Best WWII movie

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Capt. Harlock
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RE: Best WWII movie

Post by Capt. Harlock »

My personal choice is the black-and-white version of "Sink the Bismarck!" It's hard to imagine it being done any better with the special effects techniques they had at the time.
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roeddog
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RE: Best WWII movie

Post by roeddog »

While it's not factual I have always enjoyed "In Harms Way" mostly for Wayne and Patricia Neil and Douglas.
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Neilster
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RE: Best WWII movie

Post by Neilster »

ORIGINAL: JudgeDredd

ORIGINAL: bradfordkay
..
A Bridge Too Far (how on earth could any remake improve on this one??)
..

By removing that normally fantastic actor Gene Hackman and putting someone in with a have decent Polish accent. Also, dare I say it, CGIs?

However, as I "meant" in my previous post with my note to Hollywood...they would have to keep the story pretty much untouched as it was nigh perfection in the original.

So in short, same story, CGI's and decent actors (although alot of the originals did suit the parts!)

I bought it the other day. Talk about star-studded but Gene Hackman's Polish accent! [:@] I thought he was taking the piss. It's just awful.

I agree that some CGI would spice up the special effects. It'd be hard to get such quality actors again though and some of the guys who were actually there and/or in command were the consultants on the original.

Cheers, Neilster

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Neilster
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RE: Best WWII movie

Post by Neilster »

At the risk of alienating the entire community doesn't anyone else think Saving Private Ryan was a bit , well , sentimental heart tugs and abit overdone. I could gladly watch the start , the sniper scene , and the mexican stand off scene which are trully amazing . But a lot of the rest of it ....yawn... Am I missing something { and I just saw it again last week.}

That's a fair and quite common criticism.

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Andy Mac
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RE: Best WWII movie

Post by Andy Mac »

Sink the Bismark
Battle of River Plate
Ice Cold in Alex
The Longest Day
Dambusters
Angels 1 5 (Septic calling)
The Cruel Sea
Dunkirk
 
I am a sucker for the old B&W films
 
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ShermanM4
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RE: Best WWII movie

Post by ShermanM4 »

I bought it the other day. Talk about star-studded but Gene Hackman's Polish accent! I thought he was taking the piss. It's just awful.

I agree that some CGI would spice up the special effects. It'd be hard to get such quality actors again though and some of the guys who were actually there and/or in command were the consultants on the original.

My copy that I bouth for $7.99 down at the 'ol Wal and Mart has a liner with the disc. It says that Lt. Col Frost and Anthony Hopkins did not get along at all during the production. Apparently, ther was a lot of bickering that went on. Also, it was not just limited to Hopkins and Frost. APparently, Sean Connery walked off the set when he found out that Robert Redford was getting paid $1mil. compared to his measly $300,000. After some negotiating during production, Connery came back for $1.2 million.

I enjoy most of the actors in this film too. I love the scene where Gen Ludwig comes up to the captured, defeated, and beaten frost. He proceeds to offer him the candy bar and tells him that the candy came from the supply drops that were intended for the British. I love the utter disgust and blank look that Hopkins portrays.

As for the quality actors, I wonder what happened when Frost left the British Army when he found out how much more Field Marshall Montgomery was making than a lowley colonel....[:D][:'(]
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Big B
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RE: Best WWII movie

Post by Big B »

An impossible task, but the ones I never get tired of:

Patton (George C. Scott's finest performance, and I must say the film influenced my life - I later enlisted in the army to become a career officer..didn't work out that way)
Tora Tora Tora (NEVER do a Re-make!)
A Bridge Too Far (excellent)
The Longest Day (excellent)
In Harms Way (forget the love stories)
In Which we Serve (An Absolute British Gem)
A Walk In The Sun (Excellent - before most of your time)
The Story Of G.I.Joe (a young Robert Mitchum, Ernie Pyle Story - among the best ever, gritty)
Battle Of Britain (1969, wonderful)
Kelly's Hero's (it is still great to watch)
The Big Red One - Re-Release 2006 (added an extra hour, and turned a B-Rated movie into a great movie)
Band Of Brothers (very good)
To Hell And Back (about, and starring - Audie Murphy)
EDIT: I have to add 'Enemy Ay The Gates' - a Great story of Rusian Nationalism and a good movie if not completely historical. The simple Russian boy - his patriotism, and the Jewish Communist who finally dies at the end are touching themes.

Last - The Best WWII Movie Made: and it's not a Hollywood Production per say -
Film legend John Houston's documentary (made in 1944) 'The Battle Of San Pietro'
It'S B&W of course, but it's all REAL - and in it's the only one to me - that conveys the true misery and sacrifice of soldiers in WWII. As a matter of fact, though it was made by the U.S. Army - it was banned by the Government until well after the war because the Army feared it was too unsettling for the public to see.

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Marauders
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RE: Best WWII movie

Post by Marauders »

Yes, there are many great WWII movies.

The best, in my opinion, is A Bridge Too Far.  The movie is 90% accurate to the book, and the book is accurate to the events (many direct quotes and documentation from primary sources).

If some of the cut footage from the battle scenes could be found and restored along with a digital soundtrack from the guys who did Saving Private Ryan (my vote for best WWII scene on D-Day), it would be even better.

The best film in the Pacific theater is Tora, Tora, Tora, but Midway was a lot of fun in sensaround.

The best foreign films are Stalingrad and Das Boot to be sure.  Why are the best movies sort of downers at the end.  The end of Saving Private Ryan isn't happy and cheerful.  I guess that's war; even when you win, you lose.

Band of Brothers wins for best miniseries (I know Das Boot and Stalingrad started that way in Germany).

The best documentary series is The World At War.

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RE: Best WWII movie

Post by BLUESBOB »

For some reason, most of my favorites take place in the European theater. Here they are, in no order at all:

In Which We Serve: The British made them real.
Battleground: Awesome movie about the Bulge. "I'll be glad to repeat it, the answer is nuts,"
The Bridge On The River Kwai: "Madness..MADNESS!"
A Bridge Too Far: "It was the single road..."
The Longest Day: "He's dead, I'm crippled, you're lost. Do you suppose it's always like that in war?"
Kelly's Heroes: What G.I.'s were REALLY like in WWII. "Keep with the positive waves, Moriarty!"
Das Boot: Nail-biting at times.
Stalag 17: "Maybe he just wanted to steal our wire cutters...did ya ever think of that?"
Hell Is For Heroes: Bob Newhart's jeep keeps the Germans at bay.
So Proudly We Hail: Army nurses during the fall of the P.I. Gritty, heartbreaking.
Twelve O'Clock High: Gregory Peck has a breakdown. Awesome movie.
The North Star: Half of Hollywood pretends they're Russians. Great movie

Also, they are war movies but...

Sahara: Campy fun with Humphrey Bogart
Mr. Roberts: Come on, who didn't blink back tears when Pulver read the letter?
To Be Or Not To Be: The original with Jack Benny, not the remake.

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m10bob
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RE: Best WWII movie

Post by m10bob »

Saving Private Ryan
Winged Victory(Reward for anybody who can find me a copy).
A Bridge Too Far
633 Squadron
Twelve O'clock High
Patton
Battleground
Guadalcanal Diary
The Tanks Are Coming
The Story of G.I.Joe
Das Boot
Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo
Cry Havoc
Bataan
P.T.109
Dunkirk
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Bazooka Bob
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RE: Best WWII movie

Post by Bazooka Bob »

Kelly's Heroes
Hell is for Heroes
The Longest Day
Tora Tora Tora
Battleground
Where Eagles Dare
Don't view the situation as being outnumbered. View the situation as having a wide selection of targets to choose from.
Sarkus
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RE: Best WWII movie

Post by Sarkus »

I can't believe no one has mentioned "Enemy at the Gates." Unlike some of the movies mentioned it's actually based on actual memoirs.

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ezzler
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RE: Best WWII movie

Post by ezzler »

Enemy at the gates is based on the book war of the Rats which is a fictional account by david l robbins
There is some truth to the sniper story but many historians believe it was largely a propaganda battle and never took place. The soviet stalingrad company records have no records of any sniper duel { and they were sniper propaganda mad... }

As for a movie a bit SPR for me . Good action and a great idea for a plot.
Kuokkanen
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RE: Best WWII movie

Post by Kuokkanen »

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RE: Best WWII movie

Post by ilovestrategy »

I know this movie is not realistic at all but I liked Windtalkers. Stalingrad and Cross of Iron were great too! And Enemy at the Gates was fantastic!
After 16 years, Civ II still has me in it's clutches LOL!!!
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