‘Stop and Watch’ War Movies.

[Sean Malone]

I caught A Bridge too Far in HD on one of the HD channels last week. One of my all time favorites that I haven’t seen in quite some time. Powerhouse cast as was popular in the late 60’s and 70’s. The scenes with James Caan forcing the surgeon to help his friend and when he comes across the German tank division in the woods…turns off his engine…and then gets chased, are awesome. Many of the scenes still hold up to today’s standards and the movie on a whole almost does itself. Old school epic that they just don’t do these days.
Elliott Gould’s acting or lack there of still bugs the hell out of me. I can really only stomach him in the MASH movie and then just barely. Anthony Hopkins and Michael Caine did a convincing job as English soldiers who draw a stark contrast to their American counterparts.

As a general self imposed rule I always stop and watch the following when I catch them…

WWII

A Bridge Too Far (see above)

Kelly’s Heroes ( a war ‘comedy’ with 60’s hippie vibe but Eastwood, Don Rickles, Telly Savalas and Donald Sutherland in the same movie!!! ) It’s funny seeing future Love Boat captain, Gavin MacLeod as a semi-psychotic tank driver. The scene where Sutherlands Sherman is behind the German Tiger tank and shoots a paint cartridge is still intense!

The Dirty Dozen - Lee Marvin and Charles Bronsen! How can you go wrong?!? Another late 60’s war movie. The original “dress up like a German officer and infiltrate their party in a French chateau, get the secret documents and blow the place up” scene. Trivia – Telly Savalas and Donald Sutherland have roles in this movie also.

The Thin Red Line – (First half only). I despise the self indulgent surrealism that this film dissolves in to but the first half is truly phenomenal. One of the first war films that utilized computer graphics. Note the enemy tracer bullets coming right at you over the soldier of the character in front of the camera. That perspective was never before seen but subtly adds to the realism. Each time I have watched this movie I feel I am climbing that grassy hill right along with them.

Enemy at the Gates – Ok, so maybe not a ‘classic’ but I love the whole sniper ‘thing’ and the Battle of Stalingrad is an interesting theater.

Band of Brothers – Not a film per se but a quality ‘must have’ for any WWII movie fan like moi.

Saving Private Ryan – patriotic heroism at its finest.

Vietnam

Apocalypse Now - I rarely make it through to the end any more but still a brilliant film.

Platoon

One movie that has fallen off my “stop and watch” list is Full Metal Jacket. Yes it’s Kubrick, yes there are some great scenes but I recently watched it in it’s entirety and found it didn’t shock like it use to (probably due to multiple viewings) and became somewhat tedious to watch. I was happy when it was over. Matthew Modines acting is on par with Elliot Goulds. The camera work is fantastic and the message is loud and clear...but it's not holding up for me any more.

[emjaya]

One movie that has fallen off my “stop and watch” list is Full Metal Jacket. Yes it’s Kubrick, yes there are some great scenes but I recently watched it in it’s entirety and found it didn’t shock like it use to (probably due to multiple viewings) and became somewhat tedious to watch. I was happy when it was over. Matthew Modines acting is on par with Elliot Goulds. The camera work is fantastic and the message is loud and clear...but it's not holding up for me any more.

:eek:

http://www.offcamber.net/forums/showthread.php?t=13695&highlight=movies

:)

[Andrew Longman]

There are several I love but have been on so much over the years that I don't "stop" as much as I used to:

Midway -- Stiff but a classic. I loved Holbrook in his bathrobe reporting that he cracked the code.

Patton -- Iconic. And Karl Malden as Bradley was a perfect counter to Scott

The Longest Day: Robert Mitchem rallying they troops: There are only two types of soldiers staying on this beach. "Those that are dead and those that are gonna be dead." Also there is a remarkable piece of cinematography in the scene where the British paratroopers are seen in a tremendously long and high boom shot as they advance on a French village while under fire. They shot probably takes 2-3 minutes, had to be done in one take, as it follows them maybe a quarter mile while stuff is blowing up all around them.

Run Silent, Run Deep. Burt Lancaster, Clark Gable, nuff said

Bridge Over the River Kwai: The tension between the British special ops officers and William Holden is superb and a great story of what constitutes character.

The Great Escape -- Steve McQueen, David Attenborough, James Garner. Terrific cast. Compelling story

Kelly's Heros -- Oddball's crew and Carrol O'Connor's character alone make it worth it.

Tora Tora Tora -- Stiff but also a classic

Saving Private Ryan -- The first 25 minutes is some of the most realistic and frightening battle footage.

Battle of the Bulge -- Henry Fonda determination's to find the tanks. A little over the top at the conclusion though.



There are several that don't get as much play, because they were lesser known or British, etc. that I will rarely miss.

Bridge at Remagen -- Great cast and amazing battle footage

The Enemy Below -- Robert Mitchem, realistically filmed, cat and mouse

Das Boot -- literally exhausted my when I saw it originally

Sink the Bismark -- An epic story England is proud of and symbolic of Germany's arrogance at the time

Battle of Britain -- Amazing cinematography -- especially at the time.

The Eagle Has Landed -- Michael Cain and a great story. You almost have to root for the Germans

Mosquito Squadron -- Great plane, Great war propaganda

Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo -- Amazing story. Van Johnson, Spencer Tracy

What Did You Do in the War Daddy? Comedy. I haven't seen it in years

Stalig 17 A classic. Hogan's Heros it is not.

Von Ryans Express Trevor Howard, Sinatra. Brilliant. Take over a train and move a POW camp full of prisoner to Switzerland. Best line: Trevor Howard -- "PARADE!!!! strip."


I liked Platoon but otherwise have been able to get too excited about any Korean or Vietnam ear films

Good thread Sean:thumbup:

[dando]

Not a River Kwai fan? I also find Glory a must watch. The Civil War documentary by Ken Burns is also in my collection. :thumbup:

-Kevin

[Andrew Longman]

I also find Glory a must watch.
-Kevin

Yes to Glory

No to 1776, The Patriot, or Revoltion

The only Revolutionary war movie I liked was a MFTV thing with Jeff Daniels as Washington. And it was flawed for me because it was filmed in Canada on/around the Ottawa River and it doesn't look anything like my backyard. ;)

[Methanolandbrats]

Castle Keep is a good one too.

[coolhand]

I cannot share the love for "A Bridge to Far". I generally dislike the ensemble cast type movies. Some of the technical parts bothered me. Like the Sdfkz 222 that Michael Caine rides in. As far as British WWII productions go rate this one lower than most.

I think Band of Brothers was hands down the best WWII production ever.

Other favorites:
The Guns of Navarone
Force 10 from Navarone
Saints and Soldiers (2004)
Downfall
Patton
Sink the Bizmark
Das Boot

The more "Fun" types:
Dirty Dozen
Kelly's Heroes (surprisingly accurate in terms of equipment)
The Great Escape

There are a lot of Australian and UK films from the 40s and 50s I have not seen yet that I would like to. UK/Commonwealth battles are under represented in film.

For instance
The Rats of Tobruk (1947)
Tobruk (1967)
I just found out about a Czeck film about Tobruk made in 2008. Looks like Awesome quality.
There is also one about the Brits on Crete during the Fallschirmjager attack.

Also a French Film Days of Glory that I want to see.

I see Thin Red Line and Apocalypse Now more as morality films in a War setting.

For Korea:

The Bridges at Toko Ri was amazing. Still holds up, hard to believe it was made in the 50s. It looks GREAT!

[Insomniac]

IMDB Ratings for War Movies (http://us.imdb.com/chart/war)

Not on the list is No Man's Land (http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0283509/).

[Elmo T]

Some offbeat favorites:

Breaker Morant
The Wild Geese
The Dogs of War - Christopher Walken :thumbup:

For the small screen on American Life TV - I've been enjoying a childhood favorite: Rat Patrol

[dando]

Does Flight of the Phoenix (original) qualify? :thumbup: :thumbup:

-Kevin

[Sean Malone]

Does Flight of the Phoenix (original) qualify? :thumbup: :thumbup:

-Kevin

good one!! Love that flick! Perfect lazy Saturday afternoon movie.

[Methanolandbrats]

This series is amazing http://unknown-war.com/

[nrc]

Some good suggestions. I'll add "We Were Soldiers." Not the best film overall, but a heroic story and faithful retelling from the book, "We Were Soldiers Once... and Young."


Also, "Black Hawk Down"

[dando]

Also, "Black Hawk Down"

:thumbup: :thumbup:

-Kevin

[nrc]

Oh, and one that I didn't care for: "Jarhead"

[chop456]

The Guns of Navarone
Apocalypse Now
Paths of Glory

[G.]

When "Band Of Brothers" is on, my day is done.

Doesn't matter how many times I've seen it.

Does "Catch 22" fit the category?

[Andrew Longman]

Oh, and one that I didn't care for: "Jarhead"

I thought that was OK but I liked All the Kings Men a lot.

[Andrew Longman]

The Bridges at Toko Ri was amazing. Still holds up, hard to believe it was made in the 50s. It looks GREAT!

Sorry. Too many scenes of conflicted couples drinking in bars for my taste

[stroker]

Somebody needs to put a shout out for "Gettysburg". Jeff Daniels wuz robbed by the Academy on that one. I don't even think he was nominated.

[Elmo T]

I forgot to add Big Red One

[Methanolandbrats]

The War of the Roses :gomer:

[Andrew Longman]

Somebody needs to put a shout out for "Gettysburg". Jeff Daniels wuz robbed by the Academy on that one. I don't even think he was nominated.

Agree but it was MFTV movie I think. A Turner thing I think.

[eiregosod]

the only film of World War 2 you'll ever need:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World_at_War

26 hours is a lot for oaf-minded film viewers, but spend the whole 26 hours watching it and thank yourself lucky that you werent at the battle of the Somme in 1916.

[STD]

Flags of our Fathers
Letters From Iwo Jima

[eiregosod]

"Klaus fuchs, patriot"

[G.]

the only film of World War 2 you'll ever need:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World_at_War

26 hours is a lot for oaf-minded film viewers, but spend the whole 26 hours watching it and thank yourself lucky that you werent at the battle of the Somme in 1916.
World War 2 lasted longer than I thought.

:)

[emjaya]

the only film of World War 2 you'll ever need:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World_at_War

26 hours is a lot for oaf-minded film viewers, but spend the whole 26 hours watching it and thank yourself lucky that you werent at the battle of the Somme in 1916.

:thumbup: Remember watching it as a kid.

The local community station plays a lot of old WWII propaganda films, a US series called Why We Fight (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_We_Fight) is one that is good.

As for movies, some of these are so, so, but alright for a rainy sunday afternoon.

British Empire type movies

The Last of the Mohicans
Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N.
The Four Feathers
East of Kartoum
North West Frontier

WWI

All Quiet on the Western Front
Gallipoli

WWII

PT 109
The Dam Busters - Peter Jackson is doing a remake. :yuck:
The Devil's Brigade

Korean War

Men in War
The Hunters

Vietnam

The Odd Angry Shot
Go tell the Spartans.


There is a foreign language channel in Oz that plays a lot of, well, foreign language films, French, German, Spanish and so on. I always seen to start watching them about halfway though and have no idea what's going on, but some of them are very good.

[nrc]

Agree but it was MFTV movie I think. A Turner thing I think.

It did have a theatrical release. 4 hour movie with an intermission.

I thought it was pretty good. The re-enactors give it a scope that is rarely seen these days without cheesy CGI, but also give it some of that TV docu-drama feel. Its biggest weakness was Martin Sheen as General Lee.

[Mr. Vengeance]

Tora! Tora! Tora! deserves a spot.

(edit: upon further review I see it already has one :thumbup: )

[devilmaster]

i'm waitin to watch the end of Paschendaele... will hold off judgement whether or not its worth addition to the list, but so far its very good. :thumbup:

The Great Raid could be a possible add in.... To me it harkens back to the times when war movies told the real story...

just looking at a partial dvd list near my computer:
sink the bismark
longest day
the great escape
battle of britian
battleship potemkin
the general (buster keaton, civil war)
kelly's heroes
tora x3
dambusters
apocalypse now

[Mr. Vengeance]

i'm waitin to watch the end of Paschendaele... will hold off judgement whether or not its worth addition to the list, but so far its very good. :thumbup:

I was actually going to ask if anyone's seen it, I missed it when it came through town. My grandfather fought (and was shot) there, and if it captures a fraction of the misery it should be worth a look.

[TKGAngel]

Oh, and one that I didn't care for: "Jarhead"

In that case, the book was better than the movie.

I like Great Escape and Band of Brothers.

[Methanolandbrats]

the only film of World War 2 you'll ever need:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World_at_War

26 hours is a lot for oaf-minded film viewers, but spend the whole 26 hours watching it and thank yourself lucky that you werent at the battle of the Somme in 1916. That's why I mentioned The Unknown War, watch that and you'll thank yourself several times you were'nt on that front. :eek:

[devilmaster]

Umm. Wow. :thumbup:

Was the ending a little over the top? perhaps. But the battle scenes (not many of them) are amazing considering the budget they had.

http://www.freefoto.com/images/15/43/15_43_51---Poppy_web.jpg

[Insomniac]

The Last Samurai (it's not a real story, but it's a good war movie)

[STD]

"Klaus fuchs, patriot"


Dr Strangelove?

[Andrew Longman]

Dr Strangelove?

Add Failsafe, On the Beach and The Bedford Incident in the Cold War category

The Manchurian Candidate (the original) in either Cold War or Korea categore

Perhaps Hunt for Red October too but the book was so much better

[stroker]

Breaker Morant? Gallipoli?

:cry:

300?

:D

[Elmo T]

Maybe not in the same vain as the others listed here, but what about Zulu?

[stroker]

Maybe not in the same vain as the others listed here, but what about Zulu?

Holy crap, where were our heads at????

:eek:

[coolhand]

Well I thought we were talking about WWII movies only.

British Colonial era ones

Gunga Din
Breaker Morant
The Man who would be King
Zulu

tones more out there

[EDwardo]

Good list but I have a couple to add.

12 O'clock High and Judgment at Nuremberg.

[RaceGrrl]

Empire of the Sun

[chop456]

Well, as long as we're going way out of traditional boundaries, I'll add "Ran".

[sadams]

What no "Twelve O'clock High" fans?

Or how about "Catch 22"

[devilmaster]

What no "Twelve O'clock High" fans?

:thumbup:

There's just so many good war movies....

[Andrew Longman]

What no "Twelve O'clock High" fans?

Or how about "Catch 22"

I kicked myself for missing that one.

I loved C22 as a book but I only saw the movie once a long time ago. Not bad IIR

[Sean Malone]

Which famous movie is set in Korea and is primarily about bombing a bridge (or bridge) with F-86 Sabers?

[Elmo T]

Maybe not a war movie directly, but I always liked Clint Eastwood in Heartbreak Ridge.

[Andrew Longman]

Which famous movie is set in Korea and is primarily about bombing a bridge (or bridge) with F-86 Sabers?

The Bridges of Toko Ri

William Holden and Grace Kelly. Should have been great

But I always thought it was about a love triangle and an unappreciative husband. Most of the movie seem to take place in a bar or living room.

The F86s showed up well though.

[Andrew Longman]

Maybe not a war movie directly, but I always liked Clint Eastwood in Heartbreak Ridge.

Agreed, but I always thought it a little sad that the state of American pride and psyche in 1986 was such that someone felt the need to make a movie about the invasion of Grenada. And I have yet to meet a Marine who wore an earring (Mario Van Peebles). Eastwood did much better with the Letters From Iwo Jima duo.

[Sean Malone]

I watched half of Bravo Two Zero the other night. True account of a British special forces unit whose mission is to take out Saddam's SCUD missiles during the first Iraq war. Very British, at times I struggled to understand the dialog due to heavy accents but it added to the realism. Not bad, but kinda low budget and it showed at times. It stars Sean Bean (Borimir from Lord of the Rings) and he's pretty good as the unit commander. I hope to finish it tonight.

[nrc]

Which famous movie is set in Korea and is primarily about bombing a bridge (or bridge) with F-86 Sabers?

The Bridges at Toko-Ri

Hmm. But those were Navy pilots so they wouldn't be F-86s.

Confirmed: F9F Panthers - one of the prettiest fighters ever.

2K0bGlUSz20

[STD]

Now don't go ruining good movie scripts with historic fact. It takes all the fun out of it.

;)

[Sean Malone]

The Bridges at Toko-Ri

Hmm. But those were Navy pilots so they wouldn't be F-86s.

I just vaguely remember the shape of the plane from the movie. I thought F-86 because they have that classic '50's fighter design. Always loved the look of the F-86.

[dando]

Agreed, but I always thought it a little sad that the state of American pride and psyche in 1986 was such that someone felt the need to make a movie about the invasion of Grenada. And I have yet to meet a Marine who wore an earring (Mario Van Peebles). Eastwood did much better with the Letters From Iwo Jima duo.

Yeah, but I prefer that over Red Dawn. Wolverine! :gomer: :saywhat:

-Kevin

[coolhand]

Which famous movie is set in Korea and is primarily about bombing a bridge (or bridge) with F-86 Sabers?

Bridges at Toko-Ri was about Naval Aviators, Sabers were USAF. The Navy flew Banshees, Cougars and Pathers.

[coolhand]

I watched half of Bravo Two Zero the other night. True account of a British special forces unit whose mission is to take out Saddam's SCUD missiles during the first Iraq war. Very British, at times I struggled to understand the dialog due to heavy accents but it added to the realism. Not bad, but kinda low budget and it showed at times. It stars Sean Bean (Borimir from Lord of the Rings) and he's pretty good as the unit commander. I hope to finish it tonight.

I would use "True" story very loosely. Divide a lot of the numbers by 10. There is plenty of stuff on the internet about the story, look it up. McNabb BSed a bit. Mostly the numbers of iraqi's they killed the the distances they traveled.

The fighting withdrawal part is considered pretty realistic though. Good movie, better than "Three Kings". The stuff about his capture are pretty real too.

[Andrew Longman]

Good movie, better than "Three Kings".

Three Kings was great, but it not like it was really a war movie anymore than Kelly's Heroes was. Its social commentary and a good story:gomer:

[Gnam]

The Last Samurai (it's not a real story, but it's a good war movie)

Stripes
Aliens
Empire Strikes Back
Raiders of the Lost Ark
:p


For reals though, Memphis Belle and U-571 are still fun to watch.

[coolhand]

Three Kings was great, but it not like it was really a war movie anymore than Kelly's Heroes was. Its social commentary and a good story:gomer:

I like bringing up to people the storyline. Saving Iraqi shias from Saddam thugs. Funny how much times have changed. That was 10 years ago (1998), I think I was in Junior High, that was a movie we wanted to sneak into.

[Michaelhatesfans]

Also, "Black Hawk Down"

For me that was one where the movie fell short of the documentary that they ran on History Channel.

[Michaelhatesfans]

I remember being pretty blown away by The Boys In Company C when I was about 12. I haven't seen it since, so I don't know how it holds up. I just remember thinking, "Wow, this drill sergeant isn't like the one on Gomer Pyle...":tony:

[pchall]

The Bridges of Toko Ri

William Holden and Grace Kelly. Should have been great

But I always thought it was about a love triangle and an unappreciative husband. Most of the movie seem to take place in a bar or living room.

The F86s showed up well though.

I always thought it was one of those duty to country before duty to family propaganda pieces trying get WW2 guys to give up domesticity and career defend their country again.
Jimmy Stewart did one like that -- Strategic Air Command -- where he leaves June Allyson and his baseball career to serve his country again. Granted, it would be a little easier to leave June Allyson than Grace Kelly in my book. ;)

They're flying McDonnell Banshees and Grumman Panthers in that flick. It is a carrier story.

http://www.daleisphere.com/wp-content/uploads/bridges-at-toko-ri-1954-jets-prepping-for-takeoff-from-uss-oriskany.jpg

Image taken from stock footage of deck ops on the Oriskany used in the movie.


* * *

My Stop and Watch Movie rarely gets a mention. The Enemy Below (1958), where Robert Mitchum plays a destroyer captain dueling with a German sub. Curd Jürgens is the German sub commander. David Hedison is good as the XO of the destroyer -- far more convincing than he was as captain of the Seaview. ;) Must see flick in my book.

ps: this story line was retreaded in the original Star Trek series episode where Kirk is dueling with the first cloaked Romulan cruiser a Starfleet ship encounters.

[stroker]

I remember being pretty blown away by The Boys In Company C when I was about 12. I haven't seen it since, so I don't know how it holds up. I just remember thinking, "Wow, this drill sergeant isn't like the one on Gomer Pyle...":tony:

Lee Ermey is The Man.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/Rleeermeygfdl.PNG

[oddlycalm]

Comprehensive list of war movies (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_war_films)

The real shocker to me was how many I've seen. :eek:

Then there is also the Marx Brother classic anti-war satire "Duck Soup."

oc

[Don Quixote]

Nice list. Yep, I too have spent too many hours watching war movies. :thumbup:

[Indy]

To really understand Full Metal Jacket (and other Kubrick as well), check this out. Brilliant analyses.

http://www.collativelearning.com/FMJ%20contents.html