English
2022 was a special year for designer Dietmar Pohl. On the occasion of the 40th anniversary, he was able to travel to the place where both the story of the film First Blood began and his personal life story: Hope, British Columbia, Canada.
To honor the 40th anniversary, Dietmar Pohl designed the extraordinary MK-9 Legacy survival knife, which had its world premiere in Hope. The very first prototype of the MK-9 Legacy with Kydex® sheath was presented on the banks of the Fraser River in the breathtaking landscape of British Columbia. The Pohl Force MK-11 also made its debut there. The time in Hope became an unforgettable experience!
For the summer of 2024, Dietmar Pohl planned to return to Canada to gift two MK-9 Legacy to the city of Hope for its own museum.
After the sales launch in fall 2023, the interest in the anniversary knife, the MK-9 Legacy, was huge. The majority of the limited edition MK-9 Legacy is already sold out. Only a few examples still available.
This July, the time had come and the Pohl Force team headed from Frankfurt to British Columbia. A ten-hour flight to Vancouver and another two hours by car to reach Hope. Nestled between impressive mountain ranges and seemingly endless forests, the town lies on the banks of the Fraser River.
It is a special place for any movie fan, as it was the setting for First Blood, the legendary first part of the film series, in the early 1980s. A walk through Hope and the local area is like a journey through time: many buildings and places have not changed much since filming in the early 1980s and you can still easily recognize and identify them.
In the evening, the Pohl Force team reached Hope. In the evening sun, a coffee from the Blue Moose and a walk along Wallace Street are a pleasant change from over ten hours of flying. After two years, it's almost like coming home for Dietmar Pohl. It was a very warm welcome in 2022 on the occasion of the 40th anniversary. We had many memorable conversations with fans from all over the world and some special friendships were forged.
“Welcome to Hope Dietmar and Annika” was displayed in large letters at the Hope Cinema instead of the usual movie announcements and was hard to miss. It was an emotional moment to see many well-known faces again after two years, Dietmar Pohl reports happily.
Several special events were planned for the coming days. These included a film night at the historic Hope Cinema. As part of this, Dietmar Pohl was also given the opportunity to take a short ride in one of the original trucks from the film. Die-hard First Blood fans will remember the military truck in which the main character manages to escape from the mountains, breaks through a roadblock and finally blows up the vehicle along with a petrol station. The M35A2 (2-1/2 Ton 6x6) model vehicle, better known by its nickname „Deuce-and-a-half,“ which saw service in the U.S. Armed Forces and other nations from
1952 until the early 2000s, was produced by American Motor Company, among others.
As a passionate motorcyclist, it was also a special event and privilege for him to ride the silver Yamaha XT250. In the breathtaking chase that began on Wallace Street, a motorcycle with a red and black tank can be seen in the film. The silver enduro was used for rehearsals and stunt work during filming. A real contemporary witness!
On the following days, there were also opportunities to talk with fans and knife collectors, some of whom had traveled from far away. A visit to the Silver Chalice Pub with its legendary burger was of course a must.
To show his daughter the roots of his professional career and his passion for knives, she accompanied him on this trip. First Blood impressed him so much as a 16-year-old that it was the spark that ignited his passion and career as a knife designer. Of course, the next few days also included excursions to the film's locations in and around Hope.
If you drive out of the center of Hope towards Kawkawa Lake, you cross the Caquihalla River. One of the most famous locations in the film, everyone will remember the iconic bridge. It's a location that did justice to the melancholy of this key scene. The original bridge was a single-lane wooden structure.
Filming took place at this location on the 4th December 1981, a gloomy Friday morning. The Vietnam veteran crossed this bridge in one of the most famous scenes of the entire series. In 2011, despite the valiant efforts of many fans and even the main actor himself, it was replaced by a modern two-lane structure. The original pillars of the bridge can still be seen. It is a wonderful place with a breathtaking landscape that invites you to stay!
Another very special place is the Coquihalla Canyon Provincial Park and the Othello Tunnels. Built between 1911 and 1916, the Othello tunnels were used by the Kettle Valley Railway as a direct line into the interior of British Columbia. Abandoned at the end of the 1950s and closed in 1961. Provincial park since the mid-80s.
This is where the iconic scenes with the helicopter were filmed, where the Vietnam veteran jumps off the cliff. Unfortunately, the famous tree is no longer there since the great flood of 1995. A very special place of film history in a breathtaking landscape. In 2021, one year before the film’s 40th anniversary, a powerful flood caused massive damage. Due to ongoing construction work, the Othello tunnels have been closed since then and can only be viewed from the air. We had the great opportunity to explore the tunnels from the air with pilot Fred Fandrich from Valley Helicopters.
Fred Fandrich, the legendary pilot who flew the film team’s location scouts to Hope and the surrounding area.
Fred started his engineering and pilot career back in 1968 on the Bell 47 in Northern Canada. In 1985, he founded Valley Helicopters Ltd. based in Hope. His son Brad Fandrich became a licensed pilot in 1999, following in his father’s footsteps. Today, the Valley Helicopters fleet includes 6 different Bell helicopters.
Without Fred’s recommendations, First Blood would probably never have been filmed in Hope.
Located north of Vancouver at Cleveland Dam, the Salmon Hatchery in the Capilano River Regional Park is a truly spectacular film set with a high recognition value. This is where the scene was filmed in which the U.S. National Guard searches for the fugitive ex-Green Beret. The former elite soldier used the rocky terrain to cleverly hide and then emerged from the Capilano River to continue his escape.
The location is also very famous for a large and prominent rock located in the middle of the canyon. The filming at this very impressive location started around January of 1982.
During this year's visit, the gorge was covered in fog - an atmosphere just like in a movie. An impressive place!
However, the highlight was undoubtedly the handover of the two MK-9 Legacy (MK-9 Legacy Hope Prototype Edition and MK-9 Legacy in the Green Canvas version) to the mayor of the town of Hope.
The handover ceremony took place on Friday, July 26, 2024 to the Mayor of Hope, Victor Smith, as well as the Hope City Council. Both knives were a gift to the town of Hope. The MK-9 Legacy is a tribute to First Blood and at the same time the link to Dietmar Pohl’s MK-9 Last Blood from the last part of the film series. A very personal project whose realization for the 40th anniversary in 2022 could not find a better occasion. In October 2022, Dietmar Pohl and the Pohl Force team traveled to the place where it all began and where the world premiere of the MK-9 Legacy took place.
With the Hope Prototype Edition, Dietmar Pohl dedicated a small part of the limited total edition of the MK-9 Legacy to the city of Hope and this special first prototype. The 100 knives of the Hope Prototype Edition, equipped with a modern Kydex® sheath, correspond in detail to the first prototype and are unmistakably marked with the addition “HP” in the serial number.
Finally, the city received its own two MK-9 Legacy knives in a festive setting - a very special moment!
“Coming to Hope and seeing all the legendary locations from First Blood is a trip down memory lane that fascinates me every time. The legendary film series began with the start of filming in the breathtaking landscape of Hope. It was the inspiration and spark for my passion for knives and my professional career. It was also a very warm reunion with good friends,” says Dietmar Pohl.
A big thank you to Brian McKinney and Scott Hardy for their great support. Special thanks to the Hope Visitors Center, the mayor of Hope Victor Smith, the city council, Valley Helicopters and of course the people of Hope for the very warm welcome!
Nothing is over! We will see you again!