Although
Fox has released THE BLUE MAX ($15) on DVD as part of their latest
War Classics promotion, I don’t know if the film truly fits into that
particular category. THE BLUE MAX is indeed set during the First
World War; however, the war itself seems almost inconsequential to the
storytelling. In fact, THE BLUE MAX is more of a cinematic love
letter to early aviation and the wondrous planes that were flown during
World War One, than an actual movie about the war. Now, as movies about
flying go, THE BLUE MAX is nothing short of a dazzling spectacle of
beautiful aerial photography and brilliant camera work that capture the
flights and dogfights of these historic aircraft from the ground.
The
plot of THE BLUE MAX focuses on an ambitious, and seemingly
ruthless German aviator named Bruno Stachel (George Peppard), who entered
the flyer corps after having spent two years at the front lines as a foot
soldier. Because of his humble origins, Bruno is eager to prove his skills
as an aviator, especially to his fellow officers, who are all of noble
blood. Bruno’s determination to attain The Blue Max, the medal awarded
for twenty kills in the air, borders on obsession and is responsible for
several of the more questionable choices he makes. The solid cast of THE
BLUE MAX also features James Mason, Ursula Andress, Jeremy Kemp, Karl
Michael Vogler and Anton Diffring.
20th
Century Home Entertainment has made THE BLUE MAX available on DVD
in an excellent 2.35:1 wide screen presentation that has been enhanced for
playback on 16:9 displays. This is a very good effort by Fox, although it
isn’t perfect. The film element used for the transfer is free from any
serious signs of age or damage, however there are a number of minor
blemishes that crop up during the course of the presentation. Film grain
is noticeable in various places, especially during optical effects and
occasionally in the aerial photography. The image itself is generally
sharp and very well defined, with sequences shot under controlled studio
lighting looking the best. Color reproduction is rather variable;
sometimes hues appear quite vibrant and at other times they look a bit
faded- again, the optical processing appears to be the culprit. Blacks
appear accurate, whites seem clean and shadow detail is good for a
mid-1960s production. The dual layer DVD doesn’t betray any noticeable
signs of digital compression artifacts.
THE
BLUE MAX comes with a Dolby Digital 2.0 channel soundtrack, which
decodes to standard surround. Other than the flying and combat sequences, THE
BLUE MAX is very much dialogue driven, so it is only Jerry Goldsmith’s
score that offers any kind of stereo imaging during these
"quite" passages. Speaking of the score, it sounds reasonably
good, although there are times when the music comes across as being just a
little bit brittle. As one might expect from a vintage soundtrack remixed
into Dolby Surround, the forward soundstage tend to dominate the mix. The
rear channels add ambient sound and very mild effects to the dogfights and
bombing raids, but won’t impress anyone used to modern sound mixes.
French and Spanish monaural tracks are also encoded onto the DVD, as are
English and Spanish subtitles. The basic interactive menus allow one
access to the standard scene selection and set up features, as well as
American, Spanish and Portuguese theatrical trailers for THE BLUE MAX,
plus trailers for 13 RUE MADELEINE, THE DESERT FOX, THE
ENEMY BELOW, SINK THE BISMARCK! and HEAVEN KNOWS, MR.
ALLISON.
THE
BLUE MAX is a film that I happen to like very much because of its
flying sequences and love affair with the vintage aircraft of the WWI era.
Fox has done a very nice job with the DVD, offering a presentation the
will keep fans happy. Additionally, the bargain price makes the DVD more
than worth acquiring.
Although
Fox has released THE BLUE MAX ($15) on DVD as part of their latest
War Classics promotion, I don’t know if the film truly fits into that
particular category. THE BLUE MAX is indeed set during the First
World War; however, the war itself seems almost inconsequential to the
storytelling. In fact, THE BLUE MAX is more of a cinematic love
letter to early aviation and the wondrous planes that were flown during
World War One, than an actual movie about the war. Now, as movies about
flying go, THE BLUE MAX is nothing short of a dazzling spectacle of
beautiful aerial photography and brilliant camera work that capture the
flights and dogfights of these historic aircraft from the ground.
The
plot of THE BLUE MAX focuses on an ambitious, and seemingly
ruthless German aviator named Bruno Stachel (George Peppard), who entered
the flyer corps after having spent two years at the front lines as a foot
soldier. Because of his humble origins, Bruno is eager to prove his skills
as an aviator, especially to his fellow officers, who are all of noble
blood. Bruno’s determination to attain The Blue Max, the medal awarded
for twenty kills in the air, borders on obsession and is responsible for
several of the more questionable choices he makes. The solid cast of THE
BLUE MAX also features James Mason, Ursula Andress, Jeremy Kemp, Karl
Michael Vogler and Anton Diffring.
20th
Century Home Entertainment has made THE BLUE MAX available on DVD
in an excellent 2.35:1 wide screen presentation that has been enhanced for
playback on 16:9 displays. This is a very good effort by Fox, although it
isn’t perfect. The film element used for the transfer is free from any
serious signs of age or damage, however there are a number of minor
blemishes that crop up during the course of the presentation. Film grain
is noticeable in various places, especially during optical effects and
occasionally in the aerial photography. The image itself is generally
sharp and very well defined, with sequences shot under controlled studio
lighting looking the best. Color reproduction is rather variable;
sometimes hues appear quite vibrant and at other times they look a bit
faded- again, the optical processing appears to be the culprit. Blacks
appear accurate, whites seem clean and shadow detail is good for a
mid-1960s production. The dual layer DVD doesn’t betray any noticeable
signs of digital compression artifacts.
THE
BLUE MAX comes with a Dolby Digital 2.0 channel soundtrack, which
decodes to standard surround. Other than the flying and combat sequences, THE
BLUE MAX is very much dialogue driven, so it is only Jerry Goldsmith’s
score that offers any kind of stereo imaging during these
"quite" passages. Speaking of the score, it sounds reasonably
good, although there are times when the music comes across as being just a
little bit brittle. As one might expect from a vintage soundtrack remixed
into Dolby Surround, the forward soundstage tend to dominate the mix. The
rear channels add ambient sound and very mild effects to the dogfights and
bombing raids, but won’t impress anyone used to modern sound mixes.
French and Spanish monaural tracks are also encoded onto the DVD, as are
English and Spanish subtitles. The basic interactive menus allow one
access to the standard scene selection and set up features, as well as
American, Spanish and Portuguese theatrical trailers for THE BLUE MAX,
plus trailers for 13 RUE MADELEINE, THE DESERT FOX, THE
ENEMY BELOW, SINK THE BISMARCK! and HEAVEN KNOWS, MR.
ALLISON.
THE
BLUE MAX is a film that I happen to like very much because of its
flying sequences and love affair with the vintage aircraft of the WWI era.
Fox has done a very nice job with the DVD, offering a presentation the
will keep fans happy. Additionally, the bargain price makes the DVD more
than worth acquiring.
