The Red Baron (2008) User Reviews

Better than expected

[cocovz · 6/10 · 4 December 2007]

I had the opportunity to see this film yesterday during a pre-screening in hamburg. Technically not yet perfect (in terms of grading, sound design and some effects) we saw the final cut. And I am truly pleasantly surprised. The film being a German production, the lead roles Germans, mixed with an international cast, made me extremely skeptical because - apart from the perfume - I haven't seen a truly convincing German project for a "big film" yet. BUT, this film was really well done. Good performances by all actors throughout, an amazing production design, and - best of all - really astonishing and eye catching visual effects and cgi. The effects were very subtle all over and never really recognizable. That makes good VFX!

The film itself is not a flat action/history flick, it has a message to tell and that comes across really well. The relationship between the baron and his girl is told in a very subtle way, no cheesy romance-scenes. It all happens during WW1, there was simply no time for big emotions. So we don't see a "Pearl Harbour" Hollywood flick, but a picture that shows how it really might have been - flying a plane during war. There are no clichés, just a portrait of a hero that did not even want to be one. And the cruelty and absurdity of war itself, as even the main protagonist has to learn. The ending is also well done and not cheesy or over the top. Apart from that the film did not really grab me, I enjoyed watching but was seldomly thrilled or emotionally moved. Maybe some of the characters were simply a little too flat. Also the film jumps at times and leaves out some interesting battle scenes, I had the impression they did it to keep the VFX work down.. Overall I give it a 6.5/10.

American Disappointment

[tooslim61496 · 5/10 · 26 March 2010]

The concerns of dean-harmse and sascha-17 are my concerns - well said. The 21st century anti-war dogma is counter to what I have studied; von Richthofen's own writings and the scholarship of others have shaped my understanding of "the Red Baron" that was not depicted in this film. The physicality of Matthias Schweighöfer belied the "presence" of Manfred von Richthofen; the substitution of the relationship between von Richthofen and Boelcke with the love interest (eegadz) was a myopic decision; the omission of the final battle was a dramatic blunder. This could have been a great bildungsroman (dare I say, künstlerroman) had they focused on the development of von Richthofen as both a combat pilot and a propaganda instrument (and I use "propaganda instrument" in the non-pejorative sense). I suppose that even when you are making a 15,000,000 dollar movie, mistakes are made. Mark Twain, when discussing the art of story telling, humbly posits, "I don't claim to know to tell a good story; I only claim to know HOW a good story OUGHT to be told" (Twain, "How to Tell a Story"). This was the wrong story to tell and could not be told well. I hope someone will tell The Red Baron story as it ought to be told - I hope that person is an existentialist and does not pervert von Richthofen with the presentism that is so prevalent in this film version.

At least the Albatros D.iii looked the part.

Fairly good historical drama, but could have spread it wings more

[Enchorde · 5/10 · 19 December 2009]

Recap: A young boy, Manfred von Richthofen, interested in aviation grows up to be a young man and joins the newly formed Air Forces in Imperial Germany. Taking rather light on war he quickly rises to be one of the top pilots in the entire war. Soon given command over his own squadron he regards himself and fellow pilots and friends as sportsmen more than soldiers. But after being shot down and hurt once, and losing many of his friends, the weight of war starts to wear heavy on him. But he refuses to give up his position as commander for a more safe spot, as military command wants to protect their icon.

Comments: A fictional account of Richthofen's life that still incorporates many of the important events in his life. Some of them though seem clearly overstated and some almost ignored. And some purely fictional events have inserted for effect.

Even if Richthofen died young it is many years that has to be told in just two hours. So the telling is very much separated in episodes, with time skipped between them. I understand and agree that his is best as it would have been impossible to tell the story in two hours otherwise. However, I don't agree when and what they have cut out. Some very significant parts, i.e. when he is shot down (both times), are not shown at all, only the time with him recuperating. Other parts and fights are shown in splendid detail.

The effects are good and some dogfights impressively done. The main focus is not upon Richthofen's flying, but instead on his camaraderie with his fellow pilots (and foes) and a potential love story with a nurse. The flying seem almost unimportant. Nothing much wrong with that I suppose, especially because it is a film about a war hero made in a country where such can be controversial to say the least. But I guess that many viewers, and in part I count myself among them, as a little disappointed. After all Richthofen was the Red Baron, possibly the most legendary fighter pilot of all time.

Still it was a very interesting movie, especially to check the names of his friends and fellow pilots, many of them real pilots as well, and very sadly many of them killed at a young age too. Even though the movie is mostly well played and has some real epic scenes from battles, perhaps the best scene is right at the end, after the plot has ended and real pictures and stories of the characters are revealed. It is easy to get caught and search for more information on the internet.

In all it was a good historical drama, but it would have been even better with another priority which scenes to cut and which to show. It might have done the character well to show more of his fights, and faults, to give him more depth. Now it seemed a little too shallow, a little too easily dodging the hard issues.

5/10

decent work

[Kirpianuscus · 8 December 2017]

it is not exactly the expected historical film. maybe a documentary. far by patriotic enthusiasm - so familiar from American films- , without emotional twists - the tone is almost blank, giving the portrait of a legendary German hero in precise lines. a cold sketch. about the Red Baron and his comrades, his girl friend, humor and passion for its duty. the historical accuracy is far to be the best point but the film gives a realistic portrait . and this is a real precious virtue.

If not for the main actor

[dunsuls-1 · 6/10 · 10 March 2012]

I have a couple of thoughts on this film both positive and negative.The positives first reason.WW1 has been largely forgotten or remembered as being in the far distant past with little relevance.We are but 2 years from the 100 anniversary of the start of that war and many issue of that day remain now and plague us still.Any thing to remind us of that terrible war and the little that it resolved, is sorely needed and should be seen. The positive second reason is anything about "The Red Baron"The only hero of a enemy this country celebrates thanks to the "Peanuts" comic strip character of Snoopy as the Red Baron and a Christmas song commemorating that. Now the negatives.First,Matthias Schweighöfer as Manfred von Richthofen don't have the gravitas to carry out such historical character.he's badly overshadowed in the scenes with Lena Headey as Käte Otersdorf and even Joseph Fiennes as Capt. Roy Brown who would have been a better choice to play the baron. Now considering this is a movie and NOT a documentary,its not really important if there was a real romance between Kate and Manfred.It's enough that they knew each other and a dog was there and a character named Doring which I assume is meant to be Goring,the future Nazi leader of the German airfare in WW11,who historically later replaced him and the fact he was killed in the last German offensive of the war,the "Michael".History is told by the winners and facts get "tweaked"all the time.I see no bad tweaks when compared to the facts of depicted of the terrible war. Just judging it on its merits,the old planes and dog fights are great.The few ground battle scenes are horrific and the illusion of gallantry in the air is maintained as if there were two separate wars being fought. Sadly the casting of Matthias Schweighöfer as Manfred von Richthofen is the major downer for me.

Enjoyable but

[allen-92417 · 7/10 · 21 September 2020]

Worth watching but the CGI aerial battles are a joke. Aircraft of WW1 era couldn't fly like that, the manoeuvres created by cgi are totally unrealistic which stops it becoming a good film.

High Flying Nobility

[artemis_5 · 7/10 · 16 June 2010]

"The Red Baron" represents the English nickname given to Manfred von Richthofen (Matthias Schweighöfer), the handsome aristocratic ace German fighter pilot of World War I who went on to become a legend in his country and abroad. As a fighter pilot experienced in dog fighting, von Richthofen sees war in terms of duels fought between individuals governed by the rules of gentlemanly sport. Enemy pilots become friends, and the object of aerial combat becomes forcing an enemy plane to land rather than killing its pilot. When his brother and fellow aviator causes a French pilot to crash and burn in front of his eyes, von Richthofen expresses dismay.

While stationed in France, he befriends a Canadian pilot after shooting him down named Captain Roy Brown (Joseph Fiennes), and begins a romance with a German nurse named Käte Otersdorf (Lena Headey). It is Otersdorf who introduces von Richthofen into the harsh realities of war when she takes him to a hospital ward filled with men who are horribly disfigured. Otersdorf comes off as an early 20th century pacifist; she treats soldiers regardless of their nationality and cannot understand why anyone would want to be a soldier. As a result of her feelings about war, she is initially put off by von Richthofen, but it should come as no surprise that she eventually succumbs to his charms.

Inspite of his relationship with Otersdorf, von Richthofen never loses his enthusiasm for combat, even taking to the air after suffering a serious injury. Von Richthofen's reasons for wanting to fly go beyond the natural desire of any pilot for risk and the sensation of souring like a hawk. He wants to be with his men, and he knows that the German fighting force looks to him for inspiration.

As for the presentation of Richthofen, my initial objection that Schweighofer looked too young to play an experienced pilot turned out to be unfounded once I researched the character. However, the fact that I later discovered that although Oterdorf was a real character, von Richthofen did not have a romance with her, made me feel that the filmmakers were playing down to the audience by playing the romance card unnecessarily. In addition, I was distracted by the obvious age difference between the two characters and their lack of chemistry. I found Von Richthofen, as portrayed brilliantly by Schwighofer, and his squadron interesting enough in and of themselves without Oterdorf.

Besides the casting, there were positive elements in the presentation of the film. The aerial combat was beautifully shot, and the score adequate. I recommend that you at least rent this film.

A Potentially Fine Film Ruined by Dismal Script Writing

[HansWind · 4/10 · 18 July 2010]

The real Von Richthofen story is one which needed no embellishment or silly and false added padding to have the makings of a great movie. Sadly, the writers of this military melodrama had an agenda and used Von Richthofen's fame to try and sell it. A German written film, it clearly demonstrates just how far the Germans as a people have truly changed in their attitudes towards the military and war. To use Von Richthofen, one of their greatest national heroes, as a vessel to literally preach anti-war sentiment was a crime against the man, his ideals, his way of life and the legacy he left to history.

The film itself is visually pleasing and has some wonderful sets and scenes that are well choreographed, acted and filmed. To be honest, if one were to watch this film without any sound it would be much more enjoyable. It's really only the script that falls painfully and pathetically flat.

The mock-up aircraft and replicas used for the ground and airfield backgrounds are stunning and realistic (even if some are inaccurately painted). For any aviation or military history buff, they alone are well worth watching the movie for. Overall, the most interesting and pertinent aspects of Von Richthofen's flying career are glossed over in barely noticed passing or ignored entirely. Unless you are acquainted with his history in detail, some of those small nods to reality will be missed or misunderstood by the casual viewer. Major Lanoe Hawker screaming like a mad banshee in battle is an appalling treatment of that beloved and gentlemanly British officer. What were the writers and director thinking???

The CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) is solid, though the planes fly too fast and make many maneuvers which are far from the flight physics reality of the time. As is often the case with CGI, the artists/designers and CGI directors go way overboard in the number of objects depicted on the screen. Far too many planes and observation balloons are involved in the overly busy battle scenes. When will they learn that more is not better?

The acting is for the most part by relative unknowns, at least in the USA, Joseph Finnes being the lone exception. Regardless, most of the actors truly shine despite the dismal script they had to work from. Matthias Schweighofer, who plays Baron Manfred Von Richthofen, is literally perfect for the part and plays it very, very well, again despite the horrible script he was forced to impart. Regardless of that scripts bile and drivel, he does an outstanding job delivering it. What he could have done with a real script of Von Richthofen's life would have been a film masterpiece. Sadly, we'll never know. The other pilots of his Squadron (Jasta) also come through the awful script with flying colors (pun intended). Voss, Wolff and the others all give strong, if undeveloped, supporting performances. The character of nurse and Von Richtofen's movie love interest, Kate Otersdorf, is wildly over blown and is included only as another vessel for the writers to push their anti-war message. Very few Von Richtofen biographies give any women in his life more than a passing mention. Here she is simply a brutally abused and excessively used plot device. Once again, the writers fail the real and much more interesting story by inventing one to suit their agenda.

I was initially going to give this film 6 out of 10 stars. Then a later scene in which nurse Otersdorf lectures Von Richthofen in a field hospital on morals and class distinction assaulted my ears. Somebody please get an axe so this film can be edited properly... 10 Stars for appearance/cinematography, acting and the planes. Unfortunately, minus 6 Stars for the pretentious idiots who thought they were film writers.

In short, if your going to do a significant film about a historical figure and time period, use the social attitudes of the time. Use the facts and tell it as it was. Don't turn history inside out to prove some currently popular social attitude. That isn't history. It's a travesty and a tragic disservice to the truth and the memory of those who made that history.

A treat for aviation fans.

[elang-1 · 8/10 · 21 January 2009]

If you're an aviation fan, you're going to love this movie. The aerial scenes of World War I era biplanes in action are truly astounding.

The lead role of the Baron is played by Matthias Schweighöfer whose boyish good looks and magnetic smile are fully exploited to make the Red Baron impossible to dislike. The character of the Baron is portrayed as a young man of high principals who struggles to reconcile his humanity in the completely inhumane circumstances of war. He is torn between his sense of duty to his country and it's megalomaniac leadership and his conscience. Now I don't know if any of that is actually true, but it makes for a touching story nonetheless.

Overwhelmingly I was aware that the makers of this movie wanted to transmit the message that Germans are not the stereotype so often portrayed in war movies as either emotionless auto-bots of death and destruction or blood thirsty hums. Is this done in an effort to raise public opinion of Germans (it is a German production by the way) or because audiences are growing intolerant of stereotyping and it's injurious, evil nature. I can't say, I'd like to believe the latter, but you'll certainly find the Baron and his fellow pilots all endearing characters and you'll be saddened when most of them meet their maker in the course of the story.

The writer – director Nikolai Müllerschön isn't very loyal to historical facts in many respects. I was particularly disturbed by the portrayal of the German Emperor (Kaiser Wilhelm) as a warmongering protagonist and Paul Von Hindenburg as a foolish smiling fat man. However, in order for the character of the Baron to shine so brightly the Baron needed dark forces to nobly resist and therefore these men were transformed to serve that purpose. I strongly advise the viewer not to expect to get a history lesson from his movie.

A good movie just short of Excellent

[prince_c3 · 7/10 · 8 June 2010]

Well, first of all it good to see a movie about German War heroes, after seeing so many WW1 and WW2 anti German and German almost portray as butchers and beast. IT good to see that now Germans are acknowledging their heroes. I truly believe any hero whether he was allied fighter or German fighter is a hero who server his country. The movie is much better than lots of Hollywood movies which are just Holocaust propaganda. Now a days if you want to win or want your movie to win an Oscar award all you have to do is make a movie with lot of propaganda about Holocaust.You will get Oscar. Take the example of "Inglourious Basterds" at least this movie is million times better than that. This movie would be excellent but it falls short little bit in every department. Acting was good but had it flaws, the War scene should be more intense and should include more. The director spend lots of time in air without any emotions. The Barron character should grow on you in two hours but failed. Overall its very watchable movie, except it doesn't show nonsense emotions like Hollywood movie usually shows, which I believe we are quite used to it after watching them for more than 30 years.

The Red Baron as a pacifist ... yeah, right!

[sascha-17 · 4/10 · 13 October 2009]

Let me start by saying that I won't go into detail about all the historical inaccuracies, there are just too many of them.

They're just one of the many big disappointments n the "The Red Baron". Perhaps the biggest flaw is the script, which doesn't really have a story to tell. What were they thinking when they based the whole script around the tired old "soldier meets beautiful nurse with a heart of gold who opens his eyes to the carnage around him"-convention? Von Richthofen was not an ignorant man. Historical records show that he did see the appalling conditions in the trenches first-hand, so he wasn't oblivious to the fact that war is an ugly business. But: He was also a man of his time and most of all a career-soldier and a Prussian aristocrat. Do the filmmakers *really* think that a man of his background would tell Ludendorff and Hindenburg the war was unwinnable and they should just stop it? Or that he would get cocky with the Kaiser? On a similar note: Richthofen (like most people of his time) certainly did see the air-war as a chivalrous endeavor. However: He also knew that his task was to destroy enemy planes. He was glad when he could bring an opponent down alive and shake his hand, but he was certainly not a pacifist fighter-pilot. In fact: It was common practice at the time to aim for the pilot, because due to the construction of WW1-planes and due to the weapons they used that was the surest and quickest way to get a kill.

All of this is quite easily explained: The film was written in the 21st century, with 21st century values and morales and the atrocities of Nazi-Germany in WW2 in mind. You can almost feel the need of the author to squeeze in the "War is bad!"-message wherever possible. That's not at all how people in Europe thought in the days of WW1.

My second big gripe is the choice of action-sequences. Being something of an aviation-nut, I could tell you from the top of my head which real life events in von Richthofen's life would *have* to be in a film about him.

1. His relationship to Boelcke and Boelcke's death. This was the guy who practically invented the rules of air-combat ("Dicta Boelcke"), rules which largely still apply today. Plus Boelcke was von Richthofen's mentor and the guy who saw the young Baron's potential early on.

2. von Richthofen's duel with Hawker. One of the classic dogfights of all time. It supposedly lasted for several minutes and featured two combatants who were evenly matched. How can you *not* have that duel in the picture?

3. Werner Voss' death. Again: One of the all-time-greats when it comes to aerial combat. Voss fought an entire elite-squadron of the RFC and damaged all of their planes before he was finally shot down.

4. von Richthofen's head injury and the effect it had on his behavior. A lot of experts believe that the brain damage he suffered from that wound, led to him ignoring one of his elementary rules in his final dogfight. He got fixated on his target, followed him to the deck and over into British territory, leading to his death by MG-fire from the ground.

5. The Baron's death itself.

All of those were only hinted at in the film - that's like making a film like Gladiator without once showing actual gladiatorial combat.

The film is not without some strong points however: The CGI-dogfights do look convincing and the set-design and costumes are pretty much spot-on. Watch it for those points alone, but don't expect an historically accurate depiction of von Richthofen's life. He, along with all the other characters, is not fleshed out one bit, so in the end, we don't really care who lives and dies.

Worth it - gets better as from the second half

[Gordon_123 · 8/10 · 6 February 2009]

The movie seems a bit slow at first. One wonders if it's going to be a realistic crude harsh war movie, as we have grown accustomed to in the last years, or a romantic poetic depiction of this folk hero/legend.

As one gets into the film, one discovers it's both things. There are several sub themes. The jealousy and competitiveness between brothers, the strong contrasting point of views from how the German pilots lived and saw the war as compared to their infantry mud submerged counterparts, the beauty of the initial sportsmanship displayed by Richthoffen and many other airmen in their practice of war, the love story, and many more.

Perhaps the most appealing to some of us is the gradual turn of things towards the impending tragedy, how the characters seem to express it just in the way they look at each other and how this epic sized hero, well represented by the unknown actor Tomas Koutnik, embraces his fate with a powerlessness and dignity that reflects the whole of humanity's ultimate choices when faced with the certain end: play out the role you've been assigned in this life with dignity.

Congratulations to this director, his craftsmanship, the actors, the staff, and let me not forget specially that wonderful Lena Heady who is very sensual and sublime!

Der rote Baron: a beautiful film about a really legendary man.

[niutta-enrico · 7/10 · 25 June 2014]

A nice movie, not completely faithful to Manfred Von Richthofen's life I'm told, but very pleasant to watch. A fantastic production with beautiful scenes, great battlefields and very good actors: Matthias Schweighöfer over all.

How could you become a hero without killing anyone? How can you win fear but not be able to cope with the death of those you love? How can you grow up as a Prussian gentleman and yet despise militaristic societies? These are the universal themes the movie deals with and I found it very interesting.

The man himself really was and still is a legend by all means.

Soap opera writing & acting

[dean-harmse · 2/10 · 6 January 2010]

Being a pilot, aviation enthusiast & someone who reads everything I can about the Red Baron and WWI flying in general, I was very excited to hear there was a movie on the cards about him. For 2 years I felt like a child on Christmass eve. I couldn't wait to get my hands on this movie. In spite of the negative reviews I imported the DVD to South Africa at great cost. I was going to see it come hell or high water. I picked it up from the post office, rushed home, popped it in the DVD player and I couldn't believe my eyes. I feel robbed. Utterly robbed! I feel like going to the film makers and forcing them to do it over. I WANT MY RED BARON MOVIE!

All this movie is, is a jump from one dramatic speech to another. And if you want to make a movie with just long dramatic dialog, you need actors who can pull it off. The acting in this movie is as bad as it gets. And the award for worst actor in the movie goes to... (drumroll) Volker Bruch for playing Lothar Von Richthofen! Basically everyone was bad. Mathias Schweighofer, Volker Bruch and Lena Headey tries too hard. They act as if they are acting. Even Joseph Fiennes, who I have a great deal of respect for, couldn't pull it off. Especially the Canadian accent. The only actor who didn't look like he was acting was Til Schweiger, but a 46 year old playing a 20 year old? More on that later.

Acting aside, lets look at the real Manfred Von Richthofen vs the movie one. The real one didn't dream of becoming a pilot as it is told in the movie. He joined the air service, because the cavalry(where he started the war) was fast becoming obsolete. He only wanted to do his part in the war effort. In the movie he loves flying, in real life his aircraft was just a platform for his guns. He didn't do aerobatics and frowned upon pilots(like his brother) who did. He always looked respectable and made other officers button up their tunics if they were undone. In the movie he walks around with unbuttoned tunics and stretched jerseys. He didn't go to whorehouses like in the movie, he didn't shoot down Roy Brown twice, there is no evidence of a relationship between Manfred & Kate Otersdorf that here is the basis of the movie. In the movie Lanoe hawker flies a Bristol fighter, in real life he flew a DH2 in his last dogfight(a machine obsolete by then). And the list goes on.

CG effects. Nicely done, but unrealistic. Af Albatrosses could fly like that they would be shooting down F22's over Afganistan. Those planes were built from wood and fabric and would disintegrate if they were flown like in the move. And it seems the movie makers didn't have the money to do complete dogfight scenes, because a fight just starts, then they jump to a speech again.

The movie also jumps from scene to scene so much, that no one who doesn't know the basic history of the Red Baron would understand what is going on.

What market did they aim for when making this movie? Its not a family movie, its too boring and complicated. Action movie? Not much action. Aviation movie? Not much flying. Biographical film? Too much fiction. Drama? Love story? Yes, but why use the Red Baron to make a love story? Why not cowboys talking to horses or poor coal miners?

What should they have done? They should have told his story. He was a soldier, who wanted to do his part in the war. He was the highest scoring ace of WW1, who awarded himself cups for his victories until Germany ran out of silver.He wanted to be the best. His career was greatly influencedby Oswald Boelce, who is mentioned twice in the movie only. He was there when Boelce died. They should have shown the Boelce/Von Richtoven relationship. Werner Voss a 20 year old pilot(not 46), was his main rival for top ace(and good friend), who died in one of the most impressive dogfights of the war. They should have shown the dogfight. They should have shown the Baron's last flight. They basically took all that was interesting about this man and made sure that it was left out of the movie.

All in all, the writers would have a great career in Soap operas as well as the actors.

Spoilers - but unavoidable in a balanced review

[rogerdarlington · 27 June 2011]

Baron Manfred von Richthofen (aka the eponymous Red Baron) was the top-scoring ace of the First World War with an amazing 80 victories credited to him, so it is little wonder that the contemporary German film industry would be tempted to make a big budget movie on his life and exploits but, even 90 years later, this is a tricky subject for Germans and writer and director Nikolai Müllerschön was taking a commercial risk. He compounded the risk by taking massive liberties with the historic record and by shooting the movie in English to give it more international appeal. The movie crashed and burned - and it's not difficult to see why.

Germans did not like the use of English and did not find find credible the politically correct representation of Richthofen as someone disillusioned with war and willing to take on the country's political and military leadership. Germans and non-Germans alike were astonished at what Müllerschön included and excluded in his narrative.

So much of what is portrayed is simply fiction, notably Richthofen's shooting down of Captain Roy Brown and meeting with him in No Man's Land and the whole of the romance with the nurse Käte Otersdorf. Conversely all the critical incidents in Richthofen's war career are mysteriously omitted, such as his friendship with Oswald Boelcke and his combat with Lanoe Hawker and (most astonishing of all) his death.

The acting - largely from a young German cast - is adequate with Matthias Schweighöfer quite dashing and charismatic as the young ace. The choice of non-German actors was odd though: the British Joseph Fiennes struggling with a Canadian accent as Roy Brown and the British Lena Headey who seems to have a French accent as the German nurse Käte Otersdorf. The script is clunky and the cutting spasmodic.

Having said all this, aircraft buffs will want to see the film for its authentic recreation of the period in costumes and vehicles, its representation of a variety of First World War aircraft, and its exciting use of CGI (although the action is shown as faster and closer than was actually the case).

Fun but not historically correct

[Bogie27 · 6/10 · 6 June 2010]

While I enjoyed 'The Red Baron', I felt the historical inaccuracies were almost too much to bear. The life and combats of von Richthofen and the flying circus were dramatic enough and need no alteration for the silver screen. It was unfortunate the combats depicted were less dramatic than the real life events. So why? Captain Roy Brown was seen threaded throughout the story from early in Manfred Von Richthofen 's career till his eventual demise. Along with this phony relationship with Roy Brown is the misplaced relationship with the nurse he meets much later in real life. Oh well - a little romance never hurts a film, I guess.

The first big victory of Richthofen was captain Lanoe Hawker as he is seen spiraling down through the clouds in an SE-5 and screaming as his engine is on fire. In reality Hawker is flying a DH-2. He and von Richthofen have a very long dogfight that ends up with the two fighters circling and trying to get on the others tail - a common occurrence in aerial dog fighting. Unfortunately for Hawker the prevailing winds are blowing them closer to the German lines. Running low on fuel he decides to break out of the circling maneuver and run for home. The young Richthofen gets on his tail and delivers a fatal shot to the head before his guns jam. This is a big victory for Richthofen and is correctly depicted in the film, when he takes the gun and tail numbers from Hawker's plane to decorate his wall.

The great German fighter Werner Voss was also shorted in this production. In the film he goes down in a bi-plane after a short dogfight with a couple of SE-5's. In real life - His ride is the famous DR-1 Fokker tri-plane. He takes on a swarm of SE-5's and finally succumbs after a very long and aerobatic dog fight. Perhaps this reality was too difficult to film.

To conclude the film, the gradual reduction of Germanys resources and pilot losses cast a gloom on their war effort. As more and more great pilots are lost the stage is set for the final flight of the great fighter, von Richthofen and his cousin Wolfram Richthofen. But here comes the biggest surprise of all - the final most dramatic dogfight is completely omitted from the film. After Richthofen takes off for the mission, we then see Captain Roy Brown giving Richthofen's nurse and girlfriend the Red Baron's silk flying scarf, and we know the great Baron is gone. Oh well - it's possible they had run out of funding and had to scrap the last flying scene.

The last dogfight went something like this. Wolfram Richthofen, the Baron's cousin was instructed to get down quickly in case a dogfight broke out on their mission. The same instructions were given on the other side to equally young and inexperienced Canadian pilot Wilfrid May. Both sides did this with en-experienced pilots. It just so happens that young May spotted Wolfram down low as he was. It was too much for May to ignore, and he decided to attack the young Wolfram. The Red Baron saw this and immediately went down to help his cousin. He got on the tail of Wilfrid May and wouldn't let go. OK, so this where Roy Brown comes into play. Also Canadian he feels compelled to help young Wilfrid May. He dives on von Richthofen and gets off a few shot before having to pull up and away from the fight. Von Richthofen is so absorbed with target fixation, he flies low and over the Australian lines. It is here he is most likely shot and makes a controlled landing but dies shortly after. The film could have used this scene. Although Brown was given official credit for killing von Richthofen, modern analysis points to ground fire from the Australian lines for firing the fatal shot.

a fun, enjoyable WW1 'knights of the sky' romp

[aldebaran68 · 6/10 · 20 December 2011]

As an English viewer I thought the film was amusing. All these German actors speaking English well but with the German pronunciation. Its difficult to say flippant laid back things in English with a German pronunciation. Germans being by nature perfectionists can try too hard to be casual in English- doesn't quite come off...

Otherwise the story is interesting, and the characters likable. I didn't take it too seriously historically because I know very little about the man. Its a fun, enjoyable WW1 'knights of the sky' movie.

Next time though I'd advise a director to get the Germans to speak German with subtitles, and leave the flippant laid back English to the English actors - they do it much better. Otherwise we British will simply take the mickey...

War Is Insane

[sddavis63 · 6/10 · 13 January 2014]

The most powerful part of this movie is the very effective way in which it depicts the chaos and insanity of the First World War. You could, I suppose, say that any war fits that description of chaotic and insane - but the First World War is the classic example. It had no real purpose; it was in many ways a war that started by accident as a chain of events got set in motion that no one had the courage to stop. And the end result was 4 years of slaughter. And, of course, the First World War introduced a new element to warfare - aerial warfare, and the emergence of the "aces" - pilots who shout down large numbers of enemy planes. The movie's absolute strongest point is almost certainly the recreated aerial battles. And at the top of the list of flying aces was Manfred von Richtofen - the Red Baron.

As a biography of Richtofen, this movie falls far short. It doesn't really portray much of his life, aside from his war experiences, and much of what is portrayed in heavily romanticized. His romance with the French nurse is unlikely, and the friendship with Canadian pilot Roy Brown (who in real life was incorrectly identified as the pilot who shot Richtofen down and killed him) in which the two shared chats in No Man's Land never happened. The movie was, however, correct in pointing out the respect in which pilots from the opposing sides held each other.

The movie progresses along a path which is increasingly sombre, starting with an almost joyous feel as pilots took to the skies, and gradually descending into a depiction of the horrors of war, graphically displayed in a scene shot inside a military field hospital, and in some depictions of ground combat.

Unfortunately, while this does have strong points, it ultimately comes across as largely flat and often passionless. It's the sort of movie that you really don't feel you need to pay close attention to - and sometimes you're quite compelled not to pay close attention, because large stretches of it are rather dull. But it does do a decent job of depicting the insanity of World War I. (6/10)

missing target

[Ralfscheapthrill · 3/10 · 12 April 2008]

Few days ago I read an interview with Schweighöfer in which he's wondering why "The Red Baron" didn't get any subsidies. "Maybe they didn't like the script". They were right! And I don't think, the script was too controversial... I wish, it'd be. It's a pity that private financed productions like "As far as my feet will carry me" or even Vilsmaier's "Marlene" and now "The Red Baron" have producer's that are obviously willing to make the best movies they can, even without public money. they spent their budget on the cast, effects, good looks but they don't have a clue what to do with their values. They hire authors and directors who turn out to be just unable to cope with their projects. And most of the critics just complain about historical facts... I don't get it. It's a movie! But a badly told one. If you want to make a movie about a world war pilot who tries to be the best, then tell us, how he does it. And not in the main case, how he tries to win a nurse's heart! There are a lot of good love stories around, but THIS is the story of guy who liked to fly and shoot down enemies. If you pick it, stick to it. Don't be ashamed of your choice. It's quite funny to see a few quite impressing battle scenes, but the battles that mattered for the story are simply ignored. They get on the plane. Cut. Hospital. Everything that matters in the story is in the dialogs, not in actions. And even the important dialogs are filmed in cowardly undramatic distant shots... A waste of talent, chances and money.

Well above average for the genre

[PrivateBox2 · 8/10 · 21 July 2009]

Despite an ending that can't help but make the viewer feel a little cheated, this film is a success on many levels. Only a little historical inaccuracy, which while certainly not a problem for most films but is almost demanded in a biopic, is a noticeable flaw.

Also, while perhaps not as "gritty" as one would like to see in a modern film, the ambiance of the film feels very "right." The viewer is seldom distracted by the realization that one is seeing CGI. The set decoration and costuming are rich and look accurate. The photography is excellent, although there is some mixing of exposure which is sometimes distracting. There is quite a bit of "floating" camera-work in establishing shots, which adds a little playful interest, almost as if one is watching from a small biplane buzzing through the scene.

The performances are understated, although the dialog does feel a little sparse at times.

Viewers who are hoping to experience another version of the exuberant athleticism of "Flyboys" from the German perspective may be underwhelmed by this film, but I found it most satisfying, especially in its restraint in delivering its anti-war message.

Action...

[Thanos_Alfie · 6/10 · 25 April 2020]

"The Red Baron" is a Biography - Action movie in which we watch the story of Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen (The Red Baron) who is considered the ace-of-aces of the war. He was credited with 80 air combat victories and that was something that gave him the nickname in addition to his airplane which was painted red.

I have to admit that I did not have high expectations from this movie but I was happily surprised by it since I enjoyed it very much. It had plenty of action, an interesting plot following and based on the life of the Red Baron and his actions in combination with some romantic moments. The direction which was made by Nikolai Müllerschön who is also the writer of it, was above average and he presented very well not only the victories and loses of the Red Baron but also some of his family moments and of course his moments out of the war. Matthias Schweighöfer who played as Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen / The Red Baron was simply amazing and I believe that he made the best interpretation so far. Another interpretation that has to be mentioned was Lena Headey's who played as Käte and she was very good too.

Inaccurate Rubbish

[ash_matic · 1/10 · 10 January 2010]

Terrible film. Having read a great deal of information about von Richthofen I was excited to see a 'biographical' pic was in the making- having seen it I'd have preferred if it hadn't been made at all.

While I don't pretend to be an expert on film making techniques, I reckon I could have put together a more coherent story. Early on it jumps all over the place with little explanation of what is happening, and significant moments in the 'real' story of the Red Baron are given a 30 second scene. As with other reviews, I think there was scope for much more aerial combat to be included- given this is what the story of Red Baron is actually about!! But more than that, historically the film is just awful. About the only things they got right was that his name was Manfred and his plane was painted red; pretty much everything else, particularly in terms of what is known of his personality, is so far off the mark it's not a joke. The love story is a load of old tripe based on a single photograph and historical speculation, the depictions of most of the other characters (in particular his Brother) are WAY off, and many things (such as the frequent contact between Brown and Richthofen) are just made up and completely unrealistic.

I don't know what the intent of the film makers was, but the result was a wildly inaccurate film that (if anything) provides a misleading 'biography' of a significant figure in history. The real story of the Red Baron would have provided a far more interesting film, while this load of old plonk is almost disrespectful to the man.

Rent something else instead.

Der Rote Baron (The Red Baron)

[Boelcke1916 · 9/10 · 25 April 2009]

I consider this a fun and exciting movie. I knocked it down a little because of the historical inconsistencies, but the tale is well told, the movie does not drag and it was very easy to fall in love with this movie. I only want it released into the United States now. I saw it and fell in love with it.

I think they did a marvelous job of recreating the feel of aerial combat, the uniforms and planes of the time (not to mention the cool automobiles) and I thought the acting was quite good.

Til Schweiger is great as the role of Werner Voss. Lena Heady is a great nurse Kate and Mathias Schweighofer manages to give what I believe is a command performance as a young, idealistic Prussian lad called to war.

I also thought they did a good job of re-creating the Kaiser and his generals. It was so convincing that I almost thought I was seeing Von Hindenberg and the Kaiser in the bunker.

I would have liked to see Boelcke and others in the movie, but maybe you can only do so much in two hours. I watched this fine movie and felt a real kinship with these flying kids. As a part Prussian-American, it was easy to identify with them.

Well done and well worth watching.

Kind of a disappointment

[barbett-1 · 6/10 · 16 July 2023]

Der Rote Baron is a biopic chronicling the wartime experiences of Germany's famous flying ace, Manfred von Richthofen. As with most biopics, the film is highly fictionalized with a loose framework of factual occurances underpinning a large body of conjecture and imagination. A great deal of screen time is spent on the tumultuous relationship between Richthofen and his nurse/lover. There is no historical support for the existence of this relationship. It is merely padding to add a emotional aspect to what would, otherwise, be a straightforward war story.

The acting seems a little wooden but, given that these are mostly German actors speaking English, it can be understood.

The costumes and sets all invoke the period rather nicely. I'm not an authority on the vehicles/weapons/uniforms of the era but the settings look and feel accurate.

The CGI aircraft are rendered in great detail and are probably historically accurate. However, the aerial battle scenes look somewhat unbelievable. The planes often seem to defy the laws of physics and the sky appears to be crowded with closely packed planes swarming like flies. It's kind of like the Death Star battle in Star Wars but with biplanes instead of spaceships.

This is not a bad movie, but it is by no means a great one. I think real war movie buffs will be disappointed.

Big disappointment

[Glewe · 3/10 · 22 August 2008]

I was so eagerly awaiting to view this movie and finally had the chance yesterday. I really disappointed and with great sadness I see another opportunity go by to finally produce a quality movie about a German hero reaching a big audience.

Historical correctness is a virtue of German movies, so sets, costumes, planes and such were as I imagined them. But how can you tell a story about Manfred von Richthofen and his fellow pilot without putting Hermann Goering into the picture? Duh.

The story is told too quickly, it jumps from scene to scene, sometimes you don't even realize it does. You lose track quickly and you are basically looking at loosely appended scenes.

I wanted to see amazing plane dog fighting. This is one thing you can expect from a Red Baron movie made in 2008. CGI has no limits in that regards. Well, this Red Baron movie is more one bla bla scene after the other filled with a few CGI plane fights. Most depressed, yes totally crashed I was when Richthofens last flight was up - it was not shown at all!!! Nothing, nada! And this last flight and the shooting down of the Baron is the most controversial discussed event in his legend. And it was not Mr. Brown from Canada who shot him down, as was lately convincingly explained. But hey, why bother to put a single bit of film into this. He landed his plane clean and without a scratch even though deadly wounded. No, we're not showing any of that. He was buried with highest military honors by the French army - the enemy who had the highest respect for him. No, we're not showing any of that. Duh.

And what the heck are Lena Headey and Joseph Fiennes doing there. Joseph was probably hired for a few minutes of appearance just to borrow a know name to the movie. Shame on you. Lena, to me extremely attractive (so don't misunderwstand me), is totally misplaced as the nurse Richthofen was dating. Heck, Richthofen was 20 years old and with Matthias Schweighoefer playing the role of the Baron she was more looking like his mother. Great beauty does not automatically fit in every movie.

What I expected was the storytelling and effects mix of the movie Flyboys mixed with the true story of Manfred von Richthofen, specifically including the important persons and events. This movie here fails badly. Let the German historians go to Hollywood and try aagin please...