Reżyseria:
Nikolai MüllerschönScenariusz:
Nikolai MüllerschönZdjęcia:
Klaus MerkelMuzyka:
Stefan HansenObsada:
Matthias Schweighöfer, Lena Headey, Til Schweiger, Maxim Mehmet, Joseph Fiennes, Axel Prahl, Volker Bruch, Tino Mewes, Brian Caspe (więcej)Opisy(1)
Europe, 1916. A living legend (aged 24) performing amazing dogfights and aerial stunts, flies in on painted wings to become famous the world over. For millions of his countrymen, he becomes an idol, a symbol of hope and pride. Baron Manfred von Richthofen (Matthias Schweighöfer) is the crack pilot of the German aerial combat forces a legend in his own time, a hero at home and a man both feared and respected by the enemy, including Allied Forces Canadian pilot, Captain Roy Brown (Joseph Fiennes). He and his fellow officers, Lieutenants Voss (Til Schweiger), Sternberg (Maxim Mehmetm) and Lehmann (Hanno Koffler) see their duels in the sky as tactical, almost sportsmanlike, clever challenges that, at least at first, obscure their view of the horrors of the battlefields below. And the provocative red paint job of his Fokker aircraft earns him the nickname The Red Baron. Unwittingly, he allows the German high command to manipulate his chivalrous code of honor and misuse him for propaganda purposes until the young pilot falls in love with Kate (Lena Headey), a beautiful and resolute nurse who opens his eyes to the tragic fact that there is more to war than dogfights won and adversaries downed. Baron von Richthofen finally becomes aware of his role in the propaganda machine of a senseless and barbarous war. With a torn heart, despite the heavy losses in his squadron and his disgust for the war and his responsibility to his fighter wing, von Richthofen cannot help but fly. But even for this living legend, each new combat mission could be his last... (oficjalny tekst dystrybutora)
(więcej)Recenzje (3)
Unfortunately, a great idea turned into a very mediocre film. It tries too hard in terms of its international overlap; if it were purely German, it would be much better. There is no satisfactory soundtrack, the English dubbing is poor, and the cast is promising but unused (especially Til Schweiger and Joseph Fiennes). Matthias Schweighöfer and Volker Bruch had yet to become good actors.
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A more or less ordinary and inoffensive spectacle that doesn't bring much new and is shot exactly as you would expect from a biopic about Richthofen (whether you know anything about the Baron or not). That is, if you also expect it to be a terribly drawn out film with few aerial scenes, of which only one is really good (the bombers over Ypres), with strange "plot lapses" (about three times I felt that the film was missing an important scene and only its aftermath remained) and with a trite conclusion. There was no tension, no surprise, no energy. But so I don’t just complain, besides the aforementioned fight sequence, I still liked the relaxed episode in no-man's land, as well as a few scenes of the central couple. If The Red Baron was cut down by half an hour or so and given some momentum, it could have been better. Two and a half.
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I don’t consider The Red Baron a good film, mainly because the story features an unnecessary romantic plot and resorts to clichés in an attempt to teach a moral lesson. I didn’t like that the story of the most successful WWI fighter pilot took place mostly on land. I thought CGI would make it possible to show off a lot more of the aerial warfare over the dumbest meat grinder in human history, but the potential was shamefully wasted. I much prefer the nearly 50-year-old Aces High (1976) in this regard. On the other hand, the Germans delighted me by not limiting themselves to the most well-known fighter planes like Fokker Dr.I and Sopwith Camel. This is what often happens with WWII films, where the only German tank seems to be the Tiger. The film felt weirdly flat and two-dimensional, which was very disappointing. The filmmakers didn’t mention the fact that Richthofen's death was most likely caused by machine gun fire from ground positions; it probably would have spoiled the overall romantic view of his life and death. But I was even more disappointed that they didn’t show Wolfram von Richthofen after 1918 and completely ignored his career as a general (and later field marshal) of the Luftwaffe and commander of the VIII Air Corps, with which he participated in the bombing of Warsaw and the defeat and occupation of France and Greece. I guess that didn't fit the desired image either. / Lesson learned: Don't be afraid to run away while there's still time.
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