best WWII movie

[JohnKleeb]

WWII always has interested me, and I often wonder what it would be like to be in that war and yes this may suprise you as an admitted near pacifist but I would have enlisted in it. I also love WWII video games, so on a side note discuss your favorite WWII games too.
My favorite movies are Band of Brothers, Saving Private Ryan, and Enemy at the Gates, I need to see more though, though its hard to find many of them on DVD. As for games I love Call of Duty, Medal of Honor, and BF1942.

[LadeJarl]

1. It's got to be Patton

I loved that movie when I saw it back in the 70's for the first time (at least i think it was the 70's, I'm getting old ...) George C. Scott is awesome in the role as Patton.

[tom_paine]

8. Another vote for "Patton"

"The trick in war is to make the other poor dumb bastard die for HIS country."
--"Patton", George C. Scott

[LagaLover]

19. No doubt, Patton.

[Jack from Charlotte]

82. The thing about Patton was..................

his method of using up his men in meat grinder fashion wasn't the best method, IMO. MacArthur was appalled by Patton's methods and used up far fewer men doing what he did.

Also, Patton wasn't that gruff voiced guy portrayed. He had a very high, squeaky voice.....

But, the question had to do with the movie so this stuff is probably not germane to the question.

[Mr. Blonde]

90. From what I have read

You are right Patton had a high squeaky voice, but he remained a great motivator. I don't really recall him using his men in a meat grinder fashion. Most soldiers when asked what army they were in will give the army and division and so, but when they were with Patton that is the first thing out of their mouth. He was very much loved by his soldiers. If I felt I was being thrown into the meat grinder by someone I would hate that sonofabitch.

[WillyBrandt]

104. Absolutely patton

[Feanorcurufinwe]

2. Kelly's Heroes

Oh, I know it's not serious like the ones you've listed, but it's my favorite.

[JohnKleeb]

6. whats that about? Ive never heard of it

I loved the Great Escape too, that sounds like a movie out of that era.

[Catholic Sensation]

7. It's hilarious

all I can say, one of the funniest movies

[Feanorcurufinwe]

26. It's a classic - check it out

Plot: During World War II, Lieutenant Kelly (Clint Eastwood) learns of a German bank located behind enemy lines containing 16 million dollars in gold bars. His platoon, led by Big Joe (Telly Savalas), has three days of R&R coming, so, with the aid of hustler Crapgame (Don Rickles), anachronistic hippie Oddball (Donald Sutherland), three Sherman tanks and a touch of irreverence, Kelly leads his men deep into enemy territory to steal the gold for themselves, followed by a Patton-parody general (Carol O'Connor).



Yeah, The Great Escape is high on my list as well.

[Jack from Charlotte]

83. There's line in there I think of now and then......

The Germain tanker is blocking the bank that's got the gold. Everyone's trying to figure out a way to blow him away. Rickles says, "Forget that. Cut a deal. Cut a deal." So rather than getting a bunch of people killed, they cut a deal with the Germans to get a share of the gold.

There's a lesson, there.

[southpaw]

52. Absolutely "Kelly's Heroes"

Donald Sutherland alone is worth the price of admission!

"...It's a mother-beautiful bridge... and its gonna be there!"

[BrotherBuzz]

74. Oddball (Sutherland) was the movie!

"Why don't you knock it off with them negative waves? ..."

[lapfog_1]

76. Absolutely

And best WWII comedy is...

Operation Petticoat?
others

[Champ]

3. I haven't seen any of those

I played Medal of Honor but it was too easy for me. Real Easy it was so ridiculous, I beat in one week and felt like I wasted my $40. It was the ugliest and most unnecessary war ever started(emphasis on started, I don't think it was completely wrong for the US to jump in) in history imo.

[ieoeja]

27. I would rank WW-I as both uglier and less necessary.

Gas warfare. More than a 100k killed in a single day's battle on more than one occasion. And as to unnecessary ... explain to me again how a Serb killing an Austrian leads to England declaring war on Germany?

[Champ]

41. Your right

But I really don't want to argue which war is uglier and unnecessary then others, all wars are ugly and unnecessary imo.

[JohnKleeb]

42. which is why I sorta am a pacifist

Read some Hemingway today in English, very interesting, thats a whole other thread though lol.

[sir_captain]

49. US Civil War

is pretty up there on the ugliness factor, too, though clearly necessary

[fudge stripe cookays]

55. Did you see the Lost Battalion on A & E last weekend?

Depressing as hell, but a good film. I'd heard about the group, but did an internet search and found a good Web page on it.

They got trapped in a pocket behind German lines for days and out of over 600 men, only 200 walked out. They had almost no food, water, or ammunition.

When the Germans wanted to get them to surrender, one of the captured guys told him, "These are Italians and Jews and Micks, not just regular Americans. These are a bunch of gangsters from New York. They'll never surrender to you."

And they didn't. The lead major (Whittlesey) ended up committing suicide after the war because of the guilt and sadness.

[x-g.o.p.er]

95. Awesome movie...

Rick Schroeder was fantastic as Whittlesey

[JohnKleeb]

33. Call of Duty is pretty cool

They have the Russians and you know how I feel abotu the Russians, my comrades :D.

[GOPisEvil]

4. Wow...there are so many good ones.

In addition to the ones you list:

Midway
The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell
The Sands of Iwo Jima
Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo
The Caine Mutiny

My favorite WWII movie is The Longest Day, though.

[billyf65]

9. In Harm's Way

...Last week had a thread about fave GOP actors - and Jimmy Stewart seemed to be winning -deservedly.

But it is hard not to like the Duke -- and I thought he was very good in In Harm's Way.

Also "From Here to Eternity."

Of course it is simply a drama set within a war-era setting, but you have to love Sinatra, and my step-father in law was in it (uncredited - he was an army sargeant at the time of filming).

[GOPisEvil]

15. Well, The Caine Mutiny is the same way. WWII is the setting.

In Harm's Way is a good flick.

[Supormom]

43. Favorite GOP actors?

But aren't you missing Ronnie Reagun? I believe he was in "Stage Door Canteen"
:evilgrin:

[JohnKleeb]

23. you know Ive said this before but my relative was on Iwo

He didnt make it out unfortunely, and what Truman said to his sister is one of two reasons why despite my uneasyness with the A-bomb has me respecting and admiring Truman.

[Catholic Sensation]

5. Saving Ryan's Privates

That aroused a lot of "emotions" in me ;)

[meegbear]

22. Shaving Ryan's Privates

for the fetish people everywhere.

[LiviaOlivia]

109. The first half was excellent. Matt Damon ruined the 2nd half.

If the you watch it closely Ryan(Damon)is completely inconsistent. He is supposedly a good old farm boy but his dialog is 1990's.

Damon and the writers fucked up totally.

[Fenris]

10. Right there with you Kleeb

World War II is the only war I think I would have signed up for, and I'm pretty pacifistic. My favorite World War II movie would have to be the German film Stalingrad, but in terms of capturing the essence of WWII from the American perspective and being the best WWII movie, I'd have to say Band of Brothers takes the cake.I doubt anyone could ever top the epic filmaking that went into it.

I remember loving the original Medal of Honor and it's sequal on the PSOne, but I haven't played any others in the series. When I was younger I was obsessed with Talonsoft's East Front. I am a total strategy geek, so Talonsoft's WWII games appealed to me.

[jdsmith]

11. "Sands of Iwo Jima" for Right Wing research

Newt Gingrich's and Pat Buchanan's favorite.

Lock and load!

[JohnKleeb]

28. it is eh, its a John Wayne movie

however those two would freak if they knew about Mike, who was a Slovak immigrant, braver then they ever were. RIP man.

[BigMcLargehuge]

12. The Big Red One

Sam Fuller's autobiography of his experience in the 1st Infantry Division.

[redqueen]

29. I loved that movie too.

I haven't seen all the options in the OP, but of the ones I did see, Band of Brothers is my favorite.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

13. 'Where Eagles Dare'!

Clint Eastwood, Richard Burton and Ingrid Pitt against an impenetrable Mountain Fortress. It doesn't get any better than that!

[sir_captain]

44. You are absolutely correct

Where Eagles Dare rules

[blackcat77]

14. Casablanca

I know there are no combat scenes in it, but the fight against fascism is what the film is all about.

If I had to pick a military film, it would be "The Fighting Seabees" with John Wayne, Susan Haward and William Frawley. It's pure propaganda but it's entertaining and has a message. Close behind that would be "Action in the North Atlantic" with Humphrey Bogart, Raymond Massey and Alan Hale which glorified the Merchant Marine. It has every cliche in the book but makes it work anyway.

[Catholic Sensation]

17. I was about to suggest that

That movie and Manchurian Candidate are my favorite classic movies not starring the Marx Brothers.

[quisp]

16. you forgot

Pearl Harbor (truly amazing CGI work) and

Midway (with Charlton Heston, in SensaRound)

I would have to say Band of Brothers is the best; great acting, painstaking historical details and real life true stories.

[quisp]

25. Oh yeah

and Das Boot. Fantastic!

[redqueen]

35. Das Boot is one of my all time favorites

Love that film!

[rppper]

91. awsome movie...awsome

as a submariner, i can tell you that Das Boot is hands down the most gritty, realistic submarine movie ever made. anyone who has ever rode one of those submersible steel sewer pipes will tell you the same.....

as for the poll, "enemy at the gates" gets my vote, although there are some great choices. another great movie about a war-front which is often overlooked.

my personal favorite WWII flick?...."Murphy's War",set in the closing days of WWII, it is about a merchant mariner who's boat was torpedoed and the crew machine gunned in the water by a german submarine. his hate for the germans and his retrobution towards the sub becomes his ultimate undoing. great movie...esp if you are a peter o'toole fan. do yourself a favor and rent it.

[Kellanved]

50. and Stalingrad. eom

[fudge stripe cookays]

56. Yes, gory but good.

That one guy getting completely blown in half was horrible.

[JohnKleeb]

61. I wanna see that,

[sir_captain]

51. You actually liked Pearl Harbor?

I literally thought it was one of the worst movies I had ever seen

[jdsmith]

18. "Great Escape," "Dirty Dozen," and "Stalag 17" for fun

Each requires that you watch. You're flipping channels and you just have to stop and sit there till it's over.

(I'm assuming that you are a guy, of course. Women tend not to shout out "'Great Escape'! Cool!")

[GOPisEvil]

24. Oooooh..Stalag 17!

Excellent choice! :thumbsup:

[JohnKleeb]

30. of course I am a guy lol

yeah I have the Great Escape. Great movie.

[Catholic Sensation]

20. You forgot The Great Dictator

:grr:

[sir_captain]

45. Chaplin

is pretty much my god, but I'm not sure I'd vote for Great Dictator, though it deserves to be on the list. Other than the globe scene and the scene where the Charlie shaves his customer in time to the waltz, I really think Great Dictator pales in comparison to his silent films.

But yes, it should be on the list. It's still the only film made during WWII that dealt at all with the plight of the Jews.

[Catholic Sensation]

63. i thought the scene where chaplin and the mousolini guy

were going at each other with the barbershop chairs, and whenever Chaplin would speak in German was hilarious

[sir_captain]

66. yeah

that scene is pretty good too

no real knock on great dictator--it just seemed that he was a little out of his element in the scenes where there was a lot of dialogue

[Ganja Ninja]

21. Das Boot was pretty good.

[section321]

31. I voted for The Longest Day...

but its pretty close with Patton.

I watched Patton this weekend. That guy was without a doubt one of the greatest generals America ever had. Of course, great general aren't the only thing needed to win wars...

[Jack from Charlotte]

84. An irony about that movie hit me between the eyes.......

John Wayne's character is on the beach talking to Eddie Albert's character. Eddie Albert's character says to Wayne's... "we're getting beat, Think we should call the ships to take us out?" Of course, Big tough Wayne screams, "No way. we're going forward."

Albert's character was portrayed as a wimp while Wayne was a tough, macho guy......... But what did those 2 do in the REAL war?

Eddie Albert was a Marine at Tarawa, the most horrible friggin' landing in the whole war. He drove a landing craft taking men to the beach. The planning was a joke because the planners sent the men in during low tide. There was a reef that stopped the boats about 1/2 mile off shore. The water was so full of bodies of American troops the boats could barely make shore. That's what Eddie Albert did during WWII.

And right wing John Wayne..... he got out because he listed himself as sole support of his mother, even though he was a millionaire and could have left enough money for his mother to live lavishly.

Sort of like today, isn't it. One guy's a highly decorated war hero and one guy dresses up in pilots garb.

[crimson333]

102. It was Robert Mitchum

not John Wayne on the beach with Eddie Albert. John Wayne was a paratrooper in the movie

[rucky]

32. The Train

Burt Lanchaster

See it!

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

80. That was a good movie..but its been years since ive seen it?

not too bad.

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

81. The Triple Cross?

A spy movie, I think, set during the war?

[GOPisEvil]

34. More movies!!!!

The Bridge At Remagen
Battle Of The Bulge
Von Ryan's Express
To Hell And Back

[JohnKleeb]

36. you know I was gonna have a WWII week last week

but I got hooked in the lounge last week so thus I am on episode 4 of BoB not finished with it. I gotta get two of my MOH's replaced too, damn no voice acting.

[fudge stripe cookays]

54. I love Von Ryan

The poor befuddled priest they have masquerade as the German is hilarious.

And Trevor Howard makes that movie. "Slap your glove on your leg! That's what the bloody Boche have! Style!"

[Nailzberg]

37. It would have been close between Tora Tora Tora and Patton

But I just watched some of Band of Brothers while it's been showing on the History channel this past week, and I'm ready to go buy the DVD so I can see the rest of it.

It gets my vote, although I believe it is technically a mini-series, and shouldn't compete with regular movies, which are more restricted in length.

Someone also mentioned Das Boot as an "other" vote, which is awesome as well.

Saving Private Ryan, which I will give credit for it's realistic depiction of war, loses credit in my book for being filled with a squad of stock, cliche characters reminiscent of dozens of non-memorable WWII flicks previously churned out by Hollywood, although far superior on a technical level.

[JohnKleeb]

39. I own the DVD, its great

great acting by mostly amateurs too IMO and the affects are great. I havent been watching it on the history channel since I own the DVD, I started again last week when I was ill and am at the Operation Market Garden part, which IMO is a battle that is never learned in history class, I of course know why, the aliies lost.

[JVS]

38. Band of Brothers is not a movie

it should be inelgible for this poll

[JohnKleeb]

40. ya know, I make mistakes, sorry

[sir_captain]

46. Saving Private Ryan is really bad

imho. Sure, it has a very visceral opening, but the plot and characterization is utterly non-existent; the "framing" of Matt Damon's character in the present is awful, and the whole "eaaaaaaarn it" from Tom Hanks as he dies is utter nonsense.

Band of Brothers, though not really a movie, is miles better.

That said, I'd vote for Patton, Where Eagles Dare, and The Great Escape

[Cush]

60. agree

great opening, but the rest was a let down

[tjwash]

68. It was full of technical mistakes too...

Like in the beginning, where we see the invasion of Normandy, and Tom Hanks arrives at the beach. But the beaches weren't taken until invasion wave 3. There were 3 waves of invasion waves. The first wave were all but slaughtered...few of the men survived. But because there are NO dead bodies on the beaches when Tom Hanks and his men arrive we assume he is with the first wave. But Tom Hanks and his invasion wave take the beaches...

[sir_captain]

72. Good call

[sir_captain]

47. From Here to Eternity

deserves to be on the list as well.

[sir_captain]

48. Oh, wait, I got it

Ernst Lubitsch's To Be or Not to Be

Awesome, awesome movie

[solinvictus]

53. Bridge Too Far

[fudge stripe cookays]

57. Ever seen "Come and See" ?

Russian film with subtitles. And one of the most brutal and real-life depictions of war I've seen. We're talking battle, rape, scorched earth, the whole shebang.

[makhno]

103. Best war movie ever

Indeed it is. Shows you what war's about without any of that bullshit Band of Brothers machismo.

[2bfree]

58. The Best Years of Our Lives.

One of my favorite movies of all time. Stallag 17, The Great Escape also come to mind.

[dryan]

59. dryan

The Best Years of our Lives
Casablanca

Best war movie ever made - All Quiet on the Western Front - the original from the 1930s

[sir_captain]

64. What a good call

by far the best movie about veterans of any war

[Duncan Grant]

75. One more vote for "The Best Years of Our Lives". n/t

[Jack from Charlotte]

86. Another vote here. That film was made during the post war years

which are known as the "Film Noir" years. Film Black.... meaning they were not making happy, good times films during that time.

"Best years" is pretty dark with a guy having wife problems, another with no arms, and another who's an alcoholic.

It's truly a great film, I must say.

[Piperay]

115. I agree

Best Years of Our Lives it's the best of the best, that's the one I was going to list. :thumbsup:

[bmbmd]

62. How about PT 109

aren't you guys Democrats?

[dryan]

65. PT 109 was so-so

[sir_captain]

67. i think it was a better book

than movie, personally

[EstimatedProphet]

69. The Guns of Navarrone!

How is that not on your list?

[blindpig]

70. Cross of Iron

James Coburn, Maximillian Shnell(sp?). Vietnam era production. You really need to track this one down, John, it's the best. Eastern Front, our protagonist Germans. Attention to detail enough to make a WWII buff weep. Like all of the best war movies this one is anti-war. Enjoy.

[BringEmOn]

71. Windtalkers

Patton
Saving Private Ryan
The Dirty Dozen

[NNadir]

73. Thin Red Line. The movie is deliberately confusing to reflect the

confusion of war. The facelessness of it is awe inspiring.

[Paladin]

77. Sorry, I Just Can't Reduce It To One Favorite

As far as I'm concerned, it's a four-way tie between "From Here To Eternity," "Twelve O'Clock High," "Bridge On The River Kwai," and "Saving Private Ryan," with about a hundred honorable mentions for interesting efforts like "The Big Red One."

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

78. Das Boot.,,.(other). but Patton was ok too.

not a war movie fan.

[Norbert]

79. The Big Red One

The very best Lee Marvin movie ever.

Probably Mark Hamill's best non-Luke Skywalker performance.

I knew this thread would get messy. There are many, many good WW2 movies around.

[Reciprocity]

107. The best Lee Marvin movie besides The Big Red One was Paint Your Wagon.

[LanternWaste]

85. The recent ones are good... but hit the original source material.

The recent ones are really good... Band of Brothers (taking the top spot) follwed by The Thin Red Line, Enemy at the Gates and Saving Private Ryan.

A lot of the films made in the forties and fifties were, as propoganda films good also, but to get into the heads of the vets, try the film, The Best Years of our Lives made in '46 or '47. It's arguably considered one of the best anti-war films ever made.

But seriously, go more towards the books that these films were based on rather than the films. Band of Brothers and Enemy at the Gates are wonderful books, giving you a greater insight into the lives of the soldiers than a film could ever propose to do.

Also, try Studs Terkel's oral history, "The Good War". It's full of interviews with soldiers, generals, politicians, POW's and even guys who worked far behind the lines. Very insightful stuff. Give it a try.

[Blue_Tires]

87. that can't be a real poll.....

without the Dirty Dozen or the Great Escape....lol

[MrSlayer]

88. I always win the war as Germany in war games.

Iron Strike, Axis and Allies, Rise of the Third Reich, Panzer Leader, Battle of the Bulge etc.

Private Ryan wins the movie battle simply for the first 25 minutes. Saw it 4 times in the theater just for that scene.

[Snoggera]

89. Stalag 17 n/t

[bigwillq]

92. SPR-The D-Da y invasion was visually spectacular

And the other battle scenes were top notch.

Also, Tom Hanks really impressed me. I don't usually like him but I think he should have gotten the Oscar for that instead of the two films he won it for (Gump and Philadelphia).

[sir_captain]

96. Really?

I thought he was really hammy. Particularly in that ridiculous portion of the film where he groaned "Eaaaaaarn it" at Matt Damon. That is not good writing.

[MrSandman]

93. The Enemy Below...

Robert Mitchum and Curt Jurgens.
Study in the human at war.

Das Boot.

[SayitAintSo]

94. We Were Soldiers - Mel Gibson

I LOVED that movie...

[JohnKleeb]

110. great movie but thats not WWII

[markses]

112. I thought it sucked

Didn't even really honor the book. The book describes the several days of battle - first at LZ X-Ray, which was substantially won by Moore and his men, then on the subsequent march to LZ Albany, during which march the Cav was ambushed along the whole line and picked apart in savage fighting. The film only shows the first part - at LZ X-Ray. Now, clearly Moore was not present for the LZ Albany march, and so Gibson could not have been the star there, but it still struck me as ridiculous to go into so much detail on the victory while hedging on the more interesting story - the adaptive capacity and will of the PAVN even in the face of the defeat at LZ XRay. Aaaaaanyway....

[SayitAintSo]

121. Oops ... your right ! I need to read better

Loved the movie - thought it was a great study on leadership.

[markses]

111. We Were Soldiers is about the Vietnam War, friend

Not WWII. Specifically, it is about the Ia Drang Valley Campaign of November 1965, based on the book by Hal Moore and Joe Galloway.

[SarahB]

97. Bridge on River Kwai

Now, I fully admit, WW2 movies are not my favorite genre, but being the daughter of a massive WW2 buff and the wife of a guy who likes movies "for guys who like movies", I've seen enough of these (all I think) to pick one I remember actually getting into just a tad when watching it.

[number6]

98. I like all of those ....

The Dirty Dozen
The Guns of Navarrone
Bridge Too Far
The Bridge At Remagen
Battle Of The Bulge
Von Ryan's Express
To Hell And Back
Great Escape
Where Eagles Dare
Kelly's Heroes

[ironflange]

99. Here are a couple of obtuse ones

Life is Beautiful

Cabaret - sort of a prequel to the whole thing

[PopSixSquish]

100. The Big Red One

"The only glory in war is surviving" The scenes where the squad liberates the Czeh concentration camp are quite good and Mark Hamil gives the performance of his career.

[dogman]

101. Hell Is For Heroes

[VOX]

105. Report From the Aleutians, The Battle of San Pietro, Let There Be Light...

Three astonishing documentaries made during the war (two on the battlefield) by noted director John Houston. These are tough to find, but worth the effort -- they are unforgetable, particularly Let There Be Light, which deals with GIs who have been mentally and emotionally scarred by combat. The film was kept classified for decades after the war.

As for Hollywood's better efforts, some interesting films are Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, A Walk in the Sun, Best Years of Our Lives, Guadalcanal Diary, Empire of the Sun, The Purple Heart (amazing propaganda piece about captured U.S. airmen being tortured by Japanese)...

[Reciprocity]

106. The Big Red One.

[mohinoaklawnillinois]

108. My favorites are:

1. Enemy at the Gate
2. Mister Roberts
3. Stalag 17
4. Saving Private Ryan
5. The Caine Mutiny
6. The Longest Day
7. Von Ryan's Express
8. A Bridge Too Far
9. The Bridge over the River Kwai
10. Midway

[patriotvoice]

113. Return to Wolfenstein

Not exactly a movie, but damn entertaining.

[Forkboy]

114. Stalingrad,hands down

depressing as can be but what a movie!

[gonefishing]

116. I can't believe I made it through the list and didn't find..

Catch 22
Platoon
Apocalypse Now

[2bfree]

117. This is a WWII thread.......

Two out three ain't bad. :)

[gonefishing]

119. That's what I get for trying to be clever at 4am!

[electricmonk]

118. Battleground

I was always partial to that movie. Haven't seen it in years but I remember being really impressed by it. Not a big budget action film but focusing more on how one squad deals with the Battle of the Bulge.

I would like to see more movies made about the Eastern Front. Having read a couple books about Stalingrad it's incredible what they went through and I think there would be tons of stories that would make great movies. But I guess they won't get made since there's no dashing, handsome American officer that rides in and saves the day in any of them.

[BlackVelvetElvis]

123. Battleground is one of my favorites

I love movies based on WWII. I'm surprised I've seen so few (based on this forum).

[ZenLefty]

120. Das Boot

n/t

[ohiosmith]

122. Enemies at the Gate.