Posted on 05/31/2004 7:49:27 AM PDT by sonofatpatcher2
Being somewhat older than most folks here and a film buff for all those years I could speak and listen, the thread on Favorite War films got me to thinking. There are many fine war films that have never been seen by those born past 1970, so I have put as many as I could remember. Just cut & paste the film's title into IMDb search mode and click away. IMDb is at http://us.imdb.com/ There are so many genres of films, television series and mini-series about warfare, so I will start threads to list all your favorites in each category: Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Mexican War, The War Between the States, Indian Wars, Pre-World War One, World War One, Pre-WW2, World War Two (Made 1939 - 1946 & Made After 1946), Korean War, Vietnam War, Cold War, Gulf Wars, The Homefront, War Bios, Service Comedies, Foreign Wars and Best of All.
Made 1939 - 1946:
First, let me say if there was ever a mini series made about the Doolittle Raid from films made during WW2, it should be Destination Tokyo (1943), Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944) and The Purple Heart (1944) edited together. I put them in a place of honor all by themselves.
1. They Were Expendable (1945)
2. Guadalcanal Diary (1943)
3. Bataan (1943)
4. In Which We Serve (1942)
5. Story of G.I. Joe (1945)
6. Uncertain Glory (1944) Errol Flynn as crook who becomes war hero.
7. Battle of Midway, The (1942) John Ford Documentry - The Japanese attack on Midway in June 1942, filmed as it happened.
8. Gung Ho! (1943)
9. Passage to Marseille (1944) A Bogart film that showed there may have been heroic Frenchmen afterall.
10. Flying Tigers (1942)
Honorable Mention:
Back to Bataan (1945)
The Fighting Seabees (1944)
Dive Bomber (1941) Errol Flynn & Fred MacMurray in a film that has stunning color footage of Naval Aviation just before the war.
Desperate Journey (1942) Errol Flynn & Ronald Reagan as downed RAF flyers fighting Nazis.
Northern Pursuit (1943) Mounty Errol Flynn hunts Nazis.
Edge of Darkness (1943) Errol Flynn in Norway.
(Hey, I like Flynn!)
A Guy Named Joe (1943)
Immortal Sergeant (1943)
Song of Russia (1943)
Back to Bataan (1945)
Made 1947 - 1967:
1. Twelve O'Clock High (1949) Greg Peck's 2nd best role as Brig. Gen. Frank Savage.
2. Sands of Iwo Jima (1949)
2. Battleground (1949)
4. Casablanca (1942)
5. Battle Cry (1955)
6. Above and Beyond (1952) Robert Taylor as Col. Paul W. Tibbets, 509th Composite Group CO (pilot of Enola Gay)
7. Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)
8. The Train (1964) Burt Lancaster tries to keep a train of great art from the Nazis.
9. Go for Broke! (1951) Van Johnson & the story of Japanese-American soldiers who fought in Europe during World War II.
10. Command Decision (1948)
11. Darby's Rangers (1958)
12. The Caine Mutiny (1954)
13. Five Fingers (1952) Superb Spy flic with James Mason as Ulysses Diello (Code Name: Cicero) who almost broke the D-Day secret to the Nazis.
14. Stalag 17 (1953)
15. From Here to Eternity (1953)
16. The Battle of San Pietro (1945) John Huston's story of the 36th 'Texas' Infantry Division in the fight for a small Italian village. By far the best World War Two documentry ever made.
17. 36 Hours (1965)
18. Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957)
19. The Guns of Navarone (1961)
20. To Have and Have Not (1944) Bogart meet Bacall and fights with French Nazis. What else do you need?
21. Homecoming (1948)
Honorable Mentions:
In Harm's Way (1965)
Action in the North Atlantic (1943)
Attack (1956)
Force of Arms (1951)
Last Blitzkrieg, The (1959) Very good film with Van Johnson leading a German commando team operating behind American lines during the Battle of the Bulge.
The Enemy Below (1957)
Sahara (1943)
Dunkirk (1958)
Run Silent Run Deep (1958)
Behold a Pale Horse (1964) Greg Peck in Spanish Civil War.
The Desert Rats (1953)
D-Day the Sixth of June (1956)
Gallant Hours, The (1960)
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
The Great Escape (1963)
The Counterfeit Traitor (1962)
The Dirty Dozen (1967)
Hong Kong (1952)
Beach Red (1967)
The Longest Day (1962)
The Wings of Eagles (1957)
Flying Leathernecks (1951)
The Sea Chase (1955)
Operation Pacific (1951)
Battle of the Bulge (1965)
Eight Iron Men (1952)
Never So Few (1959)
Captain Newman, M.D. (1963) Greg Peck, Angie Dickenson & Tony Curtis in drama of WW2 soldiers' mental problems.
American Guerrilla in the Philippines (1950)
Run Silent Run Deep (1958)
Kings Go Forth (1958)
Betrayed (1954)
A Walk in the Sun (1945)
Wing and a Prayer (1944)
Up Periscope (1959)
Tobruk (1967)
Notorious (1946)
Crash Dive (1943)
Fighter Squadron (1948)
Made 1968-Date:
1. Band of Brothers (TV) mini
2. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
3. "Winds of War, The" (1983) (mini) & "War and Remembrance" (1988) (mini)
4. Schindler's List (1993)
5. Tora, Tora, Tora (1970)
6. The Eagle Has Landed (1976) Michael Cain and Robert Duvall, fantastic!
7. Where Eagles Dare (1968) Richard Burton & Clint Eastwood, fantastic again!
8. A Bridge Too Far (1977)
9. The Big Red One (1980)
10. The Devil's Brigade (1968)
Honorable Mention:
Anzio (1968)
Das Boot (1981)
Hornet's Nest (1970)
Raid on Rommel (1971)
Lion of the Desert (1980)
Counterpoint (1968) Chuck Heston - Famous orchestra conductor is captured by the Germans in WW2, is forced to put on private concerts for the Nazi generals.
Midway (1976)
Hell in the Pacific (1968)
On the Homefront (All Wars):
1. Best Years of Our Lives, The (1946)
2. Great Santini, The (1979) Robert Duvall as Bull "Make way for a Fighter Pilot" Meechum around the Cuban Missile Crisis.
3.Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, The (1956) One of Greg Peck's best roles as Tom Rath who finds the memories of his WW2 service go hand in hand with this slice of life in the 1950s.
4. Since You Went Away (1944)
5. Islands in the Stream (1977)
6. Decoration Day (1990) (TV)
7. Bad Day at Black Rock (1955)
Honorable Mention:
Apartment for Peggy (1948)
Taps (1981)
Mr. Lucky (1943)
Tank (1984)
Up next will be Korea, Service Comedies, Vietnam, the Cold War, War Bios, Foreign Wars and Best of All...
4. Casablanca (1942)
14. Stalag 17 (1953)
19. The Guns of Navarone (1961)
D-Day the Sixth of June (1956)
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
The Great Escape (1963)
The Dirty Dozen (1967)
2. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
don't forget about Patton (1974)
Mrs. Miniver, which I have watched several times since 9/11. There is also a sequel to this movie which is quite good.
Battle of Midway and a host of others too many to mention.
well done-KUDOS
Castle Keep I think it was misunderstood, but I liked it a lot.
I put Patton in the War Bios thread to be posted later, but it would fit in either...
Yesterday at Walmart I saw the Treasure series DVD of Walt Disney's "ON THE FRONT LINES THE WAR YEARS" FOR SALE.
I spent the afternoon watching and enjoying the nostalgia. This is a must have even if it is a Disney product. It covers the good Disney productions.
Yes, Castle Keep is a strange film. I should have added it to the Honorable Mentions just for Sfc. Rossie Baker's baking skills!
Imagine, in Castle Keep old Burt had only one eye and Peter Falk wore his glass one...
Yes, major goof not adding Mrs. Miniver. Greer Garson gave a fantastic performance in it and the sequel The Miniver Story (1950). My apologies...
Extra Memorial Day Favorite Films Thread - Revolution to World War One at http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1145126/posts?page=9
One of my faves is "Golden Earrings" with
Ray Milland and Marlena D.
She plays a gypsy woman who takes Milland (an allied intelligence officer) in and makes him over to be a gypsy.
He finally crosses the Rhine to france and returns after the war to find her.
To hear Marlena say, "Mien Zussa" makes me melt.
"my sugar, my sweetie".
Glad you had "In which we serve" that's a good one.
Always liked "Against the wind" with Simone Signore.
When I was a teen ager in the 60s it was the heyday of
TV movies, movies all day, even late movies and a lot of
ww I and II movies. Even today with cable there aren't
as many shown.
"To Hell and Back"-Audie Murphy bio
"Sgt York"-WW I Hero Alvin York bio (Let's not forget WW I)
Go to this thread to see the bad movie that is Kerry's lifetime of bad faith.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1145155/posts
FWIW, Patton is my movie.
Korean War films to Best of All at http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1145174/posts
Yes, I missed that one and it is a gem!
Especially the VW Swimming Scene
There were many odd moments in that film; Bruce Dern leading the conscientious objectors in singing carols comes to mind.
Yep. too bad old Greg did not understand his role (nor remember it) when he became such a roaring liberal...
Patton came out in 1970.
Just flipped the boob tube over to Turner Class Movies and realized I forgot The Battle of Britian (1969) nor to think of it that wonderful PBS "Piece of Cake" (1988) miniseries.
There are so many I fear I have slighted. I hope my fellow freepers will call me on them...
I used to watch the old WWII war movies every weekend, and late night during the week if I could get away with it. I also read everything I could get my hands on about the war. I was obsessed. People said I was a little war-monger. I guess some would say the same today, the way I beat the drum for the Iraq war, and still support it 100%.
Of all the war movies I've ever seen, Patton is still the greatest war epic ever. It is just... awesome. Saving Private Ryan was nearly as good, but didn't capture the grand sweep of history and the larger-than-life personality of the MAN, General George S. Patton.
When Trumpets Fade - The battle of the Huertgen Wood
Me too! Maybe I missed it, but I didn't see you list one of the best war movies ever made. Errol Flynn in "Objective Burma", 1945. It's a great film.
One more. "The Longest Day" is one of the finest historical movies on WWII ever released. Covers everything. You place it in the honorable mention catagory. Wrong! In addition, "Saving Private Ryan" pales in comparison to the overall quality and story telling of "The Longest Day".
There are several other disagreements I have with your list. But these are a few glaring errors I found. You touched most of the bases.
Yep, I messed up on them. So many films, so litle time since I started this little project at 4 this AM. Glad you found my boo-boos...
Yes, The Longest Day was more historically accurate as it was based on fact from the best selling book while Saving Private Ryan was a fictious plot that was more historically correct in uniforms, weapons and very realistic in showing the horror and bloody carnage of combat.
6 of one, half-dozen of the other. Both are great films and we can agree to disagree...
Yes, overlooked Objective Burma as I am sure I missed others.
Granted, a good B war film. However, you forgot to mention Rock's close personal friend, George Nader, who was the co-star of the flick.
AND don't forget the very first love of my life-- Julie Adams. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen at the age of 7 in 1954 when I saw her in a bathing suit in the Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954). By the time of Away All Boats, I was a worldly old man of 9 and had discovered the difference between boys and girls. I panted every time she was on screen.
Finally I figured she was too old for me. Naw, that's not true, I fell for Annette Funicello as she was more may age in 1956.
BTW, saw Julia on "Murder, She Wrote" in the early 1990s and discovered she was still a babe. However, she would now say I was too old for her!
And yes, gall-dung-it! Annette would say the same thing if you asked her today...
Okay.
The opening scenes of Saving Private Ryan were very realistic and the most intriguing part of the movie. Generally speaking, however, films are meant to be entertaining. The most entertaining war films ever made have a surealistic quality to them, that left the most horrific parts of human conflict up to the individuals imagination.
Films produced today tend to pass on surrealism, in favor of realism. The younger generation feeds on and enjoys all types of gratuitous violence. The "the horror and bloody carnage of combat" is no different. Sometimes it maybe necessary, but realism isn't always a positive attribute found in Hollywood movies.
If you move away from the initial shock value of a film like "Full Metal Jacket" --- which I think is an excellent example of a VietNam era war movie --- and place it side by side with a film like "Objective Burma", the latter holds up very well. A good example of entertaining and compelling storytelling at its best. The same holds true for "The Longest Day" besting "Saving Private Ryan" as pure entertainment.
Btw, I enjoy the history channel too. Especially their programs that touch on every detail of the aspects of war.
Here we go agreeing to disagree again. IMHO I did not find Full Metal Jacket to be a Vietnam film in tone at all. Yes, the Marine Corps boot camp was vintage and R. Lee was great, but the 'in country' plot played like the standard WW2 film. I think Stanley Kubrick wrote the screenplay in this way because he was such a hermit that he did not know how to portray the Vietnam experience.
I could be wrong but I believe most, if not all Nam vets would say Stanley's opus was only one-quarter to one-eighth jacketed...
I found "Full Metal Jacket" to be more surrealistic in tone, then any of the other VietNam era war flicks. "Apocolypse Now" blended realism with surrealism and told a good story, but not a new story. The "Bridge On the River Kwai" touched many of the same bases, 20 years earlier.
>>> ... Full Metal Jacket ... but the 'in country' plot played like the standard WW2 film.
Oh really. I'll bet you found the arrogance of Oliver Stone's "Platton" more to your liking and Kubrick's "Paths of Glory" also out of touch with reality. So be it.
BTW The Devil's Brigade is now showing on Turner Classic Movies...
How 'bout "The Best Years of our Lives" (1947?) This may not classify as a "war" film, but as most of you know, it's about three men at war's end who reenter civilian life. One, Homer _______ , a double amputee, plays a very powerful part of a returning sailor without hands facing the monumental challenges of readjusting to the civilian world.
RB
Saw We Were Soldiers and The Longest Day last night. My son is the only ten year old I know who can sit through all of the Longest Day. One of our favorites.
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