated one bit. Highly recommended.
Movie Review: Despite its flaws, still the best airborne WW1 talkie
Summary: 5 Stars
Very much Room at the Top with biplanes and battlefields instead of bedsits and boardrooms, The Blue Max follows the progress of Bruno Stachel (George Peppard), a former German infantryman who sees becoming an air ace as a means of climbing out of the trenches and up the social ladder. While aristocratic general James Mason uses him to provide the demoralised working class with a hero of their own and the general's wife (Ursula Andress, modelling a line of gravity-defying towels evidently superglued to her nipples) uses him to pass the time, his desire to win the Blue Max, the highest award Germany can give, to prove that he is as good as his condescending, socially superior comrades sets him at odds with Karl Michael Vogler's squadron commander, who simply wants to fight the war with chivalry, and Jeremy Kemp's famous ace.
This is one of those films that should be great but never quite makes it. Part of the problem is the watering down of Jack D. Hunter's original novel, which saw Stachel and his buddy Hermann go on to form Hitler's Luftwaffe, a more convincing conclusion to the class warfare and erosion of aristocratic values that the one the film offers in its place. Similarly Jerry's Goldsmith's beautiful and justly celebrated score found itself equally watered down, with many of his most ambitious and powerful cues either left unused or heavily abridged to fit in more plays of his soaring and euphoric main title (the full score has since been restored on CD, and it's an interesting experiment to play the unused cues alongside the film). Hopefully someday Fox might get round to a special edition with the option to hear the full score as originally intended.
Although one of the few films from the Sixties where when a plane crashes it doesn't go over a hill to do it, it suffers in comparison to silent classic Wings both from its back projection - it's dogfights never quite have the terror or adrenaline rush to push them that extra yard - and its lack of that film's real emotional power. Peppard still displays the early promise that was never quite fulfilled as the charismatic but utterly ruthless working-class obsessive, striking a nice balance between defensive vulnerability in his early scenes and unbridled ambition in his latter ones, but he is more a character you understand than sympathise with.
John Guillermin's direction is certainly ambitious with a striking use of the camera and a particularly effective use of tracking shots, though some of the tilted angles and overhead shots can make it seem a little Ipcress File at times. Yet if never entirely successful, there is still a lot to recommend it. It retains its schoolboy appeal without insulting the intelligence, is superbly designed and holds the interest throughout, while Skeets Kelly's aerial work is often astounding. And when its ambitions are occasionally realised, such as the bombing of an infantry column or a mass attack, it's strikingly effective.
Movie Review: Top of the Line War Flick!
Summary: 5 Stars
I've seen most war flicks and this one from 1966 is definitely one of my personal favorites (other favorites include Apocalypse Now, Where Eagles Dare, Platoon, The Eagle has Landed, etc.). "The Blue Max" is about a World War I German Soldier, Bruno Stachel (George Peppard), who "graduates" from ignoble trench warfare to the aristocratic air officer corps. Stachel is naturally a fish out of water with his new higher class comrades-in-arms; but this doesn't seem to bother him one iota. Stachel is only interested in gunning down twenty enemy planes to get the coveted Blue Max, Germany's Medal of Honor. In fact, he is so focused on this goal that he'll do anything to achieve it, honorably or dishonorably.
The vibe of the movie is ultra-realistic. Critics of the flim have complained that Stachel is an unlikable character and therefore not a very good hero to root for. It is true that Stachel doesn't seem very friendly (how friendly would you be with high-class "gentlemen" after years of brutal trench warfare?). It's also true that he's selfishly ambitious (he totally rebels against the team spirit of his squadron). He's also an alcoholic and an adulterer. But as the German general played by James Mason states: he's brave, ruthless and driven -- exactly what Germany needs at the closing months of the war.
People who make the above criticism miss the point. Real life offers up few perfect heroes to root for. People, situations and motives are more complex than this. And this pic nobly attempts to be a realistic portrayal of air combat in World War I. In other words, the story should just simply be digested as is without looking for a hero.
The movie is universally praised for its scenic and compelling air combat scenes, but some folks inexplicably criticize the drama on the ground. Personally, I find the ground story equally as interesting as the air fighting. Besides, mindless non-stop action movies are for juveniles (of course, like any guy I have MY juvenile moods).
Other highlights include a brief appearance of the Red Baron, the ravishing Ursula Andress (Undress?) as the general's adulterous wife and an excellent musical score by (Jerry Goldsmith (who else?).
The cinematography and locations (Ireland) are excellent. The overall look of the movie is cold, dark, cloudy and wet. In other words, kind of depressing. But, of course, World War I was no happy day at the beach!
The Blue Max is truly a movie of epic scope; definitely one of THE GREAT war movies. I highly recommend it.