Lightdeossk
Captivating movie !
Sameer Callahan
It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.
Sarita Rafferty
There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.
cwg2005a
In days of yore, "roadshow" films (ie, "Lawrence of Arabia," "Dr Zhivago," "My Fair Lady," "Blue Max") were long, expensive, expansive, and broke for intermissions. It was an event for a couple to dress up to go to the theatre to watch these films, something looked forward to. When I first saw "The Blue Max" it made me want more than anything to fly in a biplane; although I have been flying for awhile now, I have still not had that pleasure.But I did recently have the pleasure of re-viewing this film; it is Peppard's finest performance, and Mason, Andress and the rest are just as good. The flying scenes will enthrall, but the one drawback to the film is that one gets the impression that the romance story between Peppard and Ursula take up almost an equal amount of time -- all for a tepid pay-off of having Ursula cause a final misfortune out of her sense of pride.The photography is magnificent, the direction is active, the shots are well-planned, and the fight choreography is exciting.IF you've got the (almost) three hours and enjoy war films built on character development more than battle scenes, this is a film you will very much enjoy.
Mr Black
The Blue Max is one of my all time favorites.! It is historically and militarily not accurate, and George Peppard, at 37 is almost 20 years too old for the role of a World War I pilot. But it is a great adventure movie filled with the daring exploits of early pilots in the Great War. It shows the code of chivalry at the time and the honor of the military forces at the time. It has a great story and characters and lots of great air footage. I first saw this film on TV when I was about ten years old and was mesmerized by it, and still am. Would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of war films. There are few films on this period of history and most history buffs would find this to be quite fascinating. Thank you!
edwagreen
Very good film showcasing German pilots during World War 1. George Peppard is as arrogant as ever as he aims for winning the coveted metal by shooting down 20 enemy planes in the closing days of the war. The film is a particularly good one as it shows how the Peppard character becomes part of the German propaganda war-effort. It tragically shows that when he is of no use for them, he can die tragically as a martyr for propaganda purposes. Having achieved greatness as Field Marshall Romel in "The Desert Fox," James Mason is great here as well again as a German commander who is ruthless and if he can live for the next 15 years, a possible favorite of the coming Nazi regime.We see the beginnings of discontent in the Fatherland as Germany is about to lose the war.Ursula Andress is wonderful here as Mason's much younger wife and Peppard's lover. Her unwittingly stupid move condemned the Peppard character.
Jeff (actionrating.com)
See it – An engrossing tale of a hotshot World War One pilot's quest for Germany's highest military honor, the Blue Max. Starring George Peppard and James Mason, it is a fictitious story with the main purpose of showing the danger of letting pride and the pursuit of glory get in the way of chivalry during wartime. Interesting tidbit - the Blue Max was originally awarded to pilots for shooting down 8 enemy planes, but by the time the war ended the figure was increased out of necessity to 30. It was also given to U-Boat captains who sunk more than 190,000 tons of enemy shipping. But I digress. This classic war film has some of the greatest aerial combats scenes in Hollywood history. Maybe the best period. If you've seen "Flyboys" or "Red Tails," you undoubtedly will agree that "Blue Max" not only is a superior film, but the combat scenes are just as good despite the outdated special effects. It's a long movie, but there are enough explosions to keep you hooked from start to finish. 3 out of 5 action rating.
