Hollywood presents WWII. Films that grind your gears.

[javlin]

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

 

[meatloaf109]

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.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Two worst war movies ever?

Pearl Harbor

Red Tails

Both absolutely terrible!

 

[javlin]

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

 

[GrauGeist]

Yep.....
We are talking CGI anyways. Those dumb@sses 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...

 

[silence]

Yep.....
We are talking CGI anyways. Those dumb@sses 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.

 

[stona]

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

 

[stona]

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

 

[pattle]

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.

 

[s1chris]

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

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

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]

 

[stona]

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

 

[Njaco]

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...

 

[pattle]

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.

 

[michaelmaltby]

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

Sven Hassel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[CORSNING]

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.

 

[vikingBerserker]

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

 

[GrauGeist]

"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.

 

[pattle]

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.

 

[silence]

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.