Reply With QuoteI cant believe there has only been one mention of The Enemy Bellow, one of my favourites.
The Boy in the striped Pyjamas
Life is beautiful.
Both excellent - & bring a different (child's) perspective on wartime.
z
I cant believe there has only been one mention of The Enemy Bellow, one of my favourites.
I would see these as holocaust films rather than war films although obviously they take place during wartime.Originally Posted by zelig
It was a scream.
Best wishes,
Bob
Dam Busters, Wild Geese, Good Morning Vietnam.
Don't forget Gallipoli- a young mel gibson, but don't let that put you off!
Enemy at the Gates
not sure it's a war film as it's more of an occupation, but City of Life & Death is worth watching to get a taste of what an occupying force can subject the locals to, but it's not for the sensitive.
Not a film but "Generation Kill" is an excellent mini-series produced by one of the guys who did The Wire.
Not exactly war, but based around the events of Pearl Harbor... From Here to Eternity
Terrific movie!
"Theirs is the Glory", shot on location on Arnhem and Oosterbeek a year after the battle.
That the acting isn't brilliant is probably because the majority of the cast were serving members of the Parachute Regiment who'd actually fought there.
Due to a shortage of blank ammunition, live ammo was used during filming instead!
During one scene showing the German attacks on the defenders around the Arnhem Brigde (local Dutch extras playing the Germans), the troops can clearly be seen either simply shaking their Brens to simulate firing or aiming well off.
^^^ all those... plus
The Hunt For Red October
Crimson Tide
Lots of great suggestions on here so far, some true greats. If you want something a little less mainstream:
The Beast (1988)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beast_(1988_film)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094716/
Play Dirty (1969) The other Nigel Green/Michael Caine film (as well as Zulu and The Ipcress File)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Play_Dirty
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063443/
How about
Castle Keep (Burt lancaster and Peter falk)
Blue Max
A bridge to Far
Battle of the bulge
Merry Christmas mr Lawrence
von Ryans express
dirty dozen
Every war movie with Henry Fonda in
Andy
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Great thread! Most of the classics have already been mentioned, here's what springs to mind for me:
WW1 - All Quiet On the Western Front, The Blue Max
WW2 - Saving Private Ryan (plus brilliant series Band of Brothers), Cross of Iron, Stalingrad (excellent German film), Come and See (amazing Soviet film)
Cold War - By Dawn's Early Light
Vietnam - Deer Hunter
90's - No Man's Land (war film about break up of Yugoslavia whilst UN observe)
To me a war film is about one side fighting the other, i.e. mainly an action film. So that sort of means Schindler's List and The Pianist are not on my list although both would be towards the very top of greatest films of all time, and quite rightly too!
Not a film but one of the BBC's greatest series ever in my opinion was 'Secret Army', it was about the Belgian resistance smuggling downed Allied airmen back to England. Why on earth the BBC would then within 2-3 years produce the painfully unfunny 'Allo 'Allo that tarnished the memory if Secret Army I'll never know!
Thanks so much guys, great selections and I have added a lot to my amazon order.
Some I have yet to see: City of Life and Death, Come and See and We were soldiers.
Haven't seen this one mentioned, great movie (made for tv) and with great actors.
Conspiracy with Kenneth Branagh 7.7 on IMDB
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0266425/
I'll just add three, already some great ones here. First the best WWII documentary is, IMHO, Victory at Sea. A boxed set. Second a small film about a bunch of GI's trying to capture a farm house in Italy, "A Walk in the Sun". A cast of people you will recognize including a young Lloyd Bridges. Made in 1945. Plus a John Wayne movie, "They Were Expendable" typical of movies put out for the home front. Directed by John Ford in 1945.
Ted
I always thought that 'The odd angry shot' (Aussies in Vietnam) was very good while another early Vietnam film called 'Go tell the Spartans' with Burt Lancaster was excellent.
Cheers CB40
To add to my other suggestions, in my opinion this is the finest film that has ever been made in Britain:
(Powell & Pressburger – 1943)
The film follows the central character across the Boer War, WWI and WWII.
It shows him moving from an energetic young man, to one who finds himself and his values out of step with modern times and the prevailing attitude with regards honour (e.g. the embrace of 'Total War' during WWII).
It is an engrossing film and also has a fascinating production history (it has been suggested that Churchill may have wanted the production stopped and, whilst the story is largely pro British, one of the main supporting characters is a sympathetic German).
I could write about it a lot more, but best not to say too much in case some people haven't seen it.
Just thought of another one. Set during the Korean war
Brotherhood also known as The Brotherhood of war and Tae Guk Gi
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0386064/
Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nnx2CjhHADM
Good story and some of the battle scenes are epic in a saving private ryan way.
Very original suggestion, and a good contender for the best British film ever made. Also stars Deborah Kerr at her most beautiful.To add to my other suggestions, in my opinion this is the finest film that has ever been made in Britain:
Powell & Pressburger's war films are great works of art- A Canterbury Tale and A Matter of Life & Death also count, of course.
I found 'Breaker Morant' to be engrossing first time around
A couple of dutch war films worth a viewing...
Black Book (2006)
In the Nazi-occupied Netherlands during World War II, a Jewish singer infiltrates the regional Gestapo headquarters for the Dutch resistance.
Winter in Wartime (2008)
Near the end of World War II, 14-year-old Michiel becomes involved with the Resistance after coming to the aid of a wounded British soldier. With the conflict coming to an end, Michiel comes of age and learns of the stark difference between adventure fantasy and the ugly realities of war.
z
Plenty of love here , it's one of my all time favourites!
I'm also a big fan of The Heroes of Telemark.
We were soldiers
Wind talkers
Both good films.
And here's a couple no-one has mentioned yet.
On the Beach.
Operation Crossbow.
Battle of the V1
An earlier responder mentioned The MAn WHo Never Was - recently released on DVD and an absolutely mesmerising record of Operation Mincemeat.
HTH VVT
Navy Seals has just started on CH 5
You guys hit the high points.
X2 on "The Cruel Sea". Great film based on Monsarrat's great book. Couple of under-the-radar films.
1. "When Trumpet's Fade" (HBO 1998) - harrowing look at the Battle of the Hurtgen Forest.
2. "Gallipoli". All war is hell, but what the Brits and the Aussies went thru in WWI is incomprehensible. Simply incomprehensible. Lions led by donkeys indeed.
3. "The Pacific" - not exactly under the radar but it got overshadowed by "Band of Brothers". "BoB" was an easier story to tell - those guys fought together as a unit for only 13 months. The US Marines went thru 3+ years of sheer carnage with the Japanese in some of the ugliest most inhospitable hellholes imaginable.. Tougher story to tell because the units got decimated and guys didn't fight together for very long. But the episodes on Peleliu and Okinawa are as gripping and realistic as anything ever put to film.
'Awrenz'
The classic scene with Omar riding out of the desert towards the well.
Lawrence of Arabia of course, war, human aspect and the undercurrents of politics- a classic.
Blue Max - another interesting one.
Films about WW1 flyers are few, but always interesting.
Brotherhood - An epic story of the Korean war from the perspective of 2 brothers
Come and See - Film about the poor treatment the Russian people got from the Nazis
Days of Glory - An Algerian's view of the WW2 experience fighting for the French
When Trumpets Fade - Story of a reluctant american hero in WW2
Both Brotherhood and Days of glory are up there with Saving Private Ryan for battle scenes.
Surprised that the film and and played by an actual decorated hero have not got a mention - The Hell and Back (Audie Murphy)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audie_Murphy worth a read as he was a bit of a nutter (in the very british sense)
Oh and lest we forgot Reach for the Skies and the whole Series of Sharpe TV movies - most excellent.
Andy
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
hey I watched that......for about ten mins. Utter sh&t£
The Cockleshell Heroes and The Heroes of Telemark!
To add to the list
Black Hawk Down
I don't recall seeing Platoon or Full Metal Jacket in the lists onhere.
Above us the waves
The Silent Enemy
Four similar in they mix action with comedy, very satirical views of warfare -
CATCH 22
1941
M*A*S*H
KELLY'S HEROES (a personal favourite!)
I looked but didn't see: "The Red Badge of Courage" and "Memphis Belle" as suggestions.
I would suspect that the directors cut of this film were it to have been released would have been much better than the version that survives but it is still a fine film.
With regard to "Memphis Belle" I believe that the original intention was to make a film about a Lancaster crew but it was felt that the American Market would not support it. If that film had been based on Len Deighton's "Bomber" I think it would have been a more interesting film than "Memphis Belle" although this is still worth watching although becomes over sugary towards the end. I think this is also a fault that "Saving Private Ryan" also suffers from although I have also heard that the first section of this film is possibly the most accurate rendition of what it is actually like to be in this situation. It would be interesting to watch "Saving Private Ryan" and "The Longest Day" back to back to see how our view of the same action has changed over the years.
I'd second those who recommended "Breaker Morant" and "Paths of Glory". They both ask questions about the morality of war and killing that remain pertinent.
"Catch 22" is a good film but the book is miles better - so if you like the film you owe it to yourself to read the book.
Mrs Minniver
I forgot to add Salon Kitty, I think we sneaked in to the ABC in 1977 to watch it, I've been affected every since.
Kellys Heros.
Quit with the negative waves!
Not to forget the factual documentary 'Carry on up the khyber'
Nobody's mentioned "Reach for the Sky", the story of Douglas Bader. It has a special resonance for me since, rather like Douglas Bader, I had a plane crash leading to a prolonged spell in hospital, at the end of which I was told that I'd never walk without a stick. With a straight face, and attempting to channel Kenneth More, I told the rehab specialist that I intended never to walk with a stick. It took me 4 months to achieve it, but, inspired by Bader, I managed it.
Other favourites include: Battle of Britain, the Dambusters, In Which We Serve, and The Cruel Sea - two with John Mills, two with Kenneth More. And Cast a Giant Shadow".
I tracked down "the beast" and enjoyed it a lot. Quite an odd perspective to take and easy to think of the Russians as Nazis.
Gray
The Beast is a great film.
Although we (Brits/US) then effectively tried the same thing. Aren't we supposed to learn from history?
Afghanistan has been a problem for hundreds of years.
Surprised these haven't come up yet
Charlie Mopic 84
Hamburger Hill
Force 10 from Navarone
The Longest Day
Von Ryans Express
another for - Where eagles dare
whats the one with the german commander from eagles dare where he gets pulled across the battle fields in his caravan?
valkyrie
Kelly's Heroes - a great film and great intro song.
Also the name of one of Black Grape's best tunes:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRaxzKGmE0I
Lebanon - Das Boot in a tank!
kellys heroes...fantastic film !!
Jarhead (apols if already listed in among the many fine films mentioned)
cheers
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