# Hollywood presents WWII. Films that grind your gears.



## fastmongrel (Oct 26, 2013)

What war movies for technical, historical and downright awfulness reasons make you want to jump up and put your boot through the screen and throw your popcorn all over the room. For me its 4 recent films, in reverse order.

Saving Private Ryan. Actually not a bad war movie but come on Speilberg I think there might have been some non US folks there at the same time.

Inglorious Basterds, Come on Tarantino you can do better than this pile of steaming c**p. Boring, overlong, tasteless and so far over the top its in another war zone. 

Pearl Harbour, What The Hell a chick flick with aeroplanes, a lack of historical accuracy and poor special effects. Plus acting so wooden they do all the facial expressions from A to B, Kate Beckinsale I have a wooden door wedge with more personality.

But BUT the biggest gear grinder of them all a movie guarunteed to make my blood boil U571. I cant actually say what I think of this movie without getting a lifetime ban.


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## fastmongrel (Oct 26, 2013)

To balance things out 4 films that I really enjoy and dont offend me in anyway. 

The Bridges at Toko Ri used F9 Panthers instead of F2 Banshees from the novel but near enough for film purposes as I believe there werent enough flyable Banshees available for filming.

Das Boot technically perfect and makes you sweat and duck when the escorts are coming in for an attack

Captive Heart the best POW movie and I always get a speck of dust in my eye at the end and have to blow my nose (NO I am not crying I am a man)

Cruel Sea Wrong ship used for HMS Saltash it should have been a River class not a Castle class but it was all that was available. A magnificent movie quite capable of being amongst the best films of all time. Moving, compassionate with a big heart a paen to all that fought in the Battle of the Atlantic whatever the colour of there flag.


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## stona (Oct 26, 2013)

To Das Boot I would add Der Untergang (Downfall) absolutely superb. Now that the Germans feel able to make films about WW2 they make very good ones.

Grinding my gears? Too many to list, but top of the list of recent movies must be Red Tails. What a crock of sh*t. If the director/producers had just told the real story (which is remarkable enough) and made at least an effort at some historical accuracy it could have been very good

Cheers

Steve

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## vikingBerserker (Oct 26, 2013)

Spot on about Red Tails, how anybody could screw up a cool story to begin with is beyond my imagination.

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## redcoat (Oct 26, 2013)

Pearl Harbor
I hate this film because it implies that the American pilots who fought in the RAF Eagle squadrons were USAAF pilots who had been 'volunteered' by their government. When in fact the US government wouldn't allow any ex-USAAF or USN pilots to serve in them

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## stona (Oct 26, 2013)

Don't get me going on U 571 which frankly insults the memory of the men of HMS Bulldog who first retrieved a machine from U 110 (and failed to retrieve the entire submarine!). Worse it demeans the memory of the men of HMS Petard who gave their lives later retrieving a machine, code books and settings from U 559.
It's disgraceful.
Steve

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## Denniss (Oct 26, 2013)

U-571 as top of the worst, followed by Pearl Harbour and Saving Private Ryan. Not a Movie but Band of Brothers is questionable as well - enemy solders are too often depicted as doing very dumb things.
I don't like movies using ww2 just as background for Drama/lovestory/etc.
When I first saw U-571 I couldn't decide whether to cry out loud or just laugh. Both story, actors and special effects were more comedy than real on top of the factual errors.

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## meatloaf109 (Oct 26, 2013)

It's too bad that this is limited to WW2 movies, so I can't include the movie that p!ssed me off almost as bad as Pearl Harbor. (Hint: ALL the Fokker Dr-1's are red)
I'm not too big on any of the 1960's "Fantasy" war movies, but the ones that supposedly were about real battles, but went on a strange tangent, (The Battle of the Bulge), are deserving of scorn.
I agree that "U-571" was insulting to the men that did the real job.
On a side note, "Band of Brothers" was written from memories of the men that lived it.


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## syscom3 (Oct 26, 2013)

What's your problem with "Saving Private Ryan"? Its about Americans in batlle in Normandy. So what if the Brits and Canadians were not shown? Make your own freaking movie and exclude the Americans if you think you need balance.

BTW; have you heard of the U505? Captured by the USN and on display in Chicago.


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## silence (Oct 26, 2013)

stona said:


> To Das Boot I would add Der Untergang (Downfall) absolutely superb. Now that the Germans feel able to make films about WW2 they make very good ones.



Have you seen Joseph Vilsmaier's "Stalingrad"? German production and nothing Hollywood about it.


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## silence (Oct 26, 2013)

meatloaf109 said:


> It's too bad that this is limited to WW2 movies, so I can't include the movie that p!ssed me off almost as bad as Pearl Harbor. (Hint: ALL the Fokker Dr-1's are red)
> I'm not too big on any of the 1960's "Fantasy" war movies, but the ones that supposedly were about real battles, but went on a strange tangent, (The Battle of the Bulge), are deserving of scorn.
> I agree that "U-571" was insulting to the men that did the real job.
> On a side note, "Band of Brothers" was written from memories of the men that lived it.



I know of the non-WW2 film of which you speak. You're wrong: its WORSE than Pearl Harbor. And don't forget last year's tale about a BIG retired USN ship and aliens. (Still trying to figure out how four - or was it six? - men (a couple retirees included) were able to hand carry a 16" shell from the #3 magazine to the #1. Those shells weighed either 1900# (HE) or 2700# (AP).

Now Band of Brothers I can watch at anytime, anywhere. Absolutely amazing miniseries.

Have not seen U-571, but kinda want to - masochism, maybe?

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## fastmongrel (Oct 26, 2013)

meatloaf109 said:


> It's too bad that this is limited to WW2 movies, so I can't include the movie that p!ssed me off almost as bad as Pearl Harbor. (Hint: ALL the Fokker Dr-1's are red)
> I'm not too big on any of the 1960's "Fantasy" war movies, but the ones that supposedly were about real battles, but went on a strange tangent, (The Battle of the Bulge), are deserving of scorn.
> I agree that "U-571" was insulting to the men that did the real job.
> On a side note, "Band of Brothers" was written from memories of the men that lived it.



You can talk about any war movie that grinds your gears or pops your corn. I put The Bridges of Toko Ri as one of my favourite movies and thats about Korea. Saw the Bedford Incident last week and thats another great movie though strictly its a Cold War movie supposedly based on the B59 incident when a USN carrier group dropped depth charges near a Soviet sub to force it to surface. Its a fascinating incident Soviet submarine B-59 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia thought by many to be the closest the world came to armageddon.


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## pattle (Oct 26, 2013)

I thought that Band of Brothers was a lot better than Saving Private Ryan, Saving Private Ryan was still good though. The thing with Hollywood films is that they are made to make money and the big money is made from American audiences, and sorry but they just like to be told all the sh1t that they want to hear.
The best one for me is the BBC's Colditz series followed by the Russian film Come and See.


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## pattle (Oct 26, 2013)

There was one especially bad film where Spitfires were painted as German and Me109's were painted as British.


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## javlin (Oct 26, 2013)

syscom3 said:


> What's your problem with "Saving Private Ryan"? Its about Americans in batlle in Normandy. So what if the Brits and Canadians were not shown? Make your own freaking movie and exclude the Americans if you think you need balance.
> 
> BTW; have you heard of the U505? Captured by the USN and on display in Chicago.



I agree,many more vets were alive when that movie premeired stated it lended itself more to the real thing than any other movie to that point.I would suspect that these vets were talking about the harshness of the conflict being depicted and not commenting on the storyline.That being said I still found the storyline amicable to my liking for after D-Day the story was as however the writer/producer wanted to deliver it and never for me became a "oh come on" type of film.




meatloaf109 said:


> It's too bad that this is limited to WW2 movies, so I can't include the movie that p!ssed me off almost as bad as Pearl Harbor. (Hint: ALL the Fokker Dr-1's are red)
> I'm not too big on any of the 1960's "Fantasy" war movies, but the ones that supposedly were about real battles, but went on a strange tangent, (The Battle of the Bulge), are deserving of scorn.
> I agree that "U-571" was insulting to the men that did the real job.
> On a side note, "Band of Brothers" was written from memories of the men that lived it.



That was my thinking on BoB's really!I have read the book twice and I bet I have watched each clip atleast ten times and still to this day I never bypast the prologue to each clip when the old men talk.I live in Biloxi and Pass Christian and Bay St. Louis are 15-30 minutes from my house and that is were Mr.Ambrose lived and to think some of those guys stayed with him during interviews makes me wish to be a fly on the wall.

Now Pacific while it had a couple of moments I generally felt it came no were near BoB's in it's intensity and story and I have read "Rising Sun" a Japanese view of the Pacific along with a couple from specific American Units(most of my reading Civil War).


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## meatloaf109 (Oct 26, 2013)

Yeah, I too, wished to hear the parts that were left out of the final cut for Band of Brothers. Especially Bill Guarner. I bet he is a great volume of stories.

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## meatloaf109 (Oct 26, 2013)

K, we are ranging a bit. I always remember my brothers comment, after watching John Wayne's "The Green Berets". He watched the whole thing without a word, until the end.
And then he said, "When I was in Viet-nam, the sun set in the west."
Boom!


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## GrauGeist (Oct 26, 2013)

meatloaf109 said:


> It's too bad that this is limited to WW2 movies, so I can't include the movie that p!ssed me off almost as bad as Pearl Harbor. *(Hint: ALL the Fokker Dr-1's are red)*


When the director was asked about that, he said he wanted to keep the DR.1s all red so people could tell who the bad guys were...

If he actually read a little bit of history, he would have discovered that most of the German and Austrian aircraft were some of the most colorful planes ever flown (and very few were completely red) and would have been easy to spot in that respect.

That is assuming the audience was blind to the fact that the "bad guys" had big black crosses all over their aircraft...


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## meatloaf109 (Oct 26, 2013)

Yep.....
We are talking CGI anyways. Those [email protected] could have done a bit of historical research. The Fokkers and Albatross's of the Red Baron's squadron sported a wide variety of schemes based on the basic red of Richthofen's plane. And, wait, while we are on the subject, the Baron only flew one all red craft. The one he was killed in. That would have required some intelligence on the part of the research team...
Or they could have Googled it.


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## VBF-13 (Oct 26, 2013)

Pearl Harbor. Never watched it. That's the honest truth. All I had to do is see the highlights...


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## javlin (Oct 26, 2013)

Watching "Saving Private Ryan" as I type "again".I have been watching alot of war movies of late.I usually attribute this to the fact I have not heard any boom-boom are bang-bang of late.I believe it's getting time to head back out to Joe's backyard with the M1,Tommy(semi),G43 along with a few others.Joe is 76 years old and the only thing he can shoot(heart) is the 30 carbine what he carried in Nam along with the 1911.Action coming again I hear in the other room


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## meatloaf109 (Oct 26, 2013)

That leads me to another hated film. That crap film "The Red Baron" or whatever it was called. Where that liver-lipped douche wears his hat sideways, and has a love triangle with a nurse and a British flyer. What utter crap! 
They spit on the memory of one of my personal heroes, Werner Voss.
I was impressed with the accuracy of the aircraft, but I hoped for so much more.


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Oct 26, 2013)

Two worst war movies ever?

Pearl Harbor 

Red Tails

Both absolutely terrible!

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## javlin (Oct 26, 2013)

I would like to see "Murphy's War" again(Peter O'toole) probably been 20 years

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## GrauGeist (Oct 27, 2013)

meatloaf109 said:


> Yep.....
> We are talking CGI anyways. Those [email protected] could have done a bit of historical research. The Fokkers and Albatross's of the Red Baron's squadron sported a wide variety of schemes based on the basic red of Richthofen's plane. And, wait, while we are on the subject, the Baron only flew one all red craft. The one he was killed in. That would have required some intelligence on the part of the research team...
> Or they could have Googled it.


I agree...and I have always been a student of WWI and the aircraft of that war.

I might mention that Richthofen had an Albatros D.V (4693/17) with JG No.1 that was partially red (upper wing surfaces, tail and engine cowling) and he flew a DR.1 (152/17) with Jasta 11 that was half red (aft of cockpit, upper wings and cowling). He wasn't the only one known for red: Lt. Raesch, Lt. Strähle, Lt. Hantelmann and of course, Udet.

It seems lately that these movie producers are just shoving their CGI through without taking the time to see if they're even close to accurate. It wouldn't hurt to add a little authenticity to the story and with CGI, it's not like it would cost anything extra to do it right...

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## silence (Oct 27, 2013)

meatloaf109 said:


> Yep.....
> We are talking CGI anyways. Those [email protected] could have done a bit of historical research. The Fokkers and Albatross's of the Red Baron's squadron sported a wide variety of schemes based on the basic red of Richthofen's plane. And, wait, while we are on the subject, the Baron only flew one all red craft. The one he was killed in. That would have required some intelligence on the part of the research team...
> Or they could have Googled it.



I believe he flew a all-red Albatross before the DR-1.

EDIT: missed GrauGeist's comment on the same topic until after I posted this.

EDIT 2: Damnit! This was supposed to quote GrauGeist's Post #25!! That's it, I'm going to bed.


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## stona (Oct 27, 2013)

syscom3 said:


> BTW; have you heard of the U505? Captured by the USN and on display in Chicago.



On 4th June 1944 which is hardly relevant to the capturing of enigma machines, code books and settings and the subsequent breaking of the code a Bletchley Park. That's the point really.

Here in Europe we've been making very good war films for a long time. From "The Cruel Sea" to "Ice Cold in Alex" and later "The Battle of Britain" and "A Bridge Too Far". The latter concentrated on the British and Polish effort at Arnhem (as the title suggests) but at least mentions the efforts made by other allies, including the US, in the operation.
I don't have a problem with "Saving Private Ryan" concentrating on an American unit and their landings. It is not a re-make of "The Longest Day" after all. However, a little historical background and context would have been helpful. The problem is that many people confuse Hollywood history, which is entertainment, and real history, which is not. I would argue that film makers have a responsibility to at least remain within certain bounds of truth. At the extreme, a film based on a plot denying the holocaust would surely not be acceptable

Now Europe produces great German films like "Das Boot" and "Der Untergang". The Germans with their illustrious and distinguished film history have come late to the game for obvious reasons but have now made two of the best war films of all. In "Der Untergang" Bruno Ganz gives a mesmerising performance as Hitler. He is of Swiss origin but my German friends assure me that he manages the strong Austrian accent that Hitler had when speaking in private with considerable aplomb.

Cheers

Steve


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## stona (Oct 27, 2013)

VBF-13 said:


> Pearl Harbor. All I had to do is see the highlights...



Well done for avoiding it! In this case "highlights" is a euphemism for "least awful bits". 

Steve

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## pattle (Oct 27, 2013)

Now Europe produces great German films like "Das Boot" and "Der Untergang". The Germans with their illustrious and distinguished film history have come late to the game for obvious reasons but have now made two of the best war films of all. In "Der Untergang" Bruno Ganz gives a mesmerising performance as Hitler. He is of Swiss origin but my German friends assure me that he manages the strong Austrian accent that Hitler had when speaking in private with considerable aplomb.

Cheers

Steve[/QUOTE]

I have watched Das Boot a few times and the strange thing about it is that it doesn't work at all dubbed into English, it is only when you watch the original version in German with English subtitles that it is a classic.
If you like these kind of German films then try watching "Tin Drum", it's not really a war film but a large part of it depicts the wartime years.


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## s1chris (Oct 27, 2013)

By far the absolute most shocking piece of s**t ww2 film I have ever ever seen is "Fortress" (recent CGI film). 
I almost attached a turd to the DVD and sent it back to Amazon and demanded my £3 back.

I can't even put into words the reasons why it's crap. 

On the plus side (accuracy aside) Memphis Belle has to be one of my favourites. It's what got me hooked on ww2 aviation. 
Love Saving Private Ryan aswell. Great film. 

Cheers Chris

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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Oct 27, 2013)

pattle said:


> Now Europe produces great German films like "Das Boot" and "Der Untergang". The Germans with their illustrious and distinguished film history have come late to the game for obvious reasons but have now made two of the best war films of all. In "Der Untergang" Bruno Ganz gives a mesmerising performance as Hitler. He is of Swiss origin but my German friends assure me that he manages the strong Austrian accent that Hitler had when speaking in private with considerable aplomb.
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Steve



I agree. I can only watch the movie in Germam. Dubbed it just not work.

I have watched Das Boot a few times and the strange thing about it is that it doesn't work at all dubbed into English, it is only when you watch the original version in German with English subtitles that it is a classic.
If you like these kind of German films then try watching "Tin Drum", it's not really a war film but a large part of it depicts the wartime years.[/QUOTE]


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## stona (Oct 27, 2013)

I've never seen "Tin Drum" but I have read the original novel.
For a slightly left field "war" film there is "Slaughter House 5" based on Vonnegut's novel which in turn is based on his experiences as a POW in Dresden at the time of the bombings.
Also slightly left field would be the great "Catch 22". I know the film was not well received, but I think that it made a good enough job from such a large and complex novel.
If you really want to have trouble sleeping watch "Johnny got his gun".
These are films all of which actually attempt to say something rather than just entertain. I guess you pay your money and you take your pick. You can always watch "Kelly's Heroes" or "The Dirty Dozen" as an antidote 
Cheers
Steve


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## Njaco (Oct 27, 2013)

The ONLY way that "Saving Private Ryan" and "Pearl Harbor" should ever be in the same category is when you list War movies. Otherwise they are miles apart. And that is why SPR is so great. You can bitch about the international cast thats missing or that P-51s weren't ground pounders but SPR was the first of the big Hollywood movies to forgo the patriotic message in almost all American war movies up to that time and stick with reality as best as possible. It clinched it for me when they were about to attack the radar station and Hanks was laying out the attack plan and stated, "When he changes his barrels out, you do this". Knowing that the type of MGs used had interchangable barrels just locked it up for me that Spielberg was trying to get it right! For that and other 'right-on' moments I will allow him some lee-way. Same for "Band of Brothers", "Das Boat" (I agree Chris) and "Stalingrad".

As for cringe movies.......

"Pearl Harbor" - WWII veterans should have rebelled and petioned to have every copy of this film burned. The only good thing about this movie was Kate Beckingsale in a nurse's outfit.

I will say it Paul.... "Flyboys" STUNK!!!! Horrible garbage. BAD CGI. Go watch "Dawn Patrol" or "The Blue Max" instead.

But one movie that I watched religiously as a kid, had to have the DVD, etc and slowly realized how bad it was ....."The Battle of the Bulge". There is almost nothing of historical fact in this movie. Where is the snow? There was no deciding tank battle. Where was the snow. It happened in the heavily wooded Ardennes, not the Kalahari desert. Where was the snow? A colonel who flew recon, was on the front-line, attacking tanks single-handed ??? AND WHERE WAS THE SNOW????? Bad, just bad. And I'm disappointed in myself for liking the movie when I was a kid into my teens.

Off the soap-box...

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## pattle (Oct 27, 2013)

Some war films (especially the 1960's ones) were really just action movies, if you watch them as action movies they are actually not bad. Sven Hassel's Wheels of Terror is bit cheap, I would describe it as a cut price Cross of Iron but it is still good.


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## michaelmaltby (Oct 27, 2013)

Hassel's books are pot-boilers, IMHO, and the man (?) himself was a controversial figure:

Sven Hassel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## CORSNING (Oct 27, 2013)

Pearl Harbor. That boy really got around. B.O.B....Pearl Harbor....Doolittle Raid.....Why quit there? Could have added Corral Sea, Midway, Guadalcanal, Leyte Gulf and still had time to shoot the turkeys at the Marianas and then get over there to push that flag up at Okinawa. Yeah, it pissed me off that they left out all that other stuff.

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## vikingBerserker (Oct 27, 2013)

I thought Sands of Iwo Jima was a well done movie. I really enjoyed Patton and the Last Days of Patton. As a WW1 nut I will state, I enjoyed Flyboys


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## GrauGeist (Oct 27, 2013)

"Flags of our Fathers" and "Letters Home from Iwo Jima" were both well done, Clint Eastwood put alot of detail into the movies (both filmed at the same time on the same locations)

As far as "Cross of Iron" is concerned, I did enjoy the movie, it had a good deal of authentic equipment and did follow the book fairly well. Of course, the book is a great read, and the story is actually based to a certain degree on the memoirs of Johann Schwerdfeger.

Almost forgot to mention "All quiet of the Western Front". The original 1930's version of the film was great although the 1970's version, while not all that bad, could never measure up to the original.


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## pattle (Oct 27, 2013)

michaelmaltby said:


> Hassel's books are pot-boilers, IMHO, and the man (?) himself was a controversial figure:
> 
> Sven Hassel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



I haven't read any of Hassel's books in years but when I was a teenager I read all of them and I was a huge fan, as I remember them his books were full of course language, filthy behaviour and no holds barred brutality, what they weren't was pro-Nazi in anyway, in fact they were more anti-war than anything. The thing is these books were written in a style that was very popular in the 1970's but which no longer complies with todays politically correct standards. As far as I know Sven Hassel's own war record is still shrouded with doubt and speculation and the actual truth behind it is disputed, the pc lynch mobs are certainly out to get him whatever the truth though.


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## silence (Oct 27, 2013)

I do have to say this about bad history movies: generally speaking, I want to be entertained so a lot of reality can go out the window as long as the movie is fun. Then there's the recent "Red Baron" movie... I watched it several times because I just couldn't believe how bad it was and wanted to be sure my previous bad impression was in fact the correct one. Sadly, it was. The story of the Red Baron (and a little later Snoopy) was what got me interested in fighter combat when I was around 6 or 7.


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## Njaco (Oct 27, 2013)

silence said:


> I do have to say this about bad history movies: generally speaking, I want to be entertained so a lot of reality can go out the window as long as the movie is fun. Then there's the recent "Red Baron" movie... I watched it several times because I just couldn't believe how bad it was and wanted to be sure my previous bad impression was in fact the correct one. Sadly, it was. The story of the Red Baron (and a little later Snoopy) was what got me interested in fighter combat when I was around 6 or 7.



Entertaining is one thing. "Inglorious Bastards" and "The Dirty Dozen" come to mind. But to be absolutely lazy about the subject at hand is horrible.


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## redcoat (Oct 27, 2013)

pattle said:


> As far as I know Sven Hassel's own war record is still shrouded with doubt and speculation and the actual truth behind it is disputed, the pc lynch mobs are certainly out to get him whatever the truth though.


His war record is really irrelevant as he always stated his books were works of fiction not fact


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## michaelmaltby (Oct 27, 2013)

We Were Soldiers --- great film.


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## stona (Oct 27, 2013)

michaelmaltby said:


> We Were Soldiers --- great film.



Which leads us to "A Bright Shining Lie". I haven't seen the film but the book, by Neil Sheehan, is a must read.

Cheers

Steve


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## Crimea_River (Oct 27, 2013)

s1chris said:


> On the plus side (accuracy aside) Memphis Belle has to be one of my favourites.....



Accuracy? Really? There are scenes and lines in that movie that make me gag.

Plane all busted up, target obscured by a cloud, so they go around because there's an orphanage or something like that next to the target. PUULEASE!

Then the line "Up to now, we flew for Uncle Sam. Now we fly for us." I feel my lunch coming up!


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## rochie (Oct 27, 2013)

michaelmaltby said:


> We Were Soldiers --- great film.



i like it up till the end when they charged up the hill to wipe out the NVA and all the slick pilots suddenly had guns and rockets loaded up !

the film was very close to the book right up until then, but what about the second battle with the group that was marching back to camp ?


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## Lucky13 (Oct 27, 2013)

Hollywood can not in any way, shape or form, make a proper WWI or WWII movie, end of....
As we all know, they won the BoB!
As SPR, a lot of mistakes in it, bullets do _NOT_ travel well in water, just to mention one! 
IIRC, people also complained why all the Italians were killed in that movie...of Italian heritage it should be...

Makes you wonder, with all the research and information on the web, why is it so (censored) difficult, to make a accurrate ture to the stoy, no (censored) lovey-dovey war movie?


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Oct 27, 2013)

Best War Movies/Shows:

Das Boot
We Were Soldiers
Gettysburg
Saving Private Ryan (Sorry but it was good)
Flags of our Fathers
Band of Brothers
Der Untergang 

Worst:

Red Tails
Pearl Harbor
Flyboys
U-571

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## bob44 (Oct 27, 2013)

Lucky13 said:


> Makes you wonder, with all the research and information on the web, why is it so (censored) difficult, to make a accurrate ture to the stoy, no (censored) lovey-dovey war
> movie?



Because then it would be a documentary.
Movies are drama.

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## pattle (Oct 27, 2013)

redcoat said:


> His war record is really irrelevant as he always stated his books were works of fiction not fact



Fiction of a sort yes, Hassel was not recounting his memories word for word but his books were said by him to be based on his wartime experiences, the controversy comes from claims that he lied about being at the front.

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## s1chris (Oct 27, 2013)

Crimea_River said:


> Accuracy? Really? There are scenes and lines in that movie that make me gag.
> 
> Plane all busted up, target obscured by a cloud, so they go around because there's an orphanage or something like that next to the target. PUULEASE!
> 
> Then the line "Up to now, we flew for Uncle Sam. Now we fly for us." I feel my lunch coming up!



Howdy, 

by accuracy aside I mean exactly what you have pointed out lol I,e it's not accurate. 

But as a 14 year old lad and in the absence of any real good modern ww2 aviation films, it smashed it for me. 
It did at least in the most part use real aircraft. 

Cheers Chris


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## javlin (Oct 27, 2013)

Lucky13 said:


> Makes you wonder, with all the research and information on the web, why is it so (censored) difficult, to make a accurrate ture to the stoy, no (censored) lovey-dovey war movie?



Better yet Jan......How can Trump make the area in front of the pit on there P-51's 6"(?) out of scale with all that info and drawings out there 

Yes "We were Soldiers" is a good one never got into "Hambuger Hill" but for a plain story and HW got to like "Apocolypse Now"


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## vikingBerserker (Oct 27, 2013)

I really liked Full Metal Jacket as well.

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## Njaco (Oct 27, 2013)

http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/of...-wwii-pow-concentration-camp-movie-28583.html

http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/off-topic-misc/favorite-wwi-movie-19038.html

http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/off-topic-misc/favorite-vietnam-war-movie-18908.html

http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/off-topic-misc/favorite-wwii-movie-18802.html

http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/off-topic-misc/worst-wwii-movie-18803.html

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## VBF-13 (Oct 27, 2013)

vikingBerserker said:


> I really liked Full Metal Jacket as well.


Haven't seen that in a very long time.


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## meatloaf109 (Oct 27, 2013)

I understand that Marine D.I.'s are not allowed to curse any longer. 
Dammed, (Oop's), Darned shame.


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## meatloaf109 (Oct 27, 2013)

Njaco said:


> http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/of...-wwii-pow-concentration-camp-movie-28583.html
> 
> http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/off-topic-misc/favorite-wwi-movie-19038.html
> 
> ...



Do the votes still count?


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## Njaco (Oct 27, 2013)

Yeah, I think they are still open.


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## meatloaf109 (Oct 27, 2013)

Good!
Cause I voted!


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## tyrodtom (Oct 27, 2013)

meatloaf109 said:


> I understand that Marine D.I.'s are not allowed to curse any longer.
> Dammed, (Oop's), Darned shame.



Do you really believe that ??

My own dad was a Marine DI right before and in early WW2, and then became a preacher later in life.
He would talk much more about his DI days, than his time on Guadacanal.


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## model299 (Nov 1, 2013)

A few I haven't seen mentioned here.

They Were Expendable: Contains not one shred of historical accuracy, but hey, for fictional drama, I think a pretty decent film. John Wayne once again plays: John Wayne. At least you know what you're getting.

Tora Tora Tora: At least the makers TRIED to get things right. All in all I think it's a fair effort at a docudrama. It's one hell of a lot better film then that god forsaken piece of S%^ Pearl Harbor. I've watched that piece of dung once. That was enough for me. I've watched Tora Tora Tora many times, and will still stop channel surfing if I run across it.

Midway: Disjointed, full of wrong aircraft, wooden acting, etc, but IMHO, still entertaining to watch.

Air Force: A more unabashed piece of rah rah boosterism based on pure fiction, you'll not find. But, add in the shots of the early B-17s, and it's a fun movie to watch.

The Dambusters. Loved it when I was a kid, still enjoy watching it.

Sink the Bismarck! Another fun film to watch, that at least tries to get the story right.

Loved Bridges at Toko Ri. 

Thirty Seconds over Tokyo; Another wartime rah rah film. But a good one, IMHO. Any director with the chutspah to link two sound stages together and run a B-25 down the length of them to get the takeoff shots gets my vote.

And, although it's based on the Cold War, Strategic Air Command offers (once you get past June "The Whiner" Allyson's over the top hamfest performance) some of the best air to air cinematography extant, bar none. I really wish someone would locate a copy of the original wide screen version so I could watch that incredible take off scene in it's orginal glory.

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## meatloaf109 (Nov 1, 2013)

tyrodtom said:


> Do you really believe that ??
> 
> My own dad was a Marine DI right before and in early WW2, and then became a preacher later in life.
> He would talk much more about his DI days, than his time on Guadacanal.



This is what I was told by recent graduates of Parris Island.
I was not referring to WW2 Marines, nor to the lovely individuals that eased my precious @ss into military life, but to the present day situation.


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## tyrodtom (Nov 1, 2013)

meatloaf109 said:


> This is what I was told by recent graduates of Parris Island.
> I was not referring to WW2 Marines, nor to the lovely individuals that eased my precious @ss into military life, but to the present day situation.



I knew you were referring to present day Marine DI's.
But as a example even in 1969 when I went thru Army Basic, the drill sgts. weren't allowed to even touch you without asking your permission first, but if they were out of sight of officers, or certain other Sgts, it was old Army again.


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## N4521U (Nov 2, 2013)

Some of these, like Pearl Harbor, should only be watched when you're ready to pass out! Then at least you don't see All of it.


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## pattle (Nov 2, 2013)

How about Mister Roberts for a good film? Henry Fonda, James Cagney and Jack Lemmon, not an action film, no fancy sets or anything fancy really, just a good old fashioned well made drama of the sort that nobody seems to know how to make anymore.

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## Wildcat (Nov 2, 2013)

Agreed pattle, that is an enjoyable film.


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## aircro (Nov 2, 2013)

One good movie - Big Red One.
One bad movie - Redball Express (point - accuracy )


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## fastmongrel (Nov 2, 2013)

aircro said:


> One good movie - Big Red One.
> One bad movie - Redball Express (point - accuracy )



Never seen Big Red One will have to see if Amazon have a copy sounds very interesting


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## stona (Nov 2, 2013)

If the Brits here were offended by "U-571" it has absolutely nothing on the truly awful "Objective Burma"

"Objective Burma" was released in 1945 and caused such a storm of protest from many organisations for its Americanisation of a campaign that was largely executed by British and Commonwealth troops that it was withdrawn after only a week.

It wasn't released in Britain until 1952. It didn't do much here for the reputation of Errol Flynn who, ironically, was of course an Australian.

Cheers

Steve


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## pattle (Nov 2, 2013)

stona said:


> If the Brits here were offended by "U-571" it has absolutely nothing on the truly awful "Objective Burma"



"Objective Burma" was released in 1945 and caused such a storm of protest from many organisations for its Americanisation of a campaign that was largely executed by British and Commonwealth troops that it was withdrawn after only a week.

It wasn't released in Britain until 1952. It didn't do much here for the reputation of Errol Flynn who, ironically, was of course an Australian.

I have heard of this film but I'm pretty sure that I have still not seen it, I think this is because it is considered to odious to put on tele.
Merrill's Marauders was a bit cack but from what I have heard Objective Burma was absolutely diabolical rubbish.


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## tyrodtom (Nov 2, 2013)

I'm the type who will watch a good movie like "We were soldiers, and young" and notice they're using the wrong model Huey, or M16 for the time period. But I thought overall We were Soldiers was a good movie. I read the book years before the movie, and the movie doesn't follow the book, but for a Hollywood product it isn't too bad.

I liked a movie most people don't seem too fond of , The thin Red Line. Most people didn't like the artsy fartsy views and voice over in a lot of the movie.

I'm a country boy, and I could understand the main characters appreciation of the beauty of his natural surroundings, and the voice over reminded me of when I was off duty ( which wasn't often) I was reading letters from home, or trying to organize my thoughts to write a letter home.


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## fastmongrel (Nov 2, 2013)

The Red Badge of Courage is an outstanding movie but the director John Huston thought it would have been his finest movie if the studio hadnt cut it to ribbons because they thought it was too bloody and not heroic enough. Unfortunately we will never know how good it might have been as the studio destroyed the original footage.


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## vikingBerserker (Nov 2, 2013)

The only real issue I had with _Thin Red Line _is it seamed to drag on forever as I wanted to see the combat portions - which perhaps I missed the entire point of the movie.

_Mister Roberts_ I liked but the cargo ship they said was a destroyer irked me, but the acting was excellent.

One movie that really irked me was _The Battle of River Plate _and the use of the USS Salem as the Graf Spree. Now I know that there was a lack of Packet Battleships in existence to play the roll of the Graf Spree, but they could have at least painted over the giant "139" on the bow of the ship.

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## GrauGeist (Nov 2, 2013)

I have to admire some of the efforts they went to, back in the days before CGI, to create a realistic setting, even if descrepancies were obvious.

The movie Tora! Tora! Tora! Was an example. The directors did a great job, in my opinion, to bring the viewer the best possible portrayal of events with what they had on hand. There was even an impressive amount of talent behind the scenes, like using Admiral Genda as an advisor along with Akira Kurasawa's help (and his assistants) to name a few.

Alot of folks arent aware that all those modified T-6 and BT-13s were loaded aboard an actual carrier (USS Yorktown) in San Diego and then launched at sea, several miles off the California coast, to film the launching of the Japanese strike force.
Of course, they aircraft couldn't be recovered at sea, so they flew back to San Diego where they were reloaded aboard the carrier and then sailed to Hawaii for more filming. So there were several limitations to just how accurate the movie could be: not many intact/flyable Japanese aircraft available and the complete lack of Japanese carriers, too!

By the way, a point of interest, the B-17 crash landing during the attack was actual footage of one of the B17s that had a gear failure during the filming. Same goes for footage of the P-40 that was trying to "take off" during the attack, and plowed into the rows of other P-40s...that was a lifesized fiberglass replica that was supposed to go to the end of the runway before crashing and exploding. Something went terribly wrong and it veered off course and struck the other fiberglass replicas, setting off a premature chain of events. The crew and pilots seen running for their lives were actually stuntmen, who were really running for their lives! Now how's that for realism? 

So I cut them a little slack in that respect!

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## Airframes (Nov 2, 2013)

I agree there Dave. I don't mind if producers at least try to get the correct equipment, or as near as possible. For example, the Buchons in the BoB movie, and the fact that all the Spitfires used, regardless of Mark, where modified to at least resemble one type. Built up rear decking on those with 'bubble' canopies, Griffon types only in the background and so on.
For Band of Brothers, the art department went to incredible lengths to build working replicas of German armour, using T-34s and British FV432 APCs and, whilst some small details might not have been 100% accurate, they were close enough, and better than a M-60 doubling as a Tiger/Panther/PzKfw IV, as in the 1960s movies.


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## GrauGeist (Nov 2, 2013)

Fully agree, there, Terry!

I truly enjoyed the movie "Battle of the Bulge" when I was younger, but it really irritated me that the Germans were using M60 tanks...I even recognized those when I was a kid ("wow..those German tanks look like the ones we're using in Vietnam!)


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## fubar57 (Nov 2, 2013)

Growing up in the 60's, we lived in the sticks and had two channels so I had to watch whatever was on. "Bombardiers"...yikes. Made during the war, there was even a Bombardier song. There was another whose title escapes me, but it was about a Japanese diplomat/business man(?) who married a Southern Belle before the war. They move back to Japan when the war breaks out and is about her trails and tribulations. How bad were her trials and tribulations? Well, half way through the movie, she lost her southern accent. On the other hand, for pure fun, I've watched "Kelly's Heroes" about 5 or 6 times.

Geo


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## VBF-13 (Nov 2, 2013)

GrauGeist said:


> I have to admire some of the efforts they went to, back in the days before CGI, to create a realistic setting, even if descrepancies were obvious.
> 
> The movie Tora! Tora! Tora! Was an example. The directors did a great job, in my opinion, to bring the viewer the best possible portrayal of events with what they had on hand. There was even an impressive amount of talent behind the scenes, like using Admiral Genda as an advisor along with Akira Kurasawa's help (and his assistants) to name a few.
> 
> ...


"Boring! Boring! Boring!" I think I saw that in a TV guide, actually. I'm thinking, this is a movie critic? Un-freaking-believable! What they did in that movie, with the resources they had, was nothing short of masterful!


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## GrauGeist (Nov 2, 2013)

From what I've seen, movie critics are dumbasses that can't hold a job and offer their personal opinion in exchange for free movie tickets.

That's a job that doesn't need any education and they are usually there (remember, free tickets) to be entertained.

Tora! Tora! Tora! was intented to be educational and dramatic at the same time. It was Boring! Boring! Boring! because they were learning something...


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## pattle (Nov 2, 2013)

You have to forgive and even admire the makers of the older films and their lack of props because without todays budgets they had to use their ingenuity more.


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## tyrodtom (Nov 2, 2013)

GrauGeist said:


> Fully agree, there, Terry!
> 
> I truly enjoyed the movie "Battle of the Bulge" when I was younger, but it really irritated me that the Germans were using M60 tanks...I even recognized those when I was a kid ("wow..those German tanks look like the ones we're using in Vietnam!)



I never did see a M-60 in Vietnam when I was there, either time. I did see a lot of M-48s though.
A M-60 is just a upgraded M-48, more or less.

Those tanks in Battle of the Bulge were probably M-48s anyway. M-48s were the throwaway tank in the late 60's early 70's, they were using them as targets on the arty. range at Wildflecken, Germany when I got out in 73.


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## fastmongrel (Nov 2, 2013)

Werent they M47s in the film


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## GrauGeist (Nov 2, 2013)

lol...that was an error on my behalf...multi-tasking made me screw up my post 

I meant they looked like M60s which I was familiar with as a kid, though at the time their deployment weren't details I was aware of, just that the Vietnam war was going on, and I was a kid, so naturally the two had to be connected (kid logic).

But certainly years later, when details counted, the M-47's use in movies like Battle of the Bulge and Patton (and so on) became discovered.

Like mentioned previously, to a kid, action is far more important than details! Sometimes growing up takes all the fun out of things...


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## tyrodtom (Nov 2, 2013)

I think I've got my M's confused.

The M-47 was the throwaway tank of the 60s and 70s, not the M-48.
And those were M-47s we were putting on the firing ranges as targets.


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## Njaco (Nov 2, 2013)

So, it seems to me that we have 3 types of war films (WWII-wise)

1. Historical docu-type = "Tora, Tora, Tora", "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo", etc
2. Entertainment set in WWII setting = "Kelly's Heroes", "A Walk In the Sun", etc
3. Absolute Shiite! = "Pearl Harbor", "Battle of the Last Panzer", "Pearl Harbor", etc

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## fastmongrel (Nov 3, 2013)

We all have different favourites and dislikes but everyone is in agreement Pearl Harbour stinks worse than 5 week old roadkill. I would rather staple my eyes shut than watch it again even my partner thought it was drivel.


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## Airframes (Nov 3, 2013)

There was one, just one, very good bit in that movie. Where 'The End' appeared on screen ........


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## GrauGeist (Nov 3, 2013)

Airframes said:


> There was one, just one, very good bit in that movie. Where 'The End' appeared on screen ........


I have to disagree, Terry...the title/end credit music made my ears bleed...

Only when the screen goes blank does the best part of the movie appear


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## Njaco (Nov 3, 2013)

Airframes said:


> There was one, just one, very good bit in that movie. Where 'The End' appeared on screen ........



I gotta disagree. Kate Beckingsale was a very good bit.....and thats all! 

.

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## vikingBerserker (Nov 3, 2013)

If she asked me nicely I would watch it with her.

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## GrauGeist (Nov 3, 2013)

Njaco said:


> I gotta disagree. Kate Beckingsale was a very good bit.....and thats all!
> 
> .
> View attachment 246987


Yeah, but that's like finding a grape skittle in the middle of a cat-litter box.

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## redcoat (Nov 3, 2013)

Njaco said:


> I gotta disagree. Kate Beckingsale was a very good bit.....and thats all!
> 
> .
> View attachment 246987


Technically even she's wrong...she's English


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## Njaco (Nov 3, 2013)

does it matter?

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## redcoat (Nov 3, 2013)

Njaco said:


> does it matter?


Of course not, but I'll put the boot into that awful movie every chance I get


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## Airframes (Nov 3, 2013)

vikingBerserker said:


> If she asked me nicely I would watch it with her.


hang on a minute David, I'll ask her.


She said No !


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## Lucky13 (Nov 4, 2013)

Njaco said:


> I gotta disagree. Kate Beckingsale was a very good bit.....and thats all!
> 
> .
> View attachment 246987





vikingBerserker said:


> If she asked me nicely I would watch it with her.



I wouldn't, maybe I should say 'we' wouldn't, watch the movie that is.....well, maybe, just maybe the beginning and the credits at the end, possibly....


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## silence (Nov 4, 2013)

If you wanna really "see" Kate, check her out in "Uncovered"


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## Ferdinand Foch (Nov 6, 2013)

Worst film for me? I'm going with "The Sound of Music." Just before the greatest war in history started, a British diplomatic family decided that the best way to prepare was to break out every minutes into song.

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## GrauGeist (Nov 6, 2013)

Ferdinand Foch said:


> Worst film for me? I'm going with "The Sound of Music." Just before the greatest war in history started, a British diplomatic family decided that the best way to prepare was to break out every minutes into song.


The Sound of Music may have been annoying for the musical interludes, but it was based on a true story. And when I say based on a true story, let's just say that there really was a Von Trapp family with a real Baron Georg Von Trapp of the Austrian Navy. And they did live in Austria. And there was a bunch of kids. And a Nun had something to do with the kids. But that's about where the similarities end.

Another movie that "could have" been of interest, was the musical "South Pacific". My Mom loved that movie (oh yes, along with Sound of Music) and I saw it several times as a kid. Just when it looked like it was going to get interesting (it was a war movie, after all), they'd break into song and dance, killing any chance of serious enjoyment. Brutal, just brutal...


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## Ferdinand Foch (Nov 6, 2013)

I heard about the Von Trapps, just wished it was told in a more...realistic sense. Heard somewhere that the actor who played the father wasn't too proud of the movie. 

Anyway, definitely South Pacific, GG. I read a few memoirs/histories about the Marines during the war, and most of them stated that the people back home pretty much felt that that was what the war was like. Hoho, if they only knew.


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## GrauGeist (Nov 6, 2013)

Actually, I suggest to anyone, reading about the Von Trapps...the Baron was actually a kind and gentle person, in addition, he was an accomplished and respected Austrian Navy sub commander in WWI and the Germans really tried to get him to join the Kreigsmarine U-Boat operations. The Nun (Maria) played by Julie Andrews was prone to temper tantrums. They didn't escape the Nazis running to the Swiss alps, they took a train to Italy and left for the U.S. by way of England. There were 10 kids instead of 7 (and switched genders around to suite the movie) and all sorts of interesting things that the movie ommitted or changed.


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## model299 (Nov 6, 2013)

yep, I've seen some of the kids on various TV shows over the years.


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## vikingBerserker (Nov 6, 2013)

Airframes said:


> hang on a minute David, I'll ask her.
> 
> 
> She said No !



Some days, I loathe you........

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## stona (Nov 7, 2013)

Always liked Kate's dad Richard. Superb in "Porridge" and died way too young. Richard's father was half Burmese which makes the lovely Kate......errrr....a bit Burmese.
Cheers
Steve


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## fastmongrel (Nov 7, 2013)

Out of our timescale but we watched Master and Commander The Far Side of the World again last night. Great picture of life at sea though the real HMS Surprise wouldnt have been so roomy below deck.


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## Njaco (Nov 7, 2013)

fastmongrel said:


> Out of our timescale but we watched Master and Commander The Far Side of the World again last night. Great picture of life at sea though the real HMS Surprise wouldnt have been so roomy below deck.



Another great movie that care was taken to try to "get it right". Love that film. I have the DVD right next to "Moby Dick" by John Huston. Awesome!


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## meatloaf109 (Nov 7, 2013)

One of my all-time favorites! Russell Crowe was great!


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## GrauGeist (Nov 7, 2013)

Absolutely, the only bitch I have about the whole movie, is that they didn't follow up with a sequel!

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## fastmongrel (Nov 8, 2013)

Njaco said:


> Another great movie that care was taken to try to "get it right". Love that film. I have the DVD right next to "Moby Dick" by John Huston. Awesome!



Love Moby Dick by John Huston the Whale isnt brilliant but was the best that could be done at the time.

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## pattle (Nov 8, 2013)

fastmongrel said:


> Love Moby Dick by John Huston the Whale isnt brilliant but was the best that could be done at the time.



I thought Moby Dick was a porn film?


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## fastmongrel (Nov 8, 2013)

No that was Shaving Ryans Privates


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## silence (Nov 8, 2013)

and you're familiar with this "movie" I take it??? For shame!! Call out the Inquisition!!


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## javlin (Nov 8, 2013)

I finally joined netflix since nothing hardly ever shows up on TV.So my first choice was "Winds of War" some nostalgia from my childhood but do not remember it being that long so I probably never watched it all.So far it's OK and it is a HWood movie witha romantic backdrop but did find that some of the info about how WWII got rolling or lets say how some in the German high command really did not want and knew a second front would open up.I found this part of the movie interesting when Robert Mitchum and wife were crossing the Atlantic on a German Liner and Mitchum was having a conversation with a British attache' .My shorthand of the script so about 95% the exchange from the Brit.... "Fuher bore I been watching him since the day he marched into Austria.Someting right out Putara Zero (  ) of a man with no schooling and no known family with 20 years a dropout student a chump of a failure".......  I could almost think he was talking about someone today..........


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## pattle (Nov 8, 2013)

There used to be a lot of really great wartime based drama on the tv during the 70's and 80's, things like Colditz, Secret Army and Enemy at the Door were all classics. Another series titled We'll Meet Again was also pretty good and would probably be well liked by those interested in 8th Air Force even today.


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## Njaco (Nov 8, 2013)

pattle said:


> There used to be a lot of really great wartime based drama on the tv during the 70's and 80's, things like Colditz, Secret Army and Enemy at the Door were all classics. Another series titled We'll Meet Again was also pretty good and would probably be well liked by those interested in 8th Air Force even today.



Don't forget "Danger UXB" - loved that series!!!

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## GrauGeist (Nov 8, 2013)

Some of the TV shows that did well as far as decent storyline, action and relatively decent (accurate) props were Combat! and 12 O'clock High...they did over-use military archive footage but that can be overlooked because they were TV shows and didn't have massive budgets.

Rat Patrol was pretty good, too.


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## model299 (Nov 8, 2013)

As a kid, I was a huge fan of both Combat and !2 O'Clock High. A local tv station that specializes in rerunning old TV shows features them both, and I've been having a good time recording and watching them again.


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## muscogeemike (Nov 8, 2013)

COMBAT was a big favorite when I was in VN!


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## pattle (Nov 9, 2013)

Njaco said:


> Don't forget "Danger UXB" - loved that series!!!



Yes that was a classic, I will have to track that down on dvd.


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## pattle (Nov 9, 2013)

I don't think that Combat or 12 O'clock High was on the tele in England, were they old black and whites from the 60's? We did get Hogan's Hero's though, I think there is talk of making this into a film which is maybe not such a good idea with all of todays political correctness.


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## pattle (Nov 9, 2013)

Way to the Stars with Sir John Mills was pretty good, it told the story of an RAF station from the start of the war to the arrival of the American's. Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence was good and bad at the same time, what I didn't like about it was the mitigation given to the Japanese.


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## GrauGeist (Nov 9, 2013)

pattle said:


> I don't think that Combat or 12 O'clock High was on the tele in England, were they old black and whites from the 60's? We did get Hogan's Hero's though, I think there is talk of making this into a film which is maybe not such a good idea with all of todays political correctness.


12 O'clock High! was produced in black and white, the setting was an American bomber group based in England. If memory serves me right, it was produced in the very late fifties.

Combat! was early 60's and made the transition from black white to color. It followed a group of GIs from the landings in Italy through the push up into southern Germany. One of the lead actors, Vic Morrow, was killed several years later while filming a scene from the movie "Twilight Zone" in a helicopter crash.


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## meatloaf109 (Nov 9, 2013)

pattle said:


> I don't think that Combat or 12 O'clock High was on the tele in England, were they old black and whites from the 60's? We did get Hogan's Hero's though, I think there is talk of making this into a film which is maybe not such a good idea with all of todays political correctness.



Russell Crowe has been tapped for the role of "Col. Hogan", that's the last I heard.


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## silence (Nov 9, 2013)

geez, I know almost nothing of these shows; I was into "Rocky Bullwinkle" and the Abbott Costello reruns.


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## stona (Nov 9, 2013)

pattle said:


> Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence was good and bad at the same time, what I didn't like about it was the mitigation given to the Japanese.



I'm not sure that was the intention of the film, though everyone has and is entitled to their own interpretation. I have to say I didn't much like it either, but then I have read the books, by Laurens van der Post, on which it is rather loosely based (The Seed and the Sower and The Night of the New Moon). 
Cheers
Steve


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## wheelsup_cavu (Nov 10, 2013)

vikingBerserker said:


> If she asked me nicely I would watch it with her.



Heck, I would ask HER to watch it with me. 


Wheels


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## model299 (Dec 10, 2013)

Saw *Task Force *on Turner Classic Movies the other night. A fairly well done movie about a fictional Navel Aviation Pioneer that starts on the Langley, and works it's way to the end of the war. Stars Gary Cooper and Walter Brennan. It has a fairly authentic feel to it, and wraps up with color footage of the suicide attacks on the USS Franklin.

A pretty decent movie, all in all. I think I'm going to have to score my own copy of that one.


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## muscogeemike (Dec 24, 2013)

Not a Hollywood production - made in and by Brits - I just watched GUNS AT BATASI again.
Although not a real "war movie" I recommend it - especially as it shows very well what a true Brit. NCO is.


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## Airframes (Dec 24, 2013)

I remember seeing an interview with Sir Richard Attenborough at the time he was making that movie. Apparently, he spent some time with 'real' British Army CSM's and RSM's, to 'get the feel' of the role, and also spent a lot of time, in a soundproofed room, developing and practicing his 'Parade Ground voice' - an art which allows an _extremely_ loud command to be given, but without it being a shout as such, which comes from the diaphragm, and takes practice!

Bye the way, '12 o' Clock High' was a movie, shot in the UK, not a TV show, and was (possibly still is) used a training and discussion aid at RMA, Sandhurst, to illustrate leadership qualities.


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## GrauGeist (Dec 24, 2013)

Airframes said:


> ...Bye the way, '12 o' Clock High' was a movie, shot in the UK, not a TV show, and was (possibly still is) used a training and discussion aid at RMA, Sandhurst, to illustrate leadership qualities.


There actually was a tv series here in the U.S. during the 60's called 12 O'Clock High! and it portrayed the 918th Bg of the 8th AF based in England. Was a pretty good show and they had access to props back then that would be worth a fortune today!

12 O'Clock High (TV Series 1964?1967) - IMDb


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## Shortround6 (Dec 24, 2013)

I believe "12 o' Clock High" was both. a 1949 movie and a TV series in 1964-67 (just, canceled in Jan 67).

edit; Beat me to it


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## Capt. Vick (Dec 25, 2013)

While buying DVD's in Target I ran across a Polish war movie in the budget section. Was filmed rather recently and was about 200(? IIRC) Who held out for 10 days against the Germans at the start of the war. Anybody know the movie I'm talking about? And if so, was it any good?


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## Airframes (Dec 25, 2013)

Thanks for that. I hadn't realised it was also a TV show in the 'States. I wonder if it can be found on DVD? 
It's also reminded me of another B-17 movie - 'The War Lover', filmed at Bovingdon, UK (where 633 Squadron was also filmed, and not to be confused with Bovington, where the tank museum is located). I've got a great photo of a B-17 doing a _very_ low-level pass for the movie, although I haven't actually seen the movie, which apparently has some good aircraft and action scenes in it.


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## GrauGeist (Dec 25, 2013)

I think just about anything can be purchased on DVD nowdays! The tv series was good and would be entertaining and I sure would buy it if it were available.

Hey, might have to look around and see if if it is available...get myself a Christmas persent!


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## Njaco (Dec 25, 2013)

Airframes said:


> Thanks for that. I hadn't realised it was also a TV show in the 'States. I wonder if it can be found on DVD?
> It's also reminded me of another B-17 movie - 'The War Lover', filmed at Bovingdon, UK (where 633 Squadron was also filmed, and not to be confused with Bovington, where the tank museum is located). I've got a great photo of a B-17 doing a _very_ low-level pass for the movie, although I haven't actually seen the movie, which apparently has some good aircraft and action scenes in it.



Movie stars Steve McQueen and Robert Wagner. Basically similar to "12OH" but McQueen is obsessed with war and is an adrenaline junky which conflicts with his co-pilot Wagner. Things get sticky when they both start dating the same English lass. Nice movie, typical Allied sentimentality of the time, nothing ground-breaking but the B-17 crash in the beginning (I believe flown by Paul Manz) is spectacular.


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## Alex . (Dec 25, 2013)

I know it's been said before, but I settled down to watch the new Red Tails the other night, hoping it'd be a cool film...

How wrong was I - bad acting, bad special effects, bad storyline...When he is waving at the Italian woman whilst returning from a mission. What a load of boll*cks!

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## Njaco (Dec 25, 2013)

Sounds like another movie to avoid...like "Brokeback Mountain". Ain't watched it, never will.


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## GrauGeist (Dec 25, 2013)

Njaco said:


> Sounds like another movie to avoid...like "Brokeback Mountain". Ain't watched it, never will.


Yep, much like the Batman release that had Danny DeVito and Schwarzeneggar in it. I got the movie for Christmas back in the 90's after it hit the theaters and there it sits in the movie cabinet, still wrapped in it's plastic...and there it shall remain untouched for all time.

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