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Your Favorite Wwii Movies


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Walter,

That Nazi bastard Albert Speer was at the Wansee Conference , but in traditional Speer style, said he left before Heydrich discussed the extermination plan. He conned the Nuremburg authorities to 20 years in Spandau instead of a date with the rope.

 

As for the WWII films, I think the ones that depict the clandestine activities are some of the best.

 

"Five Fingers" (1952) is the factual story of Turk Alysa Bazera (James Mason) who used his position as valet to the British embassador to photograph secret documents for German embassador Von Pappen. He handed the Krauts the Normandy Invasion plan "Overlord", but the Krauts thought it wasn't legitimate.......Bazera was paid 100,00 pounds by the Germans, which he later discovered were counterfeit.

 

"The Train" (1965) with Burt Lancaster is about saving French works of art from Nazi looting during the summer of 1944 and whether it is worth the lives of resistance fighters.

 

"Crash Dive" (1943) about submariners Tyrone Power and Dana Andrews vying for Anne Baxter's affections and blowing up a Nazi oil depot along the war. Just watching Power persue Baxter is a lesson on how to pick up girls 40's style.

 

"Ice Cold In Alex" (1958) British Army Captain John Mills and South African Anthony Quayle as the German spy with Sylvia Simms trying to make it through enemy lines in an ambulance after Tobruk fell. The scene where they have to get the truck over a steep sand dune is one of the best filmed and truly inspiriing. (

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Thanks Arthur and all of you guys! http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif Keep 'em comin'!! Good stuff, especially the reviews. http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/rolleyes.gif http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/cool.gif Regards, Walter

 

P.S. I, too, have heard the only reason old Albert Speer didn't meet up with the rope was that he, was a 'gentleman' (read patrician)! Gentlemen don't use slave labor to make war armaments! Disgusting reason!! http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/mad.gif

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My favorite WWII movie is "Battleground". About the 101st Airborne at the Battle of the Bulge...Nominated for Best Picture of 1949... All equipment is dead-on perfect and they use a lot of GI slang... Since the WWII vets were a large part of the audience they had to do it right (and they did). (Correct down to the details of the helmet markings...)

 

Sgt. Kinney (the squad leader) has a 1928 Thompson, so there is some good Tommy-gun action in it.

 

It's the best, in my opinion.

 

*******

 

If you've seen it, or are familiar with the "Nuts!" episode in real life, this may be of some significance:

 

The German emissaries asking for the US surrender were escorted by Col. Harper of the 327th Parachute Infantry Regiment. By chance I happened to be at the 101st Airborne Museum when Col. Harper's WWII personal effects came in to the museum.

 

It was very remarkable to look through that material - especially his map of the Bastogne perimeter.

 

 

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arthur,

i saw an interesting documentary on the history channel - hitlers henchmen...i think, all about speer. quite interesting, not sure wether or not i beleive the whole story of him leaving before the 'final solution' discussion. who knows...is it proven?

 

rjb1, the nuts comment is a classic quote from history, i laughed everytime i read it in ambroses - citizen soldiers, burgetts - currahee and also on band of brothers http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/laugh.gif

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Sgt. Martin, Patton, in the movie Patton , says, of the officer who made that "Nuts" remark, "A man that eloquent (Gen. McCullough or MacCauliff, I think) has to be saved!" http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/laugh.gif http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/cool.gif Regards, Walter

 

P.S. I'm not sure if that is an acurate quote in the movie, using his (Gen. Patton's) memoirs, diaries, Gen. Omar Bradley's memoirs, etc. Maybe? I do know that Bradley's memoirs were used as a source for that movie.

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That is correct, Sgt. Martin. I'm not sure of the spelling either. It may be McCullough, or MacCauliff? http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/blink.gif http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/unsure.gif http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/smile.gif Regards, Walter
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Thanks, Hardrede! http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/smile.gif http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/cool.gif
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Gunner (and anyone else who is interested) The Bridge (Die Brucke) is available on DVD from Belle and Blade for about $20.00. Belle and Blade has about any obscure or popular WWII movie you have ever heard of. Lots of newsreal stuff. Look on their website.
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OK, I've stayed quiet long enough. Most of the above are great flicks. My favorite is "Battle of Britain". "Tora Tora Tora" is also outstanding.

 

"Kelly's Heroes" is a great one. I really appreciate the honest comparison of armor, and the attempt at making a Tiger really look like a Tiger (not just an M47). To me, it somehow conveys the sensibilities of guys caught up in something bigger than themselves, without hokey patriotism or simplistic anti-war messages.

 

All the comments I've read about "Saving Private Ryan" ring true for me. Really good, though flawed. My dad was a WWII vet. He'd never talk about it, which would frustrate me as a teenager in the late '60s (wanting to hear how cool it all was!). I saw SPR, and afterward, didn't want to talk about the movie. It was like a light bulb clicked on in my head. This was only a MOVIE, a fabrication, and I didn't want to talk about it afterward. I got just a glimpse of what Dad must have felt. I'll never be able to say I'll be able understand my dad's feelings, but SPR did allow a greater respect for his hesitantcy.

 

At the bottom of the list is "Battle of the Bulge" -- pure crap because it was so technically unauthentic! Just above it at the bottom of the heap is "Windtalkers". For me, the ONLY thing that saved that movie was the Thompsons! It was so predictable that it was downright boring (c'mon, who couldn't guess the demise of the flame-thrower guy, or that the other interpreter team wasn't going to get whacked?). After the second battle scene, I recognized there would be a total of four battle scenes: first, Nicholas Cage gets his ass kicked. Then the Navajo does poorly in his baptism of fire. Then there's a traumatic loss scene, and it ends with the blaze of glory scene.

 

After the third battle scene, I decided to count how many Japs Cage kills. In the last battle, I counted 27 (as I remember). With guys like that, WHY did it take us 4 years to beat the Japs??? Hollywood wants us to think that they were as easy to kill as crumpling origami swans. That kind of exaggeration does an incredible disservice to those guys who gave so much to fight a determined enemy. That POS movie totally failed so many opportunities. It's just a damn good thing that they had Tommies instead of Reisings, or I'd never have wasted my money.

 

It seems WWII movies fall into four categories: WWII-dated propaganda (which still made some great and hard-hitting examples), anti-war flicks, money-seeking "action" flicks, and true appreciation-of-sacrifice pieces. The last category seems to be the rarest, and it is the one I enjoy most.

 

I'll close with best wishes for those who wish to disagree with my opinion. Afterall, failing to respect a different opinion does a disservice to why the war was fought in the first place.

 

Regards,

DC

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Hurridale, that's cool that you mentioned the "tigers" in Kellys Heros, they are T34's in disguise! Infact, they used one of the Kellys Heros Tigers, in "Saving Private Ryan". My favorite WW2 movies are 1. Band of Brothers ( they used a real jadgpanther in it supposedly) 2. Saving Private Ryan 3. Das Boot 4. Castle Keep 5. Stallag 17 6. 1941 and so many more that I can't write them all down!
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"The story of Dr.Wassel"with>gary cooper...........has a good thompson action scene with native girl two martini........

 

it has not been on t.v.in year's...........in classic black and white...........ron

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Like a lot of other people here, I like "Saving Private Ryan", "Band of Brothers", "Kelly's Heros", "Farewell to the King"(some good Thompson scenes), and "Cross of Iron". One thing that really impressed me about "Kelly's Heros" t-34 Tigers were that someone actually tried to make it look like one, and not use some old Mil surplus tank and paint a German cross on it(what Hurridale said). I definitely agree with Hurridale's comments about the four categories 100%. I feel the same way. Some are good to watch once only, and others to watch several times. For the longest time, when I watched any movie I could just sit and watch and feel nothing about the whole story. When I watched Saving Private Ryan for the first time, I was on the edge of my seat the whole movie. I finally got a glimpse, and I mean a glimpse and nothing more, of what it was like and my respect for veterans shot up considerably. Having never been there, all I could ever get was a glimpse. I guess that movie opened a lot of people's eyes as to what many in that generation went through.

 

I could not stand the new "A Thin Red Line", just for the certain pathetic actors pretending to be heros in it, when in reality they are the bigest pacifist around. It burns me up to see these leftist neo-commie actor/actresses blast the military and this country, and then portray a real hero on the screen.

 

I remember an early WW2 made film about the battle in Java. I remember some good Thompson sceens. It was the typical 'patriotic' film of that time, with the typical portrayal of the Japs.

 

I believe I read somewhere that the jadgpanther used in BoB was made, for the series, on a T-34, I think, chassis. They did a fantastic job on it. I to am waiting on the release of "Saints and Soldiers". I am also waiting on the movie based on the book 'Ghost Soldiers' about the 5th ranger's raid on the Jap prison camp at Cabanataun in the Phillipines. The book is fantastic, so I hope the movie will not kill it.

 

Scott

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Watching Audie Murphy play himself in the movie based on his autobiographical book "To Hell And Back" is mind blowing. He looks almost like he did 10 years earlier in WWII. The movie itself is crippled by the mawkish sentimentality and poorly staged battle sequences, (aside from Murph's scenes), even though it was Universal studio's biggest hit for 20 years until "Jaws" came along. If only Universal had let Murph make the movie the way he wanted to. Even though he was the class "A" hero of all time, he was a "B" moive star and so he didn't have any influence with the studio.
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The below are some of my all time favorite WWII movies.

Of course I love Band of Brothers as my all time fav movie.

 

What about our British cousins?

 

The Desert Rats

 

Guns of Navarone

 

The Dam Busters

 

Battle of Britain

 

Piece of Cake

 

Those poor boys in the Air Force?

Twelve O'Clock High

 

Thirty Seconds over Tokyo

 

Fighter Squadron

 

 

Oh and Ron, The Story of Dr. Wassel was in color. Remember

the opening scene with the Marblehead plowing through the

waves with flames pouring out of her.

 

Funny thing about that movie was that at the end, they said

that the guy who died with "Two Martini" was actually alive in

Jap prison camp.

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QUOTE (Fencer @ Feb 21 2004, 05:50 PM)
The below are some of my all time favorite WWII movies.
Of course I love Band of Brothers as my all time fav movie.

What about our British cousins?

The Desert Rats

Guns of Navarone

The Dam Busters

Battle of Britain

Piece of Cake


Those poor boys in the Air Force?

Twelve O'Clock High

Thirty Seconds over Tokyo

Fighter Squadron



Oh and Ron, The Story of Dr. Wassel was in color. Remember
the opening scene with the Marblehead plowing through the
waves with flames pouring out of her.

Funny thing about that movie was that at the end, they said
that the guy who died with "Two Martini" was actually alive in
Jap prison camp.

in color... holy moses!!! i got to rent a copy,thats how long ago i saw it on t.v. c.b.s.special on black and white zenith...........thanks......ron

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Many thanks to everyone who participated in this informal inquiry! http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/smile.gif http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif There is still plenty of room for more opinions, reviews, etc., however!! http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/laugh.gif http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/cool.gif Regards, Walter
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From a "Thompson" point of view, "Windtalkers" and "Saving Private Ryan".

 

From a pure WWII movie, got to love "Band of Brothers" , "Cross of Iron" (RIP James Coburn), Ryan .

" Enemy at the Gates" and "The Big Red One".

 

I liked "Kelly's Heroes" and "The Dirty Dozen", but realism was last on the list....

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Cant list any that arent there already but have to make a few comments...

 

B of B is my new all time favorite. I thought there were a few hollywood scenes like when the guy shows up in the middle of the first day's firefight to take the 88's and says "where's HQ", sticks his head up and gets shot. Then I read the book and that turned out to be true, poor guy came out of nowhere and bought it. WIth they would make a Pacific theatre mini-series like.

 

Saving Private Ryan, Came out of that one shaking from emotion but now after seeing it a few times I have a few quarrels. Why a made up story? They could have found 100 real life Capt Millers to get the same points across. And I just want to shoot Upman. When he finally fires his Garand at the end and shoots the prisoner they let go, he lets his buddies run off. Were they supposed to go tell the the rest of the Wehrmacht that a Upman was the new sheriff in town?

 

Patton was very well done but in reality Patton had a high and squeaky voice unlike G.C Scott. Many said his vulgarity was an attempt to cove it up.

 

The Longest Day - Check out the two best photograph scenes in the movie. First the aerial from the german plane as he stafes the beach and then the one shot aerial of the taking of the casino. That casino scene has to be one of the all time single take shots made. It too has a lot of Hollywood but the one I thought was the worst was when the GI's march past the Krauts in the dark and dont see each other. Turns out that was true.

 

Battle of the Bulge. Defintely over the top hollywood but my dad took me to see that in on a big panavision screen when it came out so I still watch it every time it comes on. I like how they take out Tiger with little bazooka so Henry and get a look inside. Funny how the other krauts didnt notice.

 

Also heard many years ago that Gen McAuliffe denied ever making the "Nuts" comment but its history now.

 

U-571 (I liked the U-90210 comment) They made the germans look stupid and cowardly which they most certainly were neither. They would never have taken a U-boat while the germans cowered in the aft.

 

And how about the movie Castle Keep with Burt Lancaster? I hadnt seen that until it started showing up on AMC. I still not sure I've got that one figured out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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