WAR FILMS

[Lusty]

If you ever go visit Lazyphil you can go up to Maddingley and visit the American war cemetry just up the road from Duxford where the US bombers used to fly from during WW2.There's hundreds of kids buried there .

[Guest lazyphil]

web page

[limbo]

This WWII cemetery is around the corner where I was born back in the Netherlands.

Used to visit this on a regular base.

 

This one and this one are around the corner where I last lived in Nederland.

[sayjann]

i vaguely remember going to cemetries in France when i was around 8/9.

i didn't understand the importance of them at the time.

 

but in the early 90's i was in the Arnheim area and i took in all the atmosphere which seemed to be prevalent in the area when i visited the cemetries...........

[Flashermac]

The original Lew Ayres version of "AQWF" is unbeatable. That's probably why Hitler hated it so much. (He had the book publicly burnt and wounded WWI vet Remarque had to leave Germany until after WWII had ended.)

 

Das Boot was fantastic. Surprised to see it mentioned though. It didn't get the publicity, I suppose because -- like AQWF -- it showed the other side.

 

Gettysburg had its moments, though the beards were laughable -- and some of the actors had no business in the parts they played.

 

Glory was a fine film, but included typical Hollywood BS. THREE regiments charged the fort, the black 54th Mass and two white regiments. But Hollywood decided to leave out the white folks. (Also, the Sgt Major of the 54th was a university educated African-American, son of the abolitionist leader Fred Douglas, not any iliterate greying grave digger. And whipping had been outlawed in the US Army years before the Civil War.)

 

I loved Patton, only the complaint WWII vets had was that it made Patton seem likeable. Even his own men say he was a bad tempered SOB.

 

I took my Mrs to see Bridge over the River Kwai on one of its re-releases. Jack Hawkins actually spoke passable Thai in the film, which amazed the Thai viewers. (The Thai actors and actresses had to be flown to Sri Lanka for the film, since the producers decided Thailand was too remote or didn't look like Thailand or something.)

 

Saving Ryan's Privates had its moments, but it dragged at times.

 

As a VN vet, I thought Apocalypse Now was incomprehensible drivel. Maybe it was the VN War as seen by Timothy Leary -- enjoyable at times, but had me wondering if the projectionist hadn't got the reels out of order.

 

The Deerhunter was truer to VN, though of course the Russian roulette scenes were not. Jacques Segui, who played the evil Frenchman who took DeNiro to the "games", said that bored French colonial troops had indeed done it in French Indo-China. But that was years before the US got involved in the mess.

[Guest]

 

Agree, films that show the "other" side are, imo, more realistic in the story telling and viewability. Tora, Tora, Tora was a collaboation between American and Japanese producers and directors. Not a collaboration or other side category is the film "The Enemy Below". (1957) Not widely distributed, the film stars Robert Mitchum as a US Navy destroyer Captain, and Curt Jurgens as a German U-boat commander in a cat and mouse chess match across the South Atlantic. Good stuff.

 

"Das Boot was fantastic. Surprised to see it mentioned though. It didn't get the publicity, I suppose because -- like AQWF -- it showed the other side."

[chuckwoww]

Pale_Rider said:

 

"Das Boot was fantastic. Surprised to see it mentioned though. It didn't get the publicity, I suppose because -- like AQWF -- it showed the other side."

 

That's the way it is. Enquiring minds seek things out...and decide for themselves. The masses need to be told what to see.

 

(This has been a chuckwoww philosophical moment)

[sayjann]

thanks for the insight Flasher........

i find it interesting to hear accounts from People who were involved in certain things like War.

Hollywood and the like can try and show us what it was like but People who were there can always tell us more.

 

i always like listening to my Uncle who was involved in the Vietnam War,albeit in a secrative way as of course the Brits were 'never' there.

and a very good Friend of mine was a POW during the Korean War and he has tales which would make your toes curl.

 

a TV show i always liked was Tour of Duty.

maybe not accurate but i thought it 'probably' portrayed how the Guys felt and what they went through.

[Old Hippie]

"...Glory was a fine film, but included typical Hollywood BS. THREE regiments charged the fort, the black 54th Mass and two white regiments. But Hollywood decided to leave out the white folks. (Also, the Sgt Major of the 54th was a university educated African-American, son of the abolitionist leader Fred Douglas, not any iliterate greying grave digger. And whipping had been outlawed in the US Army years before the Civil War.)..."

 

Ever see how they fucked up Bat 21?

[ALHOLK]

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned "Enemy at the gates". That is one of the best war movies I have seen.