Monday, April 21, 2014

April 21 - The Red Baron

Today’s movie is a biography with a scene that happens on April 21. I hope you will enjoy this film and watch it tonight.  

THE RED BARON            

A 14 year old Manfred von Richthofen is enthralled when he sees a plane. 10 years later he gets a dressing down from his commander when he leads his squadron to attend the funeral of a British pilot that they knew before the war.   They encounter a squadron led by Lanoe Hawker, but Manfred shoots down Roy Brown, but Manfred helps save the life of the injured Brown by pulling him from the wreck. Manfred later shoots down Hawker and as a result is awarded the Pour le Merite and promoted to command of his own squadron.  He orders his men not to kill enemy pilots unless absolutely necessary. Manfred’s younger brother Lothar joins the squadron. Manfred is furious when Lothar kills a British pilot who is trying to make a crash landing. Brown and Manfred are both forced to land in no mans land and in their talk Brown tells Manfred that Kate Otersdorf, a nurse they both know likes Manfred. Manfred is devastated to learn that his friend Jewish pilot Friedrich Sternberg has been killed and Lothar has to talk him out of a deep depression. Manfred is wounded in action and is nursed by Kate. Manfred and Kate have dinner but she gets upset when he days he glad he got wounded so he could be with her. She takes him to a hospital and berates him for treating war like a game. Later he sneaks into her quarters, but they are interrupted by an air raid. Manfred leads the squadron up against the bombers and his head wound causes him to become disoriented.  Manfred is offered the command of the entire air service and Kate is overjoyed. Manfred jokes with Voss that he wants Manfred at a desk job so Voss can beat his score. While touring the Fokker factory, Manfred learns Voss has been shot down. Manfred tells the high command that the war is lost. In the spring of 1918 the Germans launch their last offensive. Manfred’s planes provide cover. Kate is angry that he is still flying combat missions, but he says he will not betray the men in the field. On April 21, 1918 [1:48:47 to 1:53:47] Manfred leads his squadron on a mission, but is shot down and killed. The allies give him a full military funeral. Kate crosses the lines with Brown’s help and visits Manfred’s grave.   

A very entertaining film. However, much of the story is completely fictitious. As entertainment and not history, this is a good movie.

The date is given in the film at 1:48:50

Producers - Dan Maag, Thomas Reisser and Roland Pellegrino

Director - Nikolai Müllerschön

Screenplay - Nikolai Müllerschön

Runtime – 2 hours 3 minutes

Released – April 10,  2008

Cast -     

Matthias Schweighöfer as Manfred von Richthofen “the Red Baron”
Lena Headey as Nurse Käte Otersdorf
Til Schweiger as Leutnant Werner Voss
Volker Bruch as Lothar von Richthofen
Maxim Mehmet as Leutnant Friedrich Sternberg
Hanno Koffler as Leutnant Lohmann
Tino Mewes as Oberleutnant Kurt Wolff
Steffen Schroeder as Oberleutnant Karl Bodenschatz
Axel Prahl as General der Kavallerie Ernst von Hoeppner
Joseph Fiennes as CaptainRoy Brown, RCFC
Tomáš Koutník as Young Manfred von Richthofen
Tomáš Ibl as Young Lothar von Richthofen
Albert Franc as Young Wolfram von Richthofen
Richard Krajčo as Major Lanoe Hawker VC RFC
Lukáš Příkazký as Oberleutnant Stefan Kirmaier
Gitta Schweighöfer as Kunigunde von Richthofen
Branislav Holiček as Leutnant Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen
Julie Engelbrecht as Ilse von Richthofen
Jan Vlasák as Major Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen
Robert Nebřenský as Feldwebel Räuber
Ralph Misske as Menzke
Josef Vinklář as Generalfeldmarschall Paul von Hindenburg
Ladislav Frej as Kaiser Wilhelm II
Patrik Plesinger as Hauptmann Doering
Jiří Laštovka as Oberleutnant Ernst Udet
Rostislav Novák as Oberleutnant Erich Loewenhardt
Zdeněk Pecha as Leutnant Werner Steinhäuser
Jiří Kout as Leutnant Eberhard Mohnicke
Karsten Kaie as Anthony Fokker
Luise Bähr as Sophie
Irena Máchová as Clara


Copyright by Ivan Walters 2014. 




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