Baron Rouge

Is funny how many film nerds take films literally and criticize them, narrow-minded and quick enough. Life is more than just obvious and literal things, so films usually try to show those things in a bit more exaggerate way so people realize how things are or at least, in order to express some idea or feeling. As books, movies sometimes tell about something else, and don't have to have taken literally. Is funny how many historian nerds claim faults in such film or other. Strictly historic accounts would take a unusual long movie to make. Always licenses are taken and some freedom, lyrically too, showed. Sometimes the faults are there, but sometimes too those faults are left aside for being uninteresting in a film making. I really failed to see or read the statement "this is a documentary film", or the like. On medics films, we hear the real medic persons complain about such drug or anesthetic. Come on, don't be so serious, films have to be dynamically paced, regardless its real pace speed. We have metaphors, remember? Boredom kills films more than anything on this world, perhaps.

I went sideways, I know... about the film:

With some lyric and historical licenses, this one adds something not shown before and with objectivity: man is being killed (as today) on both sides of the front, nothing else. Ideals are worthy as long as we keep them alive, even when gone with the idealist himself, or worthless when they die facing some majority "truth". The movie doesn't lack action and earthly brotherhood with your fellow man, or that should be. Has some romance without catchy parts, and have a strange flash in almost all scenes, like a private and intense sense in each of the chronologically arranged cuts. The hard-to-grasp feeling, as for today, of gentlemanly conduct, regarding human life in some circles, and at the same time, the brutal butchery developed along 4 years by both sides of the fence. I guess in ancient times was about same situation, but this time, and from then on, machinery came into scene and that allowed man to kill man quicker, from afar. Also leads us towards the fact that the man really got into flying, a dream long desired, and this flying was perfected through war, the great technology bringer. Enough said, this film worth the watch and have some good moments, as the ambiance is there, and that is more that we can say of many Hollywood, CA productions of late, or before. So long.

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.

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!

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.

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.