What is the last WW2 Film or Series you saw?

Discussion in 'Books, Films, TV, Radio' started by Ivan1, Apr 9, 2007.

  1. brithm

    brithm Senior Member

    Von Ryan's Express (1965) enjoyable and everything you want from a WWII film trains, prison escape and Frank Sinatra!

     
    Markyboy, A-58, Dave55 and 1 other person like this.
  2. Waddell

    Waddell Well-Known Member



    I watched ‘Their Finest’ the other day and thought it a pretty good film. The lead actress, Gemma Atherton, does a great job and is supported by a good cast of the usual British actors, in particular Bill Nighy, Eddie Marsan and Richard E Grant. The story revolves the making of a propaganda film just after Dunkirk to boost public morale with the lead actress heavily involved in writing the screenplay. There is a bit of a feminist theme running through the story of how the war freed up women’s role in the workplace during the war but it isn’t overdone.

    It is very well shot and early in the film some of the early scenes have a look like they came from one of those early seventies Ken Loach type films. It lightens up a bit as it goes on and there are some clever scenes showing how films were made in the 1940’s. In particular there is a scene with a glass painted screen in front of the camera showing the ships offshore during the evacuation of Dunkirk- always wondered how they did that.

    I won’t spoilt the ending. Worth a look.
     
    Markyboy, Dan M, Dave55 and 1 other person like this.
  3. A-58

    A-58 Not so senior Member

    I watched Hell Is For Heroes last night. Steve McQueen starred as Private Reese, a first class field soldier who has his problems when his unit is off the line. Bobby Darren, Fess Parker and Bob Newhart (his first movie) co-star. Pretty good movie considering that it was made in 1962. Gritty and definitely different from the way movies were made back then. Supposedly Tom Hanks used this movie as a reference when making Saving Private Ryan.

    Hell Is for Heroes (1962) - IMDb
     
    TTH and Chris C like this.
  4. Dave55

    Dave55 Atlanta, USA

    Great movie. Loved Newhart's and Harry Guardino's charecters. I thought McQueen overdid it a bit but I liked his Grease Gun.
     
    A-58 and TTH like this.
  5. A-58

    A-58 Not so senior Member

    Steve McQueen always overdid it as his career went on. From what I read regarding his performance in Hell Is For Heroes, his source for method acting came into question. Appears that he was furious with his agent for getting him into this production when he reportedly preferred a spot in another movie. And the agent did not secure his upfront fee as he was accustomed to getting before showing up for work. Maybe this was the reason for his alienation from his castmates, instead of his just trying to remain in character at all times. I have read that Steve McQueen was extremely difficult to work with so who knows.
     
    Markyboy and Dave55 like this.
  6. brithm

    brithm Senior Member

    Against the Wind (1948) on Talking Pictures TV today an SOE film.

    Directed by: Charles Crichton Stars: Robert Beatty, Simone Signoret & Jack Warner. At the height of WW2, a group of men and women are gathered together in London to be trained as spies.

    The title of the film is a quote from Childe Harold's Pilgrimage by Lord Byron - "Yet, Freedom! Yet thy banner, torn, but flying. Streams like the thunder-storm against THE WIND" (Canto iv, Stanza 98).
     
  7. brithm

    brithm Senior Member

    On BBC Iplayer After the Battle London - Ed Murrow Reports
     
    Chris C likes this.
  8. Dave55

    Dave55 Atlanta, USA

  9. Markyboy

    Markyboy Member

    The Sword of Honour film (2001) with Daniel Craig. I've had it knocking about on DVD for years from a newspaper freebie and finally decided to embark on the 3 hour epic as I've finished reading some Evelyn Waugh recently. A humorous and quite deadpan look at the absurd side of service life before gradually getting a bit more serious towards the end. Enjoyable, but the books are better (standard response!).
     
  10. Chris C

    Chris C Canadian

    I've started to watch Rome Free City (Italy, 1945) about resistance against the Germans in Rome during the occupation period.
     
  11. Dave55

    Dave55 Atlanta, USA

    Lots of plot twists. Germans were especially tricky in this one :)
    Gewehr 43 at 23:10




    upload_2021-1-10_21-21-18.png
     
  12. Waddell

    Waddell Well-Known Member



    I watched ‘Midway’ from 2019 the other night. My mistake- what a stinker of a film! The dialogue had all the subtlety of a Trump speech and the almost permanent CGI made it look like a Star Wars film. The storyline was over complex and confusing and unnecessarily so. Instead of starting after Pearl Harbour they revisited it for a good part of the movie (more than was devoted to the Battle of the Coral Sea) and then for a bit of pointless spice added in the Doolittle Raid including some bizarre scenes of Doolittle after the raid heading off in a field with some Chinese peasants whilst Japanese bombers chased them. It just didn’t need to be part of the film and I believe it was covered in the Pearl Harbour film several years ago now.

    Working out who the flyers are was annoying as they weren’t introduced that well and I think if you didn’t know the background story to the battle you would end up lost in the film. To top it all the character of Richard Best, who flew a Dauntless, complained of having sub-standard equipment. Well that didn’t seem to stop them from sinking Japanese carriers and had he seen Fleet Air Arms aircraft of the time he might not have been such a moaner.

    Rant over. What annoyed me most is that the story of the battle itself is a great one that deserves to be told better. Maybe reduce the number of characters and build upon the ones who were integral to the story. On the positive side the Dauntless’s were my heroes of the movie and Woody Harrelson played a decent Chester Nimitz.

    Scott
     
    Dave55, brithm, Chris C and 1 other person like this.
  13. davidbfpo

    davidbfpo Patron Patron

    Discovered 'Dear Elza' a Hungarian WW2 movie (2014) on YouTube and watched it last night (96 mins). Link: Yes, with English sub-titles.

    Interesting plot and grim, all too realistic battle scenes. The plot summary from IMDB:
    From: Dear Elza! (2014) - IMDb
     
    Deacs likes this.
  14. Dave55

    Dave55 Atlanta, USA

  15. brithm

    brithm Senior Member

    The Train (1964) was on BBC Two today

    It can be watched over the next six days on IPayer

    Frankenheimer was an excellent Director and worked with Burt Lancaster on Seven Days in May, also a good film to watch. French resistance, trains, action; it's got it all!
     
    Dave55 likes this.
  16. Waddell

    Waddell Well-Known Member



    I watched ‘The Dig’ on Netflix and thought it a very good film. I had seen the trailer a few weeks ago and have to admit it had the elements of a pre-war version of Time Team- wealthy lady curious about some earth mounds on her property and Ralph Fiennes an amateur archaeologist with a Phil Harding type accent. The trailer though does not do the film enough justice as there are several other stories revolving around the main characters that are presented quite beautifully in this film.

    Early on in the film there are several mentions of archaeology and the link it gives us with the past- reaching across centuries, that sort of thing. It reminded me very much of ‘The Detectorists’, not the funny parts, but those quiet opening moments in some episodes showing how their finds came to be buried hundreds of years ago. Funnily enough Johnny Flynn, who wrote the soundtrack for that show, plays a character in ‘The Dig’ and performs in just as deftly a manner.

    It is not a war film but a lot of the story revolves around the coming war. For those who like old cars there is a lovely pre-war Lagonda Saloon and an early Morris 8/40 Tourer to drool over. I found the film a good escape.
     
    hucks216, 14/264 and JohnH like this.
  17. Dave55

    Dave55 Atlanta, USA

     
    JohnH likes this.
  18. JimHerriot

    JimHerriot Ready for Anything

    Apologies if this has been up before folks, and if not then fill yer boots!

    Kind regards, always,

    Jim.

     
    14/264, JohnH and Dave55 like this.
  19. 14/264

    14/264 Active Member

    I'm sure that all came in very handy on Union Street, Saturday night!
     
  20. Tomkil

    Tomkil Junior Member

    I know I shouldn't let it bother me apparently the pilot who died when his Spitfire crashed into the river was on only his second solo flight.

    They can only have meant his second in a Spit...
     
    Dave55 likes this.

Share This Page