The Blue Max (1966)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

John Guillermin

Writers:

Jack Hunter (novel)
Ben Barzman (adaptation) ...

Release Date:

21 June 1966 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | War | Action

Tagline:

MIRACLES IN THE AIR!

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Ambition | WWI | German Officer | Airplane Shot Down | Uniform

Awards:

Won BAFTA Film Award. Another 4 nominations

Cast

George Peppard	...	Lt. Bruno Stachel
James Mason	...	General Count von Klugermann
Ursula Andress	...	Countess Kaeti von Klugermann
Jeremy Kemp	...	Willi von Klugermann
Karl Michael Vogler	...	Colonel Otto 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	...	The Field Marshal (as Friedrich Ledebur)
Carl Schell	...	Von Richthofen aka The Red Baron
Hugo Schuster	...	Hans. Elderly Servant
Alex Scott	...	The Orator

Runtime:

156 min | USA:153 min (FMC Library Print)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

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

Certification:

Canada:G (Quebec) | Ireland:12 (old rating) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:Unrated | West Germany:12 | Singapore:NC-16 | Iceland:12

Filming Locations:

Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

In some scenes George Peppard was actually flying his plane.

Goofs:

Factual errors: No fighter aircraft of any nation ever fired machine guns by having the pilot reach up and pull a large lever. The guns were triggered by levers mounted on the control stick which pulled wire cables up to the guns.

Quotes:

General Count von Klugermann: Stachel. I want him brought to Berlin immediately.
Aide: Yes, Herr General.
General Count von Klugermann: There is some difficulty?
Aide: Well, I don't know what you have in mind, Herr General, but, uh, with the offensive at its height, well, there'd have to be some legitimate excuse to order him to come.
General Count von Klugermann: He's wounded, isn't he?
Aide: Yes, Herr General.
General Count von Klugermann: Hmm. A mentionable wound?
Aide: Uh, in the arm.
General Count von Klugermann: Good. The people like soldiers who were shot in the right places. Order Stachel to Berlin for special hospital treatment. I want you to ensure that all our newspapers give full prominence to this gallant episode - photographs, everything.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Return to the Edge of the World (1978)

An Award Winning Film

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.