View Full Version : Favorite WWII Film
Given the day that is or was (depending on your time zone): What is your favorite WWII film? You can only choose one or you are a rule breaker.
My pick: A Bridge Too Far
Gawain of Orkeny
05-10-2005, 04:36
Thers no poll . I wish I could figure out how to make one here.
Don Corleone
05-10-2005, 04:37
The Big Red One.
bmolsson
05-10-2005, 04:44
Kelly's Heros.... ~;)
Gawain of Orkeny
05-10-2005, 04:52
The Big Red One.
I thought that was a XXX film ~:)
Don Corleone
05-10-2005, 04:52
Yeah, so did I when I rented it. Turned out to be really good.
ICantSpellDawg
05-10-2005, 05:02
band of brothers is my favorite
i also like shiny objects
if band of bros didnt come out, itd have to be a bridge too far
im really gay for the set and color movies
Gawain of Orkeny
05-10-2005, 05:02
BB isnt a movie.
Hurin_Rules
05-10-2005, 05:31
Well, since i can only choose one, I'd say Sam Peckinpah's Cross of Iron.
Honourable mentions to Stalingrad and Kelly's Heroes (is that cheating?).
PanzerJaeger
05-10-2005, 05:35
I cant stand hollywood WW2 movies. How many times have you seen Germans getting their asses handed to them by a single GI with apparently 500 bullets in his clip?
Anyway, I liked Stalingrad and Das Boot, but this is probably my favorite war movie: Steel Tempest (http://www.ihffilm.com/steeltempest.html)
ICantSpellDawg
05-10-2005, 05:51
BB isnt a movie.
oh - i took movie to mean dramatized action program about WWII
then a bridge too far or DAS BOOT
DAS BOOT was just the most engaging bastard
Spetulhu
05-10-2005, 06:11
Tuntematon Sotilas.
http://akas.imdb.com/title/tt0048752/
Gregoshi
05-10-2005, 06:21
Tough choice, but I think Patton is probably my favourite WW2 movie.
Gawain of Orkeny
05-10-2005, 07:04
This may surprise you but mine is Das Boot.
Nest is Full Metal Jacket . Mainly because it brings back those fond memories of Bootcamp. Ah those were the days. ~:)
Adrian II
05-10-2005, 07:55
This may surprise you but mine is Das Boot.Not at all, it is my favourite too. The sub is a bit of an island in a world gone mad and the crew aren't nazi's, that's why you can identify more or less with most of them. That's the hook the director puts in your flesh right from the first scene when they all 'piss on' their superiors. You can't help but sympathise with them. Then come the great acting, the incredible camerawork, the physical and human claustrophobia throughout much of the action... Briliant movie.
Franconicus
05-10-2005, 08:34
Das Boot is very good. But my favorite is "Die Bruecke" (The Bridge) a German film from the 50ies. I guess there is no English version, but those speak German should try to see it. There is a version on DVD.
Does anybody else nknow this movie?
Ser Clegane
05-10-2005, 08:50
But my favorite is "Die Bruecke" (The Bridge) a German film from the 50ies. I guess there is no English version, but those speak German should try to see it. There is a version on DVD.
Does anybody else nknow this movie?
A very good (anti-)war movie, indeed.
For those who are interested here is the link to the entry on this movie at Imbd:
Die Brücke (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052654/)
Duke Malcolm
05-10-2005, 09:15
Bridge on the River Kwai, Tora Tora Tora, Dad's Army, or The Foreman went to France
Bridge on the River Kwai, Tora Tora Tora, Dad's Army, The Foreman went to France
One, and only one or do you want to be known as "rule-breaker?"
Duke Malcolm
05-10-2005, 09:20
I know, but I couldn't decide
I know, but I couldn't decide
Discipline man! Discipline!
Just one... tough.
Might just have to be The Longest Day
(Hmm, might have to start another thread in the Frontroom about all this.)
Das Boot is my favorite WW2 film, but it was better as a mini-series. There's a soap opera quality to it that has to be indulged to really make the ending pay back.
Adrian II
05-10-2005, 12:26
A very good (anti-)war movie, indeed.
For those who are interested here is the link to the entry on this movie at Imbd:
Die Brücke (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052654/)I've seen it twice on Dutch tv, it's very good indeed.
Best movie has to be; Framom Främsta Linjen. Its about Swedes in the Finish army fighting the Soviets.
link: http://akas.imdb.com/title/tt0377935/
Very realistic battles and action. And finally a movies without those silly English and American uniforms. hehe, the Finish (and germans) had the best uniforms. :bow:
The Battle on Sutyeska (old Yugoslav movie, with Richard Burton as Tito ~:handball: )
UglyandHasty
05-10-2005, 13:05
Cross of Iron ! Each time i see it i want to jump in that trench to man that MG42 ! Great battles scenes, expect the T-34 to jump of screen into my living room ! ~:cheers:
KukriKhan
05-10-2005, 13:18
Catch-22 (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065528/)
edit: after reading AdrianII's "give reasons" plea in the next post...
I like Catch-22 because it shows the absolute absurdity of war, and the near-impossible personal task of maintaining one's moral integrity and sanity in the war environment.
Adrian II
05-10-2005, 13:25
My pick: A Bridge Too FarOK, but for what reason? Many of these threads are mere lists of titles, let's get beyond that. Maybe it's just me, but I think it's more interesting to hear peoples' views on movies than a couple titles.
Oops... of course I mean ONE!! One title, not a couple!..
Phewww... :dizzy2:
Maybe it's just me, but I think it's more interesting to hear peoples' views on movies than a couple titles.
The Longest Day
It's got John Wayne. It presents a reasonable historic truth. It's BIG movie with a cast of millions. It's got John Wayne AND Henry Fonda. The actions scenes are great, the personalities are great too. It's got John wayne And Henry Fonda AND Sean Connery AND Richard Burton (who gave a great though short performance as the downed RAF flyer baked on morphine with his leg open like a zipper from the knee to the crotch. Hoping the medics get to him before the morphione wears off. Ouch.).
The Longest Day leaves you with the impression that you are really watching a great event unfold. The story is big, the scope is big, the movie is big. And the scene with the German soldier screaming at his superior officer over the phone is an absolute riot! I found the movie didn't leave me wanting more. You felt like you were getting the whole story.
Good music too. "Da-da-da-dummmm"
Oh, and it's got John Wayne.
Medic - "You're ankle is broken sir."
John Wayne - "Well put my boot back on and lace it up. Tight!"
Adrian II
05-10-2005, 13:48
Oh, and it's got John Wayne.
Medic - "You're ankle is broken sir."
John Wayne - "Well put my boot back on and lace it up. Tight!"And proceeds to lead his unit from a wheel-barrow, I know. And it's got Robert Wagner in it going: 'I wonder what bitte, bitte means?' But it's entertainment, more than anything else. It didn't leave me with the sense that I understood the event better than before watching it. In fact, the movie pays off only if you already know a lot about the episode from reading Cornelius Ryan or whatever.
Well Beruit summed up The Longest Day - I will have to submit a review of my second favorite WW2 film.
Enemy at the Gate
The best part of the movie is the beginning 15-20 minutes where it shows the mass confusion of the Soviet Army and the lets throw men at the problem until the enemy is broken or we are destroyed. The first opening shots show the true horror and glory of war at the same time. The rest of the movie is not as good as those first open shots - but it does a decent job of showing the confusion, and determinaion of the Soviet Defense of Stalingrad.
Hurin_Rules
05-10-2005, 17:31
Enemy at the Gate
The best part of the movie is the beginning 15-20 minutes where it shows the mass confusion of the Soviet Army and the lets throw men at the problem until the enemy is broken or we are destroyed. The first opening shots show the true horror and glory of war at the same time. The rest of the movie is not as good as those first open shots - but it does a decent job of showing the confusion, and determinaion of the Soviet Defense of Stalingrad.
I have to disagree with you there Redleg. While the opening scene was surely captivating, it gave the impression that the entire Red Army was a leaderless herd of untrained sheep. We saw the Comissars (communists, and therefore evil), but we didn't see the NCO's. Where were the officers of this horde? Where were the sergeants and lieutenants (or the Soviet equivalents)? Is it really accurate to show the soldiers not even having guns (small arms were not a big problem in the Soviet Army, if I remember correctly, especially not in a city with as many guns lying around as Stalingrad). Was it common for the soviets to put a machine gun behind their own troops and mow them down when they retreated?
I just found it very unbelievable. If it was really like that, one wonders how in the world these buffoons defeated the Nazis.
Templar Knight
05-10-2005, 17:41
A bridge too far ~:cheers:
Very tough to choose.
But I'm no rule breaker. I will exhibit discipline! :grin:
Saving Private Ryan
OK, but for what reason? Many of these threads are mere lists of titles, let's get beyond that. Maybe it's just me, but I think it's more interesting to hear peoples' views on movies than a couple titles.
Most films focus on the plight of the individual soldier and rightly so. Perhaps one of the best in this regard is "Das Boot". Even so, I also like fare where the larger picture is presented: "A Bridge too Far" does this in all its vain glorious majesty. I also like its historicity and the film's shear story telling: from the general, to the combat soldier, to the civilian caught betwixt and between.
Oops... of course I mean ONE!! One title, not a couple!..
Phewww... :dizzy2:
Good man.
I have to disagree with you there Redleg. While the opening scene was surely captivating, it gave the impression that the entire Red Army was a leaderless herd of untrained sheep. We saw the Comissars (communists, and therefore evil), but we didn't see the NCO's. Where were the officers of this horde? Where were the sergeants and lieutenants (or the Soviet equivalents)? Is it really accurate to show the soldiers not even having guns (small arms were not a big problem in the Soviet Army, if I remember correctly, especially not in a city with as many guns lying around as Stalingrad). Was it common for the soviets to put a machine gun behind their own troops and mow them down when they retreated?
I just found it very unbelievable. If it was really like that, one wonders how in the world these buffoons defeated the Nazis.
I didn't say I found it believable - I once again found it demonstrated the mass confusion of the Soviet Army and the lets throw men at the problem until the enemy is broken or we are destroyed. The first opening shots show the true horror and glory of war at the same time.
The defense of Stalingrad in the histories I have read was intially a chaotic defense where Stalin ordered troops into the area to defend the city at all costs. I think the movie did a decent job of representing this. That it snub the comissars is to be expected - since well they were using your term "evil".
The movie shows very well the heroic effort of the Soviet Army in stopping and then defeating the Germans at Stalingrad. However in 1941 much of the Red Army was a bunch of leaderless sheep because Stalin "purged" the Army in the 1930's.
No war movie is realistic - the closest that I have ever seen to being realistic is The Cross of Iron and that is because it shows the individual intensity of some soldiers.
t1master
05-10-2005, 19:37
where eagles dare
i liked the mountain setting and all the gunfights in the castle.
Big King Sanctaphrax
05-10-2005, 19:41
Das Boot for me. I purchased it recently, after playing Silent Hunter III and getting a bit of a thing for U-Boats, and it's absolutely brilliant.
PanzerJaeger
05-10-2005, 19:50
Is it really accurate to show the soldiers not even having guns (small arms were not a big problem in the Soviet Army, if I remember correctly, especially not in a city with as many guns lying around as Stalingrad). Was it common for the soviets to put a machine gun behind their own troops and mow them down when they retreated?
Both of those were true of the Red Army.
Now i dont know how frequently they were without guns, but i know it happened.
Executing those who retreated was quite common though.
You do have a point about the NCOs. They would not have been led by commissars.
I liked the character development in Enemy at the Gates. Although the sniper battle was fictionalized a lot, Ed Harris and Jude Law played very believable parts until the end when Eddy felt it neccessary to walk around in the open - something a sniper of his supposed experience wouldnt have done.
Hurin_Rules
05-10-2005, 20:27
I didn't say I found it believable...
No war movie is realistic - the closest that I have ever seen to being realistic is The Cross of Iron and that is because it shows the individual intensity of some soldiers.
Heh, if you'll note, that was my choice for best WWII movie in that thread.
However in 1941 much of the Red Army was a bunch of leaderless sheep because Stalin "purged" the Army in the 1930's.
Granted, the higher officers suffered from the purge, but even given that, the troops filtering into Stalingrad would have had NCOs leading them; there do not appear to be any in the movie, beyond the odd traffic cop herding the hordes in the direction of the front. That, I think, is unrealistic.
Heh, if you'll note, that was my choice for best WWII movie in that thread.
Granted, the higher officers suffered from the purge, but even given that, the troops filtering into Stalingrad would have had NCOs leading them; there do not appear to be any in the movie, beyond the odd traffic cop herding the hordes in the direction of the front. That, I think, is unrealistic.
THere was a lot more then that, that was unrealistic. But like Saving Private Ryan The opening scenes show a lot of the brutal reality of war
ShadesPanther
05-10-2005, 23:05
Longest Day
Is just a great film with great actors and it also shows the German side which was a nice touch to make it seem more realistic. It is better in Black and white as it seems like a documentary with someone there recording it.
next would be Band of Brothers (if it counted ~;) )
DemonArchangel
05-11-2005, 00:24
Not a movie, but a TV show.
Band of Brothers.
TheSilverKnight
05-11-2005, 02:28
The Longest Day
It's got John Wayne. It presents a reasonable historic truth. It's BIG movie with a cast of millions. It's got John Wayne AND Henry Fonda. The actions scenes are great, the personalities are great too. It's got John wayne And Henry Fonda AND Sean Connery AND Richard Burton (who gave a great though short performance as the downed RAF flyer baked on morphine with his leg open like a zipper from the knee to the crotch. Hoping the medics get to him before the morphione wears off. Ouch.).
The Longest Day leaves you with the impression that you are really watching a great event unfold. The story is big, the scope is big, the movie is big. And the scene with the German soldier screaming at his superior officer over the phone is an absolute riot! I found the movie didn't leave me wanting more. You felt like you were getting the whole story.
Good music too. "Da-da-da-dummmm"
Oh, and it's got John Wayne.
Medic - "You're ankle is broken sir."
John Wayne - "Well put my boot back on and lace it up. Tight!"
Longest Day for me as well. Reasons cited above...
Why do Beirut and I think alike? ~:eek:
and did I mention John Wayne rocks? ~D
Thin Red Line (I'm surprised that nobody mentioned it yet). I liked the intense psychological drama portrayed in the film.
The Battle on Sutyeska (old Yugoslav movie, with Richard Burton as Tito ~:handball: )
~D
PanzerJaeger
05-11-2005, 02:49
^Everyone had blue eyes in that movie.. after a while it really distracted me.
Tachikaze
05-11-2005, 07:13
How I Won the War
John Lennon let the water out to make it lighter.
Der Untergang. Not only is it the best movie about hitler, but it also creates a very believable 1945 Berlin. I didn't think it would shock me so much to see a human Hitler, brilliant.
InsaneApache
05-11-2005, 10:39
For me its the 'Eagle has landed' (coz I fancy the bird in it) I pissed myself when 'JR' got shot right between the eyes by the sour faced old bitch.
Like the German officer said (Caine) ..
"Unfortunatley Otto, this officer appears to know what he's doing....it looks like we shall be taking up permanent residence"
classic
Ayachuco
05-11-2005, 15:03
The Dirty Dozen which takes place in Nazi France or that new film on Tojo.
Idomeneas
05-11-2005, 18:43
Cross of Iron definately the best character based film.
Byzantine Prince
05-11-2005, 18:54
The Dirty Dozen which takes place in Nazi France or that new film on Tojo.
Quintin Tarantino's new film is gonna be pretty similar to the Dirty Dozen but he's gonna his own flare and vision to it. I can't wait for that. :balloon2:
bmolsson
05-12-2005, 06:24
Why does movies have to be realistic ?? Don't we have documentaries for that ??
King Ragnar
05-12-2005, 20:45
Guns of Navarone anyone heard of it?
t1master
05-12-2005, 22:29
i haven't seen guns, but i do have force ten from navarone, with indiana jones in it, that movie has great mountian scenery too.
Gawain of Orkeny
05-13-2005, 02:01
Guns of Navarone anyone heard of it?
http://ia.imdb.com/media/imdb/01/I/68/30/48m.jpg
The Guns of Navarone
Released: 1961
Director: J. Lee Thompson
Staring: Gregory Peck, David Niven, Anthony Quinn, Stanley Baker, James Darren
This rousing, explosive 1961 WWII adventure, based on Alistair MacLean's thrilling novel, turns the war thriller into a deadly caper film. Gregory Peck heads a star-studded cast charged with a near impossible mission: destroy a pair of German guns nestled in a protective cave on the strategic Mediterranean island of Navarone, from where they can control a vital sea passage.
As world famous mountain climber turned British army Captain Mallory, Peck leads a guerrilla force composed of the humanistic explosives expert, Miller (David Niven), the ruthless Greek patriot with a grudge, Stavros (Anthony Quinn), veteran special forces soldier Brown (Stanley Baker), and the cool, quiet young marksman Pappadimos (James Darren). This disparate collection of classic types must overcome internal conflicts, enemy attacks, betrayal, and capture to complete their mission.
Director J. Lee Thompson sets a driving pace for this exciting (if familiar) military operation, a succession of close calls, pitched battles, and last-minute escapes as our heroes infiltrate the garrisoned town with the help of resistance leader Maria (Irene Papas) and plot their entry into the heavily guarded mountain fort. Carl Foreman's screenplay embraces MacLean's role call of clichés and delivers them with style, creating one of the liveliest mixes of espionage, combat, and good old-fashioned military derring-do put on film. In 1978, the sequel Force 10 from Navarone was released, but MacLean fans will prefer to check out the action-packed thriller Where Eagles Dare. © Amazon.com
Nope never heard of it ~;)
Alexander the Pretty Good
05-13-2005, 15:55
Wah! Only one!?! This is madness, I tell you, madness!
Erm.
So many good ones!
Overall favorite...
The Great Escape. Yeah, yeah, yeah its not the typical squad-blows-up-stuff or anything, but it's about WW2 and it is (I think) my favorite movie of all time. A great soundtrack, nevermind the great story and occassionally very funny moments.
German officer: "Cooler, ten days."
Steve McQueen, as Captain Hilts: "It's Captain Hilts."
Officer: "Cooler. Twenty days."
A lot of really good ones have already been mentioned, and all the ones that I've seen are pretty high up there. Curse you Pindar! Making us choose! ~;)
English assassin
05-13-2005, 16:45
In Which We Serve.
THIS is what propaganda should look like. No macho glory, just a quiet "This is going to be crap and we might all get killed but lets get on with it anyway". It still gives my morale a boost, and the war ended sixty years ago.
http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/movie.html?v_id=24607
Duke of Gloucester
05-14-2005, 08:58
I like In Which We Serve - very British and understated (and very effective)! Band of Brothers was excellent - too good in some ways - very uncomfortable to watch in some parts. The Great Escape is good too, but a bit like Shakespeare - full of cliches! I also enjoy the Longest Day, but can't see what all the fuss is about Patton; this film is very highly regarded by others though. Enigma is worth watching and Hope and Glory
My favourite WWII film: The Battle of Britain. Why? It has some dated sequences, but the Sept 15th dogfight sequence set to William Walton's music is sublime.
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