What are your three favourite war movies?

[Peter Miller]

Tonight the was the usual codswallop on TV so I watched my DVD of one of may favourite war films

They are:

The Enemy Below, totally brilliant

Kelly's Heros

The Longest Day

And I suddenly wondered what other peoples favourites are.

Edited By Peter Miller on 19/10/2019 20:55:19

[Outrunner]

Battle of Britain

The cruel sea

Dambusters

Deer Hunter

633 Squadron

Must be more. Oh yes Das Boot

 

Phil.

Edited By Outrunner on 19/10/2019 21:13:27

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

I'm a Snowflake, war movies don't do it for me, more than enough real life misery going on.

[Wingman]

The Cruel Sea

The Dam Busters

Dark Blue World

[Cliff Bastow]

Battle of Britain,

The Dambusters,

Ice cold in Alex,

The Great Escape,

Where Eagles Dare.

[J D 8]

The Dam busters

Tora Tora Tora

Zulu

[Cuban8]

I have quite a large collection of war DVDs in which I've got most of the classics mentioned previously.

In terms of more recent productions I'd say my top three would be (no order of preference).

Saving Private Ryan

Letters from Iwo Jima

Blackhawk Down.

 

 

Just for fun, my all time stinkers are

Apocalypse Now

Dunkirk (2017)

633 Squadron - Love the Mossies, but the acting and special effects are as wooden as the aircraft.

 

 

Edited By Cuban8 on 19/10/2019 22:03:04

[Bob Cotsford]

Catch 22

Mash

Full Metal Jacket

At least these were the first to come to mind - or do they not count being anti-war movies?

[Former Member]

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[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[Brian Stevenson 1]

In order.

1) Aces High, 1976. In fact it's my favourite movie of all time, war or not. I think it really captures the period, and though we can never know for sure, likely the  'psychology' of it all.

2) Battle of Britain. I particularly like "A large whisky please"....."That'll be One and six please sir"

3) The Blue Max. An acquaintance of mine, John Isaacs, designed and built the Pfalz. It was so close to the original that it displayed some of the original's faults. The Germans used to paint the manufacturers name and location on their aircraft. As he built it at Eastleigh airport he put "Pfalz Flugwerke Southampton am Itchen" on his

Real stinker? 'Memphis Belle' with its Airfix plastic kit B-17s flying though the same piece of sky over and over again and bomber crews of demented children. I know the actors in many war aviation films are far too old for their parts, but this film, with its near suckling crews with their lucky charms and their constant screaming and yelling is ridiculous.

Edited By Brian Stevenson 1 on 20/10/2019 06:16:17

[GONZO]

What war was not specified, so;

1/ The Last Samurai

2/ Band of Brothers

3/ Pacific

4/ Zulu

5/ The tv series on the American Civil War (the one with the Ashokan Farewell theme)

and as a nod to the modern atomic age one of the nuclear war disaster films; Threads, The Day After etc for when I just want to see large mushroom clouds and massive destruction.

 

Edited By GONZO on 20/10/2019 07:40:42

[Brian Stevenson 1]

Posted by GONZO on 20/10/2019 07:38:51:

…….and as a nod to the modern atomic age one of the nuclear war disaster films; Threads, The Day After etc for when I just want to see large mushroom clouds and massive destruction.

Edited By GONZO on 20/10/2019 07:40:42

The Day After was a good film. Made for TV apparently. And an interesting factual error. The BMW R65 motorbike belonging to one of the main characters never had electronic ignition anytime in its (short) production life (I know, I had one) and most of the cars wouldn't have either.

So they would not have been affected by the EMP of the bombs. Thus the huge numbers of people stuck in non-operational cars (which was a significant part of the film) would not have happened.

[cymaz]

 

 

HERE

HERE

HERE

FOR GONZO.....you’re right , a stunning program 

Edited By cymaz on 20/10/2019 09:10:11

[J D 8]

Worst ever ? Flyboys.

[Peter Miller]

JUst a bit of information on Memphis Belle.

I talked to Roger Freeman (THE expert on the Eighth Air Force) who was an advisor on the making of the film.

The film was so bad that the original crew refused to allow their names to be used for the crew of the film Memphis Belle.

Now that is BAD!!!

[Cuban8]

I forgot to include in my list of 'stinkers' The Green Berets'.

I clearly remember going to see it as a kid when I was 11 in '68. It was probably rated as an 'A' so you needed an adult with you to see it and I went with my dad to the fleapit in Cromer. OK for an eleven years old with little or no knowledge of the Vietnam war that was raging at the time, other than seeing the B/W images on TV. I did sit through it again when it was shown on TV a couple of years ago and it's cringingly bad on so many levels, as are most propaganda films - and it's clearly a pro Vietnam War piece of Propaganda (financed, I believe, in part by JW himself) and was shamelessly marketed as such. Thankfully, it's message fell on mostly deaf ears, but as most of us know very well, the war went on for another seven years.

I like John Wayne and he redeemed himself in most of his later films, in particular, the Rooster Cogburn character in the film of that name and True Grit.

A couple of excellent TV series...........The BBC's Dunkirk drama documentary with Benedict Cumbabatch and Nicholas Jones - he of the totally over the top Captain Triggers in the always watchable 'Wings'.

The US Vietnam War TV series 'Tour of Duty' is very good indeed and dispenses with all the nonsense.

Edited By Cuban8 on 20/10/2019 10:00:07

[GONZO]

Well, just for a change of war type I've decided to watch 'Independence day' and the sequel this afternoon. Pure fantasy entertainment when you just suspend ALL knowledge on physics/science /etc and enjoy with a generous supply of nibbles and drinks

[Dai Fledermaus]

You'll see some real stinkers on the Movies For Men channel. I watched one recently, called Operation Dunkirk, so bad I had to watch it to the end where a French resistance fighter, wearing a beret, of course, was flown back to England by the RAF in a bright blue and yellow Stearman biplane. Needless to say it was filmed in America.

[Engine Doctor]

" A bridge too far" and "We were soldiers" area a good watch .

We had a club member back in the 1980's ,sorry but I can't recall his name , sadly passed away now who was a sergeant in operation "Market garden" . When I knew him his sight had deteriorated so he couldn't fly his models anymore but gave talks about his experiences during the conflict. Back in the 1980's he had a group of model flyers who would tow Horsa gliders up at shows and he would give a commentary on the action giving a little insight as to what it was like . This was to commemorate the soldiers and his friends who many sadly died . The film" A bridge too far" glossed over the real cost of lives but still is a good watch .

" A band of brothers" is another great movie ,a pity we never had an English equivalent.

I remember an interview ,possibly on " Parkinson" when David Putnam a producer of The Memphis Belle said that he wanted to make a movie about a Lancaster bomber and it's crew . He described how nobody in the UK was interested so it went to America and became Memphis Belle !.

Edited By Engine Doctor on 20/10/2019 11:06:07

[Kevin 216]

Best:

1. The Cruel Sea

2. A Bridge Too Far

3. Colditz Story

Worst:

1. Mosquito Squadron

2.Almost all John Wayne war films.

[Brian Cooper]

We Were Soldiers.

Windtalkers.

Enemy at the Gate.

[Broken Prop]

Band of Brothers

Ice Cold in Alex. (love the ending in the bar in Cairo)

But above all, for sheer realism, Das Boot takes the prize for me

ALAAAARM!

[Lima Hotel Foxtrot]

Starship Troopers

The Empire Strikes Back.

Edge of Tomorrow.

[J V R]

Enemy at the gates

Hacksaw ridge

to name a few