OT: WWII Pacific theater films

[Randy Stead]

Since purchasing this game recently it has reignited my interest in the Pacific theater. I've been digging out books on the subject and also a few films. I'm in the last chapter of Stanley Weintraub's "The Last Great Victory" and when done I am going to dig out Gordon W. Prange's "At Dawn We Slept" 60th Anniversary Edition, to be followed by his sequel "Pearl Harbor: The Verdict of History." Although dated, they are still very good references on the subject matter.

On to the films...

I first read the book "Unbroken" a few years ago, then saw the film of the same title on Netflix a while back. I watched it again with my wife last night. She recoiled at the POW camp brutality scenes. It tells the story of Lou Zamperini, a high school athlete who went to the 1936 Olympic Games in Germany and hoped to return to the Games in Tokyo in 1940. History messed with his plans. He served as a bombardier on a B-24.

Unbroken

A really old classic, which I have on DVD is "Too Late the Hero" from 1970. It was the first movie I ever saw in a theater, thanks to my eldest brother. Some big stars in this one, including a young and handsome Michael Caine, Henry Fonda and Cliff Robertson. The action centers around a small unit sent to destroy a Japanese coast watcher's radio.

Too Late the Hero

Although I could go on with quite a few more, I shall only add one more, in order to let others share their recommendations. "Empire of the Sun" tells the story of a boy who comes of age in a civilian internment camp. Stars John Malkovich and a young Christian Bale. Not sure, but I think it may have been his first film.

Empire of the Sun

Apologies if this subject matter has already been covered. I felt inspired by the game.

[Platoonist]

Just try not to bring up a certain 2001 Pacific war movie starring Ben Affleck as it is known around here as the "Movie which will not be named" owning to its schmaltzy nature and numerous historical errors. [;)]

[RangerJoe]

ORIGINAL: Platoonist

Just try not to bring up a certain 2001 Pacific war movie starring Ben Affleck as it is known around here as the "Movie which will not be named" owning to its schmaltzy nature and numerous historical errors. [;)]

That movie is a highly accurate depiction of what happened - in the writers, directors, and the producers drug infused minds, that is.

[Randy Stead]

On my honour, I shall not mention that which shall not be mentioned. Nor the other equally loathsome one set in the other ocean around the same time. Both putrid piles of pig...

[btd64]

My first big screen movie was Tora, Tora, Tora. I saw it at a drive in theater. Long time ago....GP

[Randy Stead]

ORIGINAL: btd64

My first big screen movie was Tora, Tora, Tora. I saw it at a drive in theater. Long time ago....GP

Good film. In spite of its age and not having the benefit of computerized graphic wizardry, it conveyed the story dramatically.

There is another film which is a good "book end" companion to Tora, Tora, Tora! I shall leave it to someone else to mention it.[;)]

[Ambassador]

You can watch The Thin Red Line, or Windtalkers. Still better than the movie on the coward attack on an American love triangle. There’re also both movies about Iwo Jima, Letters from Iwo Jima and the other movie whose name eludes me.

The Pacific mini-series was also very good.

I heard the 2019 Midway movie was way better than its namesake (not that difficult), but I haven’t seen it.

And you can still watch the classic The Bridge on the River Kwai, Away All Boats, The Caine Mutiny, From Here to Eternity, The Fighting Seabees, Baaa Baaa Black Sheeps (still more accurate than the movie which won’t be named), Halls of Montezuma...

[RangerJoe]

The Bridge on the River Kwai was not realistic at all. A better movie would be the one about the raid to save the POWs in the Philipines.

[Q-Ball]

ORIGINAL: Platoonist

Just try not to bring up a certain 2001 Pacific war movie starring Ben Affleck as it is known around here as the "Movie which will not be named" owning to its schmaltzy nature and numerous historical errors. [;)]

On the contrary, that movie is a very accurate account of the December 7, 1941 Japanese attack on an American love triangle

[fcooke]

If a movie has been made about the raid to rescue Allied prisoners at Catablan (sp) I missed it but it would seem to be raw material that Hollywood would lust for. (just add in the imaginary female nurse for the love angle). Book was pretty educational.

[Bo Rearguard]

Ah, I'm pleased to see that the movie that shall not be mentioned has not been mentioned, as it is unmentionable and should not be mentioned.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Ambassador

You can watch The Thin Red Line, or Windtalkers. Still better than the movie on the coward attack on an American love triangle. There’re also both movies about Iwo Jima, Letters from Iwo Jima and the other movie whose name eludes me. Flags of our Fathers

The Pacific mini-series was also very good.

I heard the 2019 Midway movie was way better than its namesake (not that difficult), but I haven’t seen it.

And you can still watch the classic The Bridge on the River Kwai, Away All Boats, The Caine Mutiny, From Here to Eternity, The Fighting Seabees, Baaa Baaa Black Sheeps (still more accurate than the movie which won’t be named), Halls of Montezuma...

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: Randy Stead

Since purchasing this game recently it has reignited my interest in the Pacific theater. I've been digging out books on the subject and also a few films. I'm in the last chapter of Stanley Weintraub's "The Last Great Victory" and when done I am going to dig out Gordon W. Prange's "At Dawn We Slept" 60th Anniversary Edition, to be followed by his sequel "Pearl Harbor: The Verdict of History." Although dated, they are still very good references on the subject matter.

On to the films...

I first read the book "Unbroken" a few years ago, then saw the film of the same title on Netflix a while back. I watched it again with my wife last night. She recoiled at the POW camp brutality scenes. It tells the story of Lou Zamperini, a high school athlete who went to the 1936 Olympic Games in Germany and hoped to return to the Games in Tokyo in 1940. History messed with his plans. He served as a bombardier on a B-24.

Unbroken

A really old classic, which I have on DVD is "Too Late the Hero" from 1970. It was the first movie I ever saw in a theater, thanks to my eldest brother. Some big stars in this one, including a young and handsome Michael Caine, Henry Fonda and Cliff Robertson. The action centers around a small unit sent to destroy a Japanese coast watcher's radio.

Too Late the Hero

Although I could go on with quite a few more, I shall only add one more, in order to let others share their recommendations. "Empire of the Sun" tells the story of a boy who comes of age in a civilian internment camp. Stars John Malkovich and a young Christian Bale. Not sure, but I think it may have been his first film.

Empire of the Sun

Apologies if this subject matter has already been covered. I felt inspired by the game.

warspite1

Interesting choices but I feel that you've missed out on one of the finest Pacific war films - indeed one could go far as to say perhaps the finest war film of all time; Pearl Harbor.

Featuring realistic CGI, historically accurate scenes, fantastic acting and some of the best lines afforded to any actor and actress ever. Who can forget these absolute classics:

Rafe: Not anxious to die sir, just anxious to matter.

Rafe: Returning from the dead wasn't all that I expected... but that's life.

Evelyn: Do you ever wonder if this war's going to catch up with us?

and of course let's not forget

Danny: I think World War II just started.



Well, we've won the Battle of Britain. What shall we do next?

[dcpollay]

My God, what have you done?!?!?! You mentioned it!

Cast him out! Summon the green button brigade! Release the moderators!

Oh, the Horror!!!

[btd64]

Warspite1[:-]....GP

[RangerJoe]

ORIGINAL: fcooke

If a movie has been made about the raid to rescue Allied prisoners at Catablan (sp) I missed it but it would seem to be raw material that Hollywood would lust for. (just add in the imaginary female nurse for the love angle). Book was pretty educational.

About the movie:

I liked the movie. Some critics complained that it was too slow but it showed how bad the POWs got and what help they did receive plus what happened to other American POWs. No famous named actors at the time the movie as made.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Raid

The raid itself:

. . . One guerrilla, who had been trained to use the bazooka only a few hours earlier by the Rangers, destroyed or disabled four tanks that were hiding behind a clump of trees . . .

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raid_at_Cabanatuan

A good sort story of what happened is in this link.

.
.
.
In October 1944, General Douglas MacArthur kept his promise to the Filipino people: “I shall return.” General Walter Kreuger’s Sixth Army landed with MacArthur at Leyte. Then, on January 9, 1945, Americans went ashore at Lingayen Gulf on the west-central coast of Luzon and began to press toward Manila.

Among MacArthur’s landing detail was a 19-year-old private of the Sixth Army’s Alamo Scouts who had participated in a successful raid to rescue 66 civilians held as slave labor by the Japanese at Cape Oransbari in northwestern New Guinea. Galen Charles “Kit” Kittleson was the eldest of eight barefooted offspring from an Iowa farm. A closed-mouthed diminutive soldier barely five feet four inches on a tall day, he was the youngest fighter assigned to the elite Alamo Scouts.

“The other day I happened to overhear the longest conversation Kit’s ever had,” went a standing joke. “Kit says to Olsen, ‘Let’s go to chow.’ And Olsen says, ‘Okay.’”

At Luzon, Kittleson was nonetheless bold enough to ask the stern-faced supreme commander when, if ever, they were going to rescue the Bataan Death March survivors. MacArthur fixed his hawk’s gaze on the little private.

“Were you on the Cape Oransbari raid, son?” he asked gruffly.

“Yes, sir.”

“Well, son. Let me tell you this. You be ready when the time comes.”
.
.
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Galen Charles Kittleson retired as Command Sergeant Major of the U.S. Army’s 7th Special Forces Group. During the Vietnam War, he twice more penetrated enemy lines to rescue American POWs. Other than the raid on Cabanatuan, the raid against the Hotel Hilton POW camp only 23 miles from Hanoi in North Vietnam on November 21, 1970, is undoubtedly the most daring and famous in American military history. Kittleson is the only American soldier ever to have participated in four separate POW raids.

https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/2020/ ... abanatuan/

[Randy Stead]

ORIGINAL: Ambassador

You can watch The Thin Red Line, or Windtalkers. Still better than the movie on the coward attack on an American love triangle. There’re also both movies about Iwo Jima, Letters from Iwo Jima and the other movie whose name eludes me.

The Pacific mini-series was also very good.

I heard the 2019 Midway movie was way better than its namesake (not that difficult), but I haven’t seen it.

And you can still watch the classic The Bridge on the River Kwai, Away All Boats, The Caine Mutiny, From Here to Eternity, The Fighting Seabees, Baaa Baaa Black Sheeps (still more accurate than the movie which won’t be named), Halls of Montezuma...

That would be "Flags of Our Fathers." I bought Letters From Iwo Jima and Flags of Our Fathers as a combo pack on DVD. I bought a stack of films on DVD before Blu-Ray debuted. And then it was years before I got a screen capable of displaying Blu-Ray in all its glory. I have a pal who is an early adopter of new tech. I just wait for him to get tired of something then buy it from him at a discount.

What was interesting about both of those films was Clint Eastwood produced both at the same time. I rarely agree with the professional film critics, but in this instance I concur with their their assessment of "Letters" being the better of the two. I don't think "Flags" sucked, it is just that in any comparison of two items, it is almost inevitable that one will be better than the other, however marginally so.

You don't very often see films that depict the Japanese experience objectively. That was part of the propaganda effect lingering for decades after the real events. And of course, the Japanese were a harsher foe and did naughty things. When you read about how Japanese soldiers were trained and indoctrinated you can better understand [not excuse] their behaviour. It was refreshing to see that they, too, had opinions about why they fought and their thoughts on the subject.

[Ambassador]

Yes, that’s the interesting thing about those two movies : seeing both sides of the battle, but filmed with a different mood and pace. Too often, when you watch a movie showing both sides, the pacing and editing is more adapted to one of the sides.

[Moltrey]

I saw the modern Midway flick a couple months ago. Not bad, not bad at all. Perhaps a bit "over the top" in some of the Dauntless death-defying acrobatics, but I actually think it was pretty well done.
If nothing else, there are a LOT worse out there... lurking.

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: dcpollay

My God, what have you done?!?!?! You mentioned it!

Cast him out! Summon the green button brigade! Release the moderators!

Oh, the Horror!!!

ORIGINAL: btd64

Warspite1[:-]....GP

warspite1

I don't get it, what did I do?




[:D]