Movies of WWII

[King Henry V]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...855379-4690248

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...855379-4690248

[The Stranger]

thanx again

btw i saw one good WW1 movie i forgot its name but it was about the dardanelles.

The King's Men or sumthin like it...really good

[InsaneApache]

You won't go wrong buying a Bridge Too Far, an excellent movie, featuring some classic actors and some 'up and coming' new boys, now accomplished actors. IMHO the scene with Larry Olivier, playing the Doctor who was being driven to where the paratroopers were about to surrender, is one of the most moving I've ever seen, he never says a word, but by God the emotion is powerful, it's all in the face, especially his eyes. A true classic.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075784/

[King Henry V]

thanx again

btw i saw one good WW1 movie i forgot its name but it was about the dardanelles.

The King's Men or sumthin like it...really good

All the King's Men was a good film (well it was made by the BBC), and showed the stupidity of of pals battalions.

[The Stranger]

yheah that was the name...really awesome

[ICantSpellDawg]

Das Boot
Stalingrad
Band of Brothers
SPR
Bridge over the River Kwai
Grave of the Fireflies

I think that Das Boot, Stalingrad and Band of Brothers are best at describing the feelings of the soldiers (but what I think really means very little as I was not in fact there).

[The_Mark]

Tuntematon sotilas by Edwin Laine. Just because it's Finnish

And it's something of a curiosity, a WWII film without Nazis, Americans, Japanese or Brits.

[King Ragnar]

I think the best thing about Stalingrad is that it shows the German soldiers have feelings and were not evil, like in some movies they are just shown as evil moronic drones.

[Gregoshi]

Battle of Britain, if only for the chunky ketchup blood effect.

Funny you should say that evil_maniac. Battle of Britain was on TV today so I watched the last half of it. Aside from some less than spectacular effects (blood, explosions), it was incredibly refreshing to see the beauty of real aircraft in a dogfight. I've gotten used to (way too) many CGI effects in movies. I thought Pearl Harbor wasn't that great of a movie aside from the attack itself, and I remember thinking the CGI effects were pretty darn good. That is, until I saw BoB again today. It was clear to me that CGI still has a way to go in some areas.

In fact, now that I think about it, with few exceptions, the WW2 movies of the past 20-25 years seem lacking. It seems to me that the 60's and early 70's were the "golden age" of WW2 movies: Battle of Britain, The Longest Day, Patton, A Bridge Too Far, Kelly's Heroes, The Great Escape - am I missing any others? They have a epic feeling about them. I guess they also had the advantage of having access to larger numbers of war surplus equipment.

I'd have to say Patton is my all-time favourite. Das Boot and Saving Private Ryan had a profound effect on me regarding the gritty, emotional aspects of war. However, I wouldn't want to watch them too often. Patton, I'll watch anytime it is on.

Curiously, I usually end up watching Battle of the Bulge and Midway whenever they are on. Probably because I find the actual battles interesting and think these two movies are the most shown WW2 movies on TV these days in the US. As movies though, they suck. Battle of the Bulge has a horrible story on the American side with know-it-all Henry Fonda dominating the battle. Midway suffers from crappy stock footage and in-plane shots and a horrible American side of the story in the form of Charlton Heston's character. Anyway, these two movies drawn me in like flies to manure way too many times for how bad they are. Thus ends my confession.

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

Gonna have to recommend "A Bridge Too Far" as well, great film, and the book is just as good as the movie.

[Reverend Joe]

I completely forgot about this one- A Midnight Clear! Almost no focus on action, but a really good story. Depressing as hell, though.

[lars573]

I think the best thing about Stalingrad is that it shows the German soldiers have feelings and were not evil, like in some movies they are just shown as evil moronic drones.

Hardly surprising considering it's a German production, made in Germany with German actors. Best scene is when they are about to attack either Russia or just Stalingrad but the chaplin is giving a speach and he says "God is with you my sons, it's carved into your belt buckles to always rmind you of that fact." or something like that and one of the main characters looks at his belt and goes sh*t I never noticed that before. I'll have to carve that off god has no place in what we're about to do."

Actually Greg if you know your tanks you'll notice that all the american tanks in Patton are in fact US M-48 and M-60 Patton MBT's. The German tanks are all armoured recovery vehicles in Tiger and Panzer IV mock ups.

[Tribesman]

How I won the war , with Micheal Crawford , John Lennon and Roy Kinnear . classic

[The Stranger]

did anyone saw When TRumpets Fade...it shows that most soldiers were just ordinary boys...no heroes just kids that wanted to go home...at the end they did sumthing heroic but nobody would know cuz all but one died and he isnt likely to be belived...a real good movie

[Geoffrey S]

A serious lack of Schindler's List here; why?

[The Stranger]

it has been stated once or twice

[PFJ_bejazuz]

'Kelly's Heroes' & 'Where Eagles Dare' for fun

BROADSWORD CALLING DANNYBOY

& 'Come & See' for pure jaw dropping OMFG action that makes private ryan look like ballamory

quote 'This is one of the best, the story of a teen who joins the partisans--Great cinematography. They used live ammo while filming. Russian directors don't mess around.'

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...48013?v=glance

[The Stranger]

yeah where eagles dare is funny

escape from sobibor is good too

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

Funny you should say that evil_maniac. Battle of Britain was on TV today so I watched the last half of it.

That movie was great.

[Geoffrey S]

The Eagle Has Landed was good, I think; it's been ages since I saw it though.

[Adrian II]

Das Boot stands out in terms of its emphasis on the psychology of the soldiers. The TV series (ie an extended version) is better if you can find it. Extremely immersive as an experience.

I third the choice of Das Boot for various reasons in addition to the one mentioned by Simon Appleton, such as its great photography and its historical accuracy. I know the events portrayed are not established facts, but for me the concept of historical accuracy runs much deeper.

A Bridge too Far stands out in terms of its accurate representation of a campaign. Watching the film is almost as informative as reading a book about it (there was a good book of that title, I'm not sure if it predated the film - it may have done).

You probably meant Cornelius Ryan's best-selling A Bridge too far (1974), a decent book that covers Market-Garden.

[Franconicus]

Die Brücke! Best war film ever!

[PFJ_bejazuz]

Sam Peckinpah's 'Cross of Iron' is a brutal action movie. James Coburn IS Major Easy from the old Battle comic of the 70s.

[Tricon]

"the bunker (not a reall ww2 story but a horror based on it)"

Is that one any good? I've seen it in viedeo stores but haven't seen it yet.

Best WWII movies?
Das Boot
Tora Tora Tora
Stalingrad
Die Bruecke
Savin Privat Ryan
Band of Brothers

[The Stranger]

i dunno...i also only saw the cover...but i had my money spend on other movies

[Puzz3D]

A Walk in the Sun is pretty good. It concentrates on the individual thoughts of the members of an infantry platoon as they undertake an assault on a German held farmhouse outside Salerno. No Hollywood super heroics in this movie. It's just each man's thoughts as waits for the moment when he will have to stand up and run towards that farmhouse.

[Yawning Angel]

Would second Das Boot as one of the best, also I think this couple of British war movies are excellent for psychological aspects of war:

The Cruel Sea - anti-submarine corvette in the battle of the Atlantic
Ice Cold in Alex - North African desert campaign

[Jubilation T Cornpone]

'Went the day well' - Forerunner of The eagle has landed. Excellent film plus Thora Hird with a rifle, what more could you want?

'Angels one five' (I think) - Pseudo black and white Battle of Britain. 'Come in Blue two, come in Blue two'..etc

'The long and the short and the tall' Even Japanese officers are human...

'The Big Red One' - Like it every time I see it and Mark Hammill doesnt mention rescuing princesses once....

633 Squadron - Its not brilliant but I grew up with it so its nostalgic.

Ah, there are so many others.....