Second World War Movies
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Topic: Second World War Movies
Posted By: progadicto
Subject: Second World War Movies
Date Posted: September 02 2007 at 19:55
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Just curious... ------------- ... E N E L B U N K E R... |
Replies:
Posted By: Leningrad
Date Posted: September 02 2007 at 19:56
| I've only seen a few. Probably Saving Private Ryan, although Das Boot is close. |
Posted By: Atkingani
Date Posted: September 02 2007 at 19:58
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I probably saw all films in the list and if Battleground is the 1949 movie I'll choose this one.
But many others are great too. My second choice would be A Bridge Too Far. ------------- Guigo ~~~~~~ |
Posted By: TheProgtologist
Date Posted: September 02 2007 at 20:05
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Saving Private Ryan is my choice.The opening D-Day invasion sequence is so horrific,you almost feel like you are there.
I don't care for older war movies,they aren't too realistic in my book.Platoon was the first movie(IMHO),that showed war like it really is. -------------  |
Posted By: stonebeard
Date Posted: September 02 2007 at 20:10
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I'm not comfortable calling Schindler's List a war movie, though it's centered around events in a war. I think I'll have to choose Saving Private Ryan. Even though the premise of a squad putting itself in danger just to look for one soldier is a bit odd and hard-to-believe for me, the depictions of combat are so vivid and awful, it just has to be the one. I do love Enemy at the Gates, though. Suspension of disbelief is key with this movie, but it's very unique in it own right. ------------- http://soundcloud.com/drewagler" rel="nofollow - My soundcloud. Please give feedback if you want! |
Posted By: Leningrad
Date Posted: September 02 2007 at 20:10
I was watching it with my day a few weeks ago. He told me that when it came out, war veterans had to leave the theater because they thought that it was exactly like what they had seen on D-Day.
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TheProgtologist wrote:Posted By: andu
Date Posted: September 02 2007 at 20:12
For me it's Saving Private Ryan by far (or how The Doctor likes to call it, Shaving Ryan's Privates  ). The Thin Red Line was great, though, and it works perfectly in pair with the SPR, just like The Iliad and The Odyssey work together. Schinder's List is not actually about war, but about it's collateral tragedies and characters. A great film, however. One other great film usually listed as a war movie is Lawrence of Arabia, which I rather find an adventure movie. Other great war movies - Copolla's Apocalypse Now, Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket (I have yet to see Paths of Glory), Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heavens and Black Hawk Down (the impact of seeing this movie was so profound, that I could never play CounterStrike again since then!). I would have added to my list Tarkovsky's Ivan's Childhood and the Romanian Padurea Spanzuratilor by Liviu Ciulei. I'll post again if I missed any...which I surely did. ------------- "PA's own GI Joe!" 
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Posted By: andu
Date Posted: September 02 2007 at 20:14
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Damn! I didn't notice it's WWII only, sorry! In this case it's only my mention of Tarkovsky that still holds.
------------- "PA's own GI Joe!"
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Posted By: VanderGraafKommandöh
Date Posted: September 02 2007 at 20:16
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For me, Schindler's List. Not a war movie, per sé, but an amazing film about one of the most terrifying and damnable things in human history. After that, I would say Das Boot, although I've not seen all 4 hours of it in quite some time. If it wasn't for the poor plothole in Saving Private Ryan (and the fact Tom Hanks was in it), I would say that was the best. It's certainly the best American made film from the list. By the way, it's "The Bridge On the River Kwai", people always get that wrong. -------------   
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Posted By: TheProgtologist
Date Posted: September 02 2007 at 20:27
My maternal grandfather stormed the beaches of Normandy(Omaha Beach) on D-Day and wasn't alive when SPR was released,but I bet it would have freaked him out.He never talked about his experiences in WWII until a few years before his death(He fought from Normandy to Bastogne).
And this poll should have included the excellent movies Flags Of Our Fathers and Letter From Iwo Jima. ------------- |
Posted By: 1800iareyay
Date Posted: September 02 2007 at 20:29
 Masterful films. I never could have guessed that Clnt Eastwood would become such a great director. Heck, I like his directing more than his roles, iconic and superb though they are.
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Posted By: Atkingani
Date Posted: September 02 2007 at 20:38
Jody, I recommend the 1949 movie Battleground, in spite of being shot soon after the end of the war with all the patriotic views, etc, this movie shows desertion, rape attempt, abuses, etc. Quite interesting! ------------- Guigo ~~~~~~ |
Posted By: cookieacquired
Date Posted: September 02 2007 at 23:36
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bridge on rivers great
so is private ryan
but i loved the dirty dozen (<-- this one got my vote)
and the great escape
i just love war... movies ------------- 
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Posted By: kazansky
Date Posted: September 03 2007 at 00:36
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Saving Private Ryan is great indeed, but i feel like the plot is a bit...silly?
Vote for Enemy at the Gates ------------- The devil we blame our atrocities on is really just each one of us. |
Posted By: Novalis
Date Posted: September 03 2007 at 00:40
Agreed.
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Posted By: limeyrob
Date Posted: September 03 2007 at 02:57
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There seems to be two types of war movie - the portraying of actual events and fictional adventures. I chose Where Eagles Dare as a good adventure and would have chosen The Longest Day as a very good documentary style movie.
I might have got my titles mixed up but wasn't The Wild Geese a mercenary film set in Africa? With Richard Burton, Roger Moore and Richard Harris.
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Posted By: Jared
Date Posted: September 03 2007 at 06:45
and when you do Andu, you will realise that qalthough it is an undeniable masterpiece, it is also in fact a) an anti-war movie and b) set in the trenches of WWI...hence why I haven't voted for it....
so I've gone with Schindler's List....
...although I do think '49th Parallel' is worth a mention..... ------------- Music has always been a matter of energy to me. On some nights I believe that a car with the needle on empty can run 50 more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. Hunter S Thompson |
Posted By: Jim Garten
Date Posted: September 03 2007 at 07:35
A lot has been said in the past about the thin plot and the sentimentality underlying SPR, but to my mind the bottom line is this is the first film ever to have shown WWII for what it was; brutal, wasteful & terrifying. It's not just the battle scenes either - there's a sequence with the platoon walking toward a village in the rain & this is filmed so well, you can virtually feel the water dripping down your back & sense the men's exhaustion. I'll also stick my head above the parapet on this one - I think Tom Hanks took the part bloody well. Incidentally, not a film as such, but 'Band Of Brothers' expanded on the SPR idea, was filmed in much the same way & style and with the same impact (the series also benefited from the interviews & reminiscences of the veterans depicted)
I've not seen Letter from Iwo Jima, but I was very impressed with Flags Of Our Fathers ------------- 
Jon Lord 1941 - 2012 |
Posted By: dwill123
Date Posted: September 03 2007 at 08:03
| "Tora! Tora! Tora!", "Patton" and two that didn't make the list: "The Dam Busters" & "The Battle of Britain". |
Posted By: andu
Date Posted: September 03 2007 at 08:20
I voted SPR too, but the best WWII-kind-of-experience for me was the game "Call of Duty". It's a fantastic ride, incredibly realistic, and it lasts longer (I needed about 8 hours to complete the single player at medium difficulty at the second or third try). It also has a breathtaking scene of invading land from water, similar to the Normandy D-Day; it happens in Stalingrad, where you, as a Soviet trooper, come from the water and climb a hill to enter the city and take it back from the Nazis. ------------- "PA's own GI Joe!"
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Posted By: VanderGraafKommandöh
Date Posted: September 03 2007 at 10:53
Although The Dambusters and The Battle of Britain are slightly flawed, they are excellent films nonetheless, when you bear in mind when they were made. They literally got surplus Hurricane and Spitfire and used them in many different ways in BoB, some they made Taxiable, some even flyable. They even made mock-ups for blowing up on the ground. I don't think they could ever make BoB now and have the same charm (not that war is nice, but when these films were made, the RAF servicemen were deemed as heroes) and be able to capture the apparently nonchalent and cocksureness of the pilots. As for The Dambusters, again, this film was excellent for its time, yet still flawed. There were no Avro Lancasters used in the film, instead they used the slightly different Avro Lincoln. Peter Jackson is apparently going to make his own version... I think it will be physically amazing to see (CGI no doubt), but I don't think the film will actually be that good. We shall see. Will he be politically correct and change the name of Guy Gibson's Black Labrador? I hope not, for accuracies sake. -------------
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Posted By: TheProgtologist
Date Posted: September 03 2007 at 15:07
Band of Brothers is EXCELLENT.I have the boxed set DVD's and never get tired of watching them.That it's a true story gives it even more of an impact.
Incidentally,my grandfather was in the same division as those guys,101st Airborne(Screaming Eagles). ------------- |
Posted By: Leningrad
Date Posted: September 03 2007 at 15:14
I loved LFIJ. Very well done.
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Posted By: stonebeard
Date Posted: September 03 2007 at 15:22
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I didn't like Flags of Our fathers that much. The story is good for what it is, but the non-combat aspect of it didn't appeal to me much, and I thought the combat aspect was mostly routine and unexciting.
------------- http://soundcloud.com/drewagler" rel="nofollow - My soundcloud. Please give feedback if you want! |
Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: September 03 2007 at 15:43
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I'm a bit more of a WW l film fan-- Paths of Glory, All Quiet on the Western Front, and What Price Glory with James Cagney is excellent. For WW ll Longest Day is amazing, and Run Silent, Run Deep is fun.
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Posted By: NotAProghead
Date Posted: September 03 2007 at 16:50
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Voted for other.
IMO Soviet movies "Cranes Are Flying" (director M. Kalatozov), 1957 Cannes winner, and "Ballad of a Soldier" (by G. Chuckhrai, 1959) are the best.
By the way lots of great Soviet/Russian movies dedicated to the World War II are unknown outside the former USSR. Unfortunately.
My favourite from the list is "Das Boot". ------------- Who are you and who am I to say we know the reason why... (D. Gilmour) |
Posted By: Jim Garten
Date Posted: September 04 2007 at 03:52
I don't think the point of the film was to make it 'exciting'; I think the point there was the exploitation of the soldiers and the American public to raise money for war bonds; certainly makes me think every time I see that iconic photograph now. -------------
Jon Lord 1941 - 2012 |
Posted By: Jim Garten
Date Posted: September 04 2007 at 03:56
You know, that's something I think about occasionally - why is it I get 'pleasure' from watching and re-watching movies such as SPR, Schindlers List, BoB, The Pianist, The Black Book & so on... these are all in their own way brutal films... I hope I enjoy them for their inner sense of the survival of hope & overcoming adversity, not the vicarious thrill of the (admittedly well done and, yes, exciting) battle scenes  -------------
Jon Lord 1941 - 2012 |
Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: September 04 2007 at 04:02
| also how incredibly well made they are, Jim, I always feel the same when I see Goodfellas or some other terribly violent film... they're of such high quality, I have to watch |
Posted By: Bastille Dude
Date Posted: September 04 2007 at 06:15
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I can't believe I didn't see this poll until now. Many great WWII movies here but THE LONGEST DAY is my favorite.
------------- DEATH TO FALSE PROG! |
Posted By: mrcozdude
Date Posted: September 04 2007 at 06:31
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I love band of brothers and saving private ryan,im always searching for new ww2 films but my searches are getting norrow though im still yet to see letters from Iwo Jima.There was a few ww2 films released this year werent there, which didnt get much press? Imdb it is! ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/cozfunkel/" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: Jared
Date Posted: September 04 2007 at 07:13
two of the finest WWI movies are not on your list there.... Renoir's 'The Grand Illusion' and Losey's 'King & Country'....  ------------- Music has always been a matter of energy to me. On some nights I believe that a car with the needle on empty can run 50 more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. Hunter S Thompson |
Posted By: Jim Garten
Date Posted: September 05 2007 at 12:38
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Off at a slight tangent here, but apart from the obvious 'All Quiet On The Western Front', and the risible 'The Trench', does anyone know of any major films regarding the First World War?
The only one I can think of personally is 'A Very Long Engagement' -------------
Jon Lord 1941 - 2012 |
Posted By: andu
Date Posted: September 05 2007 at 13:25
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@ Jim: Kubrick's "Paths of Glory", of course http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050825/ - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050825/ Lean's "Lawrence of Arabia" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056172/ - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056172/ Ciulei's "Pădurea spânzuraţilor" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058439/ - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058439/ Peter Weir's "Gallipoli" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082432/ - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082432/ I'll think of some more, these were the first to come into mind. ------------- "PA's own GI Joe!"
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Posted By: Chicapah
Date Posted: September 05 2007 at 13:43
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They show "Tora, Tora, Tora" about every six weeks or so on AMC and it still works well because there's no political agenda involved, just a fairly factual telling of events as they were known at that time. I've probably seen it a hundred times. Tons better than the goofy "Pearl Harbor" fiasco. ------------- "Literature is well enough, as a time-passer, and for the improvement and general elevation and purification of mankind, but it has no practical value" - Mark Twain |
Posted By: Novalis
Date Posted: September 06 2007 at 08:13
If you are completely honest, it would be a bit of both.
I remember someone saying, while watching Gladiator, how disgusted they were that the Romans enjoyed the violence of the Coliseum. It then dawned on me that we were enjoying exactly the same thing.
Sure, actual human death is far worse than fake blood and CGI, but the principle of enjoying the violence is the same...Don't know why we enjoy it, evolutionarily or religiously speaking, but we do.
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Posted By: dwill123
Date Posted: September 06 2007 at 08:53
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Posted By: E-Dub
Date Posted: September 06 2007 at 09:18
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Posted By: Chicapah
Date Posted: September 06 2007 at 10:41
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"Midway" is decent but, like "Pearl Harbor," the romantic subplot detracted from the overall pace of the movie. I remember that when Midway hit the theaters they touted some kind of state-of-the-art sound innovation but what it really was was LOUD as Hell! Oh, and "Run Silent, Run Deep" is a great classic submarine flick. ------------- "Literature is well enough, as a time-passer, and for the improvement and general elevation and purification of mankind, but it has no practical value" - Mark Twain |
Posted By: Jim Garten
Date Posted: September 07 2007 at 07:22
Cheers Andu - how could I have forgotten Gallipoli? (Doh!) You would have thought the sheer insanity of trench warfare would have appealed to a modern film-maker, but they only seem interested in WWII. -------------
Jon Lord 1941 - 2012 |
Posted By: Man Erg
Date Posted: September 07 2007 at 07:40
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WWI film (of sorts)
Laurel and Hardy / Block-Heads. Laurel and Hardy meet-up,by chance, after the war in the grounds of a Veterans Hospital. Ollie sees Stan, sitting on a bench and believes(because of the way that he is sitting,leg crossed beneath the other) that Stan has a leg missing... ------------- 
Do 'The Stanley' otherwise I'll thrash you with some rhubarb. |
Posted By: andu
Date Posted: September 07 2007 at 07:44
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I think the pace of events on the field, during a typical WWI battle, is just too boring for us modern film goers, Jim, so no director or studio would want to get involved in such a project. There's no fancy war technique, no "commando" missions, no planes and tanks... Therefor all the films on WWI have a strong psychological content, more than action and explosions. However, there was an excellent film I saw on TV a couple of years ago, about WWI, which had all the elements that make WWII films so enjoyable. Unfortunately I can't remember the film's name or any of the actors, so I have no clue how to find it. It was about an American platoon which gets lost in some great German (or French?) forests (therefore they can not be spotted by their own air reconnaissance force), and end up in the middle of the German front, near some beautiful castle. The film is the story of the way they heroically resist until rescued. Anyone remember that storyline? It's a modern film, from the 2000s. ------------- "PA's own GI Joe!"
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Posted By: Man Erg
Date Posted: September 07 2007 at 07:48
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Regeneration (WWI)
A film based of the book by Pat Barker which tells the story of Seigfried Sassoon's experiences during the first World War.It is centered around the victims (Sassoon being one himself) of gassing and shell-shock and the attitude in which the military 'brass' and doctors viewed these people as cowards and ultimately,traitors. -------------
Do 'The Stanley' otherwise I'll thrash you with some rhubarb. |
Posted By: andu
Date Posted: September 07 2007 at 07:55
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Aahh, it's got Jonathan Pryce. Must be great. Thanks, Lee.
------------- "PA's own GI Joe!"
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Posted By: jimidom
Date Posted: September 07 2007 at 11:53
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All are great movies, but Saving Private Ryan gets my vote. ------------- "The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side." - HST |
Posted By: Man Erg
Date Posted: September 07 2007 at 18:45
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A Canterbury Tale is an overlooked gem.
It's about a crime that is set in a village used by RAF pilots during WWII. One of the earliest shots in the film is awesome. It starts with pilgrims in the middle-ages making their way on a pilgrimage to see the tomb of Thomas A'Beckett. During their journey,a falcon is let loose.The camera pans upwards as the bird flies into the sky,becoming a minute dot in the distance. The dot then becomes larger,coming closer and closer The falcon 'becomes a Spitfire fighter plane' and the pilgrims have become soldiers en route to the south coast of England. ABSOLUTELY BREATH-TAKING! Basically,it's a WWII crime mystery more than a war film. Produced and directed by Powell and Pressburger. What a better recommendation does one need? http://www.powell-pressburger.org/Reviews/44_ACT/TheBook/EditionII.html -------------
Do 'The Stanley' otherwise I'll thrash you with some rhubarb. |
Posted By: Tapfret
Date Posted: September 09 2007 at 00:23
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Das Boot.
Schindlers List a close second.
My favorite WW2 feature is Band of Brothers miniseries.
Good one not on list is Downfall. ------------- https://www.last.fm/user/Tapfret" rel="nofollow">  https://bandcamp.com/tapfret" rel="nofollow - Bandcamp |
Posted By: Tapfret
Date Posted: September 09 2007 at 00:28
I am more facinated by WWI and it saddens me that there are not more movies on the subject. The only one I saw was Galipoli, and only 20 minutes of the movie were actually set in Gallipoli. Yawn. ------------- https://www.last.fm/user/Tapfret" rel="nofollow"> https://bandcamp.com/tapfret" rel="nofollow - Bandcamp |
Posted By: daSilva
Date Posted: September 09 2007 at 18:12
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Das Boot.
If you want to see it as a metaphor for life "being stuck in a metal suppository with little girl action taking place", you can;
If you want to see it as a statement of that primal need to kick and be kicked to gain entrance into manhood, you can.
It's a man's movie, really. Ever wondered what was a man's movie? I think Das Boot qualifies.
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Posted By: dwill123
Date Posted: September 12 2007 at 21:35
| Memphis Belle - it's not going to win any awards but it's a good movie IMO. A true story. |
Posted By: Gog/Magog
Date Posted: September 13 2007 at 08:22
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The Dam Busters, I hope the remake isn't too Hollywoodized! -------------  |
Posted By: Jim Garten
Date Posted: September 14 2007 at 07:28
Doh! (number 2) - again, how could I forget that one...?
Depends what you're looking for in a "war" film - only about half an hour of 'The Deer Hunter' was set in the field in Vietnam, but that didn't stop it from being one of the best movies made about that conflict.
Peter Jackson's apparently at the helm so at least it should be watchable; incidentally, I've not seen the original for quite a while, but is it true the aircraft used in the movie weren't actually Avro Lancasters...? -------------
Jon Lord 1941 - 2012 |
Posted By: activetopics
Date Posted: September 19 2007 at 19:48
| saving private ryan |