The Forgotten Soldier Movie is now Official!

[Jean-Loup]

I saw Black Book the other day, and though it was exelent, tragic, funny, as well as a few more things.
I hope the guy learns a bit about German WW2 haircuts and soldiers silhouets/average weight before making his new movie though. His Germans in Black book, acting like retarted and imobile storm troopers from star wars was one of the weak points of his movie.

JL

[Edward]

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[DennyB]

Edward, I agree wholeheartedly about the old and overweight reenactors in Gettysburg. In the first scene where Harrison is challenged by the provost, it shows a guy that must have been 60, 275lbs, and a snow white beard. Wrong on all counts! Not many 60 year olds serving as a sergeant in the infantry at that point, no Confederate infantryman that has been living on forage and walking 20 plus miles a day would be packing 40% body fat, and having a snow white beard in July 1863 on an enlisted man wouldn't have happened. A beard on a man in that situation would have been filthy, sleeping on the ground, dust from marching etc would have seen to that.
When I saw that in the first five minutes, I knew their casting was messed up. He looked more like Santa Claus than a Confederate infantryman. Tom Berringer's beard made him look more like a member of the band ZZTOP than Gen. Longstreet. The guy portraying Pickett did well though.
Denny

[Robert Shoaf]

Edward, I agree wholeheartedly about the old and overweight reenactors in Gettysburg. In the first scene where Harrison is challenged by the provost, it shows a guy that must have been 60, 275lbs, and a snow white beard. Wrong on all counts! Not many 60 year olds serving as a sergeant in the infantry at that point, no Confederate infantryman that has been living on forage and walking 20 plus miles a day would be packing 40% body fat, and having a snow white beard in July 1863 on an enlisted man wouldn't have happened. A beard on a man in that situation would have been filthy, sleeping on the ground, dust from marching etc would have seen to that.
When I saw that in the first five minutes, I knew their casting was messed up. He looked more like Santa Claus than a Confederate infantryman. Tom Berringer's beard made him look more like a member of the band ZZTOP than Gen. Longstreet. The guy portraying Pickett did well though.
Denny

I wholeheartedly agree regarding the beefy Confederates ( and Union troops) in "Gettysburg." Perhaps they got the reenactors to work for free! For many of those guys, it looked like they were more apt to charge the buffett at Hoss' Steakhouse, than Cemetery Ridge! Who in the hell picked that Santa Claus clone to play the picket line sgt?? Was the director or producer his cousin? Well, at least we got to see Ted Turner get killed!

[DennyB]

Yes on Ted Turner but I would have preferred that Hanoi Jane Fonda caught one instead. A buddy of mine was an extra there and when Turner brought Hanoi Jane out there, several Vietnam-era men turned their backs.

[Robert Shoaf]

Yes on Ted Turner but I would have preferred that Hanoi Jane Fonda caught one instead. A buddy of mine was an extra there and when Turner brought Hanoi Jane out there, several Vietnam-era men turned their backs.

Quite agree on Jane; she & loudmouth jackass Turner, what a pair! I was just thinking of the casting of well known peacenik Martin Sheen as Robert E. Lee At least they chose Robert Duvall to play Lee in "Gods & Generals". I thought that Stephen Lang did a fine job as Pickett & Stonewall Jackson, respectively.

[bobcam1]

I just hope Tom Cruise's expensive mess doesn't give producers and directors cold feet about this type of movies...

I'm constantly amazed by people who offer opinions on the validity or quality of a film, without ever having seen it. It's like those "experts" on the forums who condemn a helmet or dagger, without actually having any experience with those items.
What would prompt you to call "Valkyrie" an "expensive mess", when you may have seen only the trailers and nothing else? I'm just curious.....

Bob.

[bobcam1]

This certainly is a problem, i've never seen a film yet that lived up to the book.

I've seen quite a few....Try "Jaws"...."Shogun"...."Roots"....."Silence of the Lambs", among others.....

Bob.

[Kyle Harrington]

Tfs

As stated earlier this has to done properly, this means German and Russian actors.No Tom Criise or Nicholas Cage !! otherwise it descends into farce.

[N.C. Wyeth]

As stated earlier this has to done properly, this means German and Russian actors.No Tom Criise or Nicholas Cage !! otherwise it descends into farce.

What about German-Americans? Maybe American-Germans? Russian-Americans/American-Russians? Or did such an inconsitency not exist at the time?

Brad

[fozz]

The forgoten soldier

It needs to be bloody good! Justice must be served on a fantastic book......... Stalingrad could do with a make over, I will happily redirect it!

[Okrach]

I have read the book. ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT! I know Verhoeven movies and I have always appreciated how he made them. Reality is one of the factors which make his movies worthy pictures, no matter II WW story or S-F. I am glad HE is involved with the Forgotten Soldier project. It is a great chance it will not end up as "Red baron" fairy tale about war and love...

[Michael Root]

Looking forward to this one I'm gonna see if I can drop 30 lbs and read for the part of the "veteran"

By done properly, I mean like Das Boot, or Cross of Iron.
But most likely it will be weak, like "Stalingrad-1993" or "Enemy at the Gates-2001"

I still don't understand the fascination with Cross of Iron, it was a bloody mess. Did the book no justice, and the best part of the film was the movie poster.

As stated earlier this has to done properly, this means German and Russian actors.No Tom Criise or Nicholas Cage !! otherwise it descends into farce.

Off the top of my head, the two guys from HBO's Rome would make a decent Sajer and his large buddy (can't remember his name).

[Rikster]

The Forgotten soldier.....into a movie.........I would like to be excited about this, but it WILL descend into farce, with unsuitable actors, and totally misrepresent the story, YOU know it, I know it............God help us.

[leibermuster]

I think the important thing about Cross of Iron is that it is almost the only movie made that had a German as the main character who was 'sympathetic' and not 'evil'. And a tough smart one at that. It played pretty loose with the story, the book is much better, but that it got made at all is amazing. I liked the fighting with all the Red Army armor, I mean how many movies like Patton and Battle of the Bulge used US vehicles in the 70's. These guys were using actual Russian armor!