World War 2 @ the movies

So what of films? I am quite interested in some of the true stories that have been re-produced, not necessarily completely aviation related, but certainly WW2:
The Pianist (amazing movie, but one can't call it a favourite given the nature of it)
Empire of the Sun (fantastic)
Memphis Belle (a very big fan, despite the hollywood angle)
The Battle of Britain (one of my all time favourite movies)
Tora! Tora! Tora! (very well done, the TRUE story)
Tuskegee Airmen (A very big fan, I have strong feelings about the world wide problem highlighted in this movie - racial discrimination, the 99th were the best)
Midway (oh dear, very poor indeed...)
Longest Day (not bad)
Saving Private Ryan (great movie, very sad story)
Pearl Harbor (see below)
Mosquito Squadron (good for it's time, real life mossies!)

Among those and others that I have seen, my favourites are definately
Empire of the Sun
Tora! Tora! Tora!
Tuskegee Airmen
The Battle Of Britain


Pearl Harbor? I was not a fan of the acting, or the story, but I was very impressed with the visual and special effects, thought that piece with the P-40 taking off at dusk (NOT the tacky love scene), was just fantastic.

Enemy at the Gates and The Great Raid are fantastic stories that were butchered by the big studios. It's a shame that such powerful drama is treated like a second rate tv sitcom

Anzio wasn't very good either
El Alamein was ok
Thirty Seconds over Tokyo -- awesome
a bridge too far.. OK


Stalingrad is a great film. Guerilla fighting in the rubble of a tank factory... cool stuff.

I liked Midway.......

If ever a movie needed to be remade it is Midway. Now I grew up as a kid loving this movie and still do like it, but to see it redone with correct a/c, no BS love story and some decent SFX would be great.

Personally myself I think some of the movies done during the 1960s to 1970s would be had to remake if not impossible. For example if the movie Battle of Britian was to be remade without SFX technology would be near impossible to do. Accordingly the original movie even done during the late 60s stretched the available resources greatly to find aircraft to fit into battle sequences static and flying aircraft etc, how much harder would it be to try and attempt a remake some 30 to 40 years on from the original movie was released without SFX. One movie i like and still do is Patton but mostly it was shot in Spain with the available Spanish Army still having equipment from WW2 at the time


Enemy at the Gate in my opinion was a great movie but didn't receive the kudos it was due to the fact Pearl Harbour was released at same time. Pearl Harbour was absolute **** except for the sequences of aircraft battles etc. The rest of the movie needed to be redone as per the human love interest etc or left out entirely and concentrated on the historical which in my opinion it didn't because of the love angle bullshit.

Kokoda on the other hand done by Australians concentrated not only on a platoon strength members of the Australian Militia in PNG but made the statement of the battles in PNG and desperate times the Australian people were facing at the time with a threat of invasion to the north

Odd Angry Shot was a primative movie made at the time depicting a time of history of the Vietnam War. But it gained response from Australians because it starred Australians in an unpopular war and setting

And Breaker Morant set in South Africa during the Boer War and the mistrust Australians still have of our former Colonial Power England. I have read some very interesting points of historical data about the Execution of Morant and Handcock by the British Army in South Africa at the time and the sham trial that was afforded to Morant and Hancock. they were scapegoats for Imperiallism and 13 years later during WW1 British Soldiers were still being executed by British Military Courts and the Australian Government during WW1 refused to give authority to British Military tribunals to executed any Australian Military personal

Another great movie that was remade from WW2 but set in The Middle East in WW1. 40,000 Horsemen done by Chevaul in 1940s and remade as the LightHorseman filmed in South Australia. Both had a human interest side to the movies but both were based on the factual and the attack by the Light Horse Regiments fighting in the Middle East at the time

I enjoy all those Australian war films you listed Emac, as well as "The desert Rats" and Chevaul's other war movie "rats Of Tobruk". Attack Force Z is OK as an action film, but if you want to see a film about the Z force Commandoes see "Heroes" which is based on real life events. "The last Bullet" is also a good film but I haven't seen that in many years, hopefully a DVD will one day be available.
I'm personally looking forward to "long Tan" which I believe is in production at the moment as well as "Last man" which is about an Aussie SAS patrol in Vietnam. Baz Lurhman's film "Australia" should be worth seeing even if only for the 19 Feb 1942 raid on Darwin.

Yep a remake of Midway would be great, the footage was good, but it was all mixed, one minute they were using F4F's then the next it's an F6F that crashes, or a Dauntless doing a diving run on a battleship, then it's a Corsair pulling out, real tacky if you ask me...
I liked the Battle of Britain pieces in Pearl Harbor, with some decent actors, it could look very good in cooperation with air to air filming, if the Battle of Britain was to be re-done, don't forget, there are lots more flying Axis aircraft now of the 1940s, god knows what it would cost to have a couple of Ju 52s, 109s etc, in the air for a movie in these modern times...

Wildcat said:

I enjoy all those Australian war films you listed Emac, as well as "The desert Rats" and Chevaul's other war movie "rats Of Tobruk". Attack Force Z is OK as an action film, but if you want to see a film about the Z force Commandoes see "Heroes" which is based on real life events. "The last Bullet" is also a good film but I haven't seen that in many years, hopefully a DVD will one day be available.
I'm personally looking forward to "long Tan" which I believe is in production at the moment as well as "Last man" which is about an Aussie SAS patrol in Vietnam. Baz Lurhman's film "Australia" should be worth seeing even if only for the 19 Feb 1942 raid on Darwin.

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There will never be another Chips Raffety Wild. he starred in all Aussie wartime movies done during the War in WW2 and also in 40,000 Horsemen. And yes Rats of Tobruk was a good film made at the time. But Peter Finch was another good actor from the era of Chevaul"s films along with with Chips Raffety. Some good old actors from Australian golden film days are gone now but the legacy continues. Talking about Chips Raffety I well remember the Smiley series of movies that came out during the 50s like for example Smiley Gets a Bike or Smiley Gets a Gun they were wholesome family movies set in rural Australia. I have a copy of 40,000 Horsemen here on vhs copied from a TV show being introduced by David Hinde also has Dad and Dave movie on tape done on same night from SBS and courtesy of Australian Film Archieves etc. My father use to like watching George Wallace Roy Rheen (Mo) and other Australian Actors especially from the Dad and Dave Series. On Our Selection and Dad Goes to Parliament etc. Pure old Aussie comedy and wit Wild

How are the combat scenes in the Tuskegee TV movie? Any FW 190's?

How do the flying scenes, say, compare to the 1990 Memphis Belle flying scenes? They are both more recent films about the American Bombing campaigns. Which of the two does the P-51D show off the best?

I remember an Itialian movie about the Italians during the desert war that was pretty good , don't rememebr the name of it....

Bernhart said:

I remember an Itialian movie about the Italians during the desert war that was pretty good , don't rememebr the name of it....

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El Alamein (2002)???????

I didnt like it... formulated "why are we here." "Its all such a waste." typical whiney war film



El Alamein (2002)

I see it has been confirmed that Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings Trilogy) is doing a remake of the Dambusters. With his reputation for perfection should prove to be an interesting prospect.

Cyrano said:

Wha do you guys think about the Dark Blue World?

I found it very realistic, but the plot left me cold.

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good to know... i'll check it out

This sounds like Most Accurate War Film part 2!

Stalingrad was one of the best made war films along with Ryan and Das Boot.

I thought "Tobruk" with Rock Hudson was a good film when I saw it as a kid until I saw "Raid on Rommel". Amazing to get two seperate films fromthe same film stock!

And don't forget the original "Sahara" with Bogey. Great movie.

Band of Brothers was great and a totally true story. The Bridge on the River Kwai was good. To Hell and Back was also good.

"To Hell and Back" was the story about Audie Murphy, right? Good flick.

I have never seen "Band of Brothers". No. 1 on my To Do list.

Just found this clip on Youtube, definately a movie I want to see!
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdvtuTTLqMM

note: the title says Letters From Iwo Jima but this is a different movie.

I saw a video of Yamamoto being destroyed from the "Yamamoto" film on Youtube once. Lots of blood splatters.

One films I'd really like to see remade is 633 Squadron. It's a great story, but the combination of bf 108s and Airfix models looks a bit pathetic these days. Other good ones

The Thin Red Line
Come and See
Flags of our Fathers
Letters form Iwo Jima
Downfall
Saints and Soldiers
Below (a horror film really, but very good nonetheless)