Favourite War Movies

[GR66]

One of my personal favourites is "Breaker Morant" an excellent, fact-based Aussie movie about the Court Martial of Harry "Breaker" Morant duing the 2nd Boer War for the summary exectution of Boer prisoners and a German missionary.  Not your typical shoot-em up movie but extremely well written and acted in my opinion.

 

[a_majoor]

Stanley Kubrick actually directed quite a few war movies, and films with war as a theme in the background (out of a total output of 13 movies made during his lifetime. If he had ever made "Napoleon" that would have been 5/14)


Paths of Glory (the Sparticus Revolt)
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (war comedy)
Barry Lyndon (set during the Seven Years War)
Full Metal Jacket (based on "The Short Timers" by Gustav Hasford, USMC during the Viet Nam war)

 

[pitdroid]

Blackhawk Down is probably my favourite war movie, I also really like Shake Hands With The Devil.

 

[Chilme]

Blackhawk Down is probably my favourite war movie, I also really like Shake Hands With The Devil.

Both of those are spot on.  I forgot about Shake Hands With The Devil.

 

[pitdroid]

I forgot to mention Passchendaele, Valkyrie, Flags Of Our Fathers and Letters From Iwo Jima, those are pretty good movies to.

 

[turtlerace79]

This might be a bit out of the range of this discussion, but I loved Starship Troopers (although I'm not sure which war that was... ;D). I really liked how they portrayed the media and recruiting propaganda. In today's world of "Breaking News" all the time, it doesn't seem that improbably that a war could be played out on tv like it was during this movie.

On a note more related to the spirit of this discussion, I love Band of Brothers as well as the China Beach series. I really enjoyed hating the character in BoB played by Ross from "Friends".

I only liked the initial 20 minutes of Saving Private Ryan, and I don't understand how it gets so much praise. I was always confused that the opening scene takes place through the eyes of Tom Hanks, but at the end of the movie Matt Damon seems to be reflecting back in time of all these events. Matt Damon's "Private Ryan" wasn't even present until the movie was half-over, so how could he reflect back to the storming of the beach??? Maybe it's been too long since I have seen it, but I remember being disappointed as I left the theatre.

 

[PMedMoe]

On a note more related to the spirit of this discussion, I love Band of Brothers as well as the China Beach series. I really enjoyed hating the character in BoB played by Ross from "Friends".

Capt Sobel.  Yes, I think that David Schwimmer did a great job.  Definitely not typecast, eh?

 

[The Bread Guy]

Some of my more recent fave views....

Waltz with Bashir:  An animated documentary on the Shatila/Sabra refugee camp massacres, using interviews from soldiers in/around the action - riveting atmosphere in animation, esp. the dream sequences.

Four Feathers (1939) vs Four Feathers (2002):  Although I generally don't like remakes, I have to say I enjoyed the feel of the newer version more than that of the old version.

The Wind that Shakes the Barley (2006):  Good story showing how the extremists-vs-moderates equation sorts itself out (or sometimes doesn't quite so well) in the Irish War of Independence.

Blessed by Fire (2005):  The Falklands, from the Argentinian perspective.  Don't know how much of the brutality of some Argentine officers shown is exaggerated, but interesting perspective.

 

[ModlrMike]

A short list of some of my favorites:

The Cruel Sea,
The Man Who Never Was,
All Quiet on the Western Front,
Paths of Glory.

 

[BernDawg]

I only liked the initial 20 minutes of Saving Private Ryan, and I don't understand how it gets so much praise. I was always confused that the opening scene takes place through the eyes of Tom Hanks, but at the end of the movie Matt Damon seems to be reflecting back in time of all these events. Matt Damon's "Private Ryan" wasn't even present until the movie was half-over, so how could he reflect back to the storming of the beach??? Maybe it's been too long since I have seen it, but I remember being disappointed as I left the theatre.

Here's how I interpreted that movie.
He goes to the grave, obviously some sort of pilgrimage with his entire family, and finds the head stone. Then it hits him. He sees exactly what they went through. He telegraphs into their state of being at that moment, so to speak. He then goes through the entire ordeal from start to finish and it hits him, he's known all along but now it really hits him. these guys gave up absolutely everything, without a doubt or a second look back, to bring him home and he owes everything, everything to them and there's no way to pay that back, none.
I think it just may be the best movie ever made.

 

[vonGarvin]

Here's how I interpreted that movie.
.....
I think it just may be the best movie ever made.

Here's how I interpreted that movie:


Junk.


From a special effects point of view, it was awesome.  But for realism, plot, story, etc, it was utter junk.  Hell, right off the bat I wanted to punch the military advisor for how the German MGs were set up.....


But I digress.

 

[a_majoor]

SPR was "combat porn" in the sense that every time the story hit a slow spot the writers seemed to say "lets find another gruesome way to kill people".

And of course it perpetuates the myth that American troops faced Tiger tanks in the Normandy campaign, which is an immense tribute to German tank designers and troops considering only @18 operational Tigers were to the north facing Canadian and Polish troops...

 

[BernDawg]

Nobody said that SPR was a documentary. It's a feature film, a work of art and I take it as such.  :2c:

 

[Old Sweat]

SPR was "combat porn" in the sense that every time the story hit a slow spot the writers seemed to say "lets find another gruesome way to kill people".

And of course it perpetuates the myth that American troops faced Tiger tanks in the Normandy campaign, which is an immense tribute to German tank designers and troops considering only @18 operational Tigers were to the north facing Canadian and Polish troops...

As I recall, SPR was in the first few days after the landing. The first Tigers, those of 101st SS Heavy Tank Battalion only arrived on about the 9th and were deployed as the 1 SS Panzer Corps Reserve behind 12 SS Panzer and Panzer Lehr divisions. Thuc is quite correct in that there only were about 18 Tigers available at this time, and most had serviceability issues. but, there's always a but, the Poles did not arrive until August.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Not to mention there was likely a limited selection of operating Vismods kicking around and they would use those over creating a new one if they could. Haven't seen a Vismod of a Panther or Pz IV kicking around and only a few running real ones.

 

[mariomike]

SPR was "combat porn" in the sense that every time the story hit a slow spot the writers seemed to say "lets find another gruesome way to kill people".

I went to see SPR at the theater with my father. I probably would have appreciated its gruesome "reality" more if I was 25 years younger.

 

[masterchief]

Definitely Black Hawk Down,
  That was a great movie. 

 

[Bearpaw]

I just viewed "The Trench"---a film about a small unit in the days leading up to the Battle of the Somme in WW1.  I recommend it to all.

Bearpaw

 

[midget-boyd91]

Kelly's Heroes.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5cL-h3Pj1o

Woof Woof.. That's my dog immitation.

 

[AJFitzpatrick]

'Das Boot'

One can almost smell the diesel and sweat...
+ engenders sympathy for the 'enemy'