Let's talk about all the military movies we enjoy.

I've been trying to watch which Russian and Soviet movies I can. They're hard to find, but I have seen a few.
Come and See was the best. Really a striking picture into partisan warfare in WW2.

Agony I didn't like. It really didn't have anything to do with history.

My favorite war movies are The Outlaw Josey Wales and The Great Raid.

I haven't seen any Russian 'war films'. Of the films I have seen, favorites in rough order would have to be
Das Boot
The Pianist
Private Ryan
Cross of Iron
Enemy at the Gates (yes really)
We Were Soldiers
Thin Red Line
Bridge Too Far
Longest Day
Attack
Bridge at Remagen
Battle of Britain

Worst films — The Big Red One and anything with John Wayne (apart from Longest Day).

The Sands of Iwo Jima was alright, with John Wayne. If they had cut out that romance and dancing crap then it would have been really good.

I forgot to put it here: Pork Chop Hill is the best of the old war movies.

Keith, «We were soldiers» is a scrap, as our documents say.

I enjoy some «western» movies — Das Boot (the best!!!), Windtalkers and Cross of Iron.
One of the best russian WWII-movie is «Zvezda» (The Star). This story is about Soviet recon troop (codename «Zvezda») taking mission in the German deep in 1944 and their final death.

Seawolf wrote:
The Sands of Iwo Jima was alright, with John Wayne. If they had cut out that romance and dancing crap then it would have been really good.

I forgot to put it here: Pork Chop Hill is the best of the old war movies.


Yeh, the obligatory romantic interest kills a lot of otherwise decent films. Pork Chop Hill was good. I think Hamburger Hill was a kind of remake set in Vietnam.

Danngoc wrote:
Keith, «We were soldiers» is a scrap, as our documents say.


Why? Was it not based on actual events?

V_P wrote:
I enjoy some «western» movies — Das Boot (the best!!!), Windtalkers and Cross of Iron.
One of the best russian WWII-movie is «Zvezda» (The Star). This story is about Soviet recon troop (codename «Zvezda») taking mission in the German deep in 1944 and their final death.


I'll look out for Zvezda.
I've just remembered that I have seen a Russian film. It was Company Nine or Company No.9 — set in Afghanistan. It was a kind of Russian 'Full Metal Jacket' or 'Platoon', and at least as good as either of those.
A couple of other films I should have put on my list — Downfall and Schindler's List.

I've just remembered that I have seen a Russian film. It was Company Nine or Company No.9 — set in Afghanistan. It was a kind of Russian 'Full Metal Jacket' or 'Platoon', and at least as good as either of those.
Where did you find this? I've been looking for it but haven't found it yet.
Apparently next year there will be a new movie set in Afghanistan about the SEALS. It's called Lone Survivor and that title basically sums up the story.

Full Metal Jacket is one of the better movies out there and a rarity in that it does Vietnam right. People don't get it because it's not in the jungle but Hue City actually is one of the more famous battles to Marines.

We Were Soldiers was really melodramatic but not terrible. Reading the frontpage review of Enemy at the Gates, I get the feeling that the Radiomen in We Were Soldiers are portrayed as bad as the Commissars. Every time you see a radioman he has some stupid, pathetic look on his face. Only officers and psychos over-act like that.

If they just shaved off the first 45 minutes of Hamburger Hill, it would be excellent.

Seawolf wrote:

Where did you find this? I've been looking for it but haven't found it yet.
Apparently next year there will be a new movie set in Afghanistan about the SEALS. It's called Lone Survivor and that title basically sums up the story.

Full Metal Jacket is one of the better movies out there and a rarity in that it does Vietnam right. People don't get it because it's not in the jungle but Hue City actually is one of the more famous battles to Marines.




Company No9 was screened on one of the satellite TV channels in the UK. Full Metal Jacket was filmed in England, a piece of info that for me tends to take the shine off the film a bit. The battle scenes were shot in a derelict northern industrial estate with a couple of token palm trees planted to create the illusion of a tropical location. A piece of trivia for you; the grimacing of the main character when he was being bawled at by the sergeant was not acting. The actor playing the sergeant had bad halitosis.

I've met Gunny Ermey (the actor from FMJ) twice but I wasn't that close to smell his breath. It wouldn't surprise me though since that's how most of those guys are.
I think the battle scenes looked really good.
Incidentally, I think that for all its faults, Enemy at the Gates had incredible shots of the boats crossing the Volga into the city.

I saw the miniseries The Cadets about Soviet Artillery Officer Candidates during the winter of 42–43. Sometimes it was kind of slow but overall I think it was great, especially the ending. The characters are very believable.

It based on NOVEL of general Harold Moore only. There are a lot of mistakes in the movie, from costume, weaponary, casualties from both sides. The scene of PAVN not suits to our official casualties file.

WOW, no Band of Brothers here yet?? That strikes me as kind of odd, my No 1 pic. Has anyone seen Generation Kill yet from HBO on the second Iraq war by chance,thoughts anyone??

Cheers

Tom

OOPS, almost forgot about the Pacific one ('sister' of) of Band of Brothers, That just wrapped up shooting I think, no clue when it will be out though.

Band of Brothers was good in parts but it was a series, not a film.

I view it as a «very long movie» myself, but thats's just me, but I don't think that should disqualify it from this topic, do you??

Cheers

Tom

OK, let's call it a very very long movie. I thought the D-Day air drop was done very well, as was the the taking of the artillery position soon afterwards. The defence of Bastogne was also impressive.

The Star is excellent; I also have Strafbat but only in Russian — I must find a translation. The first 30 minutes of Saving Ryan's Privates (English joke) is excellent — the rest is rubbish, and inaccurate. At the time, 2nd SS fought against the British and had no Tigers. All the Tigers in Normandy at the time faced the British. One of the few Holywood films I have any time for is the Lost Battalion.

Thanks Keith, the drop was very nice, as well as taking that Arty position and many other things. The variety of personalities and the machines used in the series really made it the best pick for me.

Charles

SPR was thee thing to watch at the time, no other film came close to matching the combat at times in the movie. Yes, very inaccurate at times, but I kinda thought that this was (could) be kind of a «Villers-Bocage» type deal, IF they were portrayed as British soldiers, without the British armour and AT guns though naturally, if you really think about it. As a movie in and of itself, great, as a documentary, not so much.

Cheers

Tom

The best WW2 film that does not age is Sink the Bismarck. Really nothing much needs to be said, except that it is very good, accurate, and just long enough. The Enemy Below and Run Silent, Run Deep are nice efforts but don't do justice to the submarine service.
Pacific War movies just aren't good enough, unfortunately. After the total letdown of the two Iwo Jima movies, I'm really not looking forward to the 'Band of Brothers in the Pacific.'

Here's three great movies on the eastern front:

Stalingrad (1990)

Hunde, wollt ihr ewig leben (1958)

Talvisota (1989)