The Red Baron flies back into role of the hero in Germany
It was chocks away last night for a film that aims to shatter a taboo of more than half a century by openly celebrating a German war hero: the fabled flying ace known as the Red Baron.
The €18 million (£14 million) adventure epic Red Baron feeds into a new national mood that has become less hesitant about honouring German battlefield bravery. The Government is even talking of bringing back a modern version of the Iron Cross, the gallantry medal awarded in the First and Second World Wars.
The reason is clear: as the German Army moves into combat zones in Afghanistan and beyond, it needs to rediscover its military traditions – and create heroes. The film, the Berlin premiere of which was attended by members of the Richthofen clan, tries to square a very German circle: to extol the pilot’s virtues while declaring war to be evil. “There are strong voices in Germany that still say we should not be doing this,” Nikolai Müllerschön, who wrote and directed the film, said. But, he added: “The film makes a clear statement against war. Richthofen says that the world has been turned into a slaughterhouse.”
Read entire article at Times (UK)
The €18 million (£14 million) adventure epic Red Baron feeds into a new national mood that has become less hesitant about honouring German battlefield bravery. The Government is even talking of bringing back a modern version of the Iron Cross, the gallantry medal awarded in the First and Second World Wars.
The reason is clear: as the German Army moves into combat zones in Afghanistan and beyond, it needs to rediscover its military traditions – and create heroes. The film, the Berlin premiere of which was attended by members of the Richthofen clan, tries to square a very German circle: to extol the pilot’s virtues while declaring war to be evil. “There are strong voices in Germany that still say we should not be doing this,” Nikolai Müllerschön, who wrote and directed the film, said. But, he added: “The film makes a clear statement against war. Richthofen says that the world has been turned into a slaughterhouse.”