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What Was The Last Movie You Watched?

Two Types

I'll Lock Up
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5,456
Location
London, UK
'The Cruel Sea' is one of my all time favourite war films.

I like that the ship is a Flower Class corvette. I always thought that was a stroke of genius, put put a load of sailors in ships called things like HMS Daisy, Petunia, Hyacinth etc!
The Flower Class corvettes also ilustrate certain differences between the British and American way of doing things: When HMS Candytuft was sold to the US Navy, she was renamed the USS Tenacity - an altogether more martial name. Personally, I prefer the original name.
 

Two Types

I'll Lock Up
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5,456
Location
London, UK
My most recent film was 'House of the Spaniard' (1936). Dreadful film. But with one very nice jacket (one button, belt-back with scalloped yoke).
 

Doctor Damage

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4,325
Location
Ontario
Go Tell The Spartans starring Burt Lancaster. I picked this up from the library purely because I think Lancaster was awesome and the movie turned out to be awesome too. Despite the somewhat depressing topic (the very early days of U.S. involvement in Viet Nam), the movie delivers on action, drama, and some extremely dry humour. Also, I was thrilled at the piloting skills of one of the helicopter stunt pilots who puts one of those big Sikorsky birds down between two treelines.

 

DNO

One Too Many
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1,815
Location
Toronto, Canada
My favorite film covering destroyer action by the British in WWII. Far more believable than Noel Coward's "In Which We Serve". The Captain's transformation from a rather pleasant fellow to an obsessed "Ahab like figure" is one of the finest ever filmed Jack Hawkins did a fine job there as did the whole cast. No class affectations, no "three cheers for the King". When done it just ends with a whisper.

Worf

A wonderfully understated ending with a truly appropriate final line: "Finished with main engine".
 

DNO

One Too Many
Messages
1,815
Location
Toronto, Canada
Go Tell The Spartans starring Burt Lancaster. I picked this up from the library purely because I think Lancaster was awesome and the movie turned out to be awesome too. Despite the somewhat depressing topic (the very early days of U.S. involvement in Viet Nam), the movie delivers on action, drama, and some extremely dry humour. Also, I was thrilled at the piloting skills of one of the helicopter stunt pilots who puts one of those big Sikorsky birds down between two treelines.


Next to 84 Charlie Mopic I always considered Go Tell The Spartans one of the better films about Vietnam. It's devoid of the jingoism and preaching that most films about the war seem to have. Burt Lancaster shows, yet again, what a fine quality actor he was.
 

DNO

One Too Many
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1,815
Location
Toronto, Canada
'The Cruel Sea' is one of my all time favourite war films.

I like that the ship is a Flower Class corvette. I always thought that was a stroke of genius, put put a load of sailors in ships called things like HMS Daisy, Petunia, Hyacinth etc!
The Flower Class corvettes also ilustrate certain differences between the British and American way of doing things: When HMS Candytuft was sold to the US Navy, she was renamed the USS Tenacity - an altogether more martial name. Personally, I prefer the original name.

The Royal Navy used up all the flower names for their corvettes. There was even an HMS Pansy and an HMS Bluebell. I believe the producers of the film were a little hard pressed to find an appropriate name for the ship and lucked into 'Compass Rose'...a flower that wasn't a flower! The RCN used Canadian towns and cities for corvettes.
 

Stearmen

I'll Lock Up
Messages
7,202
'The Cruel Sea' is one of my all time favourite war films.

I like that the ship is a Flower Class corvette. I always thought that was a stroke of genius, put put a load of sailors in ships called things like HMS Daisy, Petunia, Hyacinth etc!
The Flower Class corvettes also ilustrate certain differences between the British and American way of doing things: When HMS Candytuft was sold to the US Navy, she was renamed the USS Tenacity - an altogether more martial name. Personally, I prefer the original name.

Of course, the rum ration was out, but they did get an ice cream maker! Just what you want, on a cold night in the middle of the Atlantic.
 

Worf

I'll Lock Up
Messages
5,207
Location
Troy, New York, USA
'The Cruel Sea' is one of my all time favourite war films.

I like that the ship is a Flower Class corvette. I always thought that was a stroke of genius, put put a load of sailors in ships called things like HMS Daisy, Petunia, Hyacinth etc!
The Flower Class corvettes also ilustrate certain differences between the British and American way of doing things: When HMS Candytuft was sold to the US Navy, she was renamed the USS Tenacity - an altogether more martial name. Personally, I prefer the original name.

Errrr T.T. I respect your opinion on a great many things BUT, I don't think an American Male exists that would go to war in the USS Candytuft! Nope... unh unh... not gonna happen.

"Hey Sailor what can you servin' on?"

"The fightinest ship in the US Navy The Candytuft!"

Guarenteed to cause riots in every port of call.

Worf
 

Two Types

I'll Lock Up
Messages
5,456
Location
London, UK
That's why I find it so damn funny. Imagine all those crusty old British sailors on ships like the Candytuft!
I suppose the Royal Navy liked the idea that they could breed esprit de corps by making the crews of the Flower Class corvettes have to fight everyone they ever met whilst on shore leave.

UK & US: one language but two different senses of humour!
 

Worf

I'll Lock Up
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5,207
Location
Troy, New York, USA
That's why I find it so damn funny. Imagine all those crusty old British sailors on ships like the Candytuft!
I suppose the Royal Navy liked the idea that they could breed esprit de corps by making the crews of the Flower Class corvettes have to fight everyone they ever met whilst on shore leave.

UK & US: one language but two different senses of humour!

Yeah.... Candytuft doesn't exactly command respect like say "Dread Naught". Imagaine having fought your way across the Atlantic 10 times over and being ashamed to say the name of your ship? You may think its funny but I sure don't! Thank god I was Regular Army! They can't name my boots!

Worf
 

Worf

I'll Lock Up
Messages
5,207
Location
Troy, New York, USA
"Laura" - Caught this on "The Essentials" and recorded it. Great movie! An enduring testament to the gumption and guts of its Producer/Director Otto Preminger. He fought Zanuck tooth and nail to get this thing made. All the originally intended cast dropped out or passed on what they considered a "B" "who done it". Original Director quit/fired but Preminger wouldn't give up. Dana Andrews, Gene Tierney and Vincent Price turn in great performances but it's movie neophyte Clifton Webb who steals the show. Catch it if you can!

Worf
 
Messages
17,220
Location
New York City
Yeah.... Candytuft doesn't exactly command respect like say "Dread Naught". Imagaine having fought your way across the Atlantic 10 times over and being ashamed to say the name of your ship? You may think its funny but I sure don't! Thank god I was Regular Army! They can't name my boots!

Worf

I think it reflects a different cultural framework where the Brits have a - IMHO - a somewhat dry sense of human and and wry view of things and something (some inside humor) that, as an American, I don't get (but get that it exists), but that something makes the name Candytuft work for the British military; whereas, as Worf points out, that isn't going to fly with Americans who have a more direct sense of human and a outward machismo (this is a style point, not a comment on American versus British manliness) that wouldn't embrace Candytuft. Using WWII as an example, both countries conducted themselves with honor, bravery and dignity, but stylistically, the Brits could steam into battle on the Candytuft, the Americans wouldn't.
 
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