Na Rota das Estrelas

The quip I've heard was "I Aim at the Stars -- but I hit Antwerp and London". More V-2's were targeted at Antwerp than London, it being a major port used by the Allies during the invasion of Europe.

Von Braun's relation with the Nazis was Faustian -- he was obsessed with space travel, and developing liquid-fueled rockets was a first step. The V-2 (A-4 was the military's designation) was actually counterproductive to the Nazi war effort, and von Braun no doubt realized that (as Hitler did not). It was not a practical weapon, being expensive to produce and burdensome to launch. Few actually reached their targets; more tonnage was delivered by one Allied air raid than all the V-2's carried.

Producer Chares H Schneer (Jason and the Argonauts '63) assembled a variety of talented people for his space-age story of rocket scientist Wernher Von Braun. It follows portions of Braun's life from his youth in Germany, his war research service with the Nazis - through to his 'capture' and being seconded to the US space research program.

Screenplay writer Jay Dratler (Laura'44) strikes a deft balance in the moral argument between whether or not great scientists, who create technologies used in war, should be held responsible for the deaths of innocent bystanders - or should they simply be regarded as perfecting new technological developments for future progress? In this case, it was Wernher Von Braun's determination to perfect a rocket to eventually carry man into space. Whatever your moral stand, the brilliance of this man's brain cannot be denied.

German-born Curt Jurgens makes for a perfectly cast Von Braun. Jurgens was openly critical of Nazism and was interned in a Nazi Labour Camp for the 'politically unreliable'. He escaped and went into hiding - after the war, he became an Austrian citizen. In a long and distinguished career, he appeared in over a hundred movies and numerous stage plays. Though this film was shot in Munich it features a varied international cast including Australian actress Victoria Shaw, playing Braun's wife.

Director J. Lee Thompson (The Guns of Navarone'60) was blessed to have Wilkie Cooper selected by Schneer to guide principle photography, helping to create the films solid visuals. Cooper, one of Britain's most gifted directors of photography had worked with many of the world's acclaimed directors Including Hitchcock and Cardiff. His visual design excellence gave many of Ray Harryhausen's great animation epics (Jason and The Argonauts '63, etc) their strong images. Respected British composer Laurie Johnson provides an interesting music score.

Actual footage from failed Rocket test launches (both in Germany and the USA) capture the devastatingly destructive power and huge expense of these pioneering days in space exploration.

As the world turned its attention to the possibilities of manned spaceflight Werner von Braun acquired a sufficiently high profile to be the subject of a movie, with the film that emerged getting a hostile reception in a Britain still bearing the scars wartime bombing (von Braun had himself ruefully admitted "We aim at the stars, but sometimes we hit London").

After playing Ernst Udet in 'The Devil's General' Curt Jurgens was for the next few years Hollywood's favoured personification of The Good German; which is why when a whitewash was required of von Braun Curt was the man they enlisted.

The central part of the film plays like the director's next film 'The Guns of Navarone' from the point of view of the Germans. Physically Jurgens was all wrong for the part (Braun was a much younger man for starters). The Holocaust is briefly alluded to but the film tactfully skirts the issue of his enthusiastic use of slave labour.

The later section when he takes over at White Sands to help the Americans in Korea is far less well known and is therefore more informative. And then it's up and away into the heavens.

"I Aim at the Stars" purports to be the story of Werner von Braun, one of the men responsible for getting the U.S. into space. In many ways, it is, but like many geniuses, von Braun lived a life full of controversy. To the film's credit, that controversy is somewhat handled here, though not enough.

The film covers von Braun's obsession with space travel, his work for Germany during the war, which resulted in rockets being used as war weapons, and he and his teammates handing themselves over to the Americans after the war. One word comes to mind: collaborator, but in von Braun's case, it goes a little deeper. Some people, such as opera star Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, collaborated with the Nazis. von Braun collaborated with anybody who could help him further his work. When that was no longer Germany, he was out of there.

It's foolish to go into all the aspects of von Braun not covered in the film. There are many more objective accounts of his life and work with the Nazis and whether or not he had to join or was a devoted member of the party. Curt Jurgens does an excellent job as von Braun, depicting him as a strong and determined man dedicated to his work first, last, and always.

The beautiful Victoria Shaw has a small role as his wife, Maria; James Daly plays an American soldier violently opposed to von Braun working for the U.S. Herbert Lom plays a member of von Braun's team who refuses to go to America, and he's very good.

There is some great rocket footage; many of the scenes in the film are short, almost like television scenes. It's not a big-budget movie. There is a love story subplot between a spy and one of von Braun's team; in fact, there was a spy, a female dentist, who reported some of his negative comments to the Nazis.

Werner von Braun was an individual of great accomplishments who helped the U.S. win the war in space. In the film, he is depicted as a reluctant Nazi, and it's true that he was, in fact, arrested by the Nazis for saying things against the party privately. In the end he was an opportunist and a survivor who did what had to be done to achieve his goals. Like many biographies, this film is merely one view. As to his efforts to get into space and instead making war weapons, there's always the joke about the movie: "I aim at the stars, but sometimes I hit London."

As a member of the National Association of Rocketry (hobby group). I enjoyed this movie's historical footage for its value to the scale modeler (model rockets that fly). It also tries to capture some of the internal struggle within the man. With working with the military while fostering his dreams of manned flight after the War.

For a more un-laundered perspective seek out _Man/Moment/Machine_ and the von Braun episode concerning the V-2 on the History Channel.

The only time I've seen this movie on television was about ten years ago on the _Super Station_ (WTBS). I don't recall if his rank as a Colonel in the S/S was indicated in this film. Enjoy it for what it is. A glorification of one of the most important persons responsible in our beating the _Russkies_ in getting to the Moon first.