I like (if like is the right word) watching a war film the four films that have really stuck with are Das Boat, All quiet on the western Front, Cross of Iron and Paths of Glory. I guess all of them are anti war films.
The silliest war film I like is Kelly's Heroes, I will not watch Schindler's List because the subject is to horrific. Is Casablanca a war film or Torn Curtain which is a cold war film which is cracking lesser known Hitchcock film.
Then I thinking the silliest war film I like is Hannibal Brooks about an Elephant being saved. Wonderful war film.
I like Kelly's Heroes, Donald Sutherland is terrific in that. Went to see it at the cinema as a kid.
I only ever saw Das Boot in the mini-series format. Never saw the movie it was edited down to. Brilliant telly. Some of it was filmed at the original U Boat pens at La Rochelle, I visited them in 2013 and they're still there. Took this pic. Huge concrete monstrosity but a marvel of German military architecture at the time.
(https://i.ibb.co/TMLYN1K/larochelleuboatpens.jpg)
I saw that Hannibal Brooks film many years ago, Oliver Reed film I think. It was on the telly a couple of times in the '70s.
When I think of a "classic war film" I'm probably thinking of a World War Two film made in the '60s. When I was a kid they were on the telly all the time; that generation was understandably quite deeply preoccupied with the war and it still played a huge part in popular culture well into the '70s.
Some are more rooted in the real history than others of course. The Dirty Dozen for example really just uses the war as a backdrop, ditto Where Eagles Dare. Both terrific films.
What else .. Battle of the Bulge, The Cruel Sea, Battle of Midway. All good stuff, there are too many to mention really but I think my favourite of the lot is The Battle of Britain. Amazing cast, lovely aerial photography.
A Bridge Too Far was made in 1977, quite some time after the war film boom of the '50s and '60s but the genre seemed to die off in the '80s. I think the Vietnam War may have had something to do with the very idea of the traditional war film becoming passé.
And yet - to my surprise, the genre made a comeback in the late '90s with The Thin Red Line, Saving Private Ryan, U-571 and others.
Really like Inglorious Basterds - Christopher Waltz was brilliant
The Painted Bird
Told from the point of view of an orphaned refugee child - an unrelentingly grim and harrowing watch for 170 minutes, but a story told in good faith and technically outstanding.
Too Late The Hero
1917 was a brilliant take on the classic war film and filmed so it looks like one long continuous shot.
It does slightly no annoys me a lot that Hollywood won WW2, they seem to take the truth and put Americans in the situation instead of telling the truth.
Sink the Bismarck is a great re-enactment of the story although much simplified, and it has some visuals of HMS Vanguard turrets the last ever British battleship, why didnt we keep her, drives me nuts. Only 3 people survived from 1418 when HMS Hood blew up from shells from either Bismarck or Prinz Eugen.
Slightly awry but I used to love watching The Alamo whenever it came round on the TV.
The Guns of Navarone
633 Squadron
Reach for the Sky
Where Eagles Dare
The Longest Day
The Guns of Navarone is a great film I must admit but I won't watch it again. I hate that scene where the woman gets shot in cold blood.
Quote from: Slim on April 05, 2022, 08:33:17 PMThe Guns of Navarone is a great film I must admit but I won't watch it again. I hate that scene where the woman gets shot in cold blood.
You could always watch the appalling sequel instead. :-\
A Bridge too far was a good movie too - though it had its difficult scenes as well.
This thread reminds me that my old man had a Geoff Love album playing war movie themes. I used to play it a lot as a kid.
https://www.discogs.com/release/691542-Geoff-Love-And-His-Orchestra-Big-War-Movie-Themes
Speaking of films made from Alistair Maclean books - I'll go and start a Cold War Movie thread.
Love Hannibal Brooks!
Kellys heroes is ace, there is a scene as akid I loved, when I think clint E shot a minefield with a machine gun, which I loved
Bridge Too Far, Guns of Navarone, Where Eagles Dare (not influenced at all by the Maiden classic!), no one seems to be talking much about older wars of course
Great Escape..seen it a million times but it,s always a good watch
Anyone mentioned The Wooden Horse yet?
I'd forgotten that one, had to look it up. Not seen it for many years. Made me think of a film set in a POW camp with James Robertson Justice, but that one's called Very Important Person.
Ice Cold in Alex
The Hill
^ The Hill is a brilliant film - well the first half is. So too is Ice Cold in Alex - I've always loved this snap:
(https://i.imgur.com/BKww4UF.jpg)
I guess not strictly a war film as such but based on a real-life event in WWII, one of my favourite 'old' movies is The Flight Of The Phoenix.
A stellar cast including Jimmy Stewart, Ernest Borgnine, George Kennedy, Ronald Fraser and Dickie Attenborough. I thought it was just brilliant when I first saw it as a kid. Who can forget the moment when aeronautical engineer, Dorfmann admits he's only ever worked on model aircraft!
I've never got around to watching the 2004 remake. I'm sure I'd be disappointed!
I haven't seen the remake either even though Hugh Laurie's in it. Hardy Kruger is brilliant in that.
Speaking of which, a few years ago I watched an old war film called The One That Got Away when it came up on one of the TV channels. Not a classic by any means but quite refreshing in that the main protagonist is a resourceful German (played by Hardy Kruger) attempting to escape from the Allies, and a true story apparently. And there's a scene set in Derby railway station!
anyone remember "The Keep"?
Stalag 17 Another classic
Bridge on the River Kwai
Quote from: Nick on April 07, 2022, 05:08:30 PMQuote from: Rufus_the_dawg on April 06, 2022, 10:24:46 PManyone remember "The Keep"?
The vampire one?
yeah I think so with Jürgen Prochnow from Das Boat and Dune, really weird, do you remember much about it?
I remember the book, really enjoyed it, can't remember anything about the film but I did see it.
Quote from: Nick on April 07, 2022, 06:01:55 PMI remember the book, really enjoyed it, can't remember anything about the film but I did see it.
So the book is worth a read? Nazis and vampires, can you remember much about it?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Keep-Adversary-Cycle-Book-ebook/dp/B003TXT46Q
I read it a very very long time ago!
Nobody got any love for Tobruk ?
Got to be my favourite WWII film......Rock Hudson, George Peppard and a brilliant performance from Nigel Green !!!
All my other favourites already mentioned... Where Eagles Dare, Kelly's Heroes, Ice Cold In Alex, Guns of Navarone.
Some of the modern films have been good....Defiance and Letters from Iwo Jima are two i've watched more than once.