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The Blue Max is a 1966 war film directed by John Guillermin and starring George Peppard, James Mason, Ursula Andress, Karl Michael Vogler, and Jeremy Kemp. The film was made in DeLuxe Color and was one of the last movies filmed in CinemaScope. The plot is about a German fighter pilot on the Western Front during World War I. The screenplay was written by David Pursall, Jack Seddon, and Gerald Hanley, based on the novel of the same name by Jack D. Hunter as adapted by Ben Barzman and Basilio Franchina. In contrast to films that romanticize the flying aces of the Great War, The Blue Max depicts the protagonist as a man who appears to have no regard for anyone but himself. Set against the realities of modern warfare, the film also explores the decline of chivalry and the advent of total war. Plot German Corporal Bruno Stachel leaves the fighting in the trenches to become a fighter pilot in the German Army Air Service. In spring 1918, he sets his sights on winning Germany's highest medal for valour, the "Blue Max", for which he must shoot down 20 aircraft. Of modest origins (his father ran a small hotel), Leutnant Bruno Stachel sets out to prove himself. Oberleutnant Willi von Klugemann resents having a commoner as his rival. Their commanding officer, Hauptmann Otto Heidemann, is an aristocratic officer whose belief in chivalry and the laws and customs of war conflict with Stachel's disregard for them. On his first mission, Stachel shoots down a British S.E.5, but does not receive credit for it because there were no witnesses. Stachel searches the countryside for the wreckage, which gives the impression that he cares more about himself than the death of his wingman. Soon afterward, he attacks an Allied two-man observation aircraft and incapacitates the rear gunner. Instead of downing the defenseless aircraft, he signals the pilot to fly to the German base. As they near the airfield, the rear gunner revives and reaches for his machine-gun, unseen by the observers on the ground. Stachel is forced to shoot the aircraft down. A disgusted Heidemann believes that Stachel has committed a war crime just for a confirmed kill. The incident brings Stachel to the attention of Generaloberst Count von Klugemann, Willi's uncle. When the general visits the base, he meets Stachel. As Stachel is a commoner, the general sees great propaganda value in him. Meanwhile, Kaeti, the general's wife, is carrying on a discreet affair with her husband's nephew. Soon afterward, Stachel is shot down after rescuing a red Fokker Dr.I from two British fighters. When he returns to the airfield, he is stunned when he is introduced to the man he saved: Manfred von Richthofen, the Red Baron. Richthofen offers Stachel a place in his squadron. Stachel declines, explaining his desire to "prove himself" with his current squadron. With Stachel temporarily grounded by a minor injury, General von Klugemann orders him to Berlin to help shore up the crumbling public morale. The general invites him to dinner. Later, Stachel and Kaeti have sex. Soon afterward, Stachel and Willi volunteer to escort a reconnaissance aircraft. When British fighters attack, Stachel's guns jam, but Willi downs three enemy planes. While returning to base, Willi challenges Stachel to a flying contest, flying under a railway viaduct. Willi clips the top of a tower and crashes. When Stachel reports his death, Heidemann assumes that the verified victories were Willi's. Stachel impulsively claims them, even though he fired only 40 bullets before his guns jammed. Outraged, Heidemann officially accuses him of lying, but the Air Service backs Stachel. Later, when he sleeps with Kaeti again, he admits he lied. During a strafing mission covering the retreat of the German Army, Stachel disobeys orders and engages enemy fighters. The rest of the squadron follows him. Later, Heidemann confronts him because half his pilots were killed in the ensuing dogfight. Stachel does not care. He has shot down enough aircraft, even without Willi's kills, to qualify for the Blue Max. Enraged, Heidemann submits a report recommending a court-martial. Both men are ordered to Berlin. There, von Klugemann tells Heidemann that Stachel is to receive the Blue Max because the people need a hero. The general orders Heidemann to withdraw his report. Rather than do that, Heidemann resigns his command and accepts a desk job. Later that evening, Kaeti visits Stachel and suggests they flee to neutral Switzerland, since defeat is inevitable. Stachel refuses. The next day, Stachel is awarded the Blue Max by the Crown Prince in a well-publicised ceremony. Field Marshal von Lenndorf telephones von Klugermann to order him to stop the ceremony since an investigation has been opened into Stachel's claim. The general asks how the field marshal found out about that. He turns to his wife and realises that she is responsible. When Heidemann reports that the new monoplane that he has just test-flown is a "death trap" with weak struts, von Klugemann sees a way out and tells Stachel, "Let's see some real flying". Stachel's aerobatics causes the aircraft to break up and crash. Cast Cast notes: The casting of George Peppard in the mainly international ensemble cast was considered a "safe" choice, as he was establishing a reputation for leading roles in action films. Although youthful looking, at 37 years of age, he was much older than the Stachel depicted in the novel. Peppard wanted to create an "authentic" performance and learned to fly, earned a private pilot's license and did some of his own flying in the film, although stunt pilot Derek Piggott was at the controls for the under-the-bridge scene. Novel Jack Hunter's debut novel was published in 1964. The New York Times called it "entertaining". The novel was optioned by 20th Century Fox, which in October 1964 assigned Ben Barzman and Basilio Franchina to write the script. In December, Fox announced that it would make the film the following summer. Compared to film The film differs from the book on which it is based both in the plot and the portrayal of the characters. Some of the differences are: Stachel: The movie portrays Stachel initially as an idealistic, humble and naive man who evolves into someone willing to do whatever it takes to get his way. He is also depicted as being insecure about his lower-class background and desires to prove himself an equal aviator and man to the aristocrats by earning the Blue Max. The vain attempt by Stachel to confirm his first kill occurs only in the film. There is also no confrontation with Heidemann, who takes a swift dislike to Stachel over claiming aircraft that Willi had shot down. Stachel was played by the 37-year-old George Peppard, in stark contrast to the 19-year-old character of the novel. From the beginning of the novel, Stachel is a deeply troubled alcoholic with a penchant for lying. Obsessed with earning the last of the new Fokker D.VIIs, he kills Willi to obtain it. In the novel, H.... Discover the Max Mason Hunter popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Max Mason Hunter books.