I'm partial to Air Force. It's awful, but it's so much fun. Same with Wake Island and 30 Seconds Over Tokyo. Pretty much anything with Van Johnson is going to be a cheesy treat.
I'm partial to Air Force. It's awful, but it's so much fun. Same with Wake Island and 30 Seconds Over Tokyo. Pretty much anything with Van Johnson is going to be a cheesy treat.
Catch 22 is set in the Med.
Another vote for Bridge on the River Kwai. Excellent movie. Guns of Navarone was enjoyable but I wonder about its accuracy.
My father was a SeeBee in WW2, enlisted at the age of 40. sent to Iwo Jima. When I was about 12yo, we were watching an old John Wayne movie about The Fighting SeeBees. John was on a bulldozer and the dirty nips opened up with a machine gun. John kicked up the blade on the dozer and ran them over. I looked over at my Dad and he was crying. This was a manly man, never cried. He said "I did that". That was the only time he ever mentioned his experiences on Iwo Jima. Came home with three Purple Hearts and several other medals.
I'm surprised no has mentioned Casablanca,which is probably the best movie ever made (IMHO it is the best movie ever). While not technically a war movie it is set in German occupied North Africa, December 1941 and has something for everyone. Perhaps Bogie's finest performance ever. If you don't get goosebumps when Paul Heinreid leads the bar in La Marsailles over the Nazi's singing, there's something wrong with you.
EDIT: My mistake it's actually set in unoccupied French Morocco. Since I brought up Bogey in WWII, check out Sahara and The Caine Mutiny-perhaps his second best performance after Rick in Casablanca.
lewbud wrote: I'm surprised no has mentioned Casablanca,which is probably the best movie ever made (IMHO it is the best movie ever).
I agree. It's wonderful, and probably my favorite film.
Most people, IMHO, miss the point of the movie. It is about someone who decides it is more important to fight nazis than it is to have a relationship. I don't consider that to be a "romantic" movie.
How about WW2 Naval warfare? " Das Boot" (sp?) was good, even in sub-titles. Not to mention "Operation Petticoat" with Tony Curtis and Cary Grant.
Pre WWII, but Lion of the Desert with Anthony Quinn is pretty good. Bedouin guerilla warfare against Mussolini's finest in the Libyan desert - good stuff.
Inglorious Basterds is not historically accurate, but I found it entertaining.
Flight of the Pheonix has been a favorite of mine for a long time, but while it involves WWII and north Africa, it has relatively little WWII content.
Midway, The Longest Day, The first 30 of Saving Private Ryan... Those are ones I liked.
This was on TV a few nights ago. Black Book. Set in occupied Holland during the final days of the war, and more of an espionage movie, but entertaining nonetheless.
For aviation buffs, check "The Dambusters" - it's the pseudo-documentary/glorification of an air raid to breech the dams in German-occupied Holland.
There's also "633 Squadron" which is a bit cheesy, but it does feature a lot of DeHavilland Mosquito footage with wonderful Merlin sounds; also based on an actual raid against a Scandinavian fjiord.
Another film worth viewing is "Sink the Bismarck", actually pretty good.
I have Patton and Tora! Tora! Tora! on DVD and an old copy of Operation Petticoat on VHS. All are great. Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers are also, of course, excellent.
lewbud wrote: EDIT: My mistake it's actually set in unoccupied French Morocco. Since I brought up Bogey in WWII, check out Sahara and The Caine Mutiny-perhaps his second best performance after Rick in Casablanca.
Not much of a mistake. Unoccupied French Morocco was extremely afraid of becoming "occupied" French Morocco at the time. Hence Cap'n Renault's balancing act with the Germans.
I had forgotten all about the original "Sahara". Great stuff.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036323/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EU2EzNKXOzw&feature=related
And it ain't the Med, but I agree "The Caine Mutiny" is a great film. And while talking about the Pacific Theatre, don't skip "Mister Roberts". Henry Fonda plays a Navy officer who wants to get out of the mundane supply lines and get into "the real fight". Words don't do it justice, you gotta see the thing.
+3 for 'The Caine Mutiny', although my father assures me that the novel on which the film is based, is even better.
Great Escape
Patton
Stalag 17.
Another oldie is The Desert Fox.
Don't remember the title, but Audie Murphy starred in an autobiographical movie.
spitfirebill wrote: Stalag 17. Another oldie is The Desert Fox. Don't remember the title, but Audie Murphy starred in an autobiographical movie.
Just remembered... "The Blue Max".
Hell in the Pacific.
spitfirebill wrote:spitfirebill wrote: Stalag 17. Another oldie is The Desert Fox. Don't remember the title, but Audie Murphy starred in an autobiographical movie.Just remembered... "The Blue Max". Hell in the Pacific.
Murphy's pic is "To Hell and Back". For those who don't know, he was a Medal of Honor recipient.
"The Blue Max" was set in WW1 and featured some good aviation scenes. Oh, and it had Ursula Andress for eye candy.
"Hell in the Pacific" is a good character study with only two characters. Lee Marvin earned a Purple Heart in the Pacific theater; he was wounded in his nether region - ouch.
Where Eagles Dare
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065207/
The Big Red One
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080437/
I was thinking of Saints and Soldiers. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0373283/ It's takes place during the Battle of the Buldge, and I think it's the most technically correct WWII movie shot. The extras would bring their own German uniforms and they would reject them if the insignia was from a company that wasn't involved in that battle or in that theater. They had 2 of those half motorcycle half tracks. The plot is good, too.
Luke, I'm a bit gun-shy on Paul Verhoeven movies. His US made ones are borderline, but the ones he makes in .NL are beyond suck. I use his movies as an example as to why The Netherlands no longer exists.
oldsaw wrote: For aviation buffs, check "The Dambusters" - it's the pseudo-documentary/glorification of an air raid to breech the dams in German-occupied Holland. There's also "633 Squadron" which is a bit cheesy, but it does feature a lot of DeHavilland Mosquito footage with wonderful Merlin sounds; also based on an actual raid against a Scandinavian fjiord.
Dambusters is awesome like you say.
633 squadron is cheesey, but don't discount it. The Mosquito's are the star of the show. Worth watching for them alone. As soon as you've watched it witht he final bombing run go and watch the first Star Wars movie (ep, IV) and you'll see that George Lucas cribed the attack off the death star scean almost exatly from 633, even down to the dialog (red leader etc)
I've got to speak up for 'The Battle of Britain' as well. It really is an excellent movie that bring tears to my eyes. It was such a big budget that even through many of the people who worked on it worked for cut pay or no pay as a tribute to the few, it still lost money. No where will you see a better portrayal of what it was really like both on the ground and in the air. Obviously I wasn't there, but my father was 6 for the BoB and my mother was a baby, but lived in London through the war. My late uncle was a Wellington Bomber pilot as well. This should be a must see movie for all.
These movies are not set in the area that the OP was asking about but they are very good none the less.
By the same guys that did "Das Boot": Stalingrad
Cross of Iron Lee Marvin as a German fighting the Russians, very good movie.
Assembly: This is a true story about the Chinese Civil War after WWII.
The Winter War This is about the Finns fighting the Russians at the begining of WWII.
There is also a newer Russian movie about a young boy making his way through the fighting on the Eastern Front, I can not remember the name of it right now. There are some very disturbing things in that movie. I have it on a computer at home if anyone is interested in the name.
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