Favorite War Movie

[Harold]

My Favorite War Movie is on TCM at 6:00 PM EST;

Battleground
118 mins.

This realistic World War II drama centers on the 101st Airborne Division's role in the Battle of the Bulge. Surrounded by Germans who are making a supreme effort to turn the tide of the war, the “Screaming Eagles” defend Bastogne in the winter of 1944.

Cast: Van Johnson, Ricardo Montalban, John Hodiak, George Murphy, James Whitmore, Douglas Fowley, Jerome Courtland, Leon Ames, Richard Jaeckel, Don Taylor, James Arness, Bruce Cowling, Scotty Beckett, Marshall Thompson

[CHANCE]

GOOD!! choice Harold it's about the best war movie i've seen very real
VERY GOOD!!!!!!!!!!

[Robbie]

Hi Harold

The best war movie I have ever seen is 'The Longest Day' is is epic in all proportions.

A Bridge to far is also quite good.

[itdo]

what's really astonishing in "Battleground": it was completely made on a soundstage! And yet the scenes in the snow and in the woods are so realistic. Compared to the Bastogne scenes in the "Band of Brothers", made by Spielberg with new techniques, "Battleground" still rules.

[dukefan1]

I havn't seen Battleground ,but by the description, I am sorry I missed it. As for Band Of Brothers , I think that was an awsome movie. It caught the horrors of war and the men who lived it to show those of us what it really must have been like. I think the best battle scene ever caught on tape had to be the beginning of Saving Private Ryan . After watching that scene, I have no idea what it took to make yourself charge up that beach. The guts those fighting men had!! Dukefan1

[CHANCE]

Thanks for the info itdo are you sure it was made on a soundstage if so they've done one HELL of a job great movie.

[itdo]

Yes, so I've read. Up to that point, they could reproduce snow quite realistically (only a year or so before, It's a Wonderful Life won a prize for the fake snow they invented). Maybe there are just a couple of shots in it done in real snow, just to establish a snowy landscape in general, to cut in for the soundstage shots.
The Bastogne part of Band of Brothers also had the benefits of a soundstage, all the effects (like the exhaling) were added afterwards, but I think Battleground captured the cold (and the sound of the cold) even better.

BTW, talking about soundstages and naming The Longest Day in this topic - did you realize that all of Wayne's & Stu Whitman's and Red Button's scenes in Sainte-Mère Eglise were made on a soundstage? Only the long shots with extras were shot in the actual French town. If you never noticed, next time you watch it, check the tower in the background of the shot when a wounded Red Buttons grabs his rifle as Stuart Whitman asks him "Where is everybody" - and he can't hear and points to the (fake) churchtower with his parachute in the background.

I'm told the ammo wagon Wayne rides when his foot is broken is actually with somebody here in Switzerland, a collector; never had a chance to visit him yet - but I hope to see that one in the future.

[Slugaholic86]

THE THIN RED LINE

[DukePilgrim]

My favourite would be Battle of Britain which encapsulates that particular time period in the war and you can always find something new which each viewing.

Mike

[SXViper]

I have many favorite war movie's. All of the above are fine examples, except for maybe "The Thin Red Line", that was awful in my opinion. Anyways, my favorite would have to be "The Great Escape". Great cast, on location in Germany, and the king of cool, Steve McQueen.

[Robbie]

A war movie that took me by complete surprise was the superior 'Downfall'. This movie charted to last thirteen days of Hitler and I found it much better than Schlinders List. It extremely graphic but also very authentic and it does bring a human side to the story by showing how much the German people suffered during the war.

[The Ringo Kid]

If Decision Before Dawn could be classified as a war movie, it definately would be my favorite. As there is not much combat shown, I don't really classify it as such and would definately choose: Cross of Iron, as my all-time most favorite war movie. Stalingrad, with Thomas Kretschmenn, is a close second. The original version of Stalingrad, made in 1957? and was called: Stalingrad: Dogs Do You Want To Live Forever) is an excellent film as well as Die Brucke and Hannible Brooks which starred: Oliver Reed, Til Kiwi, Wolfgang Priess, James Donald, Helmut Lohner and Michael J. Pollard. This film I like in particular because of it's on-location filming, usage of real uniforms, insignia, weapons, vehicles and such.