I would suggest Kubrick's 'Paths of Glory' but it's primarily focused on the internal turmoil of one soldier with a conscience. In a lesser way, most John Wayne war films follow a single strong leader, with most of his comrades watching as he does crazy brave stuff.
But mention of Wayne points to perhaps the best war movie period, but certainly one that captures the depth of comradeship: 'They Were Expendable' (1945, John Ford). Then there's life after the shooting stops: 'The Best Years of Our Lives (1947 Oscar for Best Picture).
Interestingly, there was an attempt to do an American remake of Das Boot back in the 90s. The studios were hesitant to sign on to the project, but eventually development got underway after the success of The Hunt for Red October suggested there might be an audience for submarine movies. Things really took off when Christopher Walken signed on for the role of the captain. Money was spent, scripts were even finalized, but then scheduling conflicts arose and Walken had to pull out. The studio pulled the plug, singing that same old tune that they needed a big name to sell it, and Das Boot was made for Walken.
I'm not in the mood to celebrate the US military right now when so many of those currently enlisted and so many veterans voted for Trump. Despite "PuTtInG ThEiR lIvEs On ThE lInE fOr OuR fReEdOm" they vote against that freedom, particularly against marginalized groups, at home.
Excellent! I just finished watching Saving Private Ryan for the nth time. As always, I was crying a the end. "Earn this." "Tell me I'm a good man." "You're a good man."
We're watching "Pride of the Marines" from 1945 and starring John Garfield. It tells the true story of Al Schmid, a Navy Cross hero from the Battle for Guadalcanal.
I re-watched Christopher Nolan's DUNKIRK yesterday and it remains my favorite war movie of all time, and perhaps the greatest ever made. It is a difficult watch because it maintains a you-are-there quality throughout, and is filled with existential dread. There is a transcendent, meta-physical quality to Dunkirk, made clear in the manner Tom Hardy's character completes his mission. I can't think of a war movie that better serves the human qualities of honor, virtue, and duty, in the face of insurmountable odds, than DUNKIRK.
It's important to also watch some documentaries about the senseless sacrifice of human life from Vietnam through today's war for what, Trump insider trading oil profits & petro dictator bribes? As we look at the cover up of IDF atrocities in Gaza contrasted with how even the Trump administration released data about the strike on the Iranian school, watching multiple Presidents of both parties say stupid stuff about the Afghan war, and the negative consequences of civilian deaths in The Longest War.https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11611650/ The documentary was aimed at an American voter audience, so i think some of the critical comments were off base.
Only the most skilled airmen in WWII became fighter pilots. Despite the racism of the time, the Tuskegee Airmen, flying older, less capable planes handed down by white units, demonstrated tremendous skill and courage and only became fighter pilots by outperforming white officers. See Red Tails or The Tuskegee Airmen for the story of courageous Americans in the Jim Crowe era who saved the lives of countless white bomber crewmen they protected from German fighters.
It's also important to remember how often senior commanders are arrogant and/or fight the last war. It was Eisenhower who warned us of the military industrial complex. Our Admirals in WWII had all those battleships lined up in a row at Pearl Harbor because the Japanese would never dare to strike there--and it was even dumber to have built them instead of aircraft carriers that could sink them from over the horizon. Every pre-WWII Navy did that, and every pre-WWII air force built bombers that were supposed to defend themselves and fighters that could shred those bombers, leading to huge civilian casualties from nighttime bombing when bombers could not survive in daytime when they could see their targets.
Through sheer luck, the P-51 Mustang, built originally as a low altitude fighter bomber, was built with an in-line engine roughly the same shape as the Rolls Royce used in the British Spitfire. Britain's desperation for more fighters during th Battle of Britain led to converting the Mustang to high altitude fighter use, and then when our bombers were getting massacred by the Luftwaffe, our engineers figured out how to use the bomb attachment points for fuel drop tanks to extend the Mustang's range so they could escort bombers and shoot down German fighters.
The thing that make Mando interesting is the tension in his character which is conveyed primarily by the voice - almost a radio play. It is a man fighting against a deep urge to be human that he doesn't want to emerge. A lone wolf who tries to act like a predator but inside is a Zen master. He tries to use his discipline as a shield but the shield only draws out his humanity - of maybe I just long for Robin Hoods?
I am a Das Boot fanatic. If you can find the single season of the TV prequel it is toitally in the spirit of the film and well worth the trouble to find. The staggering thing to me is the 1940's technology and to recall they conducted submarine warfare in 1915! Can you image that experience?
Another great film (and there are many) is of course "The Best Years of Our Lives" (it was on TCM last night as part of its Memorial Day tribute). There are no combat scenes in the entire film; instead it focuses on 3 veterans who return to the same Midwest town after WWII and their at times difficult readjustment to civilian life. It's also one of the earliest films I recall in which PTSD is shown (if not named) in the nightmares experienced by one of the three (a USAAF bombardier in Europe during the war) who has a recurring nightmare about the death of one of his friends over Germany.
War! Ugh! What is it good for? Absolutely nothing!
I would suggest Kubrick's 'Paths of Glory' but it's primarily focused on the internal turmoil of one soldier with a conscience. In a lesser way, most John Wayne war films follow a single strong leader, with most of his comrades watching as he does crazy brave stuff.
But mention of Wayne points to perhaps the best war movie period, but certainly one that captures the depth of comradeship: 'They Were Expendable' (1945, John Ford). Then there's life after the shooting stops: 'The Best Years of Our Lives (1947 Oscar for Best Picture).
Interestingly, there was an attempt to do an American remake of Das Boot back in the 90s. The studios were hesitant to sign on to the project, but eventually development got underway after the success of The Hunt for Red October suggested there might be an audience for submarine movies. Things really took off when Christopher Walken signed on for the role of the captain. Money was spent, scripts were even finalized, but then scheduling conflicts arose and Walken had to pull out. The studio pulled the plug, singing that same old tune that they needed a big name to sell it, and Das Boot was made for Walken.
Zero Dark Thirty.
And Glory is great. And I remember being angry when I saw that film that I had not learned that story in school and that I had to learn it from film.
I'm not in the mood to celebrate the US military right now when so many of those currently enlisted and so many veterans voted for Trump. Despite "PuTtInG ThEiR lIvEs On ThE lInE fOr OuR fReEdOm" they vote against that freedom, particularly against marginalized groups, at home.
The Americanization of Emily is a great movie about the absurdity of war and how decisions get made.
I’m surprised no one has listed Tora. Tora. Tora!
Excellent! I just finished watching Saving Private Ryan for the nth time. As always, I was crying a the end. "Earn this." "Tell me I'm a good man." "You're a good man."
We're watching "Pride of the Marines" from 1945 and starring John Garfield. It tells the true story of Al Schmid, a Navy Cross hero from the Battle for Guadalcanal.
Hacksaw Ridge and 12 O’Clock High.
Both redefine courage.
I re-watched Christopher Nolan's DUNKIRK yesterday and it remains my favorite war movie of all time, and perhaps the greatest ever made. It is a difficult watch because it maintains a you-are-there quality throughout, and is filled with existential dread. There is a transcendent, meta-physical quality to Dunkirk, made clear in the manner Tom Hardy's character completes his mission. I can't think of a war movie that better serves the human qualities of honor, virtue, and duty, in the face of insurmountable odds, than DUNKIRK.
Since wars aren't fought only in combat, "Sophie's Choice", "The Deer Hunter".
But also, "Big Red One". The liberation of the concentration camp was breathtakingly well done.
For this Vietnam era woman, "We Were Soldiers Once, and Young."
It's important to also watch some documentaries about the senseless sacrifice of human life from Vietnam through today's war for what, Trump insider trading oil profits & petro dictator bribes? As we look at the cover up of IDF atrocities in Gaza contrasted with how even the Trump administration released data about the strike on the Iranian school, watching multiple Presidents of both parties say stupid stuff about the Afghan war, and the negative consequences of civilian deaths in The Longest War.https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11611650/ The documentary was aimed at an American voter audience, so i think some of the critical comments were off base.
In a similar vein, Turning Point: The Vietnam War on Netflix https://www.imdb.com/title/tt36242714 is an important reminder of the stupidity of senior commanders and the senseless deaths caused by Nixon sabotaging the 1968 Peace Talks--perhaps inspiration fro Trump's deal with the Taliban on his way out of office, creating an impossible situation for Biden: https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-responsible-afghanistan-withdraw-ex-adviser-1944696
Only the most skilled airmen in WWII became fighter pilots. Despite the racism of the time, the Tuskegee Airmen, flying older, less capable planes handed down by white units, demonstrated tremendous skill and courage and only became fighter pilots by outperforming white officers. See Red Tails or The Tuskegee Airmen for the story of courageous Americans in the Jim Crowe era who saved the lives of countless white bomber crewmen they protected from German fighters.
It's also important to remember how often senior commanders are arrogant and/or fight the last war. It was Eisenhower who warned us of the military industrial complex. Our Admirals in WWII had all those battleships lined up in a row at Pearl Harbor because the Japanese would never dare to strike there--and it was even dumber to have built them instead of aircraft carriers that could sink them from over the horizon. Every pre-WWII Navy did that, and every pre-WWII air force built bombers that were supposed to defend themselves and fighters that could shred those bombers, leading to huge civilian casualties from nighttime bombing when bombers could not survive in daytime when they could see their targets.
Through sheer luck, the P-51 Mustang, built originally as a low altitude fighter bomber, was built with an in-line engine roughly the same shape as the Rolls Royce used in the British Spitfire. Britain's desperation for more fighters during th Battle of Britain led to converting the Mustang to high altitude fighter use, and then when our bombers were getting massacred by the Luftwaffe, our engineers figured out how to use the bomb attachment points for fuel drop tanks to extend the Mustang's range so they could escort bombers and shoot down German fighters.
A big part of D-Day prep was the 8th Air Force sacrificing it's men and planes to bomb the German military and weapons factories and to draw out German fighters so the Mustangs could shoot them down. See Masters of the Air on Apple for a dramatic retelling of one unit's losses, The Cold Blue documentary https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8693770/ , and the https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12282474/?ref_=fn_t_2 or the famous Memphis Belle give a sense of the 75% loss rates of bomber crews in 1943 https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/1519640/bigger-raids-bigger-losses-and-crisis/.
Wow - Getting a like from Gen. Hertling has made my day - Also my prayers to all who served including my father and 4 uncles
The thing that make Mando interesting is the tension in his character which is conveyed primarily by the voice - almost a radio play. It is a man fighting against a deep urge to be human that he doesn't want to emerge. A lone wolf who tries to act like a predator but inside is a Zen master. He tries to use his discipline as a shield but the shield only draws out his humanity - of maybe I just long for Robin Hoods?
I am a Das Boot fanatic. If you can find the single season of the TV prequel it is toitally in the spirit of the film and well worth the trouble to find. The staggering thing to me is the 1940's technology and to recall they conducted submarine warfare in 1915! Can you image that experience?
Another great film (and there are many) is of course "The Best Years of Our Lives" (it was on TCM last night as part of its Memorial Day tribute). There are no combat scenes in the entire film; instead it focuses on 3 veterans who return to the same Midwest town after WWII and their at times difficult readjustment to civilian life. It's also one of the earliest films I recall in which PTSD is shown (if not named) in the nightmares experienced by one of the three (a USAAF bombardier in Europe during the war) who has a recurring nightmare about the death of one of his friends over Germany.