The Red Baron

Europe 1916: Baron Manfred von Richthofen (Matthias Schweighöfer) - just 24 years old - is the greatest aviator of the German Air Force. He is feared by his opponents but also respected for his strategic skill in countless aerial battles. Richthofen, nicknamed "The Red Baron" because of the provocative red livery of his machine, quickly gains fame and receives one award after another. To be the best, he even defies the orders of the Emperor. Richthofen and his comrades Voss (Til Schweiger), Sternberg (Maxim Mehmet) and Lehmann (Hanno Koffler) see the duels above the clouds exclusively as a sporting competition and technical challenge. They close their eyes to the cruelties of war, which take place mainly on the battlefields on the ground.

The Red Baron

Between love and death

This changes when Richthofen meets the resolute nurse Käte (Lena Headey) and falls in love with her. At first Kate does not think much of the arrogant Richthofen, who simply ignores the dangerous consequences of his heroic aerial duels. Only when confronted with the victims in a military hospital, he realizes the brutal and cruel reality.

The fighter pilot is increasingly torn between his love for Kate and his passion for aviation. Even the loss of his comrades can not stop him from risking his life again with every daredevil air battle. And the Supreme Command abused him more and more for propaganda purposes? he should encourage the soldiers at the front.

Too much heroism, too little reality

"The Red Baron" is one of the most elaborate and expensive German film productions - 23 aircraft were rebuilt in original size, 1100 uniforms sewn and the Berlin Potsdamer Platz reconstructed from 1916. The story of director and screenwriter Nikolai Muellerschoen concentrates less on historical war scenes than on The myth of Manfred von Richthofen - the heroes purified by love, who is undergoing a transformation from a hunted aviator hero to a warrior critic, is portrayed by Matthias Schweighöfer, who actually resembles the original and skilfully lends it his arrogant and youthful features However, he did not have to leave the ground because the scenes were all created in the studio, and Muellerschoen has a lot of vocals with the rest of the line-up Like Lena Headdey, Til Schweiger and Jospeh Fines.

Unfortunately, the "red baron" idealizes Richthofen fighter pilots as romantic and honorable heroes. Because can one behave really fair and sporty during the war? If Schweighöfer casually throws the scarf over his shoulder and in his lucky jacket full of anticipation rises into his machine to bring down a few again, it is certainly hard to understand the pacifist basic idea of ​​the film.

Conclusion: The nice love story and the effective aerial duel make us doubt the fair war despite the good occupation. A bit more closeness to the historical reality would have been good for the plane adventure.

SABATON - The Red Baron (Official Lyric Video) (May 2024).