recomend me some authentic WW2 films

Along the same lines although not a "true" story, I can pick up "Von Ryans Express" and watch it anytime. Maybe not a billion - but close.

Maybe, except for Sinatra not making it, it was a good news story.

NOt usre why everyone slags off Dambusters for being untrue. THought it was pretty close. only the london show thing isnt it???? not exactly central to the spot.

Whats wrong with it?

Kev

 

Burton was dreadfull, the rest of the cast wasnt much better. The Rommel scene is a bit silly. Germans a bit clownish. The truck driving was good though, sliding them round.

I thought Burton's portrayal was okay, not as good as "Where Eagles Dare" but definitely not "dreadful". The Germans with Thompsons could not have been intentional.

What you need to consider here is that these were raw Aussie troops thrown in at the deep end and that is how they were portrayed with maybe a greater emphasis on the Aussie accent than was required.

The teacher (Douglas) / student (Burton) storyline was not needed however there was a requirement to show the irreverance that Aussie troops had to "pommie" (British) officers.

The Rommel tent scene was there to depict the respect that Rommel eventually had for the Aussies and particularly the 9th Division. This type of scene was possible as Rommel was a man with honour, yet it was again to show that he was "outfoxed" pure and simple by Morshead. Similarly it was to show that if he indeed could not take Tobruk, he could not get to Cairo and therefore could not take the Suez.

This is a critique on the movie from the internet:

Unusually well done war flick - well worth a look, 24 October 2005


This is a really enjoyable movie. Burton and Newton do a fine job, as do a cast of familiar British character actors. James Mason in his first outing as Rommel is especially fun. He reprised the role in a later Rommel bio-pic (titled "The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel").

Despite it's age, most of the attempts at special effects (artillery in the distance, explosions done via matte) come off well. As for the scenes where they really shoot off some pyrotechnics, they spared no expense! The overall portrait of the desert and army life looks very real and has the ring of truth. The plot is exciting and never drags.

The only problems are the over-patriotic script (I guess we should cut them some slack here, this movie was made much closer to the war than we are today!) and as noted elsewhere, the inappropriate German weapons. It's amazing that they used Thompson machine guns instead of MP40's, when for the next 30 years everybody from "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." to James Bond would use the MP40 all over the place. In summary I think this movie was a bit better than I expected and holds up well to repeated viewings.

 

NOt usre why everyone slags off Dambusters for being untrue. THought it was pretty close. only the london show thing isnt it???? not exactly central to the spot.

Whats wrong with it?

Kev

I am talking about Von Ryans Express not being a true story not "The Dambusters"

Along the same lines meant a show that I can watch over and over.

 

Made during the war: 'The Way To The Stars' , made shortly after the war: 'Twelve O'Clock High', 'The Cruel Sea'. They may lack the special effects and graphic violence and language of modern films but they give a genuine view of the attitudes and atmosphere. The scene in 'The Cruel Sea' where Captain Jack Hawkins chooses to depth charge the U-Boat and kills the shipwrecked British sailors in the water is one of the most dreadful and moving sequences in any film.

I've never forgotten the U-boat scene from The Cruel Sea. Loved The Way To The Stars too.

There was one where Dickie Attenborough played a coward in a submarine - that was a good one too.
Marina

 

And for those of us who can't speak German and don't want to miss the action we have to watch in English. Grrrrrr.
I know they aren't completely accurate, but what about Longest Day and Dambusters? Come on, they were fantastic! Much better than Private Chuffin Ryan or Band of Brothers.
And what's that one with John Mills going AWOL to get back home to his missus cos he thinks she may be about to cheat on him? It was on Ch4 the other week. Oh Lord, that's going to annoy me now. Great for Life back home.
I'll have to think now. That's a shame, was hoping to get through this weekend without engaging the old grey matter.
Kitty

The John Mills film is Waterloo Road.

 

Ignore last just read threads and Von P has come to the gallant rescue.

 

I've never forgotten the U-boat scene from The Cruel Sea. Loved The Way To The Stars too.

There was one where Dickie Attenborough played a coward in a submarine - that was a good one too.
Marina

Is that the one where the sub is trapped on the bottom - it's Morning Departure one of a number Sir Richard starred in.

 

I thought Burton's portrayal was okay, not as good as "Where Eagles Dare" but definitely not "dreadful". The Germans with Thompsons could not have been intentional.

What you need to consider here is that these were raw Aussie troops thrown in at the deep end and that is how they were portrayed with maybe a greater emphasis on the Aussie accent than was required.

The teacher (Douglas) / student (Burton) storyline was not needed however there was a requirement to show the irreverance that Aussie troops had to "pommie" (British) officers.

The Rommel tent scene was there to depict the respect that Rommel eventually had for the Aussies and particularly the 9th Division. This type of scene was possible as Rommel was a man with honour, yet it was again to show that he was "outfoxed" pure and simple by Morshead. Similarly it was to show that if he indeed could not take Tobruk, he could not get to Cairo and therefore could not take the Suez.

This is a critique on the movie from the internet:

Unusually well done war flick - well worth a look, 24 October 2005


This is a really enjoyable movie. Burton and Newton do a fine job, as do a cast of familiar British character actors. James Mason in his first outing as Rommel is especially fun. He reprised the role in a later Rommel bio-pic (titled "The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel").

Despite it's age, most of the attempts at special effects (artillery in the distance, explosions done via matte) come off well. As for the scenes where they really shoot off some pyrotechnics, they spared no expense! The overall portrait of the desert and army life looks very real and has the ring of truth. The plot is exciting and never drags.

The only problems are the over-patriotic script (I guess we should cut them some slack here, this movie was made much closer to the war than we are today!) and as noted elsewhere, the inappropriate German weapons. It's amazing that they used Thompson machine guns instead of MP40's, when for the next 30 years everybody from "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." to James Bond would use the MP40 all over the place. In summary I think this movie was a bit better than I expected and holds up well to repeated viewings.



I think the problem is that a lot of these films have a thin veiled story with lots of bangs and whooshes, machine guns etc. The war just being a back drop. Whereas others look at as just that, we - the royal We! are the first to say that's not right, they didn't do this they weren't there at that time. That's the trouble when you are wised up on the subject. These films are on the whole are just for passing the time, and not meant to pass any critical analysis/ observation.

 

NOt usre why everyone slags off Dambusters for being untrue. THought it was pretty close. only the london show thing isnt it???? not exactly central to the spot.

Whats wrong with it?

Kev

There are a fair number of errors/ alterations to the story. The solution for the height problem was from Benjamin Lockspeiser. Also when the film was released 1953/54? the actual bomb was covered by a black disc - as can't confirm this the design was still a military secret. The site below goes into it in more detail. But saying that it shouldn't detract from what is a classic film. Still one of my all time favourites.


http://www.computing.dundee.ac.uk/staff/irmurray/dambust.asp

 

Midway, if you can get the raw raw Americanism of the movie it is actually very good. Plus it shows how much of a dithering idiot Nagumo was.

 

If you took some of the effects from Pearl Harbor and added not sustituted them to Tora Tora Tora it would be an excellent movie. Why did the director think that blasting 4 Spruance Class Destroyers would look like 1941 vintage action?

 

Midway, if you can get the raw raw Americanism of the movie it is actually very good. Plus it shows how much of a dithering idiot Nagumo was.

Well, the main thing that was wrong was that Jim Shigeta was a little too tall to play Nagumo, who was bald and short.

But I didn't see Shigeta/Nagumo dithering. I saw him struggling to make the right decision in a situation with competing and mutually exclusive demands. A very tough situation for any admiral.

But the movie does show how flawed the Japanese plan and decision-making was.

However, the fictional subplot about the pilot and his Japanese-American girlfriend, while paying attention to that sad aspect of America's war effort, was annoying and distracting...Midway had plenty of human drama, all of it real, and that should have been in the picture. The messy family drama just detracted from the historical imperative of the situation...it's unnecessary to turn every historical drama into a soap opera.

Besides, the woman who played the Japanese girlfriend, while very fetching, was a horrible actress.