Von Richthofen & Brown (1970)

The incredibly prolific exploitation film producer and director, Roger Corman, tries his hand at a war film with Von Richthofen and Brown, about WWI air battles between German icon Baron Manfred Von Richtofen (John Phillip Law), and his alleged captor, Canadian Lt. Roy Brown (Don Stroud). With a slowly unfolding plot that may be tedious to anyone but war buffs trolling for historical accuracy, the film is mostly about its flight sequences, as it should be. Von Richthofen and Brown shows The Red Baron's rise to glory and his noble downfall, while building sympathy for the opposing forces who plan revenge on his unbeatable German team. Interpretive scenes during which he snidely paints his squadron's planes, including his own conspicuous red, and later depicting his controversial death, during which he is shot mid-air but somehow lands his plane, are the most arresting to those not aircraft-obsessed. Tension built between Von Richthofen and Brown is half-baked, making further argument for the film's battle-scene priority. War aficionados will appreciate this film, while Corman fans will yearn for more sex, gore, melodrama, and classic Corman action. --Trinie Dalton Amazon.com

WWI Aviation Aces

Valiant effort at recreating the feel of WWI aviation but 'over acting' is a detriment. It is still an enjoyable motion picture none the less. July 17, 2008

Uninspired

About the only thing right in this movie is that there were Se5s and Dr1s in WW1. The script is uninspired and the characters uninfluenced by history OR truth. In getting to know Brown you don't learn anything about the real man. The Baron himself is played stiffly and therefore nothing of the Baron's personality comes forth. The flying scenes are poorly done, but at least they are real planes and not computer fantasies. Nothing is revealed concerning the mysterious death of the Baron. Instead, the viewer is led to believe the Baron was so fixed upon May (his target) that he never saw Brown, and that Brown had a great deal of time and a very close shot in which to dispatch the Baron. The resulting film is pure fantasy. The only redeeming value comes from some of the flight scenes, but even then a great deal of detail is lost to the vanities of actors. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the film, but throughout watching it I was concerned that so much truth would be lost to audiences. I had to have thought 'that's not accurate,' at least 200 times while viewing.

Still, I love WWI so much I cannot help but give 4 stars. June 11, 2008

Umm...yeah...

Well, the French countryside they fly over is quite beautiful. That said, there are many annoying aspects to this film. It really comes off as a spaghetti Western, with the odd, foreign look of the cast (I would have thought this was filmed in Hungary or Romania, quite frankly), lips that don't always match the words, and props that just don't quite cut it ("flashlight" and "cigarette lighter" machine guns, ultra-red fake blood, etc). Most annoying of all (for me, anyway) is that the airplanes themselves are devoid of ANY wear, splattered oil, patch repairs, etc, and the propellers are painted the same color as the planes... you'd swear they're plastic models done by some beginning modeller! The casting could have been better, also: von Richthofen, modestly athletic and of medium height, is portrayed by the tallest, lankiest actor on the film, while Goering, well-known for his large size (even in WWI, though he wasn't fat then), is played by the shortest guy in the cast. Historically, the film is so-so: as a former cavalry officer (uhlan), would Richthofen REALLY have used his plane to run down and terrify a poor horse for no reason? The love between ANY cavalrymen and their horses is world famous, so I was rather P.O.d by this bit of fiction. Also, I don't believe it was a collision with Richthofen that caused the death of his instructor, Boelcke, but rather with another pilot of the same squadron. And of course, Brown simply did not shoot down Richthofen... that dubious honor goes, most likely, to an Australian MG crew as the Baron banked his plane too low to the ground (the bullet entered the top of his skull, not the back). The best props were the motor vehicles, especially the staff car with the Imperial German eagle painted on the door: nice job by the research folks on that one! Overall, great color quality. Fairly boring, however... IMHO, the Blue Max is a far better movie in every regard (historical feel, uniforms, romance, combat action, and storyline). The box art is spectacular, but should almost be considered false advertising, since the scene depicted never occurs in the film. April 1, 2008

Enjoyable WWI story

I enjoyed this movie. It told the story of WWI, its futility, the players involved and the tragedy. By no means perfect but very entertaining and does make you think. January 21, 2008

Vib /euxgridwb & Brown

One of the best WWI movies featuring two of the most famous pilots of that day. A wonderful legacy of the days when pilots were "Knights of the Air". December 29, 2007

More reviews at Amazon.com ...