D-Day historian: 'Ryan' not best war film

CNN ^ | 11/11/2009 | Matthew Carey

[cvq3842]

I agree that the opening sequence is unforgettable.

[Huebolt]

What”s wrong with school teachers?

Nothing wrong with them, I'm married to one. It's just the absolutely leftist liberal dogma that the public schools are force-feeding the youngsters. "obama mmmmmmm mmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmm."

Gag a maggot!! The teacher's national organization and academe in general is run by burned-out 60's hippie dope-smokers like schpielberg.

[albie]

“That was Vietnam...”

...just sayin’ my favorite “war movie”.

[allmendream]

Indeed, he isn’t criticizing the movie from a dramatic perspective, but a historic one.

I prefer Band of Brothers on both counts. Better drama, WAY WAY more accurate.

[Non-Sequitur]

I’m looking forward to the made-for-HBO series on the war in the Pacific that’s supposed to be coming out soon.

[andy58-in-nh]

Can't agree with him on on Saving Private Ryan; I found it a fine film devoid of Hollywood's routine tendency toward maudlin sentimentality or schlock. It is emotional but not at all contrived, even in the cemetery sequence at the film's end wherein is portrayed an event repeated countless thousands of time; an old soldier come to visit a lost brother. I thought that was beautifully captured.

That said, Band of Brothers is a work of art. I've got the DVD box set and would recommend it highly.

Happy Veteran's Day. Remember our heroes.

[Tax-chick]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXKBUK94cC0

“You Should Have Seen It in Color” by Jamey Johnston

[LRS]

“Battleground” may have been the best treatment of the Battle of the Bulge...

[EricT.]

Crapgame: “Maybe he’s a Republican.” (speaking about the Tiger tank commander)

LOL

[wordsofearnest]

I’ve always liked “Battleground” though I’ve never seen the beginning.

[Eagle Eye]

When I was in 6th grade our teacher read us Guadal Canal Diaries over a period of several weeks.

Yeah, I know, they don’t do stuff like that anymore.

[ken5050]

There are several very long threads somewheres about "What's your favorite war movie?"

From the viewpoint of pure special effects..before the era of computer generated stuff..my vote is for "Battle of Britain"..amazing aerial photography..using real vintage WWII planes...at the time the movie was being made, the studio as said to possess the 3rd largest air force on the planet.

My personal favorite is one that rarely turns up on the tube.."The Cruel Sea", based on Nicholas Monserrat's novel..about the crew of a Royal Navy corvette, and battles against U-boats. One of the rare instances where the film was very faithful to the novel, and almost as good.

[ken5050]

“Victory at Sea 2?”

[Andonius_99]

ah, gotcha... :)

[LRS]

“Yesterday’s Enemy”: a good “hidden” British WWII film about action in Burma. While it goes into the anti war mode, it was gritty and had good actors from what I recall. Been awhile since I have seen it, tho’...

[dirtboy]

Or how about the more recent, “Stalingrad”.

Or "Enemy at the Gates" - the first thirty minutes of that movie is even more gut-wrenching than the opening of Private Ryan - where the poor conscripts are stuck between the machine guns of the Nazis and the machine guns of their commanders.

[ken5050]

I had not heard that before. Interesting. Something similar happened years earlier with "The Best Years of Their Lives"

My favorite scene in that film is when the returning soldiers are flying over thousands of mothballed bombers..actual footage.and one says to the other.."Man, could we have used those a few years ago.."

[Fedupwithit]

Oh, some of the best lines were in Kelly's Heroes..

Big Joe talking about..."if I hear any more talk about going down to headquarters and killing the general, or raping the nurses at the field hospital is going to be in big trouble!"

[joe fonebone]

Always with the negative waves......

[EricT.]

“Maitland, did you LOSE my aerial photographs?”