Zeppelin *** (1971, Michael York, Elke Sommer, Peter Carsten, Marius Goring, Anton Diffring, Andrew Keir, Rupert Davies) – Classic Movie Review 8709

Michael York stars in Zeppelin (1971).

Director Etienne Périer’s 1971 wartime adventure drama Zeppelin is a spiffing, busy and fast-moving schoolboy-style spy yarn with the Brits out to steal World War One German airship secrets and stop a daring commando raid on Scotland.

As Geoffrey Richter-Douglas, Michael York makes an attractive hero with divided loyalties, since he is of both Scots and German parentage. The British War Department asks him to be an Allied agent, and go to Germany to infiltrate himself with his old professor friend Prof Altschul (Marius Goring) and his attractive young wife, Erika Altschul (Elke Sommer) to uncover the lowdown on the latest German Zeppelin.

But, fun though this is at most times, the story lacks total conviction and Belgian director Périer seems unsure how fully to animate the support cast. Yet the climactic destruction of the zeppelin adds needed spectacle and both the action sequences and the production values are handsomely produced.

Also in the cast are Peter Carsten, Anton Diffring, Andrew Keir, Rupert Davies, Alexandra Stewart, William Marlow, Alan Rothwell, Richard Hurndall, John Gill, Michael Robbins, Ben Howard, George Mikell, Arnold Diamond, Clive Morton, Bryan Coleman, Gary Waldhorn, Ronald Adam, Fraser Hines, Ruth Kettlewell, Ray Lonnen, John Clark, Peter Frazer and Matthew Long.

Zeppelin is directed by Etienne Périer, runs 100 minutes, is made by Getty and Fromkess Corporation, is released by Warner Bros, is written by Arthur Rowe and Donald Churchill, from the story by Owen Crump, is shot in Technicolor by Alan Hume, is produced by J Ronald Getty (executive producer), Leon Fromkess (executive producer) and Owen Crump, is scored by Roy Budd, and is designed by Fernando Carrere, with special effects by Wally Veevers.

It is the first of four movies produced by J Ronald Getty, the son of J Paul Getty, the richest living American in 1957.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8709

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com