The story of Manfred von Richthofen, the German air ace during World War I and his struggle with the enemy aces and some jealous German officers.The story of Manfred von Richthofen, the German air ace during World War I and his struggle with the enemy aces and some jealous German officers.The story of Manfred von Richthofen, the German air ace during World War I and his struggle with the enemy aces and some jealous German officers.
- Ilse
- (as Karen Huston)
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Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaProduction was shut down briefly due to a disaster on another semi-related film in the area. Birch Williams, an American living expat in Ireland, was the owner of the period planes Roger Corman leased for the production. He was so interested in and excited by what Corman was doing that he decided to make a similar film himself, using his own planes. Unfortunately, there was a midair mishap, and Williams and two pilots were killed. In response, the Irish government shut down all film flying, and the insurance company canceled Corman's policy. It took several days of negotiation to get their status restored, and to resume production.
- GoofsHermann Goering was not assigned to the Flying Circus until he took over as its commander several months after Manfred von Richthofen's death. Also, his later reputation notwithstanding, there is no evidence that Goering ever machine-gunned civilians or committed other atrocities as a World War One fighter pilot.
- Quotes
Canadian Reporter: Lieutenant Brown, the readers of the Toronto Star want to know about Canada's newest Ace.
Roy Brown: What is there to know? I'm just a technician; I change things.
Canadian Reporter: Change things?
Roy Brown: Put a plane in front of me, with a man in it, I change them into a wreck and a corpse.
Canadian Reporter: Well... well how do you like France?
Roy Brown: It's a nice country, isn't it? Lots of my friends will be staying after the war.
Canadian Reporter: Ah... how do you like the French girls, Lieutenant?
Roy Brown: With both their arms and legs, I think.
Canadian Reporter: [coughs] ... the German planes, are they dangerous?
Roy Brown: The Germans, they're dangerous. The planes, they're dangerous too. They kill as many Germans as we do, the same way ours do us.
Canadian Reporter: But now that we outnumber the Germans, we're... we're winning, aren't we?
Roy Brown: How in Christ's name do I know? I go out in the morning and try to stay alive till I run out of petrol. One day I come back and they tell me I'm an Ace.
Canadian Reporter: But you've... you've shot down eight German planes!
Roy Brown: Is it eight? God Almighty I thought it was a hundred. I keep shooting him down but he's always up there in the morning. How the hell do I know who's winning the war? One of these mornings...
Canadian Reporter: One of these mornings, it'll all be over.
Roy Brown: How can it be over? There's still some of us alive. They wouldn't end it with any of us alive, now would they?
- Crazy creditsThe name of the German ace that brought Richthofen into his squadron at the beginning of the film was spelled wrongly as "Boelke" in the credits. His name was Oswald BOELCKE.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Chivalry in Warfare: Corman, Von Richthofen and Brown (2019)
Corman's production is a bit dated, and purists will point out many technical and historical errors in the film. Flight and combat sequences, however, are exciting, extremely well-conceived and filmed, and surpass most efforts before or since to show film-goers aerial combat of the First World War.
I saw this film at a drive-in when it was first released, and it still fascinates me to this day. While other more-expensive productions, with their sumptuous sets and A-list actors, continue to command the attention of film viewers and film collectors alike, I find the simple, sparing lines of this production far more effective as the vehicle for one of history's most famous duels. True, by now most historians have abandoned the notion that the fatal bullets came from Brown; however, this is the tale of popular culture as it was told for generations, not as nuclear scientists have most lately emended it.
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Details
Box office
- Budget
- $900,000 (estimated)