WWII Movies

[Daedalus12]

I actually want to see more US productions about the Eastern front. About its unmatched brutality, ferocity and massive scale of death and destruction. I mean more than 80% of the German forces was in the Eastern front. The scale of the war in the eastern front dwarfs any operations in the west.

For example the battle of Stalingrad lasted more than 6 months with final casualties of more than 2 million.

I love to see a movie about Zhukov's defense of Moscow in the winter of 1941.

Battle of Kursk was the by far the biggest clash of tanks ever.

Another movie about Operation Bagration would be good to..

It's good that we quickly opened a second front in Normandy or else Western Europe would've been gobbled up by the soviets.

 

[captcalhoun]

i'd love a Winter War movie or a SAS in north africa flick...

 

[Starkers]

i'd love a Winter War movie or a SAS in north africa flick...

Ooh I'd kill for a Long Range Desert Group film, or a modern working of the Battle of Britain. A Chindits film would be great too.

At times like this I always have to quote Adam and Joe's Saving Private Lion.

"Hey sarge, how come we haven't seen any British troops?"

"Don't be silly, everyone knows the second world war was fought entirely by American actors."

That said, anyone know if Peter Jackson is still planning on remaking the Dambusters?

 

[Star Wolf]

I actually want to see more US productions about the Eastern front. About its unmatched brutality, ferocity and massive scale of death and destruction. I mean more than 80% of the German forces was in the Eastern front. The scale of the war in the eastern front dwarfs any operations in the west.

For example the battle of Stalingrad lasted more than 6 months with final casualties of more than 2 million.

I love to see a movie about Zhukov's defense of Moscow in the winter of 1941.

Battle of Kursk was the by far the biggest clash of tanks ever.

Another movie about Operation Bagration would be good to..

It's good that we quickly opened a second front in Normandy or else Western Europe would've been gobbled up by the soviets.

Why would you want a US production of that. To draw in American audiences they would have to plant Tom Cruise as an OSS agent. We have already had a US submarine crew get the Enigma machine in U-571, The Long range Desert Group represented by 3 Americans and a British Sergeant in the Rat Patrol, and Errol Flynn lead US Army paratroopers in Burma where the Chindits operated in Objective Burma

 

[Star Wolf]

, or a modern working of the Battle of Britain.

How much more modern the the 1969's Battle of Britain or 1988's miniseries Piece of Cake do you want? Look at what happened with the "modern" Tora, Tora, Tora with Pearl Harbor

 

[Starkers]

, or a modern working of the Battle of Britain.

How much more modern the the 1969's Battle of Britain or 1988's miniseries Piece of Cake do you want? Look at what happened with the "modern" Tora, Tora, Tora with Pearl Harbor

Good point, and Pearl Harbour also featured the Battle of Britain with Affleck a a volunteer pilot with the RAF.

 

[Gaith]

, or a modern working of the Battle of Britain.

How much more modern the the 1969's Battle of Britain or 1988's miniseries Piece of Cake do you want? Look at what happened with the "modern" Tora, Tora, Tora with Pearl Harbor

The excellent recent BBC/HBO movie "Into the Storm" covers the Battle of Britain in its context of a Churchill biopic.

 

[Rii]

I actually want to see more US productions about the Eastern front. About its unmatched brutality, ferocity and massive scale of death and destruction. I mean more than 80% of the German forces was in the Eastern front. The scale of the war in the eastern front dwarfs any operations in the west.

For example the battle of Stalingrad lasted more than 6 months with final casualties of more than 2 million.

I love to see a movie about Zhukov's defense of Moscow in the winter of 1941.

Why would you want a US production of that.

Production values.

 

[Starbreaker]

I saw Black Book earlier this year. I really liked it. There's some good foreign stuff out there.

 

[Davros]

I actually want to see more US productions about the Eastern front. About its unmatched brutality, ferocity and massive scale of death and destruction. I mean more than 80% of the German forces was in the Eastern front. The scale of the war in the eastern front dwarfs any operations in the west.

For example the battle of Stalingrad lasted more than 6 months with final casualties of more than 2 million.

I love to see a movie about Zhukov's defense of Moscow in the winter of 1941.

Why would you want a US production of that.

Production values.

One of the best WW2 movies I ever saw was a Russian one. I wish I could remember it's name but it was in Russian.

 

[Bloodwhiner]

The PTO was widely used in movies during WW2, more so than the ETO as the fighting featuring the US started there on Dec 7 while in the ETO, it wasn't until nearly a year later in November 1942 with Operation Torch (North Africa landings).

During WW2 in the USA, people had much more interest in the PTO than the ETO as there was such deep hated for the Japanese following Pearl Harbor. The ETO was seen more as saving the Europeans yet again..

but as American's tired of war, they got tired of the PTO. There is some speculation that an invasion of Japan would have proved very unpopular with the average citizen.

But many films were based in the Pacific, just most were not the large budget productions the ETO spawned, especially after the war.

a very partial list --

30 Seconds over Tokyo
From here to Eternity
Gung Ho
Bataan
Flying Tigers
Submarine Base
Wake Island
Operation Pacific
Merrill's Mauraders
Objective Burma
The Frogmen
Battle Cry
Hellcats of the Navy
Crash Dive
Down Periscope
PT 109
Sands of Iwo Jima
Destination Tokyo
Bombardier
Air Force
Guadalcanal Diary
The Fighting Seabees
The Purple Heart
Wing and a Prayer
Back to Bataan
Pride of the Marines
Flying Leathernecks
Above and Beyond
Battle Cry
The Eternal Sea
away All Boats


and many many more

 

[Rii]

I saw Black Book earlier this year. I really liked it. There's some good foreign stuff out there.

Oh, definitely. But there are some things for which there really is no substitute for the amount of money Hollywood has to throw around; and verisimilitude in portraying something like the siege of Stalingrad is one of them.

 

[Darth Picardous]

Why would you want a US production of that.

Production values.

One of the best WW2 movies I ever saw was a Russian one. I wish I could remember it's name but it was in Russian.

Are you thinking of the German movie called Stalingrad? Lots of Russian/German tank, city and field battles.

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

Ice-Cold in Alex (1958) set in North Africa. John Mills enjoyed the 14 takes of the bar scene -- he was drinking real beer!

 

[Roger Wilco]

Does Barefoot Gen count?

 

[Lonemagpie]

Too Late The Hero's a good Pacific-Theatre movie. Michael Caine stars, and it's written and directed by the writer and director of The Dirty Dozen.

 

[Goliath]

Production values.

One of the best WW2 movies I ever saw was a Russian one. I wish I could remember it's name but it was in Russian.

Are you thinking of the German movie called Stalingrad? Lots of Russian/German tank, city and field battles.

If it was in Russian, it was more likely Come and See.

 

[Rett Mikhal]

Off the top of my head I can't think of a US aircraft that was used in the Pacific only. The nature of the Japanese and German Air Forces, the Germany first strategy and the need to escort the bomber streams into Germany saw most of the P-51s as the premier fighter go to Europe while the Pacific air commanders made due with what they had. P-40s late into the war in China and P-38s in the South Pacific. Iwo Jima was taken in part to be a P-51 base to escort B-29s into Japan.

While the Germans were able to produce "super weapons' Japans Air Forces just got further and further behind after their carriers and pilots were lost at Midway.

Ahem. The Wildcat.

I love fighter planes, I wish they would make a movie entirely about them and the men who fly them. With the failure of the poorly executed Flyboys, it seems unlikely. Although we know it failed because it had stupid characters doing stupid things for stupid reasons, Hollywood will look at it and say "PLANES = BAD FOR BUSINESS!"

C'mon, I'd love to see a movie about the Greats. Give me a movie that details Richard Bong, Erich Hartmann, Hans Marsielle, Ivan Kozhedub, or Johnnie Johnston. Here, I can even give you evidence why it would be interesting AND successful.

Richard Bong - He's an American Hero, so that's box office money in the bank. Plus he died tragically while test piloting experimental aircraft. I mean can you get more patriotic and heroic?

Hans Marsielle - His Bohemian lifestyle and odd personality would make for a good screen character, one that audiences can laugh with and feel for. I, for one, think he's one of the best pilots ever to have lived.

Erich Hartmann - He's the Blonde Knight of Germany, the Black Devil. He is the legend of legends. No one will ever surpass him. People have a fascination with the best of the best, and Erich will ALWAYS be the best, unless a fleet of alien starships warps in armed only with TIE fighters bent on conquering us.

Ivan Kozhedub - Enemy at the Gates was a big hit. Russians have sympathy going for them because of the great cost they paid and the terrible conditions they faced. Being the Ace of Russian Aces is not easy when most Russian pilots lived a week and most Russian planes fell apart in a month. There's some real character development potential.

Johnnie Johnston - Another of the all-time greats, he went against the Germans when they were fully armed, fully fueled, fully trained, and contained the best pilots in the world, and he kicked their asses. A real hero against all odds story.

 

[Star Wolf]

Off the top of my head I can't think of a US aircraft that was used in the Pacific only. The nature of the Japanese and German Air Forces, the Germany first strategy and the need to escort the bomber streams into Germany saw most of the P-51s as the premier fighter go to Europe while the Pacific air commanders made due with what they had. P-40s late into the war in China and P-38s in the South Pacific. Iwo Jima was taken in part to be a P-51 base to escort B-29s into Japan.

While the Germans were able to produce "super weapons' Japans Air Forces just got further and further behind after their carriers and pilots were lost at Midway.

Ahem. The Wildcat.

I love fighter planes, I wish they would make a movie entirely about them and the men who fly them. With the failure of the poorly executed Flyboys, it seems unlikely. Although we know it failed because it had stupid characters doing stupid things for stupid reasons, Hollywood will look at it and say "PLANES = BAD FOR BUSINESS!"

.

I was thinking USAAF fighter craft but earlier the correct answer being the B-29 was given. The Wildcat was definitely used in Europe and the Atlantic

 

[J.T.B.]

Ahem. The Wildcat.

The Wildcat what? Wasn't used in Europe? The very article linked there tells about their extensive use in the European/Atlantic theater, where they saw combat under British colors (as the Martlet) long before getting into action in the Pacific.

--Justin