WW2 Movies

Though post-war, the following films reflected a alternate view of things.

The One That Got Away - based upon a true story of the only German POW to escape from a camp in Canada, make it to the US (then neutral) and return to Germany...it's actually a British film, but a good story.

Battle of El Alimain - a really cheesy italian made film (dubbed into english) about a fictional unit that fights to the last man and bullet.

Das Boot - a fantastic film shows the Atlantic War from the perspective of the Kriegsmarine.

Zero Pilot - a pseudo-biography of Saburo Sakai made in the mid-1970s...larger than life characters, cheesy model effects that are impressive in their scale, but worth a watch.

Nat

enemy at the gates?

mid-1970s...larger

Sounds more like a Godzilla movie!

Captain Corelli's Mandolin. No don't laugh, I really enjoyed it.

very OT: speaking of different point of views, this thread made me recall the old, bad joke about what the Bonanza tv show was called in China: "Hop Sing-King of the West"

sorry

Craig

Les Pickstock wrote:

Hollywood put out one from the German POV but it wasn't well received at the time. I guess they just weren't ready for that in the 50s. It's called "A Time to Love and A Time to Die". I haven't found it on DVD, but AMC or one of the others have shown it before.

"Tora! Tora! Tora!" was something of a collaborative effort. The Japanese POV of the story was shot by a Japanese production company and the US side of it by an American company.

"Zvezda" is a high quality Russian production froma few years ago that tells the story of a Soviet detail out and about behind enemy lines on the Eastern Front. It's as professional a job as you'd expect from a big budget US production. So far though the DVD release is only in Russian with no sub titles. If they'd remedy that, a.lot more people would know about this film.

I seem to recalll more than a few Italian efforts from the 60s-70s, but they are so low-brow amateurish they're not worth mentioning. No squinty eyed Clint cast in them to make them respectable. ;-)

The German film that stands out in my mind is "Stalingrad". THAT is an interesting film.

WmB

To reply, get the HECK out of there snipped-for-privacy@earthlink.net

[snipped]

Damn! Now you've reminded me of a film on cable many years ago whilst scanning the channels. On RTL (possibly) it was a British sub film with the Brits speaking German. The whole plot seemed to lose sense as one sub fought it out with one from the Axis forces. The funniest film ever and I'm annoyed I didn't record it.

Richard.

That's mainly from the Russian POV.

WmB wrote

'A Time to Love and a Time to Die' was adapted from a book by Remarque (as was the also from the German viewpoint 'All Quiet on the Western Front') but apparently without getting the same popularity. Perhaps everyone thought that WW2 had actually been worth the effort...

....an Italian Army unit that fought to the last man and bullet? Fictional is right! ;~)

. "The world would be a much simpler place if every one could pick and choose their obligations, but we can't and we shouldn't." Major Charles W. Whittlesey

I recommend "Die Brücke"

Surprisingly enough it even seems to be available on DVD. I also like the book. I was particularly moved by it when reading it for the first time at the same age as the depicted characters.

Mikko

I'd love to see some WWII Japanese movies like "Hayabusa pilot" available in the west. Cheers,

The Keeper (of too much crap)

snipped-for-privacy@aol.com (Bill Woodier) wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@mb-m12.aol.com:

The Italian men were good soldiers. I think the bad rap comes from bad officers. Maybe not immediate line officeres but those above.

How about "Summer of My German Soldier" with Bruce Davison as a German POW in the US who hooks up with a local jewish girl played by Kristy McNichol.

Snip...

Hi.

I recommend the Finnish classic: Tuntematon sotilas by Edwin Laine (The Unknown soldier).

1955 (B&W).

Sam Peckinpah: Iron Cross 1977, Do I have to say more?

My all time war movie favourite is:

Samuel Fuller: The Big Red One. 1980.

R: AJ.

You just reminded me of "What Did You Do In The War, Daddy?" about a town in Sicily that surrendered, after the soccer match. Dick Shawn, Carroll O'Conner, and Harry Morgan. Harry Morgan was hilarious when he got lost in the catacombs....

-- John The history of things that didn't happen has never been written. . - - - Henry Kissinger

Several (ca. 10+) years ago I saw most of an Italian-British(?) co-produced movie about the Italian Colonial War in Libya in the mid-'30s. (Unfortunately I didn't catch the title and couldn't make out any of the names on the credits.)

No one mentioned the excellent WWII movie, "The Man Who Never Was". True life account how the British Navy deceived the Germans about the invasion landing location.

Jeff