Films

[fsn]

I watched a film called "War of the Dead" and was disgusted that there were Americans fighting with the Finns against the Russians in 1941. Wrong weapons, wrong uniforms ... but I was OK with the basic concept of the film which was Russians creating zombies.

[Hertsblue]

Tora, Tora, Tora must be the best war film ever made. Genuine Japanese and American acting, brilliant action sequences with authentic equipment and an absence of bias mainly due to the film being shot in both the US and Japan.

[Ithoriel]

My cousin saw Tora, Tora, Tora in Japan when he was out there. Naturally enough, no Japanese subtitles and all of the American dialogue subtitled in Japanese. Luckily he knew enough of the history to follow the film.

Very good film, right enough.

[Glorfindel]

War of the Dead.   Tried to watch that recently !   Very strange as you say.
WW2 Yanks and Finns fighting Russkies.   Plus zombies.   

Gave up - the zombies were the most believable aspect.


phil

[Subedai]

As far as I know, Bondarchuk's Stalingrad was made with IMAX 3D in mind and it suffers if you don't see it in IMAX 3D.

It is heavily weighted in favour of the Russian  point of view. The Russians are all (more or less) heroes and the Germans are all (more or less) unmitigated villains. Even the one "good" German is merely less bad than the rest.

The German-made Stalingrad and even Enemy At The Gates were better, IMHO.

For war films made fairly recently that are worth watching I'd go for

Defiance, Kokoda: 39th Battalion, Saints and Soldiers, Days of Glory, Flags of our Fathers/ Letters from Iwo Jima, Paschendaele and War Horse.

For more up to date stuff, The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty.

Plus The Brest Fortress(Russian 2010 about the opening days of Barbarossa from a Russian POV, (bit jingoistic but watchable).

For some of the older ones I would add All Quiet on the Western Front (1930), although John Boy Walton's 1979 version wasn't too bad either; Longest Day, Paths of Glory and of course Kelly's Heroes.

[fsn]

I also give you "Age of Heroes", 2011:  Sean Bean and Danny Dyer (would you believe) in "the true story of the formation of Ian Fleming's 30 Commando unit, a precursor for the elite forces in the U.K."

I would say that as uniforms and weaponry become more authentic, stories just become more dribble.

"Dawn Patrol", 1938 Errol Flynn, Basil Rathbone and David Niven - who was in one of my favourite films "A Matter of Life and Death" (1946) - which may not strictly be a war film, but is a delight.

[mollinary]

Waterloo. As a mainstream film, it  is pretty close to an acceptably historically accurate account,  is great fun, has some fabulous performances, great quotes, and stunning battlefield scenes.   "The Prussians are in the woods!"  "Raise High the black flags my children. No pity, no prisoners! I'll shoot any man I see with pity in him! ". "If there is one thing about which I know absolutely nothing, it is agriculture!".


Top that!   

Mollinary

[Fenton]

1911  about  the Xinhai Revolution with Jackie Chan is a good film, not sure how accurate  it is though

[Poggle]

Cross of Iron. Gritty, grubby, realistic.

[vonlacy]

Perhaps I am at an age, but I am suprised know one has mentioned classics like Ice Cold in Alex, Dunkirk and A Cruel Sea. I enjoyed Stalingrad (German version) and Assembly set 1948 China. Anyone seen Warsaw 1920?

[fsn]

"Warsaw 1920" is very ... Polish.

My own personal favourites remain the morale boosting WWII films such as "The Way Ahead", or "First of the Few". "Millions Like Us" is a little gem. It's about ordinary women and the contribution they can make to the war effort. Not so much was films as social history.

[FierceKitty]

"Come on, darling, come back to my place and make a contribution to the war effort."

[Chad]

'Cross of Iron' is a good film. I might have enjoyed 'Waterloo' more had the booklet issued with the film not shown stills of infantry with bolt action rifles.

'Das Boot' is another good German film.

My all time favourite (although not war film) is 'The Adventures of Robin Hood' with Errol Flynn. The bent sword in the fight with Baz Rathbone at the end is classic.

Chad

[Fenton]

Cross of Iron is a favourite as is Das Boot and the Battle of Britain

I think one of my least favourite war films has to be  The Dambusters. Find it very tedious and boring

[Matt J]

'Cross of Iron' is excellent.

My favourite war film is probably 'Thin Red Line' - (if you ignore some of the Malick arthouse crap) - great performances particular by Sean Penn and Nick Nolte.