Classic War Films discussion

[Rufus_the_dawg]

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.

[Slim]

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.

[Slim]

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.

[dom]

Really like Inglorious Basterds - Christopher Waltz was brilliant

[Matt2112]

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.

[Fishy]

Too Late The Hero

[Rufus_the_dawg]

1917 was a brilliant take on the classic war film and filmed so it looks like one long continuous shot.

[Rufus_the_dawg]

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.

[Nick]

Slightly awry but I used to love watching The Alamo whenever it came round on the TV.

[pxr5]

The Guns of Navarone
633 Squadron
Reach for the Sky
Where Eagles Dare
The Longest Day

[Slim]

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.

[pxr5]

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.

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

[Slim]

Speaking of films made from Alistair Maclean books - I'll go and start a Cold War Movie thread.

[Jonners]

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

[Fishy]

Great Escape..seen it a million times but it,s always a good watch