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Top 10 Military Movies
http://wmbriggs.com/blog/2008/11/26/top-10-military-movies/ ^ | William Briggs

Posted on 11/26/2008 4:39:25 AM PST by mattstat

Here’s my list.

1. Twelve O’Clock High : Inarguably the best. No show, no false notes, no forced emotion like you see so much nowadays. No political correctness in the sense that there are no directorial heavy-handed “war is evil” sub-tones. No actors posing or posturing. Utterly realistic. This takes place during a time when the outcome of the war was by no means assured. The actors believe it: there is no foreshadowing of ultimate victory here as in so many other movies. A son of a general learns his lesson that even the privileged must do what is expected of them. Gregory Peck is the perfect leader, trying to get “Maximum effort” from his men, giving more of himself than he asks from anybody. 2. Tora! Tora! Tora! : Stays exceptionally close to what is known historically. Brilliant idea to have a Japanese director direct Japanese actors reading lines written by Japanese writers. Increases the sense of realism to a remarkable degree. The “special effects” are astonishing, especially since no computers were involved (Thank God). Gordon Prange (who wrote many Pearl Harbor books) contributed to the script—which is why we never see the emperor Hirohito’s involvement (Prange could never let himself believe that the Showa emperor was what he was). People who know me won’t watch this with me anymore because I like to point out just what did and did not happen at each moment in the movie. 3. The Train ...

(Excerpt) Read more at wmbriggs.com ...


TOPICS: TV/Movies
KEYWORDS: hollywood; military; moviereview; movies; topten; war
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To: mattstat
Twelve O’Clock High

The ultimate leadership study.

Striking contrast between effective and ineffective leadership.

181 posted on 11/26/2008 10:57:22 AM PST by Mariner
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To: Red_Devil 232

... Lee Marvin, who had the distinction of being in both the movie and the event.


182 posted on 11/26/2008 11:04:08 AM PST by Lonesome in Massachussets (The Democratic Party strongly supports full civil rights for necro-Americans.)
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To: N. Theknow

I liked “Paths of Glory”, no one else seems to.


183 posted on 11/26/2008 11:06:04 AM PST by Lonesome in Massachussets (The Democratic Party strongly supports full civil rights for necro-Americans.)
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To: Lonesome in Massachussets
Marvin was not on Iwo Jima. He was on Saipan where he got wounded in the Buttocks.

Also Marvin was not in the movie "Sands of Iwo Jima" which was made in 1950. Marvin's first film was "Your In The Navy Now" (1951).

184 posted on 11/26/2008 11:32:51 AM PST by Red_Devil 232 (VietVet - USMC All Ready On The Right? All Ready On The Left? All Ready On The Firing Line!)
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To: mattstat

Just watched 12 O Clock High on DVD a few nights ago.


185 posted on 11/26/2008 11:39:08 AM PST by word_warrior_bob (You can now see my amazing doggie and new puppy on my homepage!! Come say hello to Jake & Sonny)
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To: mattstat

No “The Longest Day”?


186 posted on 11/26/2008 11:39:49 AM PST by word_warrior_bob (You can now see my amazing doggie and new puppy on my homepage!! Come say hello to Jake & Sonny)
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To: Boonie

I’d nominate “Winds of War” with Robert Mitchum in the mini-series catagory. Though that didn’t have a whole lot of combat in it, but then some of these other movies don’t either.


187 posted on 11/26/2008 1:22:20 PM PST by Tallguy ("The sh- t's chess, it ain't checkers!" -- Alonzo (Denzel Washington) in "Training Day")
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To: edzo4
what about the patriot? that scene where he ambushes the british soldiers with his two sons is intense and braveheart as well

Yes, Braveheart is definitely a classic.

The Patriot has some good scenes in it, but is uneven.

188 posted on 11/26/2008 1:51:26 PM PST by fortheDeclaration ("Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people".-John Adams)
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To: Alberta's Child
It is a movie. It was a very early R. Lee Ermy appearance. It is closest to my recollections of reality.

The documentry was based on a Time magazine story about "Charley Company" and a reunion.

189 posted on 11/26/2008 1:53:03 PM PST by pfflier
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To: napscoordinator

I’m just 44. Not quite foggie-hood yet...but I can see it in the distance.


190 posted on 11/26/2008 2:05:04 PM PST by mattstat (http://wmbriggs.com)
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To: pfflier
Thanks for the info. I just did some online research and learned that the documentary I remembered was called "The World of Charlie Company."

It was a remarkable piece at the time because one part of it included what was basically a mutiny by Charlie Company against their commanding officer.

191 posted on 11/26/2008 3:05:15 PM PST by Alberta's Child (I'm out on the outskirts of nowhere . . . with ghosts on my trail, chasing me there.)
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To: VAarea
Could not agree more. One of the funniest films ever, yet did a great job demonstrating the dedication of SAC crews flying a tough mission.
192 posted on 11/26/2008 4:17:27 PM PST by starlifter
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To: IYAS9YAS

Yes! That’s the movie! Glad you knew the title. Now I can look for it on ebay! It was a great movie.


193 posted on 11/26/2008 4:23:31 PM PST by freemike
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To: Mariner

What I got out of Twelve O’clock High was that it was about the pressure of command and how a leader cannot be friends with the men he sends into combat. Davenport’s failure was that he could no longer lead his friends. General Savage had that distance, but the presssure still caused his collapse.

What this movie lacked was some truth. High losses were talked about, but in an indirect way. In 1943, Eighth Air Force’s losses were so high that no air crew had a mathematical chance of surviving. In 1949, the military still would not admit that a bomber crew’s tour of duty in 1943 was a suicide mission.


194 posted on 11/26/2008 6:01:25 PM PST by Pelagius of Asturias
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