The Red Baron The True Story Of Manfred Von Richthofen

...A word of caution to begin with! ...This product claims to be NTSC, or the format for the region that includes the United States. The technical specs were a bit ambiguous, also claiming to be PAL format, which is used in Europe, where this DVD was produced. I even sent email to be sure, as PAL will not play here in the US on mst DVD-players, and was assured it was NTSC compatable. However, once it arrived, it was NOT NTSC at all, but PAL, so I can only view it on my computer. ...That being said, it is an excellent documentary about the short but adventurous life of Manfred Von Richtoven-aka-the Red Baron, who held the highest score of downed aircraft on any side during WWI, that being 80-kills. He himself was shot down at the age of 25, so this was not a good line of work if one intended to retire with a pension. ...The story is told with video and historic photos, and gives some fresh insights into the times and conditions, and is fairly accurate, as I have a collection of DVD's about this period, so I enjoyed it and would reccommend it to anyone interested in WWI aviation history. Read more

One of the best and most complete stories on the history of this man,the machines,the war and his death. Would definately recommend this to anyone who is a fan or history buff of this man and the air battles they fought Read more

was damaged when opened disk that didnot look bad didnt work this a two disk pack that didnt work on 3 dvd players Read more

As the author William Burrows wrote in the preface to his landmark biography of Baron von Richthofen in 1969, the nature of the Rittmeister's mystique was such that even today, the feeling remains that somehow one must either be for or against him - that there can be no dispassion for a soldier. That may or may not be true; But what I believe to definitely be so is that the Myth created by the name 'Richthofen' is such that nearly a century after the First World War, his genuine mythological and legendary attributes remain a fixture in our collective unconscious. So much so that he remains an archetype of that Prussian nobleman that we have seen portrayed elsewhere in film and literature when dealing with this waning age of chivalry that encompassed all the Royal Houses of Europe with the close of the conflict in 1918. In recent years there have been a number of video documentaries produced on the life (and most pointedly the circumstances surrounding the death) of Manfred Freiherr von Richthofen. Having viewed and collected them all, or at least as many as are known to me at this point, I remain committed to this Canadian production "The Red Baron" from the Toronto director Robert Halbgebauer which was originally released circa 1974. All of the recent offerings from such networks as A&E, Discovery Channel and NOVA are very good technically, and all available on DVD as of this writing. I would make particular mention in their regard of a collaborative book by the historians Norman Franks and Alan Bennett (The Red Baron's Last Flight: A Mystery Investigated) who both contribute considerably to the success of the NOVA and Discovery Channel's 'Unsolved History' programs respectively on this subject, with most fascinating results. But what I think gives this Halbgebauer Productions video the edge is the more fully rounded portrait of Richthofen and his legacy; This is something coincidentally that Burrows pulled off in his book (A True History of the Red Baron) as well. Dated it is, but perhaps because of its age, many first-person sources were able to be used and referred to at the time of production; Many World War One fliers were still alive (mostly the age of surviving Second World War vets today) at the time of production, giving this program that edge of immediacy which is unfortunately lost with any of the current productions. Here we are able to see Hans-Georg von der Osten speaking about his friend von Richthofen, and see him in a very nice scene at the very end of the film as he visits the 71st Fighter Wing of the German Air Force in Wittmund with other former comrades, closing the circle of time. Other surviving former fliers on the Allied side give us their viewpoints as well, including a few segments that are almost worth the price of the video alone with the one time World War One flier-turned-author Archie Whitehouse - if the first war in the air could have been won single-handedly, then 'ol Arch would have won it all by himself, given his personal testimony in this film. In addition to the veteran testimony, and scenes of the modern-day Richthofen Wing, another appearance is made (at a disappointingly-brief seven seconds) during the discussion of the Baron's death by the noted Richthofen collector and personality P.J. Carisella - an interview that I wish had been explored in more depth. None of these things feature in any of the new Richthofen documentaries, which therefore renders this one particularly collectible. The music, George Blair's script and Jon Granik's narration still have not been beaten in my estimation towards creating a real atmosphere here that makes for compelling viewing; In fact I would say that having first seen it over thirty years ago, I was very pleased to be able to obtain a copy all this time later, since it was a program (along with Burrows' book) that was instrumental in planting a seed of minor obsession with this subject that has lasted all these decades. Till now it has only been available on VHS, which I hope will be rectified some day soon. There can in some minds perhaps be no dispassion for a soldier, yet this skillful weaving of contemporary film and current (at the time of production) interviews and scenes by director Robert Halbgebaur and writer George Blair brings not a worshipful portrait of Manfred von Richthofen to the viewer, but I believe a balanced and fair one. Read more

This dvd was purchasd for a research paper, it helped immensely. The story told was inteesting and full of facts. Read more

Ignorance is at times bliss and for years I was under the impression that the Red Baron was a Nazi after all he did fly a red plane so why wouldn't he be. It wasn't until I researched him on google only to find the Red Baron was a German flying ace who by whim of his own decided to paint his plane a vibrant red even his mother questioned his descion. This is the reason why Manfred Von Richthofen still remains a hero in Germany and all had to do was look a little further into his life as a German fighter pilot. Read more

VHS HAD PROBLEMS! PICTURE WAS PRETTY GOOD BUT GOT LINES FROM TIME TO TIME AND AUDIO WAS BAD! A LOT OF STRATCHYNESS ! COULD NOT CORRET WITH TRACKING CONTROLS! TAPE WAS DETERORATING! IMPOSSIBLE TO GET GOOD RECORDING. Read more

Some footage from the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, interviews with several surviving WW1 fliers, and b/w footage from the period combine to make a fascinating documentary. The intro is rather long set to martial music, and all of that footage is repeated in context later. Richthofen's injury is not explained as being from combat flying, nor it's affect on him in later months. Read more