War Films?

[Shortmember]

The Victors starring George Peppard and George Hamilton is the most realistic, unsentimental story of the reality of life and death in an American infantry regiment in WW2 that I have ever seen. It was a film that Hollywood couldn't make for fear of upsetting American audiences who had been fed a solid diet of war movies starring John Wayne and Errol Flynn that depicted The GI as some kind of morally superior and fearless superwarrior.

 

[Boris Bajic]

Went the Day Well is excellent. Made in wartime, but after the threat of invasion had faded. Awesome.

Ice Cold in Alex is an old favourite, but quite long for a beer ad.

As to Kaboom, there is a film about the Soviets in Afghanistan called "Beast of War" in which the line "Kaboom" features promoinently.

An unsentimental (but slightly over-egged) antiwar film is Jack Palance in ATTACK!

I cannot allow Star Wars into the list, as it is a documentary.

I shall look out 'idi i Smotri' and 'Kanal' Should I, or will they upset me? The grimmest war film I've seen about Barbarossa is Stalingrad, made in Germany around 1992-ish. Hellish. The classic German film "Die Brucke" made in the 50s or 50s is also excellent and also heartrending.

 

[AndyRM]

I shall look out 'idi i Smotri' and 'Kanal' Should I, or will they upset me? The grimmest war film I've seen about Barbarossa is Stalingrad, made in Germany around 1992-ish. Hellish. The classic German film "Die Brucke" made in the 50s or 50s is also excellent and also heartrending.

I can't speak for Kanal, but I can tell you that Idi I Smotri is very, very upsetting. Without wanting to reveal too much, the scenes of genocide are unflinching and brutal. It was filmed chronologically, and you can see the young leads becoming more and more weathered.

I've seen it several times and each viewing attracts pieces of dust and grit into both my eyes.

 

[swee'pea99]

I've always thought that Adolf Hitler, my part in his downfall, could have made a fun film. Unfortunately they made it into a film, and it was awful.

 

[Basil.B]

Stalingrad, German (1993)

 

[Born2die]

Appocolypse now, u571, k19 widowmaker, battle if the bludge I will stop there I love my war films

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Salvador by Oliver Stone. But it doesn't depict the kind of war this thread is about.

Paul Verhoeven's Black Book is excellent as is Flame & Citron

 

[Boris Bajic]

Salvador by Oliver Stone. But it doesn't depict the kind of war this thread is about.

Paul Verhoeven's Black Book is excellent as is Flame & Citron

This was the first Oliver Stone film I saw (and perhaps the first James Woods). It is a war film. It is also wonderful. I've checked with the editors and it is allowed on the list.

 

[Origamist]

Tarkovsky's Ivan's Childhood, 1962 is well worth watching.

Hopefully this will earn me more pseudo points than Mort who only managed to name check an (albeit excellent) Wajda film...Mmm, perhaps I should have used the original title for added pretentiousness...

EDIT: Ivanovo detstvo for you true cineastes.

 

[Boris Bajic]

Tarkovsky's Ivan's Childhood, 1962 is well worth waching.

Hopefully this will earn me more pseud points than Mort who only managed to name check a (albeit excellent) Wajda film...Mmm, perhaps I should have used the original title for added pretentiousness...

He did that music with the cannons in, didn't he. Was it the 1812? Does that still stop at Surbiton?

The French later pinched it as their National Anthem, but without the guns. But they left in the bit with the 'de-dum-de-dum-de-dumdum-daaaa-der-dup!'

Typical of the French. Typical of the Russians. Typical bloody foreigners , once you've got past Dover.

Right... where do I put my cross for UKIP?

The Cruel Sea and In Which We Serve are jolly good, but slightly main stream.

 

[Deleted member 23692]

A few dealing with more recent wars.....

Jarhead
Hurt Locker
Generation Kill (granted it's a a miniseries, but I watched them in one sitting )

The Beast of War (Russians in Afghanistan)
Casualties of War (a different take on Vietnam)

 

[VamP]

This was the first Oliver Stone film I saw (and perhaps the first James Woods). It is a war film. It is also wonderful. I've checked with the editors and it is allowed on the list.

Oliver Stone never got even close to matching the quality of this again.

 

[AndyRM]

the acting by the young lad, I thought was excellent but the film was a bit boring, too long and wasn't as hard hitting as I was expecting, a bit disappointing if I'm honest...

Out of interest, what would you consider a harder hitting film?

There are parts of Idi I Smotri which have such a blunt disregard for humanity that I just can't begin to understand.

 

[slowmotion]

All quiet on the Western Front [1930].

 

[Dayvo]

Some good ones have already been mentioned.

Bridge on the River Kwai
Breaker Morrant
Gallipoli
Albert RN