WWII Films

[Naphtali]

"The Train" (1965), directed by John Frankenheimer; Burt Lancaster, Paul Scofield, Jeanne Moreau, and a wonderful German actor, Wolfgang Preiss.

"36 Hours" (1964); James Garner; Eva Marie Saint; Rod Taylor.

"Counterfeit Traitor" (1962); William Holden; Lili Palmer; Hugh Griffith. Based on fact.

"Operation Crossbow" (1965); George Peppard; Trevor Howard; Anthony Quayle.

"The McKenzie Break" (1970); Brian Keith; Helmut Griem.

"The One That Got Away" (1958); Hardy Kruger; Colin Gordon. Based on fact. The book of the same title, by Burt and Leasor was much better.

"The Gallant Hours" (1960); James Cagney; Dennis Weaver. Based on fact.
***
And back to pleasantness:

"Operation Petticoat" (1959); Cary Grant; Tony Curtis.

"Father Goose" (1964); Cary Grant; Leslie Caron; Trevor Howard.

 

[Patrick Murtha]

fftopic:
I adore Dana Andrews.

Just ordered one of his WW2 flicks where he's in Italy - can't remember the name of it, though.

A Walk in the Sun. I mentioned it in an earlier post in this thread. It is a great movie (based on an excellent novel by Harry Brown) -- one of those WWII films that is not only exciting or stirring, but original in its approach and profound in its feeling and insight. I think you'll see what I mean.

 

[DutchIndo]

I found myself buying the old BW War movies. I started buying them out of nostalgia All of us guys who are 40+ remembers watching them on Sat afternoons. Though some are as corny as hell they yield some things contemporary movies don't. I find myself studying the attitudes, domestic lifestyles (homefront)and the venacular. Venacular is something most re- enactors tend to forget. Band of Brothers was the only contemporary War
Flick that attempted any. The old BWs also still had alot of WW2 equipment still in abundance. Even in the early 70s I remember seeing boxes and boxes of Helmets. All had unit designations painted on them for 2 bucks !

 

[Dixon Cannon]

'The Enemy Below'

Did you ever notice in the film, 'The Enemy Below' - story of the U.S.S. Haynes (which itself is the story of the real U.S.S Buckley) that Robert Mitchum's character, Captain Murrell uses the word "oughtn't"! Then a crewman uses it later in the film. It's not a word used often - most people just say "shouldn't", don't they?

Why in the world was that word in the script and why didn't the actors just insist on saying "shouldn't"? "Oughtn't" just sounds stilted and phoney - like a bad script!

Did any one else notice that?... or oughtn't I?

http://www.de220.com/DE%20Index/DE634%20Whitehurst/DE634%20Whitehurst.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Buckley_(DE-51)

-dixon cannon

 

[GI Joe]

Two of William Wellman's best are Battleground (1949) and The Story of GI Joe (1945). Battleground is my all time favorite. He really captures the slang, the fear, and the cynicism of the infantry.

The Story of GI Joe (not about me!) is the story of correspondent Ernie Pyle, the GI's correspondent and is also excellent. Stars Burgess Merideth as a very good Ernie Pyle.

I recently saw an old interview with Wellman and he tells how Pyle visited the set on his way from the ETO to the Pacific. Pyle would not live to see the movie as he was killed on a small island off Iwo Jima.

 

[SamMarlowPI]

Did you ever notice in the film, 'The Enemy Below' - story of the U.S.S. Haynes (which itself is the story of the real U.S.S Buckley) that Robert Mitchum's character, Captain Murrell uses the word "oughtn't"! Then a crewman uses it later in the film. It's not a word used often - most people just say "shouldn't", don't they?

Why in the world was that word in the script and why didn't the actors just insist on saying "shouldn't"? "Oughtn't" just sounds stilted and phoney - like a bad script!

Did any one else notice that?... or oughtn't I?

http://www.de220.com/DE%20Index/DE634%20Whitehurst/DE634%20Whitehurst.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Buckley_(DE-51)

-dixon cannon

can't say that i did...maybe it was more common back in the 40's...?
it oughtn't take away from the film though...lollol

 

[SamMarlowPI]

Even in the early 70s I remember seeing boxes and boxes of Helmets. All had unit designations painted on them for 2 bucks !

 

[Patrick Murtha]

can't say that i did...maybe it was more common back in the 40's...?
it oughtn't take away from the film though...lollol

Mr. Former English/History Teacher and American Studies Major chiming in here: "Oughn't" was indeed a more common linguistic usage in earlier decades. It would not have sounded stilted in the Forties.

It's always good to be careful not to inappropriately apply our standards and norms to earlier times -- in fact, that's virtually a working definition of the "historical sense," but it's one of the hardest things to impart to students, who tend to be very "presentist" (I know from experience).

 

[Mike1973]

Has 'Sahara' (1943) had a mention yet, with Humphrey Bogart...

http://imdb.com/title/tt0036323/

Great for a wartime flag waver!

'30 seconds over Tokyo' has already been mentioned.. I love the scene where they're having trouble starting the motor on the B25,and the deck hands are moving in the push it over the side of the carrier to clear the way for the rest... It's been a while, need to watch that one again!

 

[FATS88]

ON THE HOME FRONT

I found the following "ww2" films, memorable and touching,
probably due to my melancholy personality.
Red Sky At Morning (1971)
Yanks (1979)
The File On Jill Hatch (1983) A PBS American playhouse short series GREAT!!
Summer Of '42 (1971)
The Clock (1945)
The Men (1950)
The Victors (1963)
And the CLASSIC!!
The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946)

War IS Hell on earth

FATS88

 

[Chas]

Personal favorites

Das Boot
The Best Years Of Our Lives
Der Untergang (Downfall)
The Cruel Sea
The Bridge

 

[SamMarlowPI]

Buck Privates

 

[FATS88]

ON THE HOMEFRONT PT.2

I would be much remised, if I didn't add;
The 49th Parallel (1941) An all time favorite of mine
And the sentimental:
Farewell To Manzanar (1976) Gotta Luv Lou Frizzel, great man!
Along the same theme, but superb documentaries;
Days Of Waiting (1990) http://www.truelives.org/pg_daysofwaiting.html
Rabbit In The Moon (1999) A Sundance award winner

After my parents wisely divorced, my Father had a longtime Ladyfriend,
who had been, along with her family "interned" during the war.
Isn't funny how the apple doesn't roll far from the tree?
years later I followed with a girlfriend of my very own,
who's parents suffered the same injustice.
A footnote: My Girlfriend's parents shared the same
"relocation center" with the parents of Olympic silver
medalist Kristie Yamaguchi.

FATS88

 

[SamMarlowPI]

After my parents wisely divorced, my Father had a longtime Ladyfriend,
who had been, along with her family "interned" during the war.
Isn't funny how the apple doesn't roll far from the tree?
years later I followed with a girlfriend of my very own,
who's parents suffered the same injustice.
A footnote: My Girlfriend's parents shared the same
"relocation center" with the parents of Olympic silver
medalist Kristie Yamaguchi.

FATS88

thats very interesting!

 

[DutchIndo]

I visited Manzanar on the way back from the High Sierras. I met an old man who said his friends were interned there. He was watching their propery till they were released. He told me to take a road back to other end of the camp. Back there he said was a graveyard where some of the internees were buried. It was a sad lonely sight to see some children buried there. There was also a big Buddist Shrine in the center. This Graveyard was enclosed ironically in barbwire.

 

[Story]

from Czech TV

TOBRUK
There was a Free Czech 11th Battalion that fought at Tobruk, probably what the movie is about...
http://www.ceskatelevize.cz/specialy/tobruk/index.php

Somebody wake up Bellytank

 

[Jedburgh OSS]

Pathfinders due out this summer

Here's a link to a new independent film on the 504th PIR, 82nd AB Division ala Band of Brothers style. www.pathfindersfilm.com

 

[jawisher]

Here's a link to a new independent film on the 504th PIR, 82nd AB Division ala Band of Brothers style. www.pathfindersfilm.com

Thanks for the link. That looks really interesting!

 

[Jedburgh OSS]

Concurring with previous posters...

The Story of G.I. Joe has great realism since it's based on one of Ernie Pyle's books. One of my books has a photo of him visiting the set with Burgess Meredith in make up and costume as Pyle. A few years ago this was released on VHS and DVD almost simultaneously and only about $3 difference.

I read somewhere a while back that Hell in the Pacific was filmed on the same island where star Lee Marvin was wounded as a young Marine some 25 years earlier. The crew sometimes saw him off by himself gazing into the distance probably remembering his time there. I believe a recent season of Survivor was done on this same island with several rusting relics that could be seen in the jungle.

 

[DutchIndo]

I believe the Dana Andrews movie you are refering to was "A Walk in the Sun" a great movie. Sterling Holloway AKA "Winnie the Poo" plays a Medic in this Movie along with LLoyd Bridges AKA "Steve Nelson of "Sea Hunt" fame.