Sunday, November 13, 2005

Movie review - Corman #47 - "Von Richtofen and Brown" (1971) ***

A film best known for being Roger Corman's last effort as director for around 20 years - after making it he set up New World and was very busy. It doesn't have much of a reputation, but I really enjoyed it, telling the tale of two pilots, the Red Baron and Canadian Roy Brown. The theme of the film is about the old way, of honour and chilvary and all that stuff as represented by the Red Baron and some British pilots, and the new way of dirtier fighters like Roy Brown. My sympathies were with Brown - nutters like the Red Baron are the ones who cause wars and death more than Brown.

John Philip Law is ideal as Von Richtofen, being a stiff and aristocractic kind of actor who nonetheless has humanity; Don Stroud is good as Brown, too. Some impressive aerial fight scenes and the scenery (Ireland, I believe) is pretty. Apparently the accents were dubbed from American during shooting to ze German in post production.

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