Product ReviewsThe Blue Max (DVD, 1966)

More Consideration of Transfer to Flying Circus ?

Bruno might have survived had he chosen to fly with the Red Baron.

First saw this film in the original theatric release and have seen it many times since. I'll see it many more times, I'm certain.

The flight sequences and vintage/restored aircraft really steal the show. All the period uniforms and costumes add to the rustic feel. If you're into this period of history, the film does a decent job of capturing some of the mood of the era.

While the special effects other than the aerial stunts are indeed quite dated when compared to the films of today, this isn't a "special effects" film per se. The acting and characterization are on par with the 60's "grand scale" war films, so don't expect Academy Award-winning portrayals. The casting is international with some familiar and unfamiliar names.

As a man, any film with Ursula Andress in various stages of undress has a measure of value based solely upon her presence...

The DVD transfer quality is just OK although one could make a case for the average resolution contributing favorably to the period feel. It's also the main reason I don't rate the DVD "Excellent".

This is a classic war drama and arguably the best made about this subject. I recommend the film highly in terms of subject treatment and period feel overall.Read full review...

A classic and overlooked war picture.

Director of Photography Douglas Slocumbe was a genius. Keep in mind the dogfights in this movie were shot in the 1960's without the benefit of any digital effects. everything is real and life size. A stunning film.Read full review...

Product Reviews Images

Product Reviews Images

Product Reviews Images

  Product Reviews Images

Previous Image

• 
• 
• 

Next Image

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: littlefishbigdeals

Two criticisms only . . .

My only criticisms of the film, itself, are these: 1) the two most-acclaimed actors, George Peppard and James Mason, notably did not have German accents, as German combatants; 2) German characters did not speak actual German. Peppard and Mason probably were not asked to do so because of their reknown. But this lacking does detract from the film. Subtitles should have been used to add "authenticity" to the film.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: goodwill_colora...

One of James Masons best movies! IMHO

Movie is engaging and brings back memories of seeing it as a child with my folks.

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: kh765

One of my favorite movies about WW1 flyers. Some technical inaccuracies but overall very well made film.

DVD was in great shape. Shipped rapidly after order. Well packaged.

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: ish4finds

Enjoyed the movie when I was younger

Enjoyed the movie when I was younger more to do with airplanes and anything else. Now that I know a little bit more about history it was a little is it harder to reconcile. For each day it was a good movie.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: decluttr_store

You MUST see this seriously fantastic film !!!!!!

"The Blue Max" is an excelant war film WAY AHEAD OF ITs TIME. The film has a great story and will entertain at many levels - straight war high action and daring due - look into class and how it effected ones place and job in the German Army during WW1 - looks into propaganda and how GERMANY liked to make public heroes of its sucessful wariors that continued into WW2.

Must remember for most of WW1 - pilots had no parachutes - dangerious and prone to leaking fuel systems - primative planes - primative bombs that would hang up under the wing and detonate as the plane landed.

This film {IN MY OPINION} is an adult film - with grimm aspects of war {BLOOD-BURNS-BODIES ROTTING IN THE MUD and Nibbled on by rats}and pulls no punches in discribing the the real aspects of WAR ballanced by duty. SEXUAL situations that may not be approiate for children under 18 or 35 depending maturity. {MY PERSONAL OPINION}

URSLA is more dangerous in a towel than the allied forces in fighter planes.

Wonderfully acted and filmed - probably in softer european film stock for a more muted matt feel. Few movies in today times have the buget or access to the sets and talent to make this scale of film like this.Read full review...

The Blue Max

A GREAT World War I flying movie that stars George Peppard as Bruno
Stachel, a poor German soldier who rises through the ranks of the
distinuished air force in spite of the prejudice hurled against him
by the much more affuent aristocrats in the military at that time. His
aeronautical prowess soon captures the attention of a generals wife
(Ursula Andress) as he tries every way possible to shoot down enemy
planes and earn the highest flying medal of the time the German "Blue
Max" medal. The flying and fighting scenes here are top notch, especially
for a WW I movie, you get a look at the type of fighting that went on
down to the fact that when the machine guns would jam or run out of
ammunition-the pilots would shoot at each other with pistols or like
ideas. James Mason co-stars in the movie as the squadron commander that
Stachel flys for. Excellent movie for war movie lovers and collectors
of classics-as this certainly is (orginally released in 1966). Will more
that give you a great night of entertainment as you watch the old bi-pod
and tri-pod aircraft fight it out in the skys.Read full review...

Danger and intrigue in the sky's above

blue ma max is about pilots that flew in a time of much like the knights of old, using old planes and bullets in place of swords, great acting , I like the movie and i recommend it . .

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: new | Sold by: forester_studios

The Blue Max (DVD, 2003)

It was 1916 and the war was dragging on with no end in sight. In the trenches, every day the wanton slaughter from bullets, poison gas, and artilliery is repeated. Two terrible years have come and gone. . . From above there comes the tat. .tat. .tat. .tat of the machine guns as the dogfight between the two airplanes continues. . .

It has been almost a year since crawling out of the trenches and starting the ardent process of flight school. Everybody here is an aristocrat, or the son of a politician or well healed family. They never let you forget it either. As the son of a hotel clerk, Bruno Stachel (George Peppard) is constantly the but of sarcasm and is uniformly made to feel inferior and unwelcome. He is a natural pilot though, and his flying skills and nerve far exceed the others.

Newly assigned to front line service, Stachel finds that the same prejudice and snobbery exists there also. He is instantly impressed by Willie Von Kleuggerman (Jeremy Kemp), who has shot down eighteen planes. Just two kills away from the most coveted of German decorations, "The Blue Max". This is Stachel's most prized target, not only for fame, but for aristocratic equality and hero status, his means of proving once and for all times that he is equal, and belongs there. As an unproven quantity, Stachel is extremely eager to prove himself. He soon begins to terrorize the skies and is recognized by all as a cold blooded man driven to reach his goal. He shoots down an enemy plane that he was escorting. The pilot was apparently surrendering, but the wounded gunner made a motion to open fire, and his movement wasn't seen by others. His Commander reacted harshly toward him for violating a code of "chivalry", even though Willie backed his story. Stachel is a driven man and as his number of victories increased so did his notereity, eventually catching the eye of Berlin High Command.

At Willie's award ceremony for his Blue Max, Stachel meets the General's wife, Ursula Andress, who was also Willie's aunt, and sleeping with him. Out of spite, Stachel has an affair with her. He and Willie were flying a reconnaissance mission when jumped by three planes. Bruno shot down one, but his guns jammed, and Willie shot down the other two. Then, trying to show Stachel he was the better flier, flew into a structure and killed himself. When his commander attempted to award all three kills to Willy, Stachel claimed that they were all his. This was stupid, but it was his gut reaction to everyone else assuming that they belonged to Willie, and not him. This plagued him from then on, and while drunk one night, he told Ursula what he had done. Germany is now losing the war and things are going really badly. Ursula wants to leave her husband and for her and Stachel to go to Switzerland. He doesn't want to go. He is about to be awarded The Blue Max, and with it National Hero Status, the culmination of everything that he has worked for. Being an aristocrat, she doesn't care about anything that matters to anybody but herself, and tells her husband out of spite. Unable to stop the proceedings without causing a scandal to the whole flying corps, he allows the award to proceed, and then has Stachel fly a new experimental airplane that his commander has just flown and declared a "death trap". Again, in that constant effort to prove himself equal or better than everyone else, he pushes the plane too hard and it fails. Stachel is killed in the crash; a highly decorated hero of GermRead full review...