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The Blue Max in my opinion is the greatest World War One aviation film of all time.

The Blue Max Starring George Peppard, James Mason, Ursula Andress, Jeremy Kemp, Karl Michael Vogler, Anton Diffring, Harry Towb, Peter Woodthorpe, Derek Newark, Derren Nesbitt, Loni von Friedl, Carl Schell as Richthofen.

The film opens up in "No Man's Land" in World War One and George Peppard looking up at the sky as a dogfight is taking place. The motion picture score by Jerry Goldsmith (He has done many films, one example is First Blood) to this day is one of the finest war soundtracks ever recorded plays the introduction. George Peppard (Bruno Stachel) immediately finds himself at odds with aviators of the aerodrome he is assigned to right after flight school. Instead of taking the common initiation into the aerodrome as routine he takes it personal from the beginning of the film and throughout the film Stachel is at odds with himself with attempting to prove himself. For it is in his own mind as even in the book, Stachel is at odds with himself. In a part in the book even Stachel consults a priest for advise on his situation questioning greed, and power and life.

In the first flight sequence of the film Stachel downs an observation balloon and gets into a brush with a SE-5. Douglas Slocombe's film work to this day is fantastic and I have never seen World War one Flight scenes shot with such realism. Stachel downs the SE-5 but it goes down behind enemy lines and later that day after this victory has to go as unconfirmed for there are no witness's, Bruno takes to the field himself looking for the shot down aircraft. But no go. He cannot find the aircraft and the pilot that went with him on the patrol was killed. Bruno again is looked upon with contempt as the aerodrome makes it clear to Stachel that they think he cared more about his unconfirmed kill than his fallen comrade. Stachel sarcastically replies; "Maybe its force of habit. In the trenches there weren't enough men to even bury the dead. He never had time to discuss it over a glass of champagne."

In the next few following scenes Stachel than fires on an observation plane that he first incapacitates the rear gunner. He directs the plane over his aerodrome and instructs the pilot to land there with hand gestures. The crew member on the ground look in eager anticipation as Bruno is bringing in the plane as the rear gunner goes for his gun and he must open fire and shoot the aircraft down. His commander (James Mason)

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