Tycho
08-12-2006, 07:42 PM
George Peppard (Hannibal Smith from the A-Team) stars in this movie about the German Air Force's ace pilots during World War One.
It is an excellent movie I just finished watching and could easily watch over again. I think with CGI, Flyboys (Sept 2006) will surpass it), but for this movie, real pilots did real stunt flying and dog-fighting and it comes off as incredibly amazing. You also see how they were developing more modern single-wing planes, having used bi-planes throughout most of the war. Strafing runs on infantry changing the course of Europe's trench war stalemate was also explored.
Jerry Goldsmith (Star Trek) did the soundtrack, but I'll state it's actually NOT to my liking really. (Others here have suggested their appreciation for it - but too each their own. It's more military band than "tragic-epic" which I prefer all the more often.)
Speaking of Star Trek, the actor that played Peppar's character's rival, "Willie," was later seeing playing Capt. Jean-Luc Picard's brother in the TNG episode "Family," (which followed the Captain's capture and mutilation by the Borg). He was very good in this movie.
Everyone played their roles well and forged some kind of German accent, save for Peppard, who spoke and talked like an American (just think of Hannibal Smith from the A-Team again - same type of cocky character). The contrast between Peppard and all the other "elite" German characters sort of worked with that, however, as someone else had mentioned, it makes it more difficult to believe he's German.
The chick, a German Countess, is lusciously tempting and gets barely dressed (or should I say "covered") in the sex scene. For an older movie, I have to say she was tempting and would bring you flashbacks of the early Bond girls you loved loving.
The airial photography and combat is great. Like I said, I'm sure Flyboys will improve upon this, and it's about pilots on "our side," but The Blue Max was awesome. Again, a better soundtrack would have helped. Music sure did wonders for Top Gun.
Oh, the actual Blue Max is like a flying cross, and Germany's highest medal for kills for a combat pilot. That's what Peppard's character is after in this movie (besides the wife of one of his commanding officers who's loose enough to already be sleeping with her nephew by marriage. Go figure.)
It is an excellent movie I just finished watching and could easily watch over again. I think with CGI, Flyboys (Sept 2006) will surpass it), but for this movie, real pilots did real stunt flying and dog-fighting and it comes off as incredibly amazing. You also see how they were developing more modern single-wing planes, having used bi-planes throughout most of the war. Strafing runs on infantry changing the course of Europe's trench war stalemate was also explored.
Jerry Goldsmith (Star Trek) did the soundtrack, but I'll state it's actually NOT to my liking really. (Others here have suggested their appreciation for it - but too each their own. It's more military band than "tragic-epic" which I prefer all the more often.)
Speaking of Star Trek, the actor that played Peppar's character's rival, "Willie," was later seeing playing Capt. Jean-Luc Picard's brother in the TNG episode "Family," (which followed the Captain's capture and mutilation by the Borg). He was very good in this movie.
Everyone played their roles well and forged some kind of German accent, save for Peppard, who spoke and talked like an American (just think of Hannibal Smith from the A-Team again - same type of cocky character). The contrast between Peppard and all the other "elite" German characters sort of worked with that, however, as someone else had mentioned, it makes it more difficult to believe he's German.
The chick, a German Countess, is lusciously tempting and gets barely dressed (or should I say "covered") in the sex scene. For an older movie, I have to say she was tempting and would bring you flashbacks of the early Bond girls you loved loving.
The airial photography and combat is great. Like I said, I'm sure Flyboys will improve upon this, and it's about pilots on "our side," but The Blue Max was awesome. Again, a better soundtrack would have helped. Music sure did wonders for Top Gun.
Oh, the actual Blue Max is like a flying cross, and Germany's highest medal for kills for a combat pilot. That's what Peppard's character is after in this movie (besides the wife of one of his commanding officers who's loose enough to already be sleeping with her nephew by marriage. Go figure.)