Favourite War films

[Neil Merryweather]

Walton never completed the full score, and his theme tune is very much in a ''fifties film' style - I've got the soundtrack CD with an 'alternate take' of Battle in the Air, and the special edition DVD you can play the whole film with what there is of Walton's work - albeit they put the piece called 'Young Siegfrieds' over one of the RAF bases rather than the Luftwaffe. Oddly, the Walton score makes the film 'feel' older. The Ju52 fly in sequence is just weird with the old theme!

I've got that DVD but never tried that-good excuse for another watch!
It IS my favourite war film by far

[Graeme C.]

A few of my favourites:
A Bridge Too Far.
Cross of Iron.
Kelly's Heroes.
Black Hawk Down.
Hurricane.
We Were Soldiers.
Stalingrad.
Full Metal Jacket.
Ice Cold in Alex.
The Deer Hunter.
Apocalypse Now.

Housewife 49, a TV movie with Victoria Wood as the housewife of the title, writing for mass observation during WW2, David Threlfall as her rather distant husband. Shows the experiences of ordinary people in Britain during the war.

[Tim Marlow]

Nice list Graeme. Good to see housewife 49 getting a look in as well. It’s a well observed drama that shows the breadth of Victoria Wood’s talent. Her high point is still ”The Ballad of Barry and Freda” though :tongue-out3:

[Steve-the-Duck]

I've got that DVD but never tried that-good excuse for another watch!
It IS my favourite war film by far

You need an excuse? As previously mentioned 'Repeat pliss'

[stillp]

Battle of Britain
Battle of the River Plate
Sink the Bismarck
Enemy at the Gates
Gallipoli
The Dambusters
Reach for the Sky

[Guest]

Not a great film fan these days, although when a youngster we would all go to the cinema as soon as a war film was released. So must have seen the majority of English and Us made war films.
These days I tend to search out Russian ones. Of course being supported by the government as you can imagine they are always portrayed in a good light.
The interesting thing is they are well made, and rely upon great numbers of military personnel to drive and act out the large battle scenes.

. This shows to top 10 .

[Airborne01]

Not a great film fan these days, although when a youngster we would all go to the cinema as soon as a war film was released. So must have seen the majority of English and Us made war films.
These days I tend to search out Russian ones. Of course being supported by the government as you can imagine they are always portrayed in a good light.
The interesting thing is they are well made, and rely upon great numbers of military personnel to drive and act out the large battle scenes.

. This shows to top 10 .

John,
Hope I'm not being too intrusive but where did your interest in all things Russian (as it appears to me) derive from?
Steve

[Nicko]

Only Russian one I've seen, I think it was called 'Ivan's War' about a young lad taking risks to pass intelligence back to the Red army....

Nick

[Guest]

John,
Hope I'm not being too intrusive but where did your interest in all things Russian (as it appears to me) derive from?
Steve

No not intrusive Steve. When I returned to modelling a few years ago I had already had great interest in the battle of Kursk and Russian history. The history of how the Russian people were treated by Stalin, and other communist leaders I found appalling. The way the Russian people were forced to fight and the great change into an industrial nation from one based on agriculture is amazing. Seeing how there was a great number of German armour builds I decided to build mainly Russian.

[Tim Marlow]

For those that are still on board, BBC 2 is with us! The black and white Dunkirk is on right now, and Battle of the River Plate was on yesterday teatime!

[Airborne01]

No not intrusive Steve. When I returned to modelling a few years ago I had already had great interest in the battle of Kursk and Russian history. The history of how the Russian people were treated by Stalin, and other communist leaders I found appalling. The way the Russian people were forced to fight and the great change into an industrial nation from one based on agriculture is amazing. Seeing how there was a great number of German armour builds I decided to build mainly Russian.

I agree, the Russian people have been very shabbily treated by their 'masters' - and even some of ours!

[Guest]

I just thought of one that I’m not sure has been mentioned yet: Tropic Thunder. Not technically a war movie but a movie about people making a war movie, but it soon starts to blend the two very much together. Also not quite a movie intended to take the subject (or itself) too seriously, of course

[dave]

going back to Band of Brothers and Pacific, l also found Pacific harder going. Having read the books associated with the two series I think the difference is Band of Brothers basically followed one book and one unit, whereas Pacific was based on several books about men in different units

[Tim Marlow]

That sums up my issue with it, there appeared to be no continuity between episodes. I’m sure there probably was, it just did feel like it.

[dave]

Looking for something to watch tonight and came across 4 films in my DVD collection that I think have gone unmentioned

a bit jingoistic but fun a couple of John Wayne’s, Flying Leathernecks and Fighting Seabees.

and a couple of good films one more modern, 303 squadron and an old black and white, The Flemish Farm