Posted on 07/02/2004 5:53:40 AM PDT by bobjam
With all of the publicity and hype over Moore's Bush hating and America bashing "documentary", it might be good on this Fourth of July weekend to sit back a reflect upon those movies that make us pround to be Americans. My suggestions are:
1) Midway- the Navy at its finest. Nothing beats the way the movie incorporates actual footage of the battle.
2) Last of the Mohicans- this movie captures the difficulty faced by frontiersmen, the British attitude towards them, and the spectacular beauty of the American wilderness.
3) The Alamo- the John Wayne version. The courage it took for the vastly outnumbered Davey Crocket, Jim Bowie, et al to stand up to Santa Ana was legendary.
What are some of your suggestions?
Saving Private Ryan.
Try "1776". It's a musical but pretty good.
Patton. Especially the opening monologue.
One of my favorites, "In Harms Way.."
If you can get it, watch, "I Bombed Pearl Harbor". It is a Japanese made movie dating back to the 60's. It shows how bad the Japanese got beat at Midway. Not a bad movie at all.
The Patriot starring Mel Gibson.
Red Dawn.
So Proudly We Hail
Shenandoah
The Daniel Day Lewis version was excellent. But it still can't hold a candle to the 1970's Masterpiece Theatre miniseries one.
I highly suggest picking up the 2 disc DVD set of Walt Disney: On the Front Lines. Various cartoon shorts and the feature length film Victory Through Air Power. These two discs remind us of a time when Hollywood actually aided the war effort. Great, great stuff.
More I think about it, more I agree with your pick. I mean, we can be Americans even in the absence of killing an enemy.
As for The Alamo, John Wayne's was as good as any and better than most even if it wasn't technically about America (in those days). In some ways the most recent Disney release of The Alamo was the best of that story. I thought Billy Bob's portrayal of Davey Crockett was superb, as was the perfectly human qualities of the participants.
For pro-American movies of the war genre, Command Decision (Clark Gable), The Patriot ( Mel Gibson), Band of Brothers (Several I never heard of), Memphis Belle (Long List of Stars) and Night People (Gregory Peck, Cold War) were excellent.
For anthologies, try How The West Was Won (Too Many To Name)
If I think of it today, I'll likely recall many more.
Any and all of the John Ford epics of Americana.."Fort Apache"."She wore a Yellow Ribbon"."The Horse Soldiers"
Best pro-American movie?
Hands down, "Yankee Doodle Dandy" Directed by Michael Curtiz. The life story of George M. Cohan and family with Jimmy Cagney, Walter Huston, Joan Leslie!!!
If "Yankee Doodle Dandy" doesn't give you goosebumps and make you proud to be an American then you better check your pulse!
Semper Fi,
Kelly
Forrest GUMP
Believe it or not - it protrays the 1960s peace movement as a bunch of thugs, communists, and woman beaters.
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