The Great Waldo Pepper Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

The Great Waldo Pepper Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf September 30, 2019

Director George Roy Hill was in a rare industry position in 1975. Two years earlier, he delivered “The Sting,” which went on to collect a fortune at the box office (ending up the second highest-grossing feature of the year) and multiple Academy Awards, including Best Picture of 1973. Hill could suddenly do whatever he wanted, and with the power of multiple hits (including 1969’s “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”), he elected to bring a personal project to the screen, funneling his own experiences as a pilot into “The Great Waldo Pepper,” his valentine to the world of early aviation, with all the dangers and glory it contained. It’s inspired work from the helmer, who secures strong characterization from screenwriter William Goldman, but absolutely dives into aerial sequences, which provide the production with genuine moments of suspense and some jaw-dropping stunt work. “The Great Waldo Pepper” has some issues with pacing consistency, but Hill gives the effort a wonderful specificity, providing viewers with a peek into the psychology of daredevils gradually being denied the thrill of danger.

Unable to participate in World War I and prove himself as a pilot, Waldo Pepper (Robert Redford) now lives a life of barnstormer, trying to wow small towns in Nebraska with his exceptional flying skills, hoping to make a living. However, the age of the barnstormer is coming to a close, with the rise of the Flying Circus bringing aerial feats to the masses, pushing Waldo to team-up with his rival, Axel (Bo Svenson), with the men striving to perfect wing-walking and other stunts to become part of Dillhoefer’s (Philip Bruns) traveling company. Waldo tries to pass himself off as a big deal, lying about his experiences in the war, including a combat encounter with German flying ace Ernst (Bo Brundin), but time is running out on his games, requiring something special to take him to a new level of fame as audiences demand increasingly dangerous stunts for their money.

When we meet Waldo, he’s in full salesman mode, providing airplane rides for a small fee, trying to hustle up business as hesitant farm folk take to the sky, getting a sense of the speed and freedom the pilot lives every day to experience. Waldo appears to be a local celebrity, with his good looks and flying skill preserving his popularity, setting out to charm Nebraskans with an experience they’ll never forget. However, such confidence is merely a show, with Goldman exploring Waldo’s feelings of inadequacy as a pilot who wasn’t called in for duty during WWI, spending his time on the fringes of the conflict, hearing tales of bravery he desperately wants for himself. Instead of dealing with his reality, the character steals these stories, including one that highlights a fierce battle with Ernst, giving Waldo a sense of importance, which is uses to charm local girls into bed. One such target for seduction is Mary Beth (Susan Sarandon), who’s actually Axel’s girlfriend, helping to reunite the men as they struggle to find their place in the changing world of aerial stunts.

The core of “The Great Waldo Pepper” is found with these two pilots, as both men strive to make a living doing what they love, only to find the industry demanding they switch over to increasingly dangerous displays of plane control to keep up with trends. This includes wing-walking and the possible use of a “monoplane,” with Waldo’s friend, Ezra (the late, great Edward Herrmann), building a machine capable of extreme performance. Such testing and training gives Hill a chance to showcase some brilliant flying footage, often using the actors in real maneuvers, while successfully pulling off the feel of mid-air peril. These stunt sequences are fantastic and give “The Great Waldo Pepper” a cracking pace and appreciation of the impossible, and there’s a moment of genuine shock as Mary Beth is recruited to join the act, bringing sex appeal to wing-walking. Her reaction to the challenge creates a harrowing event of rescue, with Hill respecting the sheer scale of the event. Latter scenes deliver all sorts of stomach- churning descents, barrel-rolls, and upside down showboating. Hill knows exactly what he wants from these moments, and secures them with awesome technical finesse.

There’s a softer side to “The Great Waldo Pepper,” as the character reunites with his past, including time with lover Maude (Margot Kidder), who provides a sense of domestic comfort he’s trying to keep his distance from. The more potent romantic attraction remains with Ernst, who represents war glory and aerial mastery, becoming a hero to Waldo and a professional target to help prove himself to everyone, giving him the dominance and respect he believes he deserves. Keeping Waldo in check is Newt (Geoffrey Lewis), an old war buddy and the current head of a government air commerce division, put in charge of grounding the pilot during his feverish race to become a legend on the flying circus circuit. As dramatic roadblocks go, Goldman delivers a tasteful and thematically coherent way to prevent Waldo from achieving his goals, forcing him into desperate acts to keep going.

The Great Waldo Pepper Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (2.35:1 aspect ratio) presentation of "The Great Waldo Pepper" remains in line with most Universal catalog releases. Filtering is present, pulling out some facial particulars, but the general sense of skin surfaces remains, and costuming has its highlights, working with tougher leathers on the pilots, while female characters are fitted with silkier outfits. Aerial sequences deliver mild clarity when it comes to stunt work and plane design, and while dimension isn't ideal, big skies and flat lands remain. Colors are a tad muted, but primaries are appreciable, providing bright outdoor hues and flying circus signage. Interiors remain a bit bloodless, as are skintones at times. Delineation is occasionally difficult, losing information with darker, denser outfits. Source is in decent condition, though scratches are detected throughout the viewing experience.

The Great Waldo Pepper Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix does best with aircraft, giving listeners an appealing sense of engine rumble and sheer loudness, with the characters frequently fighting to be heard. Aerial sequences preserve the feeling of movement and danger, with adequate sound effects sweetening suspense. Scoring is confident, with a big, brassy sound to help sell the time period, delivering satisfactory instrumentation. Dialogue exchanges are acceptable, reaching the limits of the original design, which can be quite hectic at times. Softer moments between the actors comes through as intended. Mild hiss is present.

The Great Waldo Pepper Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Still Gallery (4:28) collects publicity shots, film stills, and poster concept art.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (3:18, SD) is included.

The Great Waldo Pepper Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"The Great Waldo Pepper" races through scenes of conflict and showmanship, but it slows down in the third act, where the pilot finally comes into contact with his destiny. The picture's flow is unfortunately damned up, but there's purity in Redford's layered performance, with Hill preserving Goldman's efforts to make the character fallible and haunted, keeping the endeavor away from simply becoming a stunt show. "The Great Waldo Pepper" is the second of Hill's streak of directorial mastery during the 1970s (including 1977's "Slap Shot"), and it remains one of his most underrated productions. Using his knowledge of flight and his comfort with Redford, Hill crafts a riveting ode to the last days of aerial insanity, preserving period concerns and psychological dangers while maintaining many cinematic thrills.