War Films

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I love war films! They make me think. I love the history behind them. What are your favourites?

I love:
Glory
Enemy At The Gates
U571
Any cold war films, If they count.
Submarine films I love to. Though some of them can be so cliche.

Hmm...for some reason despite the fact I've seen huge amounts of them an obvious favorite doesn't come to mind. I like the one's you mentioned. Saving Private Ryan kind of started a whole new era of more realistic war films, although SPR oddly didn't give you the larger sense of sheer scope of, say, The Longest Day (despite the latter's lack of realism in close combat scenes). I still do enjoy older films, although some films like The Sands of Iwo Jima have aged incredibly badly. I very much enjoyed the recent Letters of Iwo Jiwa although it was perhaps somewhat too melancholy.

In sum total I suppose my favorite war film of all time might be Patton. It struck all the right notes, albeit at the same time not being entirely true to Patton the man (in private he was a gentle sort).

Robert DeNiro's character in the Deer Hunter seemed very Aspergers to me! He seemed like he'd already rehearsed every possible scenario in his head before he even got to Vietnam, and then he was so horrified and guilt-stricken when Christopher Walken fell apart emotionally. It seemed to me that he felt so guilty because his environment never really affected him, and he'd never before realized that it does affect most other people.

Ride With The Devil
Hamburger Hill
Braveheart
Gettysburg 1&2
Gallipolli
The Trench

The best war film around in my eyes is Saving Private Ryan, an incrediably moving and touching story, and it kick started a whole new era of interest in the war, i admit, due to it, i have developed a new obession about WW2, mainly because i want to learn everything about it. It's an interesting topic, and it helped me to understand more about Humanity and how much we can be tested, but at the same time, how determined we can be. I wonder if any aspies fought during the war.

I know what you mean about Saving Private Ryan. I love the realism of that movie. I admit it I am so interested in ww2. But I seem to have a fascination with all war and films about war. Gettysberg movies were awesome too! Any cival war buffs out there would love those movies. I love the BAttles scenes so much. The complexity of them.

Some others:

Black Hawk Down
Zulu (1964; about the stand by a small British garrison against 4,000 Zulu tribesman
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp Really a drama about a career soldier. It was made during the second world with in England, so there are a couple of scenes with obvious propogandish dialogue, although interestly Churchill tried to get the film blocked. A lovely story
We Were Soldiers a recent film on Vietnam

Stalingrad - 1993

This film was shot for German television and released in a subtitled version. It is hard to find but weel worth it. Gets high marks for authenticity and realism. Warning, it is a very bleak story!

Since most of WW2 took place in the Eastern Front, this is the only film that shows the reality for most of the soldiers. Over 70% of casualties in the German army were caused by Russians.

Downfall - 2005

Life in Hitler's bunker as seen through the eyes of his naive young secretary.

The Dam-Busters - 1954

More of a story of the development of the Upkeep weapon, the raid scenes are well done for the 50's. Watch out for the big-budget remake coming from Peter Jackson!

Das Boot - 1981

Accurate and intense, this film launched Wolfgang Petersen. Skip the dubbed version and get the subtitled, it's really worth it. The sub interior was built into a huge plywood tube which could be moved and rocked, hand held cameras gave it immediacy that was even more impressive considering the films age. Just a great war film with non-stop tragedy and horror. Bonus: The exterior sub mockup was also used in Raiders of the Lost Ark, which was shooting at the same time.

Saving Private Ryan
Letters from Iwo Jima
U571
The Deer Hunter
Black Hawk Down

I know it's not a war film but I liked K-19 Widowmaker for some reason.

Old fashioned ones...

The great escape, the wooden horse etc

Saving Private Ryan
Band Of Brothers (series)
Platoon

easily my fave is Apocalypse Now
but I must respect Sir Alec in Bridge over River Kwai

I'm not a big fan of war films, but Full Metal Jacket is one of my favourite films.