What is your favourite war movie? And the worst?

brucertx · Post by **brucertx** » Sun Jun 29, 2003 9:48 pm

In this order:

Pattton
Bridge Too Far
Stalag 17(?)
Kelly's Heroes (for a little comic relief)

If I see any of these on my final "channel scan" before going to bed, I'm up until the wee hours!

DP · Post by DP » Mon Jun 30, 2003 5:41 am

Originally posted by Raverdave
Best

A Bridge Too Far
A Long Days Dying
Gallipolli
Band Of Brothers
Zulu
Catch-22
Tora Tora Tora
Battle Of Midway (I saw it in "Sensoround" anyone remember that?)

Worst

Pearl Harbour (with the effects in that movie you could make a good Battle of Britain re-make).
Battle of The Bulge
The Lost Battalion
The list could go on and on....................

:rolleyes:

Hey Raverdave:

I remember Midway in Sensoround. When they cranked up those B-25's, it felt like the theater was going to crumble! They must have had a dozen speakers on each side of the room, each about four feet high.

KG Erwin · Post by **KG Erwin** » Mon Jun 30, 2003 5:51 am

I bought this one tonight, and I'm enjoying the extra footage, especially in the "Kilgore" segment. This is on my list of best war movies, but I understand that many of you may have mixed feelings on it. As for the DVD itself, I wish the brilliant documentary "Hearts of Darkness", the story of this film's making, had been added as a special feature, but sadly it wasn't. We have many threads regarding best or favorite war movies, but I'll add this one to my top five, which includes usual suspects like SPR, Das Boot, A Bridge Too Far and Gettysburg. The only controversial choice may be Apocalypse, but Vietnam movies really deserve a genre of their own. As for the worst, I'll go with the consensus and rate the 1965 Battle of the Bulge as the worst of the worst, but I'll also rate 1976's Midway as a close second. In both of these cases, history was thrown to the wind and both of these big-budget productions were pure Hollywood pap.

pasternakski · Post by **pasternakski** » Mon Jun 30, 2003 6:24 am

I am astonished that no one has mentioned "Full Metal Jacket," "Lawrence of Arabia," "Paths of Glory," "Gallipoli," "Bridge Over the River Kwai," "Sink the Bismarck," "The Enemy Below," "From Here to Eternity," "Fail Safe," "Gunga Din," and ... and ... and ... and how could you forget "Dr. Strangelove?"

Maliki · Post by **Maliki** » Mon Jun 30, 2003 7:12 am

Originally posted by pasternakski
I am astonished that no one has mentioned "Full Metal Jacket," "Lawrence of Arabia," "Paths of Glory," "Gallipoli," "Bridge Over the River Kwai," "Sink the Bismarck," "The Enemy Below," "From Here to Eternity," "Fail Safe," "Gunga Din," and ... and ... and ... and how could you forget "Dr. Strangelove?"

You just did;)...and i am shocked no one has mentioned Hell is for heroes,oh i just did.

Randy · Post by **Randy** » Mon Jun 30, 2003 8:50 am

Does anyone remember an old WWII movie made in the late 50's w/ I think Tab Hunter, where he was an orphan and raised by a Japanese family? When the war started he went into the Marines because he could speak Japanese. Thanks

stevemk1a · Post by **stevemk1a** » Mon Jun 30, 2003 9:17 am

OK ... it's not a movie and the rest of the shows weren't near as good, but I liked the "Hills are for Heroes" episode of the old Combat TV series. I used to watch reruns of it every morning before work on the History channel ... mostly the episodes were forgettable, but that one really stood out.

Kanon Fodder · Post by **Kanon Fodder** » Mon Jun 30, 2003 10:56 am

Well we ran this thread a while back, and I'll stick with my choice for worst ever alltime stinker war movie, bar none:

The Battle of the Bulge

Not sure that I have a favourite, but A Bridge Too Far, The Longest Day, The Great Escape, Saving Private Ryan, Stalingrad, Zulu, Waterloo, Gallipoli, Band of Brothers are all at the top of the list (in no particular order)

Ian Packham · Post by **Ian Packham** » Mon Jun 30, 2003 11:12 am

Originally posted by Kanon Fodder
Well we ran this thread a while back, and I'll stick with my choice for worst ever alltime stinker war movie, bar none:

The Battle of the Bulge

Then its about time for a remake. All good things come around twice. Get on the horn to Speilberg to stop making visiting Alien films (OMG Taken!) and tell the real story of the Bulge (without a soppy ending this time).

Les_the_Sarge_9_1 · Post by **Les_the_Sarge_9_1** » Mon Jun 30, 2003 3:34 pm

When starting a Best of thread, it is always of course best to eliminate all the cliche obvious choices hehe.

Should have began with "other than"....

The Longest Day
Saving Private Ryan
A Bridge Too Far
Midway
Patton
Tora Tora Tora

All films which I suspect most would be hard pressed to disagree are landmark films.
It would allow us to get on to picking other choices that have merit, but usually get slightly missed such as...

Sgt York first rate film.
To Hell and Back, excellent film about Audie Murphy.
Retreat Hell, good film in Korea.
Exodus, good film about birth of Israel.
Lawrence of Arabia, also one of my favourites.
Where Eagles Dare, great story.

dwesolick · Post by **dwesolick** » Mon Jun 30, 2003 4:47 pm

Originally posted by Les the Sarge 9-1
When starting a Best of thread, it is always of course best to eliminate all the cliche obvious choices hehe.

This isn't a "best of" thread. The question was "what is your (personal) favorite war movie". Your selections were all great, except "To Hell and Back"....talk about cliched! :rolleyes:

You might add "All Quiet on the Western Front" (1930s version, or for that matter, I like the newer one too). "Paths of Glory" was mentioned earlier. That's definitely a classic. As is Full Metal Jacket. "Platoon" might fit this category....if it wasn't so tainted by Oliver Stone's political agenda.

I can't believe I'm the only one (so far) who's picked DAS BOOT in the favorites!

runes · Post by **runes** » Mon Jun 30, 2003 5:17 pm

ooh, i second das boot.

and lets not forget when trumpets fade.

Halcyon · Post by **Halcyon** » Mon Jun 30, 2003 6:48 pm

Favourites: Bridge too Far, Blackhawk Down, Glory, Aliens :p

Worst: U571 (captured by Americans? pfffft) , Pearl Harbor (uggg), and PH again for good measure!

I can't say enough bad things about PH. It is a real shame the men who fought in the US's darkest hour and most sensitive battle don't deserve a movie about THEM...instead of a Hollywood trash love story chucked in with some otherwise impressive special effects.

Les_the_Sarge_9_1 · Post by **Les_the_Sarge_9_1** » Mon Jun 30, 2003 7:05 pm

Just out of curiosity, what was so dreadfully cliched about To Hell and Back?

It was a simple story about a simple soldier, that just happened to be about the most decorated soldier of the war for the US.
But it wasn't fiction, the guy was of course real.

dwesolick · Post by **dwesolick** » Mon Jun 30, 2003 10:37 pm

Originally posted by Les the Sarge 9-1
Just out of curiosity, what was so dreadfully cliched about To Hell and Back?

To be honest, it's been a while since I've seen it, and I loved it as a kid (also from TX, like Audie Murphy), but on seeing it later it just seemed to have so many of those cliched scenes. Like, "SARGE, I'VE BEEN HIT! (soldier clutches chest and does best Baryshnikov (sp?). Buddy: I'LL GET THOSE SOBS! Charges out and gets shot..........Audie saves the day.

I know Audie was a hero and did most of the things depicted, I just felt that a movie like SAVING PRIVATE RYAN broke all (or most) of the old cliches and its hard to look at some of the older movies now.

By the way, I second GLORY as a great film. ENEMY AT THE GATES is up there as well.

Belisarius · Post by **Belisarius** » Tue Jul 01, 2003 3:53 pm

Hmhm......

GOOD:

Das Boot, editors cut. /w subtitles.

Stalingrad. /w subtitles

Band of Brothers. I know, not a film but it deserves mentioning

Enemy at the Gates. Thought it was so-so at first, but I've started to enjoy it. Despite the romance stuff

Desert Fox

Their finest hour (title?)

BAD:

Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor

U-571

and a bunch of other crap...

Golf33 · Post by **Golf33** » Wed Jul 02, 2003 7:39 am

Originally posted by Randy
Don't forget for those who don't like The Battle of the Bulge, it has the Panzerlied song in it, which sounds pretty impressive.

The tank officers up in Darwin loved that song & used to sing it when on the booze. In fact they pretty much idolized the German military of WWII, in some cases including the less savoury characters of the SS.

I could never understand the supposed brilliance of the Germans, seeing that they managed to lose pretty convincingly. I thought the Russians made better heroes, considering they started out with no clue or decent equipment, learned and developed at horrible cost, and persevered to give the Gerries a very well-deserved kicking in the end.

For war movies, I rather rate the old Battle of Britain (all those big names - ratatatatatatata etc), Kelly's Heroes, and of course the obligatory Band of Brothers & SPR. A made-for-cable (HBO I think) movie called When Trumpets Fade, about the Huertgen Forest debacle, also makes the grade quite well.

Schindler's List, Holocaust: Die Familie Weiss, Judgement at Nuremburg, and Conspiracy (a reconstruction of the Wannsee Conference) are excellent movies for off-the-frontlines, as is The Dunera Boys (about German Jews interned in Australia by mistake).

For more recent wars, Platoon was pretty good; Blackhawk Down wasn't too bad, although a bit hard to follow (like the book in many respects). The Odd Angry Shot is awesome and unusual, although tubby old Graham Kennedy is a bit hard to take as an SASR Corporal, and the movie doesn't exactly showcase the SASR in general.

Full Metal Jacket was good in parts and quite unbearable in others.

The movie Sadat was also quite good and told from an unusual (in Western society anyway) viewpoint.

Cheers
33

Golf33 · Post by **Golf33** » Wed Jul 02, 2003 7:44 am

Aaaaargh!

Reading the rest of the posts, so many great movies, so little time in this life....

Thanks for reminding me of many awesome movies I've seen and must see again sometime!

Regards
33

pasternakski · Post by **pasternakski** » Wed Jul 02, 2003 7:58 am

You know, I hate to admit this, but when baby's not around and I'm not on the town, I have often kicked back with my favorite libation and fired up John Wayne's old "In Harm's Way." I know it's not a great (he11, not even a good) movie, but it has a certain charm that fills in 2 1/2 hours like creme between a couple of chocolate cookies in an Oreo...

Sgt.Striker · Post by **Sgt.Striker** » Wed Jul 02, 2003 8:38 am

1. Ob's stürmt oder schneit,
Ob die Sonne uns lacht,
Der Tag glühend heiß
Oder eiskalt die Nacht.
Bestaubt sind die Gesichter,
Doch froh ist unser Sinn,
Ist unser Sinn;
Es braust unser Panzer
Im Sturmwind dahin.

Even as a Canadian who's relatives fought Panzer Meyer,that song can still pump you up when its time to take out the trash in SP.

What is your favourite war movie? And the worst?

Apocalypse Now Redux