War Movies

[Zzzptm]

As an avid amateur military historian, I do seek out war movies. I like to assess them for realism as well as for propaganda.

For example, I've seen this one movie made by the Chinese Army... basically, the battle scenes are corps-size maneuvers. No shooting just one part of the beach to make it look like a much bigger force is present. These guys set up a rolling camera on the rail bridge over the Yangtze River and let it film EVERYTHING involved in a contested crossing of a major river. VERY impressive battle scene... also VERY heavy-handed choice of incidents so as to present a properly patriotic propaganda piece.

There are films where the script and filming make it where the audience can't help but bond with one side, and the side being shot at are essentially faceless and soulless monsters. I don't care much for those, as they tend to be less realistic and more propagandistic. Same for films where the enemy soldier is humanized, only to come back and kill off those who showed mercy. That's an army training film, not a proper war movie.

I remember watching Tora! Tora! Tora! when I was a kid. Loved it then, and it always stands the test of time. Both sides fight their battles, deal with their shortcomings, and do their bit as events unfold.

Later on, when I taught history in High School, I picked up Pork Chop Hill and had the same experience. It's very friendly to the US soldiers, but it also illustrates the racial tensions that existed in the newly-integrated US Army.

The most ferocious war movie I've ever seen, though, came from Russia. Mosfilm's Come and See. It's on YouTube on the Mosfilm Channel with English subtitles, typically presented in two parts. It portrays a 12-year-old boy that becomes part of the Byelorussian partisans. The director used live ammo and shot every scene in the order they appear in the film, without break. By the last scene, the 12-year-old boy looks like he's aged 70 years, and there's no makeup on him. It's transfixing, it's horrifying, it's deeply profound.

Which of you watch war movies? What do you like and dislike?

[Typhon]

I am not into war movies as much as you are, but I do watch a lot of movies, so I have seen a fair share of them.  The one I enjoyed the most was Battle of the Bulge.  First saw it in the theater with my parents when I was 10 or 11 years old.  Seeing it as an adult was just as enjoyable.  Especially the character development of lower racking officers and not just those in high command.  Battle of the Bulge is #39 of my top 50 favorite movies.

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

Two films immediately spring to mind for their opening sequences which are just so memorable. The Normandy landing scene in Saving Private Ryan, the rest of the film didn't quite stand up but it was still enjoyable. And the opening scenes of Enemy at the Gate... I'd played the scenes in the Medal of Honour (or maybe Call of Duty) game before I saw the film, I didn't know it was based on a film it's one of the most memorable game experiences ever!

[Zzzptm]

I am not into war movies as much as you are, but I do watch a lot of movies, so I have seen a fair share of them.  The one I enjoyed the most was Battle of the Bulge.  First saw it in the theater with my parents when I was 10 or 11 years old.  Seeing it as an adult was just as enjoyable.  Especially the character development of lower racking officers and not just those in high command.  Battle of the Bulge is #39 of my top 50 favorite movies.

I have not seen that one, I'll have to look it up.

[Zzzptm]

Two films immediately spring to mind for their opening sequences which are just so memorable. The Normandy landing scene in Saving Private Ryan, the rest of the film didn't quite stand up but it was still enjoyable. And the opening scenes of Enemy at the Gate... I'd played the scenes in the Medal of Honour (or maybe Call of Duty) game before I saw the film, I didn't know it was based on a film it's one of the most memorable game experiences ever!

I agree with SPR, great opening, and then a string of cameos as we watch a remake of "A Walk in the Sun". I think A Bridge Too Far handled the cameos better.

If you like Enemy at the Gates, I would recommend the German film, Stalingrad (released in the 90s), and the Russian film Battle of Sevastopol. The first is quite grim, very gritty stuff. For me, the most powerful line is where the German platoon is dealing with a column of T-34/85s and requests artillery support. The response is, "YOU are the artillery!" Hopelessness follows for most soldiers...

Battle for Sevastopol is based on the life of one of Russia's most famous soldiers - a female sniper that killed over 300 enemy soldiers and later became a sniper instructor. There are some English-language parts that made me cringe, but when the actors stick to Russian, they find their stride no problem.

[Typhon]

I am not into war movies as much as you are, but I do watch a lot of movies, so I have seen a fair share of them.  The one I enjoyed the most was Battle of the Bulge.  First saw it in the theater with my parents when I was 10 or 11 years old.  Seeing it as an adult was just as enjoyable.  Especially the character development of lower racking officers and not just those in high command.  Battle of the Bulge is #39 of my top 50 favorite movies.

I have not seen that one, I'll have to look it up.

Use the largest TV you have for viewing, if possible.

[Zzzptm]

I am not into war movies as much as you are, but I do watch a lot of movies, so I have seen a fair share of them.  The one I enjoyed the most was Battle of the Bulge.  First saw it in the theater with my parents when I was 10 or 11 years old.  Seeing it as an adult was just as enjoyable.  Especially the character development of lower racking officers and not just those in high command.  Battle of the Bulge is #39 of my top 50 favorite movies.

I have not seen that one, I'll have to look it up.

Use the largest TV you have for viewing, if possible.

If this is that movie, I will.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qymgFHB_8Ho

[Typhon]

^^^^^^
That's the one.  Make sure you allow yourself sufficient time.  It is around 2 hr 45 min long.

[Zzzptm]

^^^^^^
That's the one.  Make sure you allow yourself sufficient time.  It is around 2 hr 45 min long.

I believe that I shall. I've already read the Wiki article about it, so I'm prepared to accept it as entertainment that wasn't straining for accuracy. It's meant as a story set in a war, and I always have fun when the tanks roll.

That's why I enjoyed the Russian series of films that cover the Battle of Kursk up to the Fall of Berlin. Massive spectacle, lots of tanks and planes and stuff. Historic? Ehhhh... let's just say that the Commissars in charge were mighty picky and choosy about what went in and what got left out. Most of the war is there, but some Soviet mythology gets inserted and some Soviet embarrassments get ignored.

[Typhon]

^^^^^^
That's the one.  Make sure you allow yourself sufficient time.  It is around 2 hr 45 min long.

I believe that I shall. I've already read the Wiki article about it, so I'm prepared to accept it as entertainment that wasn't straining for accuracy. It's meant as a story set in a war, and I always have fun when the tanks roll.

Although the storylines of individual characters are Hollywood, there is a good amount of historical facts still in the film.

[Zzzptm]

Although the storylines of individual characters are Hollywood, there is a good amount of historical facts still in the film.

Now, if you want to see a war movie that goes out of its way to get things wrong, I give you...

THE FALL OF BERLIN

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-hZam8dXHU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AHUQ1QRVn4

Just go to 1:08:00 in the second film to see the scene of Stalin landing in Berlin. When Stalin saw it, he declared that that is exactly what should have happened... and ordered the history books changed.

Before that is the scene of the Germans ordering the flooding of the Berlin subways. Never happened, that was a Soviet myth.

However, at 1:04:33, that's the actual flag that flew over the Reichstag, from the 150th Rifle Division. Then, starting at 1:06:06, the German banners that get tossed down are the actual ones from the war. Russians want to make it very clear that they do not approve of being invaded, it would seem...

[Zzzptm]

Oh yeah, and the actor they got to play Stalin in that film was a dead ringer for Stalin... literally... it was one of his doubles, who knew how to do everything exactly the way Stalin would, down to gestures, speech patterns, the way he walked, everything.