Greatest WWII Movie--EVER!

[Timotheus]

The answer, of course, is the greatest WW2 movie of all time.
Polish comedy "How I started WW2".

Short clip:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-fcrn1Edik


The last answer is: "so and so town from so and so province / voivodeship".

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: Zorch

ORIGINAL: pmelheck1

I always enjoyed Kelly's Heros not because it's a war movie but because it's fun movie with a war setting. Gone with the wind comes to mind. Movies are normally not historical documentaries. Some of us are pleasantly surprised when they come close. Another fun few for me are Air Force https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GV5BxPR0sU, Run Silent Run Deep, Sink the Bismarck, Battle of Britain. To me these are fun movies to watch and i'm not concerned that the stamp on the back of some ones belt buckle isn't correct for the production line that produced it. Even a lot of documentaries can't get things right and these are supposed to be correct. I get unhappy when the phrase "inspired by" is used and then they call the movie accurate to details of the battle/mission. Final Countdown can be fun to watch without being unhappy because the USS Nimitz wasn't in WW2 although we all know it was because a movie said it was... [:)]

Where Eagles Dare, for the music alone. And Clint Eastwood is playing second fiddle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XKGhG0W0LQ

For those fans of debauchery and WWII movies, may I recommend: Where Eagles Dare-the drinking game.

Mr. Roper, consider the gauntlet dropped.

[Timotheus]

Are only American war movies allowed?

That limits the field considerably.

Best American WW2 movie is "Cross of Iron", director Sam Peckinpah.

Best American Vietnam war movie is "Siege of Firebase Gloria".

Honorable mention goes to "One Man's Hero" about how Catholic Irish soldiers were treated in American army and why they decided to go over to defend Catholic Mexico which was just attacked in the USA war of conquest/aggression 1846-48 (war which Mexico obviously lost and which made the USA grow quite a bit).

I have tons of interesting non-American war movies, but I doubt this crew would be interested in any of them. Oh well.

[NigelKentarus]

The other night on TV was Run Silent, Run Deep. Not very accurate, but I watched it anyway. I haven't seen Kelly's Heroes in quite awhile.

[Zorch]

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

ORIGINAL: Zorch

ORIGINAL: pmelheck1

I always enjoyed Kelly's Heros not because it's a war movie but because it's fun movie with a war setting. Gone with the wind comes to mind. Movies are normally not historical documentaries. Some of us are pleasantly surprised when they come close. Another fun few for me are Air Force https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GV5BxPR0sU, Run Silent Run Deep, Sink the Bismarck, Battle of Britain. To me these are fun movies to watch and i'm not concerned that the stamp on the back of some ones belt buckle isn't correct for the production line that produced it. Even a lot of documentaries can't get things right and these are supposed to be correct. I get unhappy when the phrase "inspired by" is used and then they call the movie accurate to details of the battle/mission. Final Countdown can be fun to watch without being unhappy because the USS Nimitz wasn't in WW2 although we all know it was because a movie said it was... [:)]

Where Eagles Dare, for the music alone. And Clint Eastwood is playing second fiddle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XKGhG0W0LQ

For those fans of debauchery and WWII movies, may I recommend: Where Eagles Dare-the drinking game.

Mr. Roper, consider the gauntlet dropped.

The cast indulging in a little drinking.

[LeeChard]

Nobody has mentioned 'Cross of Iron'. I liked it a lot.
James Coburn as the grizzled sarge and I think it was James Mason as the medal seeking officer.

[Lovejoy]

ORIGINAL: LeeChard

Nobody has mentioned 'Cross of Iron'. I liked it a lot.
James Coburn as the grizzled sarge and I think it was James Mason as the medal seeking officer.

I think it was Maximillian Schnell who was the medal seeking officer (who never figured out how to reload his MP-40). I liked it a lot as well.

I've liked most of the movies that have been mentioned in this thread. I'm also partial to Ronald Maxwell's Gettysburg.

[Bullwinkle58]

ORIGINAL: NigelKentarus

The other night on TV was Run Silent, Run Deep. Not very accurate, but I watched it anyway. I haven't seen Kelly's Heroes in quite awhile.

When I served in a submarine the wardroom had a inside-baseball way of making a newbie shut-up-and-sit-down when they got a little beyond their experience level. Somebody with gold dolphins would shout "There I was in the Bungo Strait! The bottom was coming up fast!" The newbie, fried to the bone, would sink into silence. How do I know this? Hmmm . . .

RSRD is the best submarine novel ever written. It was a pretty good movie. Not accurate much, but fun to watch. My boat even had a cook named Russo, so that scene was not so fun for him.

To the point that "Kelly's Heroes" is a bank heist flick with a WWII setting, I would add that the best "Romeo and Juliet" I ever saw was the 1990s flick with Claire and Leonardo that is set in modern day LA. And MASH (the movie) wasn't about the Korean War either.

[Lecivius]

"Will you knock it off with them negative waves! Think positive thoughts. It's a BEAUTIFUL bridge, and it'll be there."

[AcePylut]

Pearl Harbor ftw!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cuz, oh, nevermind, you all know why it is the greatest cinematic slice of heaven, ever!

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58
To the point that "Kelly's Heroes" is a bank heist flick with a WWII setting, I would add that the best "Romeo and Juliet" I ever saw was the 1990s flick with Claire and Leonardo that is set in modern day LA. And MASH (the movie) wasn't about the Korean War either.

And Akira Kurosawa's version of King Lear in Ran was the best rendition as well.

[Bullwinkle58]

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58
To the point that "Kelly's Heroes" is a bank heist flick with a WWII setting, I would add that the best "Romeo and Juliet" I ever saw was the 1990s flick with Claire and Leonardo that is set in modern day LA. And MASH (the movie) wasn't about the Korean War either.

And Akira Kurosawa's version of King Lear in Ran was the best rendition as well.

Yep. Shakespeare is remarkably mobile. "The Tempest" has ended up in several other works. "Midsummer" as well. I'm sure other plays use pieces and portions. Will is a rich store of archetypes and human situations.

[Canoerebel]

Dickens is mobile too. The modern version of Great Expectations (with Gwyneth Paltrow) was well done.

[rustysi]

"logistics?? We've got logistics comin' out of our a**es!!"

The quote is a bit off, it should read, "out of our ears!!"

Maybe he's a Republican!

Movie was full of great 'one liners'.

It's a 70's heist/comedy movie with more than a touch of 60's social commentary filmed in a surprisingly authentic WWII setting, pure and simple.

Sums it up.[:)]

Yeah, but Telly is in it … Who loves you baby!

Not in the movie, but a great quote.[:D]

"The film is based upon a true incident.

A first for me, and I'll hold comment until or if I investigate it further.

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Dickens is mobile too. The modern version of Great Expectations (with Gwyneth Paltrow) was well done.

Not G-R-A-T-E expectations? By Dikkens with two 'k's? The well-known Dutch author?

[rustysi]

Another like - Devil's Brigade.

And here's one I know to be based on history, although I didn't think so when I first viewed it. Mount La Defensa my... I'm sure there's a lot of Hollywood in there as well.

But, I did see the documentary. I'll be damned, Mount La Defensa! At the time it came out, who knew? Certainly not I.[:'(]

yes! Schindler's List is magnificent.

Great movie, but difficult to watch again and again.

Casablanca.

Actually a love story set during war, but a great movie as well.

The answer, of course, is the greatest WW2 movie of all time.
Polish comedy "How I started WW2".

Could be, but I've never seen it. We don't get too many Polish movies over here.

Are only American war movies allowed?

No. IIRC Das Boot isn't an American movie. It did flop over here, until they dubbed it.

And MASH (the movie) wasn't about the Korean War either.

Seriously.....[:D] Then again, neither was the series.

On a final note, and I think its been said, Kelly's Hero's isn't a war movie. Its a comedy/heist set in a war footing, and to me a least its one that has a great cast and is hilarious.

As for my favorite war movie? Difficult to say, but since you've asked I would have to say Patton.

[Skyros]

El Alamein: The Line of Fire an Italian movie about the battle is worth checking out just because it is from the Italian perspective. Well done story that really shows the misery of serving in the desert. I think it was on Amazon Prime or Netflix.

[NigelKentarus]

Casablanca! My absolute favorite Bogie movie of all times. Although African Queen is a close second.

Not Bogie, but does anyone remember a movie about a BIG cannon? I can't remember much about it but I think it was set during the Napoleanic Era. I saw the movie on TV when I was a kid and all I can remember were the soldiers moving this gigantic siege gun.

[spence]

I remember the movie - it starred Gregory Peck and Sophia Loren though I can't remember the exact title. It think the title was something akin to The Pride and the Passion". Oops turns out it was Cary Grant. I guess Frank Sinatra was in it but I must have been distracted by Sophia Loren.

Speaking of Gregory Peck the greatest (American) WW2 movie ever made is "12 O'clock High".
When (Major) Harvey Stovall walks onto the long abandoned runway and starts to clean his glasses and is transported back to 1942 as he (seems to) hears engines cough in to motion I find a lump forming in my throat as I think back to my own service and remember the people I served with.

BTW for you youngsters: although 1940s movie rules prevented much of the gore one finds in today's movies there's a real crash landing of a B-17.

[Encircled]

No mention of "The Cruel Sea"?

That Where Eagles Dare drinking game wouldn't be half as much fun if you couldn't drink until Clint Eastwood reloads. [;)]