A humble,cannon-fodder German corporal in WW1, (Not Hitler), aspires to leave his mud-ridden foxhole of the infantry and fly, in the late stage of this war after looking at a fighter aircraft gracefully swooping above him. The next shot after the opening credits, he's seen in officer corps uniform (Loin-nent!) casually tossing a 'full bottle' of what may be whisky to a bedraggled German soldier.
Bruno Stachel (Peppard) joins a squadron and immediately is exposed to the class-war struggles of the time, as a working class boy in an upper class world of flyers. As much as he wants to fly he's also obsessed in earning himself the Blue Max (For 20 air-kills). Both his class and his recklessness/ambition in earning his 'first' kill, put him into confrontation with the squadron.
Willi Von Klugermann (sounding like a deliberate cross between Von Richthofen and Immelmann), the smug older head, has a kind of love-hate relationship with Stachel, especially as they're both at odds over a girl (Ursula Andress as Kaeti) who is also Klugermann's aunt by marriage to the older General (James Mason). The latter is keen to use Stachel though, even after he's fallen out with the squadron CO (Heidemann)over a controversial less-than chivalrous 'kill' as his 'low class' will be used as propaganda to show the German population a 'hero of their own'.
Stachel succeeds in moving up the ladder, with further kills, becoming as smug as Klugermann, getting Kaeti (Much to the latter's disgust), and saving Von Richthofen's life - who subsequently offers him a place in his famous 'Flying Circus'. Stachel refuses him though to prove himself with his squadron first.
There's also the obligatory 'fly-off' between the rivals (Not the British and Germans - Stachel and Von Klugermann!), and the latter's killed in the fly-off, even to Stachel's gut-wrenching guilt. As two Brit 'planes were shot down before this fly-off in the area, Heidemann casually mentions that at least Willi didn't die in vain/served the Fatherland etc, to which Stachel does his nut, asking Heidemann why he thinks WILLI shot them down. Stachel shows his nastiness here and claims the 'planes, even though the armourer's report shows Stachel's guns jammed after firing only 40 rounds. 'Amazing marksmanship' says Heidemann sarcastically, emphasising to Stachel he'll get a court martial for lying and stealing Willi's laurels. The General insists, though, however thin it may seem he wants the award to go to Stachel (Even forgetting Willi was his nephew!) as it completes his tally for the Blue Max and elevates him to the 'working class hero' the General wants to project to counter the low morale of the German populace.
As it transpires, Stachel's dalliance with Kaeti is the ruination of him - he's admitted to her he didn't get the two 'planes Willi shot down and the 'fly-off' was just that and NOT about HER! In her anger at this eventual rebuff, the General gets wind of it and doesn't want the publicity now of a 'disgraced German Officer-corps' flyer, whatever his class. Stachel is due to fly a new monoplane, at the same time as receiving his Blue Max - but the General now wants to cover up the mess - at Stachel's expense. Heidemann takes the new 'plane up and reveals it to be a 'death trap' that he was lucky to bring back down again. The General uses this to end the unfolding scandal by sending the unknowing Stachel up in the 'plane, stating to him to show the crowd some 'real flying' - knowing that'll be his end! Naturally, he's killed, after receiving his Blue Max, but the General has had everything he wants - the acceleration of a now 'posthumous' working-class war hero - who importantly dies before any scandal can be revealed! Ironic, that Stachel receives the medal he wanted, but dies as a matter of his own shallowness and in being a pawn of the establishment.
This is truly an awe-inspiring film, with amazing flying sequences and vintage aircraft battling it out in the skies above France in WW1. Yes, it is talky at times, but the air action is worth seeing, as is the secondary action on the ground with the Brits and the Germans savagely 'going over the top'. There's also a very masterful score, which combines the beauty and action in the flying. The cheap DVD version I bought nonetheless had a handsome 'intermission' with a focus of the Blue Max medal itself with the score being played. A definite watch, it could be argued that it would be difficult to sit through more than once due to its longevity, but watch it the once at least if you haven't seen it yet. Who hasn't though!? (Oh, and guess what - Anton Diffring's in it playing again - a German!)
Bruno Stachel (Peppard) joins a squadron and immediately is exposed to the class-war struggles of the time, as a working class boy in an upper class world of flyers. As much as he wants to fly he's also obsessed in earning himself the Blue Max (For 20 air-kills). Both his class and his recklessness/ambition in earning his 'first' kill, put him into confrontation with the squadron.
Willi Von Klugermann (sounding like a deliberate cross between Von Richthofen and Immelmann), the smug older head, has a kind of love-hate relationship with Stachel, especially as they're both at odds over a girl (Ursula Andress as Kaeti) who is also Klugermann's aunt by marriage to the older General (James Mason). The latter is keen to use Stachel though, even after he's fallen out with the squadron CO (Heidemann)over a controversial less-than chivalrous 'kill' as his 'low class' will be used as propaganda to show the German population a 'hero of their own'.
Stachel succeeds in moving up the ladder, with further kills, becoming as smug as Klugermann, getting Kaeti (Much to the latter's disgust), and saving Von Richthofen's life - who subsequently offers him a place in his famous 'Flying Circus'. Stachel refuses him though to prove himself with his squadron first.
There's also the obligatory 'fly-off' between the rivals (Not the British and Germans - Stachel and Von Klugermann!), and the latter's killed in the fly-off, even to Stachel's gut-wrenching guilt. As two Brit 'planes were shot down before this fly-off in the area, Heidemann casually mentions that at least Willi didn't die in vain/served the Fatherland etc, to which Stachel does his nut, asking Heidemann why he thinks WILLI shot them down. Stachel shows his nastiness here and claims the 'planes, even though the armourer's report shows Stachel's guns jammed after firing only 40 rounds. 'Amazing marksmanship' says Heidemann sarcastically, emphasising to Stachel he'll get a court martial for lying and stealing Willi's laurels. The General insists, though, however thin it may seem he wants the award to go to Stachel (Even forgetting Willi was his nephew!) as it completes his tally for the Blue Max and elevates him to the 'working class hero' the General wants to project to counter the low morale of the German populace.
As it transpires, Stachel's dalliance with Kaeti is the ruination of him - he's admitted to her he didn't get the two 'planes Willi shot down and the 'fly-off' was just that and NOT about HER! In her anger at this eventual rebuff, the General gets wind of it and doesn't want the publicity now of a 'disgraced German Officer-corps' flyer, whatever his class. Stachel is due to fly a new monoplane, at the same time as receiving his Blue Max - but the General now wants to cover up the mess - at Stachel's expense. Heidemann takes the new 'plane up and reveals it to be a 'death trap' that he was lucky to bring back down again. The General uses this to end the unfolding scandal by sending the unknowing Stachel up in the 'plane, stating to him to show the crowd some 'real flying' - knowing that'll be his end! Naturally, he's killed, after receiving his Blue Max, but the General has had everything he wants - the acceleration of a now 'posthumous' working-class war hero - who importantly dies before any scandal can be revealed! Ironic, that Stachel receives the medal he wanted, but dies as a matter of his own shallowness and in being a pawn of the establishment.
This is truly an awe-inspiring film, with amazing flying sequences and vintage aircraft battling it out in the skies above France in WW1. Yes, it is talky at times, but the air action is worth seeing, as is the secondary action on the ground with the Brits and the Germans savagely 'going over the top'. There's also a very masterful score, which combines the beauty and action in the flying. The cheap DVD version I bought nonetheless had a handsome 'intermission' with a focus of the Blue Max medal itself with the score being played. A definite watch, it could be argued that it would be difficult to sit through more than once due to its longevity, but watch it the once at least if you haven't seen it yet. Who hasn't though!? (Oh, and guess what - Anton Diffring's in it playing again - a German!)