7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
The tactics of a German fighter pilot offend his aristocratic comrades but win him his country's most honored medal, the Blue Max. A General finds him useful as a hero, though his wife finds him useful in other ways.
Starring: George Peppard, James Mason (I), Ursula Andress, Jeremy Kemp, Karl Michael VoglerWar | 100% |
Drama | 28% |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.36:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Music: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
World War I has become synonymous with so-called trench warfare, a desperate, incremental form of battle where soldiers hunkered down in pits and prayed that incoming bullets or mortar fire, not to mention the noxious gas that became such a notorious part of that era, wouldn’t find them. Isn’t it somewhat ironic, then, that World War I also saw the birth of “modern” air warfare, at least on a global scale? What are typically thought of as the first “real” airplanes, a la the Wright Brothers, had been in existence barely a decade when World War I broke out on July 28, 1914. (Relatively minor skirmishes like the 1911 conflict between Italy and Turkey had also seen the early use of airplanes.) Mankind’s irrational ability to find ever “better” technologies to decimate enemies didn’t take long to realize that the airplane provided incredible strategic advantages, and planes became the “go to” method that tacticians utilized at least for reconnaissance. That in turn started to lead to actual air battles, where opposing forces would shoot it out to determine who would have the (literal) upper hand in being able to ferret out enemy positions. It’s against this background that 1966’s war epic The Blue Max plays out. The film is interesting in that it posits a German “hero” and looks at the War from a decidedly Teutonic point of view, even though it was a British- American production. As odd as it may sound (and bear with this admitttedly outre comparison for a moment), The Blue Max shares some rather peculiar similarities with a much less renowned 1966 film, the Harlan Ellison penned stinker The Oscar. Both of these films offer a not totally likable (and some might even say somewhat despicable), social climbing leading character on an almost obsessive quest to obtain a trophy, leaving a trail of wounded folks (either literally, as in the case of The Blue Max, or figuratively, as in the case of The Oscar) in their wakes. Both films featured all star supporting casts, though both offered their lead roles to somewhat stiff actors (Stephen Boyd in The Oscar, George Peppard in The Blue Max) who, despite occasional successes, never really rose to the front ranks of their profession. If The Oscar posited the sort of psychological (and decidedly earthbound) warfare that seems to be an intrinsic part of show business, The Blue Max took its aerial proclivities to some quite remarkable heights, with some of the most stunning sky-bound cinematography ever achieved in film.
The Blue Max is presented on Blu-ray with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.36:1. This Fox CinemaScope picture looks ravishing on Blu-ray, and those who only have known the film through its broadcast iterations on previous (problematic) home video releases may well be stunned at the difference here. Colors are gorgeously vivid and accurate looking (take a gander at Peppard's eyes in several screenshots—if he couldn't give Paul Newman a run for his baby blue money, I don't know who could). (Especially notable in the color reproduction are the lush reds; they have neither the rust color that would indicate a brown tint nor a purplish edge which would indicate a push toward blue.) The elements were either pristine or lovingly restored, with no diminution of natural grain or artificial sharpening. There is heavier grain and attendant softness in some process shots, and some of the rear projection is now more obvious than it was before, but that's simply because this transfer is so luminously clear. Contrast and black levels are consistently strong throughout the film and this certainly ranks as one of the finest looking high definition masters Fox has licensed.
The Blue Max features a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track which nicely repurposes the original four track mag soundtrack. If things aren't quite as bombastic as contemporary listeners might be used to, they often come close, with fantastic LFE recreating the thunderous explosions of early 20th century warfare. The buzz and rattle of early flight also fills the surrounds in several key sequences. Dialogue is always cleanly and clearly presented. But it's Jerry Goldsmith's majestic score which really benefits the most from this lossless audio. From the first descending fourth in the strings (which some may feel presages Goldsmith's appropriation of Alexander Courage's Star Trek theme in Goldsmith's own Star Trek work) through the gorgeously burnished brass work, the score (as sadly truncated as it is in the film) has never sounded this magnificent. Fidelity is excellent and dynamic range is extremely wide.
The Blue Max is a bit too overheated for its own good, and it probably could have been trimmed of a few minutes and come out no worse for the wear. Peppard is oddly stiff and distant in the lead role, and he sounds terminally anachronistic as a German, of all things, but the story here is quite interesting and the cinematography and score are superb. This transfer is one of the best looking Fox CinemaScope Blu-rays we've had, and fans should be very well pleased with this release. Highly recommended.
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