Favorite Warmovie

[Tyler Ramsey]

When Trumpets fade, and Zulu.

[Jgeary]

I really liked "Inglorious Bastards" but "Saving Private Ryan" and the "Band of Brothers" miniseries are tops for me at the moment...

Regards,

James

[TMurray]

"Sink the Bismarck" gets my vote.

[Greeves]

One movie never mentioned is an Australian flick "The Lighthorsemen" made in 1987. About Australian calvary in WWI in Palistine fighting the Turks. Very Good Movie

Great movie about the attack on Beersheeba! However, the Light Horse aren't cavalry - they're Mounted Infantry... (there is a difference...supposedly...)

[K Bandow]

Das Boot!

Das Boot all the way! Absolutely great directing by Wolfgang Petersen!
I just wish the end was not so sad.
But besides Das Boot, there are many other great war movies, of which my favorites are Stalingrad, Cross of Iron 1, and All Quiet on the Western Front.

[JaimeH]

Hmm, strange the things that stick in your mind. I just checked SPR out of the archives and viewed it again. It is a very good film indeed. All I can think is that I must have had my ultra critical head on first time around. However, didn't you just know there'd be a however?, it does have the following stupid flaws:

What's the pussyboy admin/translator guy all about? I mean he even points out that he is a pussyboy in case we are a little slow. What's with the cuddle up on the stairs and if I look scared enough the nasty ss man will just walk straight past, yeah,.. sure.

Poor Vin Petrol gets shot trying to help a wickle kid, aww,... do me a favour!

Oh, I'll just sit down by here to do my boot up and accidently knock this length of 9x2 against this tissue paper STONE WALL, Oh Sh*t lots of krauts,.. come on guys.

What do you mean you're the WRONG James F Ryan?

Weren't you just praying that they wouldn't be blatant enough to bring back that german they let go?,.... Puhleeze!

We have all this ammo, shall we distribute it evenly amongst the relevent guys or shall we give it all to pussyboy to run away with,... Hmm?

Oh dear I'm pretty much shot to bits but I'll see if I can take this Tiger out with my pistol. Maybe, if I'm really lucky, popeye will happen along and save me at the last minute,..


...and what are we doing here anyway! any self respecting team of engineers could bridge this puddle in a couple of hours!

So, an excellent film spoiled by the need to include the popcorn stuff,..

Hollywood, can't live with it can't live without it.


Cheers,
David.

The way I saw it, the scene on the stairs was to show how bazaar things can happen in battle. I've read of similiar accounts like that actually happening.

The "Your the wrong James F. Ryan" You didn't get that they told him his brother was killed in combat? and that they were speaking to the wrong man?

The tiger and the .45, you didn't understand that he knew he was dying so shot off some useless rounds? (Ok, a little bit of Hollywood dramatics)

[fknorr]

As an aside, I would vote the first half (Boot Camp) of Full Metal Jacket as one of the greats, and the second half (in country) as one of the lamest.Don

I have to concur w/Don...I could watch the boot camp portion 1000 times (brings back fond (although glad I do not have to do it again) memories)

The latter half of the movie I generally turn off.

[Richard W.]

I'm going to make a broad generalization now-

There are two kinds of men: those that think the The Thin Red Line (yes, the remake, not the 1964 version, although that one was OK) is one of the greatest movies ever, and those who love Saving Private Ryan.

They always hate one and love the other.

I'm in the TRL camp. I think its a beautiful movie that got a lot of things right. The scenes with the Japanese machineguns on the hill always make my hair stand on end. Uniforms and equipment look great. The soldiers actually look and act like soldiers.

I know lots of guys say it's "too psychological" and "too artsy fartsy".
I think the real problem may be that its lacking any of the conventional Hollywood war movie stereotypes that made SPR such a crowd-pleaser.

[David C]

The way I saw it, the scene on the stairs was to show how bazaar things can happen in battle. I've read of similiar accounts like that actually happening.

Fair comment I suppose, still a bit silly if you ask me though.

The "Your the wrong James F. Ryan" You didn't get that they told him his brother was killed in combat? and that they were speaking to the wrong man?

Oh yes I got it alright just thought it a totally stupid, blatantly obvious scene.

The tiger and the .45, you didn't understand that he knew he was dying so shot off some useless rounds? (Ok, a little bit of Hollywood dramatics)

Hollywood dramatics indeed. However, in retrospect perhaps I was a little too harsh on this scene after all if it was me lying there and all I had were rocks I'd be hurling them to the best of my ability. Although if it 'were' me by the time the cavalry turned up I'd be a greasey slick on the bridge.

They always hate one and love the other.

I'm in the TRL camp.....

.....I know lots of guys say it's "too psychological" and "too artsy fartsy".
I think the real problem may be that its lacking any of the conventional Hollywood war movie stereotypes that made SPR such a crowd-pleaser.

Ah, back to the archives, this one sounds like it could be more my kind of movie.

Cheers,
David.

[RichardC]

my all time favorite war movie...Stalag 17.....i can watch it 3 times a day.....I just love the "Hitler Indoctrination" scene.....

[Presley M. Cheshire]

The Winter War

This is a Finnish film made in 1989 detailing the Russian invasion of Finland during the winter of 1939/40. Known as the Winter War, the Russians continually attacked the Finns for 105 days, then withdrew with minimal territorial gains - defeated by a numerically and technologically inferior enemy.

The film concentrates on a platoon of reservists called up at the start of the war and the constant battles they experience on the frontline fighting off Russian assaults. Technically accurate, the film features I-16 fighters strafing the Finnish positions and T-26 tanks on the assault. There is bloody hand-to-hand combat, a T-26 armed with a flamethrower and molotov-cocktails used to knock-out numerous T-26's.

I was at a Seattle Finnish lodge 100th anniversary celebration and the topic came up about the Winter War. A friend of my mother in-laws was in Finland during the Winter War! The women and children of her village were tasked with making cocktails for the Russian Commissar of Foreign Affairs Molotov. They absolutely hated Molotov. The rest is history.

To me, this is one of the best, if not the best, war films made to date. Most of the equipment is authentic and vintage. The Finns are outfitted with German equipment. The Russian Army is portrayed by the Russian Army! It's portrayal of frontline combat is gripping, entirely realistic and very frightening. You feel like you are in the trenches facing wave after wave of Russians, with nothing more than the remote control to fight them off!

As far as I know, the film is only available from IHF but it is well worth it. If you enjoy war films, you have to see this one - NOW!

[Jack Dutton-Roberts]

"I'm in the TRL camp. I think its a beautiful movie that got a lot of things right. The scenes with the Japanese machineguns on the hill always make my hair stand on end. Uniforms and equipment look great. The soldiers actually look and act like soldiers"

When I saw The Thin Red Line I fell asleep because I thought it was so boring

[David C]

This is a Finnish film made in 1989 detailing the Russian invasion of Finland during the winter of 1939/40. Known as the Winter War..

....As far as I know, the film is only available from IHF but it is well worth it. If you enjoy war films, you have to see this one - NOW!

Sounds very good Hans.

Another one for me to check out

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...850437-7124762

Cheers,
David.

[Ostmark]

Saving Private Ryan because of the outstanding special effects ...

and the smoking barrel of the MG42 at the radar station

[Jack Dutton-Roberts]

Yes, it is little bits like that! It puts SPR ahead of 'em all!

Thanks from Jack.