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Model Forum / General / Models / April 2004WW II Moveis
I am a nut over WW II movies and I have just finished watching "Midway" for the umpteenth time. I consider this the best WW II movie ever made. What are your opinions about films covering from WW I to the present? I subscribe to Netflix who claim to have a 18000 volume of DVDs for rent. TIA Pete  SignatureAll outgoing mail is scanned by Norton Anti Virus software. > I am a nut over WW II movies and I have just finished watching "Midway" for > the umpteenth time. I consider this the best WW II movie ever made. Uhhhh. the best? I suggest these instead: Patton Saving Pvt. Ryan Battleground Pearl Harbor (FX only!!!!!!!!) no flame on that one please Tora, Tora,Tora (from which Midway stole from endlessly) Casablanca Das Boot Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo Guadalcanal Diary Best Years of Our Lives I hope Netflix has more than just Midway... Craig >I suggest these instead: > [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > >Craig Craig, I'm surprised you didn't mention "Battle of Britain." "Midway" lifted a number of aerial scenes from there as well. Andy > I am a nut over WW II movies and I have just finished watching "Midway" for > the umpteenth time. I consider this the best WW II movie ever made. What are [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > -- > All outgoing mail is scanned by Norton Anti Virus software. "Midway" with Charlton Heston? There were so many gaffes with the action shots that it was hard for me to follow the plot. Yes, I do sit there nitpicking every war movie the story of which I have some knowledge (and sniggering with superiority. :)) Since I trotted out some tapes with aviation stuff the other night I've been re-watching them. I caught a blooper on "WINGS: The F-18" last night. In talking about McDonnell's background they mentioned the Phantom and then the Banshee. At one point they show two planes flying abreast calling one the Banshee and the other a Phantom. They both were Banshees, the foremost was an F2H-3 and the one behind was an F2H-2P with the long camera snout. Oddly, the F-4 Phantom got less coverage than the F3H did. I was quite impressed with "Tora, Tora, Tora". Of course my father had to get a copy of "Patton" which was the last movie he and Mom saw at the theatre. There are inaccuracies but it's an impressive piece. There was an episode of the Young Indy Chronicles about combat in WWI which was stark to say the least. I think its title was "Verdun". I always liked "Sgt. York" and "Battleground", "Sink the Bismark" and "The Desert Rats" are on my recommended list. I've seen "Private Ryan" once and it does a wonderful job of portraying war as Hell on Earth. Some other favourites: "Air Force", "Winged Victory", "Task Force", "Fireball Forward" and "In Harm's Way". Bill Banaszak, MFE What? No Pearl Harbor?........'scuse me, I have to go to the ER now, bit my tongue off......;) > I was quite impressed with "Tora, Tora, Tora". Of course my father had > to get a copy of "Patton" which was the last movie he and Mom saw at the [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > Bill Banaszak, MFE >I was quite impressed with "Tora, Tora, Tora". Of course my father had >to get a copy of "Patton" which was the last movie he and Mom saw at the [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >Some other favourites: "Air Force", "Winged Victory", "Task Force", >"Fireball Forward" and "In Harm's Way". For the First World War, I'd add "All Quiet on the Western Front" (Lew Ayres version, not John-Boy), "Blue Max" (for the aerial scenes) and "Beyond Victory" (a real old British piece with Cary Grant from about 1935 or so with some good aerial footage). There was a silent that I saw years ago with my folks about the Army Air Service, with Buddy Rogers, but I can't remember its name. Used 1920s aircraft in place of WWI aircraft, except for one Fokker (bad guy's plane) -- John The history of things that didn't happen has never been written. . - - - Henry Kissinger I forgot Sgt. York.....kind of hokey but also very close to how it happened for the real Alvin York. > For the First World War, I'd add "All Quiet on the Western Front" (Lew Ayres > version, not John-Boy), "Blue Max" (for the aerial scenes) and "Beyond Victory" [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > . - - > - Henry Kissinger >I forgot Sgt. York.....kind of hokey but also very close to how it >happened for the real Alvin York. [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] >aircraft >> in place of WWI aircraft, except for one Fokker (bad guy's plane) I made a grave error! "Beyond Victory" was a piece about grunts, err doughboys, starring William Boyd (aka Hopalong Cassidy). Had one of the best battle scenes that I'd seen in a WWI movie. The British movie was "The Eagle and The Hawk". I got both off of AMC back when it was worth watching. -- John The history of things that didn't happen has never been written. . - - - Henry Kissinger >>I forgot Sgt. York.....kind of hokey but also very close to how it >>happened for the real Alvin York. [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] >The history of things that didn't happen has never been written. >.. - - that boyd flic is a real gem. i saw it once in the 60's, but i remember it. gotta search for it. > - Henry Kissinger Yeah, AMC's turned into a real sore spot. It used to be my dad's favourite channel. If he knew how it went to Hell....! Bill Banaszak, MFE with many tapes' worth of goodies off the old AMC > I am a nut over WW II movies and I have just finished watching "Midway" for > the umpteenth time. I consider this the best WW II movie ever made. What are > your opinions about films covering from WW I to the present? I subscribe to > Netflix who claim to have a 18000 volume of DVDs for rent. TIA Pete "Das Boot" - without question the best submarine movie ever made, and probably the best of the WWII genre as well. Signature- Rufus My vote is for "The Enemy Below". However, the best war film ever made doesn't fit in your criteria, 'cause it took place earlier than WWI. The movie is, of course, "The Sand Pebble" starrring the late, great Steve McQueen. Jerry 47 > > I am a nut over WW II movies and I have just finished watching "Midway" for > > the umpteenth time. I consider this the best WW II movie ever made. What are [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > -- > - Rufus Das Boot, most of Private Ryan (skip the very beginning and end), Gallipoli (you really need to listen to Clam Chowder's version of Eric Vogel's "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda" first....have Kleenexes handy) and believe it or not the version of All Quiet on the Western Front with Richard Thomas and Ernest Borgnine (yes John-Boy and Quentin McHale turned in good performances here) are all good war movies. They certainly beat dogs like Midway, The Longest Day and Battle of the Bulge. > "Das Boot" - without question the best submarine movie ever made, and > probably the best of the WWII genre as well. > > -- > - Rufus > (skip) of All Quiet on the Western > Front with Richard Thomas and Ernest Borgnine (yes John-Boy and Quentin > McHale turned in good performances here) are all good war movies. I know this is late in the thread, but I agree with "Ron" Ernest Borgnine did really well well with the character of ' Katz' in the television version of " All Quiet on the Western Front". Again showing the diversity of this actors abilities. To bad he kind of sterotyped himself with 'McHale' for a while. Mike IPMS > > (skip) of All Quiet on the Western > > Front with Richard Thomas and Ernest Borgnine (yes John-Boy and Quentin [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > sterotyped himself with 'McHale' for a while. > Mike IPMS I remember back in junior high the teachers always had one or two media packages that coincided with TV shows with some historic importance. John Boy's AQOTWF came out about that time so we read the teleplay in class first and watched the show on TV at home later. I thought it was great. I found it on sale a year ago online for about $11-12. It still holds up well. WmB To reply, get the HECK out of there HELLinhock@earthlink.net Das Boot. Makes quite a point... Always enjoyed (?!?) Tora Tora Tora (or if you can only watch kosher, Torah Torah Torah... hey, it had to be said.) Saving Private Ryan was interesting. As was Sink the Bismark and Battle of Britain. I'm sure others will come to mind when I'm not at a keyboard. I vote for Das Boot, The Enemy Below, Sink the Bismark, Tora Tora Tora, and the Great Escape although it doesn;t have much battle sequence in it. It is still in the time frame. Midway is ok, but the errors are too much for me to really enjoy it. Especially when Heston crashes in an SBD and they show footage of a Panther I believe crashing on deck, come on a jet substituting for a WWII prop dive bomber? Steve i vote dam busters for best wartime made movie. > i vote dam busters for best wartime made movie. damn. forgot all about that one. its the only war movie the wife will sit thru with me. great mix of science and action. it works all the way thru. Craig >> i vote dam busters for best wartime made movie. > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > >Craig love the flak from the dam towers. some poor guy musta got eyestrain making those scratches in the film. best scene was the real life dialogue at the end of barnes wallis saying if he'd known the cost, he'd bever started. haven't seen it on dvd. > > i vote dam busters for best wartime made movie. > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > Craig Boy, I completely forgot that one! Love those Lancs and the Merlins singing away. I have an old British sub picture I must have gotten off AMC a long time ago. I think it was "We Dive at Dawn" and dealt with a British submarine in the Baltic. I gotta drag that one out someday and give it another glance. Bill Banaszak, MFE > I vote for Das Boot, The Enemy Below, Sink the Bismark, Tora Tora Tora, and the > Great Escape although it doesn;t have much battle sequence in it. It is still > in the time frame. Midway is ok, but the errors are too much for me to really > enjoy it. Especially when Heston crashes in an SBD and they show footage of a > Panther I believe crashing on deck, come on a jet substituting for a WWII prop > dive bomber? Didn't they use the same footage in The Hunt for Red October? I'm sure it was a Panther crashing on deck in that movie. hard to believe there is no more recent footage of a crash on deck... Craig There's lots of great carrier crash footage, they're just too lazy to find it. > Didn't they use the same footage in The Hunt for Red October? I'm sure it was a > Panther crashing on deck in that movie. > hard to believe there is no more recent footage of a crash on deck... > > Craig > There's lots of great carrier crash footage, they're just too lazy to > find it. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > > > >tail dragging as usual i came into this thread late again. a classic scene is a hellcat crashing on the deck of a carrier and breaking in two. what has been edited out is the unlucky sailor caught between the fighters leading edge and the carrier's superstructure. once in a while you will see the original but i don't suggest you view it with a full stomach.that poor kid didn't make it. Mike IPMS >> There's lots of great carrier crash footage, they're just too lazy to >> find it. [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > a full stomach.that poor kid didn't make it. > Mike IPMS Not WWII but I've just archived the safety film of the USS Forrestal tragedy and I'd noticed more horrific parts with smoking bodies rolling across the deck. After one exposion, where one body lay, a large chunk of fuselage then landed right on top of it. It still sickens me to see the whole thing. Richard. Since I am several days into watching the History Channel's "Band of Brothers" I'll put my vote in for that. Considering the fact that it has been so long since WWII the German vehicles alone are incredible. The C-47 drop scenes are breathtaking. I worked on "Tora!3", but I'm one of the few that really enjoyed Pearl Harbor. Worked on "Memphis Belle" and some of it really pissed me off. We had to fight the continuity people to keep the bathing buty red on one side, blue on the other. They finally caved, then had crew at altitude leaning against the inside fuselage with bare hands and chatting without O2 masks. Personally I liked the original better. :-) Then there was "Radio Flyer", but the less said about that turkey the better. Tom Missed 2 nights of it due to working late now I will have to buy the dvd to finish it ............ and my 2 cents worth how about 633 Squadron > Since I am several days into watching the History Channel's "Band of Brothers" > I'll put my vote in for that. [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > Tom > Missed 2 nights of it due to working late now I will have to buy the > dvd to finish it ............ and my 2 cents worth how about 633 So long as you don't mention Mosquito Squadron as it used a lot of the same footage. The petrol bowser driver must've been really pissed off. Come to think of it, 633 Squadron has been cannibalised for other films too! The film where they got the Campbeltown to get itself wedged in the docks before blowing up had the same music in parts including the romantic theme. Nearly as bad as an African TV hotel based soap that used the 633 Squadron theme proper. Now that was really funny. Richard. >> Since I am several days into watching the History Channel's "Band of >> Brothers" I'll put my vote in for that. [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] >> >> Tom > Missed 2 nights of it due to working late now I will have to buy the dvd to > finish it ............ and my 2 cents worth how about 633 Squadron I liked 633 Sqdrn for the flying only. The story was corney/baloney & badly acted. I recently finished _A Man Called Intrepid_ by W.Stevenson about the British SIS/BSC during WWII. There was a description of a Mosquito raid on a Copenhagen Gestapo HQ that looked like it was the basis for the movie's solo attack on the Norwegian Gestapo HQ. The Copenhagen attach was a whole squadron or 2, which makes more sense. _Intrepid_ also had a description of how the "heavy water" plant in Norway was attacked - by paratroops, which failed in the long run (some damage to works, but was repaired in a few weeks). The book also described "Moon planes" that carried out night missions over enemy territory. One mission was to extract Niels Bohr from Sweden, after he'd escaped Denmark. The Moon plane used on that mission was a Mosquito, painted black. Dr. Bohr was secured into the bomb-bay for the flight back to Britain. The pilot found that he couldn't contact Dr. Bohr thru an intercom system & assumed he was unconscious owning to oxgyen depriviation. So the pilot flew back to base at wave top level (perhaps higher) to avoid German radar and get a higher dose of oxgyen to Dr. Bohr. The good doctor spent a few days in hospital to recover. SignatureMGFoster:::mgf00 <at> earthlink <decimal-point> net Oakland, CA (USA) > There was a description of a Mosquito raid > on a Copenhagen Gestapo HQ that looked like it was the basis for the > movie's solo attack on the Norwegian Gestapo HQ. The Copenhagen attach > was a whole squadron or 2, which makes more sense. I read a book - the title of which I forgot at the moment - about the Danish resistance up to and just after the raid on the Gestapo headquarters, which claimed (with photos to prove it) that the Copenhagen Gestapo HQ was the only camouflaged building in the whole city, which made it a little easier to spot. >> There was a description of a Mosquito raid >>on a Copenhagen Gestapo HQ that looked like it was the basis for the [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > only camouflaged building in the whole city, which made it a little easier > to spot. Right. That was in the Intrepid book also, I just forgot about it. Getting old.... One of the bad things about the Copenhagen raid was the Gestapo HQ was right next to a children's school. One of the attacking Mosquitos was hit & crashed into the school yard. Subsquent waves of aircraft were confused about 2 smoke columns (as possible targets) and some a/c dropped their bombs on the school. A number of children & school teachers (more than 20 less than 100) were casualties. Of course the Nazi's used that incident as a propaganda asset: "Brigand British Bomb Children!" SignatureMGFoster:::mgf00 <at> earthlink <decimal-point> net Oakland, CA (USA) you all missed " angles 15 " good battle of britain movie Ken > you all missed " angles 15 " good battle of britain movie Ken oops " angels 15 " Ken >> you all missed " angles 15 " good battle of britain movie Ken > >oops " angels 15 " Ken "Angles 15" reminds me of one WWII movie not mentioned yet:Catch 22. Milo Minderbinder had a hell of a lot more than fifteen angles :-) Tom Interesting this about Niels Bohr. The latest issue (March) - here in the Antipodes, anyway - of the Brit magazine 'Aeroplane' has an article written by the daughter of the Radio Operator of that BOAC Mosquito, who was on that mission. They picked Bohr up from Bromma, Sweden as part of the normal 'ball-bearing run', if those missions could ever have been called normal! Very good article, by someone who was (almost) involved. RobG > The book also described "Moon planes" that carried out night missions > over enemy territory. One mission was to extract Niels Bohr from [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > =rpCs > -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- > Since I am several days into watching the History Channel's "Band of Brothers" > I'll put my vote in for that. [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > fuselage with bare hands and chatting without O2 masks. Personally I liked the > original better. :-) Why did they change the names of the crew? That seems very disrespectful to me. SignatureJoe of Castle Jefferson http://www.mindspring.com/~jjstrshp Site Updated November 25th, 2001 "Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked." - Psalm 82:3-4 > Why did they change the names of the crew? That seems very disrespectful > to me. As was making a 25 mission crew behave like they'd only met each other the day before... Maybe the real crew didn't want to be involved with a turkey? RobG Joe Jefferson <jjstrshp@mindspring.com> > Why did they change the names of the crew? That seems very disrespectful > to me. "Pork Chop Hill"....now there's a movie! -John > "Pork Chop Hill"....now there's a movie! > > -John Ah, but that was Korea! I can remember the one character complaining about the lack of 'pushbutton wars'. Bill Banaszak, MFE > Das Boot. Makes quite a point... > [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). > Version: 6.0.657 / Virus Database: 422 - Release Date: 4/14/2004 The Cruel Sea. The Brits really know how to do sea stories. >> Das Boot. Makes quite a point... >> [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > The Cruel Sea. The Brits really know how to do sea stories. Also A Walk in the Sun. > The Cruel Sea. The Brits really know how to do sea stories. That's the one about Corvettes isn't it? Inside hint.....in the past few months Hollywood research types have been seen at NARA getting copies of the biplane Helldiver, Vindicator and early TBD blueprints......all I could get out of them was, "It's for a movie...It won't be a dog like Pearl Harbor...ILM, nuff said?" >> The Cruel Sea. The Brits really know how to do sea stories. > > That's the one about Corvettes isn't it? Yep. I have a paperback and an original hardcover edition of the book. Movie and book track pretty close, too. About the best damn piece of fictional writing about the Battle of the North Atlantic there is. > Inside hint.....in the past few months Hollywood research types have > been seen at NARA getting copies of the biplane Helldiver, Vindicator > and early TBD blueprints......all I could get out of them was, "It's > for a movie...It won't be a dog like Pearl Harbor...ILM, nuff said?" Ooooohhhhhh!!!! But the SBC only saw WWII service as utility and hacks? That combo could be an early WWII Atlantic I suppose. In any case OOORAH! > > Inside hint.....in the past few months Hollywood research types have > > been seen at NARA getting copies of the biplane Helldiver, Vindicator > > and early TBD blueprints......all I could get out of them was, "It's > > for a movie...It won't be a dog like Pearl Harbor...ILM, nuff said?" > Ooooohhhhhh!!!! > But the SBC only saw WWII service as utility and hacks? That combo could be > an early WWII Atlantic I suppose. Got me, I couldn't get any more out of them. > In any case OOORAH! Yep! >> > Inside hint.....in the past few months Hollywood research types have >> > been seen at NARA getting copies of the biplane Helldiver, [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > Yep! Can't see where you'd have Vindicators and Helldivers at the same time. Roughly: SBC -3s to VS-3, VS-5, VS-6 starting July 1937 -4s to VS-8, VB-8 and VMO-151 at the start of the war. TBD -1s to VT-3 in 1937 -1s to VT-2, VT-5 and VT-6 in 1938 SB2U -1s to VB-3 in 1937 -2s, -3s to VB-2, VB-3, VB-4, VS-41/42, VS-71/72 and VMSB-131, VMSB-231 in 1940 The only overlap seems to be Saratoga in 37/38. I think I have to much free time. > Can't see where you'd have Vindicators and Helldivers at the same time. > [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > > I think I have to much free time. Yes Frank, you do.......now go build a model! I have no idea why they're using those three and there could be more, I just happen to run into those folks sometimes. One of the biggest helps in research I've had down there is a fellow who does research for defense attorneys in asbestos suits, he specializes in ships and knows a lot of what they have. Maybe it'll be a dog like 'Midway'? ILM is no guarantee of nuffin'. RobG >.....all I could get out of them was, "It's for > a movie...It won't be a dog like Pearl Harbor...ILM, nuff said?" "Gray Ghost" <ftauss@yahooo.com> wrote in message > The Cruel Sea. The Brits really know how to do sea stories. I thank you... SignatureJJ (UK) > "Gray Ghost" <ftauss@yahooo.com> wrote in message > > > The Cruel Sea. The Brits really know how to do sea stories. > >Agreed but Hollywood had its moments. Destination Tokyo Operation Pacific They were Expendable The Enemy Below Run Silent Run Deep And thats just the squids >> Das Boot. Makes quite a point... >> [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > The Cruel Sea. The Brits really know how to do sea stories. I dunno! What about the Cold War film, The Bedford Incident with Sidney Poitier as a guest photographer on a ship that was shadowing a Soviet ship in the Arctic ? http://www.popmatters.com/film/reviews/b/bedford-incident.shtml Richard. Hmmm? I'm getting in late on this thread. Had to go watch the step sorta Grandson play "Rocky Mtn League" Football this weekend......... (Strange little conference - players from 18+ to 60+ !!!) Anyway - - - How about: "Battleground" "The Desert Fox" "The Young Lions" "The Tanks Are Coming" "Red Ball Express" "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo" (HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!) "What Price Is Glory?" "A Guy Named Joe" (Which Spielbergh remade into "Always") "Catch 22" And that's just off the top of my head.......which is still reeling from the roadtrip here in Spring Time Montana!!! Rick Fluke doghaus@blackfoot.net BTW - did anyone else see a little known film titled "The Hill" with a young Sean Connery? Brutal !!! > Hmmm? I'm getting in late on this thread. Had to go watch the step > sorta Grandson play "Rocky Mtn League" Football this weekend......... [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > BTW - did anyone else see a little known film titled "The Hill" > with a young Sean Connery? Brutal !!! That's one of the films I'm keeping on video to burn to DVD later. I totally agree, it's brutal! At the other end of the scale is a little-known fun film "On The Fiddle" with a lesser known Sean Connery playing a secondary role, more about the kind of scams going on in the RAF. Richard. Add also "Winter War" and "The Bridge" > Hmmm? I'm getting in late on this thread. Had to go watch the step > sorta Grandson play "Rocky Mtn League" Football this weekend......... [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > BTW - did anyone else see a little known film titled "The Hill" > with a young Sean Connery? Brutal !!! Sorry to come into the middle of this but I like "Go tell the Spartans." Someone else mentioned "Whate Price Glory" and, while they took a some liberties with actual facts, I liked "The Lost Battalion" as well. Finally, it's been a long time since I've seen it but I think it was called "When Johnnie came marching home" about a badly wounded and disabled WW-I veteran's return to "the world." "The world would be a much simpler place if every one could pick and choose their obligations, but we can't and we shouldn't." Major Charles W. Whittlesey Finally, >it's been a long time since I've seen it but I think it was called "When >Johnnie came marching home" about a badly wounded and disabled WW-I veteran's >return to "the world." Bill, Could that have been "Johnny Got His Gun" ?? The book was an excruciating read - and I was really surprised that it was brought to the screen. I believe that I watched it on a PBS channel? For those of you who haven't seen it, the entire book/movie is about an unknown casualty left over after WWI. He is totally incapable of movement other than to flick his eyelids......everything else is paralyzed. If I remember the book correctly, almost the entire story is told in first person, that is the thoughts of the patient lying there, unable to communicate with anyone. The story has a nasty little twist at the end. From what I can recall, the book notes mentioned that it was barred from publication here in the US until sometime in the late 40s or early 50s because of it's horrific content. Both the book and the movie were embraced by the Anti-War movement during the VietNam era. Powerful stuff!!! Rick Fluke doghaus@blackfoot.net Yes, that's it: "Johnny got his gun." I knew that Johnny was in there somewhere. You're rignt, the book was a tough read but the subject made it worthwile. It came to me more as a tribute to those incapacitated by that war and the quiet, and often solitary, bravery those men exhibited. Thanks again for helping me remember the title. "The world would be a much simpler place if every one could pick and choose their obligations, but we can't and we shouldn't." Major Charles W. Whittlesey > Finally, > [quoted text clipped - 31 lines] > > Powerful stuff!!! It was written by Dalton Trumbo and it was meant to be very anti-war. Trumbo was a member of the Hollywood-Ten that sent to jail during the McCarthy anti-communist scare in Hollywood. See: http://www.levity.com/corduroy/trumbo.htm Here is a good description of the writer/book/film: http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/trumbo.htm SignatureMGFoster:::mgf00 <at> earthlink <decimal-point> net Oakland, CA (USA) Ah Ha! Just remembered a few more films from my childhood, not necessarily from WWII : "Away All Boats!" With Jeff Chandler (Very believable if you ever served in the military) "Men Of The Fighting Lady" (More strange crosscutting of stock footage!) "One Minute To Zero" (?) A Korean War Film....... "The DI" starring Jack Webb ("Joe Friday) "Saberjet" which featured the same nasty oriental commy pilot whipping off his oxygen mask and barfing blood all over - two or three different times! "Inn Of The Sixth Happiness" (?) Might have got the title wrong - it was about Dean Hess, a pilot assigned to train ROK pilots right at the outbreak of the Korean War. Man! This thread is unearthing some really OLD memories! Rick Fluke doghaus@blackfoot.net > "Inn Of The Sixth Happiness" (?) Might have got the title wrong - it was > about Dean Hess, a pilot assigned to train ROK pilots right at the outbreak > of the Korean War. IIRC "Inn of The Sixth Happiness" starred Ingrid Bergman and Curt Jurgens, was about the war in China I believe. "Battle Hymm" starring Rock Hudson and Don Defore was the one about Dean Hess. Bill Shuey > "Battle Hymm" starring Rock Hudson and Don Defore was the one about >Dean Hess. > > Bill Shuey You're Right! Darned diminishing brain cells! ;-) Rick Fluke doghaus@blackfoot.net Gentlemen - to refresh those ailing memories, may I suggest www.imdb.com for those who don't already know of it. RobG > > "Inn Of The Sixth Happiness" (?) Might have got the title wrong - it was > > about Dean Hess, a pilot assigned to train ROK pilots right at the outbreak [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > Bill Shuey "Inn Of The Sixth Happiness" (?) Might have got the title wrong - it was > about Dean Hess, a pilot assigned to train ROK pilots right at the outbreak > of the Korean War. Not unless he was played by Ingrid Bergman. "Inn of the Sixth Happiness was about missionary Gladys Aylwood. Although Curt Jurgens turns up again as a Chinese army officer. I can just imagine them trying to sell it to the Head of the studio. "So you've got this English woman played by a Swede and a Chinese guy played by a German? You guys will never work in this town again!" > "Inn Of The Sixth Happiness" (?) Might have got the title wrong - it was > > about Dean Hess, a pilot assigned to train ROK pilots right at the [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > "So you've got this English woman played by a Swede and a Chinese guy played > by a German? You guys will never work in this town again!" It didn't stop Wayne from working again after playing Genghis Khan or Susan Hayward after playing his woman. It 'may' have stopped them both from achieving old age, though. Bill Banaszak, MFE I also liked "Mr Roberts." Realizing it was a comedy or sorts, I liked the way it highlighted the daily monotony of those serving in the combat theater but relegated to rear-area support duty. I thought Henry Fonda, Jack Lemon, and James Cagney all gave exceptional performances. "The world would be a much simpler place if every one could pick and choose their obligations, but we can't and we shouldn't." Major Charles W. Whittlesey >Add also "Winter War" and "The Bridge" How could I have forgotten "The Bridge"? It also is a bitter testimony to the cost and futility of war. I got a VHS copy of the flick from Amazon.com and showed it to my fiancee who was born in Germany and did not emmigrate to the states until the mid 50s. Although the film starts off slowly, even she was captivated and disgusted by the ending - which led to a late night discussion about the waste of the last few weeks of the war in Germany. Again - a very strong recommendation - Thanks for reminding me, John! Rick Fluke doghaus@blackfoot.net >>Add also "Winter War" and "The Bridge" > [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] >Rick Fluke >doghaus@blackfoot.net Maybe the saddest war movie I recall seeing was "The Sullivans" with Thomas Mitchell. Especially at end when Ward Bond comes to tell him his sons died. Thank-you Rick - I was just about to mention it! Bloody fine effort that! My Mum has a copy on VHS (B&W in '65!), a memory from her early twenties. And if you can work out how old she is now, I'm sure she'd rather you didn't say... RobG > BTW - did anyone else see a little known film titled "The Hill" > with a young Sean Connery? Brutal !!! >> > The Cruel Sea. The Brits really know how to do sea stories. > > I dunno! What about the Cold War film, The Bedford Incident with Sidney > Poitier as a guest photographer on a ship that was shadowing a Soviet ship > in the Arctic ? Look again, all the live action shots used a British ship especially the opening shot with the helicopter landing. I think Curt Jurgens just wanted to get his own back for Robert Mitchum sinking his U boat. > The Cruel Sea. The Brits really know how to do sea stories. I saw "Why we fight" w/ Noel Coward (destroyer crew from 1939 to about 1942) when I was a kid - left a good impression. Probably would think it really corny now. SignatureMGFoster:::mgf00 <at> earthlink <decimal-point> net Oakland, CA (USA) > > The Cruel Sea. The Brits really know how to do sea stories. > > I saw "Why we fight" w/ Noel Coward (destroyer crew from 1939 to about > 1942) when I was a kid - left a good impression. Probably would think > it really corny now. We call that film"In Which We Serve" and of course John Mills is in that one too. And it's still a good one! RobG > We call that film"In Which We Serve" and of course John Mills is in that > one too. One of my favourites is Stalag 17, along with The Great Escape, seeing as it became the annual Christmas movie while growing up, and kept me out the way of parents ;) Cheers, Stephen > I am a nut over WW II movies and I have just finished watching "Midway" for > the umpteenth time. I consider this the best WW II movie ever made. What are [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > -- > All outgoing mail is scanned by Norton Anti Virus software. There is also one I belive is called "Fighter Squadron" with a lot of P-47 action over Europe. SignatureClaus Gustafsen Strandby Denmark mail me at claus@gustafsen.nu Se my modeling at www.gustafsen.nu > I am a nut over WW II movies and I have just finished watching "Midway" for > the umpteenth time. I consider this the best WW II movie ever made. What are > your opinions about films covering from WW I to the present? I subscribe to > Netflix who claim to have a 18000 volume of DVDs for rent. TIA Pete Man, if you consider "Midway" the best, how bad is the one you consider the worst???? How could you guys forget Wings,winner of the first academy award? >How could you guys forget Wings,winner of the first academy award? That was the one I was talking about but couldn't remember the name of.. Thanks! -- John The history of things that didn't happen has never been written. . - - - Henry Kissinger The best X craft movie was "Above us the Waves" with John Mills (who else). Pretty accurate and quite well done. If memory serves "X-1" was a 1970s POS with James Caan. A great actor, but what on earth possessed him to do that movie. Almost as bad was "Attack on the Iron Coast" with LLoyd Bridges, a feeble attempt at portraying the St Nazairre operation. >Almost as bad was "Attack on the Iron Coast" with LLoyd Bridges, a feeble attempt at portraying the St Nazairre operation. That was a turkey, without a doubt. Memphis Belle also sucked bigtime. Even the real pilot thinks that movie was bad. >Memphis Belle also sucked bigtime. Even the >real pilot thinks that movie was bad. Especially the real pilot (and crew). They were interviewed, as were scores of other crews from that period. Historians, professional and amature, were consulted. Does not make much of a difference when all that money is spent, all that time is spent and the producers ignore what they don't like. :-( One thing about working for the movie industry. They pay a great deal for your work, demand it all yesterday, ignore it as if it never existed. Egos are the first thing to go. Tom > >Memphis Belle also sucked bigtime. Even the > >real pilot thinks that movie was bad. I've got a VHS copy of the original documentry. The "Belle" sails through without a scratch. I can understand that the movie-makers wanted to show the horror suffered by the daylight bombers but why choose a A/C that was so well known. Doesn't make sense but I suppose, thats showbusiness >The best X craft movie was "Above us the Waves" with John Mills (who else). >Pretty accurate and quite well done. >If memory serves "X-1" was a 1970s POS with James Caan. A great actor, but >what on earth possessed him to do that movie. Almost as bad was "Attack on >the Iron Coast" with LLoyd Bridges, a feeble attempt at portraying the St >Nazairre operation. mills was in every really good brit was flic, and the good propoganda ones too. and he gave us our adolsecent hard on, hayley. > >The best X craft movie was "Above us the Waves" with John Mills (who else). > >Pretty accurate and quite well done. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > propoganda ones too. and he gave us our adolsecent hard on, > hayley. I wondered if you were going to mention her...;) Disney kept doing that for awhile. I spent my pre-pubescent years enthralled by Annette. Bill Banaszak, MFE >> >The best X craft movie was "Above us the Waves" with John Mills (who else). >> >Pretty accurate and quite well done. [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > >Bill Banaszak, MFE doreen's summer of flat to full was an education. One movie that rarely is shown and has a good story line is another navy one " The battle of the river plate " , [sink the graf spee ] like my favorite war movie "sink the Bismark" the "brits " against odds and with luck rule the waves Ken >What are >your opinions about films covering from WW I to the present? I Dawn Patrol with David Niven and Errol Flynn, Nieuport 28s, and Pfalz DXIIs Tora,Tora,Tora wasn't bad. Pearl Harbor was one of the worst films ever made. I Bombed Pearl Harbor was made completely with models in the early '60s. It follows a Kate crewman on the Hiryu from Dec 7th thru Midway. Other carrier films are Wing and a Prayer, and Ships with Wings. The latter was filmed aboard HMS Ark Royal during the war. The plot line (such as it is) is drivel, but there is good footage of Skuas, Swordfish, and the Fulmar, which is the real star of the film. Also includes model footage for Italian a/c. Other good Brit films are Sink the Bismarck,The Dam Busters,Reach for the Sky (The story of Douglas Bader with Hurricanes and Spit 16s), In Which We Serve (loosely based on Mountbatten's service in HMS Kelly) and my favorite, A Sailor of the King. This is a fictional work about the pursuit of the German raider Essen. Jeffery Hunter, who is rescued by the Essen after it sinks his cruiser, escapes when it puts into a Pacific ancorage to make repairs. With a stolen rifle he picks of the repair crew one by one, delaying the vital work until the RN arrives. Great stuff. Ground combat - The first 20 minutes of SPR. The rest was just silly. A Wak in the Sun with Dana andrews, follows the infantry in Italy. A Time to Love, a Time to Die. Written by the author of ALL Quiet on the Western Front, this film follows a soldier from the Eastern Front to home leave in Germany where most of the film takes place. A good film. One of my favorites is The Best of Enemies with David Niven. This takes place in East Africa during WWII and is a comedy. For you bomber types, don't forget Twelve O'clock High, and the War Lover with Steve McQueen (and of course the Great Escape). Post WWII the Bridges at Toko-Ri, The Hunters, and No Highway in the Sky PT Band of Brothers, in my opinion. Is the best war movie or series I have ever seen. Jeff > I am a nut over WW II movies and I have just finished watching "Midway" for > the umpteenth time. I consider this the best WW II movie ever made. What are > your opinions about films covering from WW I to the present? I subscribe to > Netflix who claim to have a 18000 volume of DVDs for rent. TIA Pete > I am a nut over WW II movies and I have just finished watching "Midway" for > the umpteenth time. I consider this the best WW II movie ever made. I'll see your "Midway" and raise you with "Zone Troopers" for honors of best of the worst. WmB To reply, get the HECK out of there HELLinhock@earthlink.net oh yeah...did anyone mention Hell in the Pacific? Or 'Attack!' ? Or 'Ice Cold in Alex' ? >>I am a nut over WW II movies and I have just finished watching >> [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > I'll see your "Midway" and raise you with "Zone Troopers" for honors of > best of the worst. "Armored Attack" (a.k.a. "The North Star") Ick! (Do a Google Search on the title and read some of my previous posts if you must know why...) SignatureEdwin (Remove "DIESPAMDIE!") "Me? I'm dishonest, and a dishonest man you can trust to be dishonest... Honestly. It's the honest ones you want to watch out for, because you can never predict when they're going to do something incredibly stupid." - Captain Jack Sparrow (Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl) After scanning through all the posts (rather quickly), I didn't see anyone mention "A Bridge Too Far", one of my all time favorites, nor "The Longest Day". I also recommend "Dark Blue World", a film about Czech pilots in the RAF. I also liked "Hart's War" and "Enemy at the Gates" (don't laugh). And, the directors of "Das Boot" later released "Stalingrad", which tells that story from the German point of view. I own it, but haven't been able to watch it yet, but have heard it is very good. Dave > I am a nut over WW II movies and I have just finished watching "Midway" for > the umpteenth time. I consider this the best WW II movie ever made. What are > your opinions about films covering from WW I to the present? I subscribe to > Netflix who claim to have a 18000 volume of DVDs for rent. TIA Pete A pretty decent ww1 film was "Lost Battalion". It features Rick Schroeder (all grown up now) and takes place in the Argonne Forest. It is based on a true story. Another that seems to fall under the "love or hate" catagory is "Thin Red Line". It came across as more "artsy" than "Saving Private Ryan" (both were released fairly close to each other), but I liked the visual style of it. "Band of Brothers" will be difficult if not impossible to get on Netflix. I've seen it for rent at Hollywood Video and Blockbuster, but broken into each individual disc. That would be tedious. Still, if you can find a way to see it, I recommend it highly. Finally, while not really a Hollywood film, I have one more suggestion. If you are as fascinated with war history as I am, you should enjoy "World at War". It is a PBS documentary series that chronicles the war from start to finish, with some good extras. I had it on VHS, but now own it on DVD since it benefitted from a restoration, cleaner sound, and more bonus material. Many feel it is the definitive historical video account of the second world war. From reading the preceeding posts I can see you'll be watching videos for a long time! :-) Randy We're living in a world that's been pulled over our eyes to blind us from the truth. Where are you, white rabbit? >And, the directors of "Das Boot" later released "Stalingrad", which tells >that story from the German point of view. I own it, but haven't been able to >watch it yet, but have heard it is very good. Grim, deeply grim. And all the better for it. Myself, I go for early movies, like Ice Cold in Alex, The Dambusters, The Cruel Sea and Battle of the River Plate, but I have a definite love of Battle of Britain and Das Boot. Then of course there's Cross of Iron. OK, maybe it's not accurate, I have no idea. But T34's coming through the walls, and the constant barrage of nastiness demand attention... Oh, and Kelly's Heroes. How could ANYONE forget Kelly's Heroes? Only one of my favourites with yanks in it, but they were just so late arriving -) Wulf My candidate for worst film would be "The Battle of El Alamein," an Egyptian/Italian co-production from around 1969 or 1970. Hilarious subplot about desert nomads in love, and the German tanks are destroyed when our heroes run up to the front of them and slap plastic explosive charges onto the glacis plates (now why didn't Field Marshall Montgomery think of that?). Oh, and the one reason to watch the movie: Rommel's Panzers are portrayed by Egyptian Sherman AMX tanks, the M4A2 and M4A4 tanks converted postwar to carry the French AMX-13 tank turret. Very rare in real life, and possibly the only film footage of them in service. Gerald Owens >>And, the directors of "Das Boot" later released "Stalingrad", which tells >>that story from the German point of view. I own it, but haven't been able to [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >The Cruel Sea and Battle of the River Plate, but I have a definite >love of Battle of Britain and Das Boot. "Battle of the River Plate" aka "The Pursuit of the Graf Spee", I believe... The local public TV station aired it (using their telecine equipment) back in 1996 or 97, when I was working there... "Battle of Britain" is another title in my "to buy" list - though I was surprised to see that the local pirates were offering it on DVD-R a few months ago for ~US$3.00 (I never thought that movie would be released around here on DVD), I don't have any intention of giving them any of my money. >Then of course there's Cross of Iron. OK, maybe it's not accurate, I >have no idea. But T34's coming through the walls, and the constant >barrage of nastiness demand attention... I remember when I watched "Cross of Iron" at the movies. Originally I was supposed to watch "The Blues Brothers", but my stupid cousin said "oh, that one sucks" and my parents took me to watch "Cross of Iron" instead. Too bad that the air conditioning system of the theatre was broken, and since it was summer, I kept suffocating and having to go outside every 15 minutes or so... No mention of the sequel, "Breakthrough"? I watched that one at my school's auditorium in the early 80s... >Oh, and Kelly's Heroes. How could ANYONE forget Kelly's Heroes? Only >one of my favourites with yanks in it, but they were just so late >arriving -) I would have mentioned it, but since it's fictional, I thought it was excluded... also, "Where Eagles Dare", with Clint Eastwood too and the same director, finally released on DVD about 6 months ago. Another fictional one, "The Eagle has Landed", with Michael Caine; an interesting thriller based on a novel by Jack Higgins (who claims in the prologue that the events really happened and he just "filled in the blanks"). -- __________ ____---____ Marco Antonio Checa Funcke \_________D /-/---_----' Santiago de Surco, Lima, Peru _H__/_/ http://machf.tripod.com '-_____|( remove the "no_me_j." and "sons.of." parts before replying >>Oh, and Kelly's Heroes. How could ANYONE forget Kelly's Heroes? Only >>one of my favourites with yanks in it, but they were just so late >>arriving -) >> >I would have mentioned it, but since it's fictional, I thought it was >excluded... It's about as accurate as some of the others listed... Wulf I'm an Alistair McLean fan, but I find 'Eagles' a bit tedious. Such a shame no-one's ever committed 'HMS Ulysses' to film - it could be every bit as powerful as SPR or 'The Bridge" or even "All Quiet on the Western Front" RobG >.. also, "Where Eagles Dare", with Clint Eastwood too and > the same director, finally released on DVD about 6 months ago. [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > remove the "no_me_j." and "sons.of." parts before replying : I'm an Alistair McLean fan, but I find 'Eagles' a bit tedious. Such a shame : no-one's ever committed 'HMS Ulysses' to film - it could be every bit as : powerful as SPR or 'The Bridge" or even "All Quiet on the Western Front" "Eagles" the movie was horrible - whose bright idea was it to cast Eastwood as Lt. Schaffer, anyway? All those sorrowful observations lost to a 'squint-method' actor. :-) I have wondered if "Eagles" wasn't a book from the script, which I understand was the case with "Breakheart Pass". "HMS Ulysses" would be quite a challenge to bring to film - setting the tone would be extremely difficult, I would think. Bruce Signature------------------------------------------------------------------------ "I like bad!" Bruce Burden Austin, TX. - Thuganlitha The Power and the Prophet Robert Don Hughes Bruce - "Where Eagles Dare' was written by MacLean as a screenplay, then rewritten by him into a novel, which was published (in 1967) before the movie premiered. Got that? Good. If you want to blame someone for Eastwood, blame the up-and-coming producer of the movie, Elliott Kastner - it was his idea. If you're interested in MacLean's life, have a look at his biography, "Alistair MacLean" by Jack Webster. Mine was published by Chapmans Publishers, ISBN 1-85592-576-1. A truly sad story. RobG > "Eagles" the movie was horrible - whose bright idea was it > to cast Eastwood as Lt. Schaffer, anyway? All those sorrowful [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > The Power and the Prophet > Robert Don Hughes > "Battle of Britain" is another title in my "to buy" list - though I was > surprised to see that the local pirates were offering it on DVD-R a few > months ago for ~US$3.00 (I never thought that movie would be released around > here on DVD), I don't have any intention of giving them any of my money It's pretty much everywhere I can find on DVD for about $10 (Walmart, Fred Meyers, etc.) >> "Battle of Britain" is another title in my "to buy" list - though I was >> surprised to see that the local pirates were offering it on DVD-R a few [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >It's pretty much everywhere I can find on DVD for about $10 (Walmart, Fred >Meyers, etc.) I was speaking about a Region 4 release... I didn't think there would be any interest around here. Still, I'll probably buy a Region 1 DVD online, given that my player and all the titles I've ever bought (with the exception of "Murder by Death") are Region 1 instead of 4... -- __________ ____---____ Marco Antonio Checa Funcke \_________D /-/---_----' Santiago de Surco, Lima, Peru _H__/_/ http://machf.tripod.com '-_____|( remove the "no_me_j." and "sons.of." parts before replying >After scanning through all the posts (rather quickly), I didn't see anyone >mention "A Bridge Too Far", one of my all time favorites, nor "The Longest >Day". Someone did mention "The Longest Day", although not with praise... I wonder why. Regarding "A Bridge Too Far", I like it for its attention to detail (something most movies of that time completely lacked), but it seems most people don't like it for its pace... I couldn't watch it at the theatres because my parents had already taken me to watch "Star Wars" a few days earlier and didn't want to take me to the movies again... >I also recommend "Dark Blue World", a film about Czech pilots in the RAF. I I finally got it on DVD last week. A very good movie, IMO. >also liked "Hart's War" and "Enemy at the Gates" (don't laugh). Now, the title has always reminded me of the Bristish series "Enemy at the Door". Does anyone remember that one? I've seen that it has been released on DVD. >And, the directors of "Das Boot" later released "Stalingrad", which tells >that story from the German point of view. I own it, but haven't been able to >watch it yet, but have heard it is very good. I watched "Stalingrad" on TV several years ago, but haven't been able to re-watch it ever since. It's on my "to buy" list, among others. -- __________ ____---____ Marco Antonio Checa Funcke \_________D /-/---_----' Santiago de Surco, Lima, Peru _H__/_/ http://machf.tripod.com '-_____|( remove the "no_me_j." and "sons.of." parts before replying I did and it's because no matter how you dress him up or what lines you give him John Wayne is always John Wayne. Also wasn't that great a movie. > Someone did mention "The Longest Day", although not with praise... I wonder > why. Don't for get to add "Sahara" to the list with Bogart as Sgt. Joe Gunn.... J.B. >Don't for get to add "Sahara" to the list with Bogart as Sgt. Joe Gunn.... > >J.B. And nobody's mentioned "The Hill" with Sean Connery, and "The Caine Mutiny". John Hairell > Don't for get to add "Sahara" to the list with Bogart as Sgt. Joe > Gunn.... > > J.B. I was surprised that they didn't pass John Mills and crew, cranking an old ambulance up a sand dune. Richard. > I was surprised that they didn't pass John Mills and crew, cranking > an old ambulance up a sand dune. "Ice Cold In Alex" was on UKTV a few weeks back - I watched it with a few cans of lager :-) Jimi |
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