Anyone know good RUSSIAN films on WW2 that have at least some semblance of reality :P

Paul M. Weir

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Oh dear, oh dear!

Are there any western WW2 films that have much to do with reality? Of those the old "Longest Day", "Letters from Iwo Jima" and "A Bridge Too Far" are among the few that have a historical plot line and good effects/cinematography.

Having said that there were a few that I saw that were not too cheesy:
They Fought For Their Motherland.
The Star.
Panfilov's 28 men. : Good effects and filming, but based upon an at least partly debunked WW2 myth.
Come And See. : On partisan war in Byelorussia. Surreal and horrific. Over the top until you consider the topic and remember that films rarely fully portray the horror.
Fortress Of War. : On the Brest defence in June '41.

Those are ones that did not make my history nut's butt cheeks clench. The last two are in the "must see" category. While ahistorical, almost a fantasy, "White Tiger" is a a good attempt to portray the impression of war and the warmaker's ideology on the other side, the Russian equivalent to "The Thin Red Line" in a way.
 

Justiciar

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...Are there any western WW2 films that have much to do with reality?
Not to be unkind...but I think there are..."12 O'clock High" is I think a film which deals with reality...by extension "Memphis Belle" which draws on Wyler's documentary. Likewise, one could move on to "Das Boot"...and so on to other select films. So I am picking at your "any" if you see what I mean, which I think you do, as some one who is most often open to seeing the wider shot through the lens of history.

[Edit: I am not a film expert. Wish MajorDad would pick up here he is very knowledgeable...]
 
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fenyan

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Oh dear, oh dear!

Are there any western WW2 films that have much to do with reality? Of those the old "Longest Day", "Letters from Iwo Jima" and "A Bridge Too Far" are among the few that have a historical plot line and good effects/cinematography.

Having said that there were a few that I saw that were not too cheesy:
They Fought For Their Motherland.
The Star.
Panfilov's 28 men. : Good effects and filming, but based upon an at least partly debunked WW2 myth.
Come And See. : On partisan war in Byelorussia. Surreal and horrific. Over the top until you consider the topic and remember that films rarely fully portray the horror.
Fortress Of War. : On the Brest defence in June '41.

Those are ones that did not make my history nut's butt cheeks clench. The last two are in the "must see" category. While ahistorical, almost a fantasy, "White Tiger" is a a good attempt to portray the impression of war and the warmaker's ideology on the other side, the Russian equivalent to "The Thin Red Line" in a way.
The Star--I thought it was OK.
Come and See is quite horrific, agreed. One viewing was enough.
I believe Fortress of War = Brest Fortress? I liked this quite a bit and have kept a DVD copy.
White Tiger is rather allegorical and thoughtful, not your typical action war flick.
 

Binchois

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Have you seen the movie "Stalingrad" where scores of Russian soldiers, all lit on fire, did that massive human wave thru the rubble? Movie history!!
? Wow! Is that documentary footage?!

... exactly as described by the history books (but how do we do this in ASL?).
 

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More like, stone-fücking-crazy-beserk. ?
 

Ric of The LBC

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Oh dear, oh dear!

Are there any western WW2 films that have much to do with reality? Of those the old "Longest Day", "Letters from Iwo Jima" and "A Bridge Too Far" are among the few that have a historical plot line and good effects/cinematography.

Having said that there were a few that I saw that were not too cheesy:
They Fought For Their Motherland.
The Star.
Panfilov's 28 men. : Good effects and filming, but based upon an at least partly debunked WW2 myth.
Come And See. : On partisan war in Byelorussia. Surreal and horrific. Over the top until you consider the topic and remember that films rarely fully portray the horror.
Fortress Of War. : On the Brest defence in June '41.

Those are ones that did not make my history nut's butt cheeks clench. The last two are in the "must see" category. While ahistorical, almost a fantasy, "White Tiger" is a a good attempt to portray the impression of war and the warmaker's ideology on the other side, the Russian equivalent to "The Thin Red Line" in a way.
Pearl Harbor! Duh.


Troll alert!
 

Paul M. Weir

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Pearl Harbor! Duh.


Troll alert!
That's what happens when someone tries to combine a chick flick with a war movie :mad:, Twilight Saga anally fucking Tora! Tora! Tora!. Despite having good effects and filming, anyone who knew enough history to know that the Germans didn't bomb Pearl Harbour should be horrified.

Talking about Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970), it and its contemporary Battle Of Britain (1969) have held up very, very well in my opinion. Both are approaching their 50th birthdays, from a time when CGI was not even a film maker's wet dream.
 

Ric of The LBC

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That's what happens when someone tries to combine a chick flick with a war movie :mad:, Twilight Saga anally fucking Tora! Tora! Tora!. Despite having good effects and filming, anyone who knew enough history to know that the Germans didn't bomb Pearl Harbour should be horrified.

Talking about Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970), it and its contemporary Battle Of Britain (1969) have held up very, very well in my opinion. Both are approaching their 50th birthdays, from a time when CGI was not even a film maker's wet dream.
Concur on all accounts. Also screwing 30 Seconds over Tokyo.
 

Paul M. Weir

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The Star--I thought it was OK.
Come and See is quite horrific, agreed. One viewing was enough.
I believe Fortress of War = Brest Fortress? I liked this quite a bit and have kept a DVD copy.
White Tiger is rather allegorical and thoughtful, not your typical action war flick.
Come And See should be mandatory viewing for students of the Eastern Front, I regard it that highly.
Yes, Fortress Of War is about the Brest Fortress.
Your comment on White Tiger is a much better phrasing than my clumsy effort and better reflects what was at the back of my mind.
White Tiger always brings to mind Bertolt Brecht's “For though the world has stood up and stopped the bastard, the bitch that bore him is in heat again.”
 

Justiciar

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That's what happens when someone tries to combine a chick flick with a war movie :mad:, Twilight Saga anally fucking Tora! Tora! Tora!. Despite having good effects and filming, anyone who knew enough history to know that the Germans didn't bomb Pearl Harbour should be horrified.

Talking about Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970), it and its contemporary Battle Of Britain (1969) have held up very, very well in my opinion. Both are approaching their 50th birthdays, from a time when CGI was not even a film maker's wet dream.
You missed an umlaut in there...don't make me report you! ;)
 

MajorDad

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Are there any western WW2 films that have much to do with reality?
Not sure what it meant by reality. Movies centered on the Western Front all had issues in one form or another. Most were made for "entertainment" not to be a documentary. While some fell flat in the story department almost all failed one way or another in the realism of combat. Not until Saving Private Ryan (and Pacific) was the realism of combat addressed. But again Hollywood being Hollywood these have holes also. Movies like 12 O'clock High and Das Boot, cover topics like command and living under "challenging " conditions and do a real good job at that. War movies have come along way from the 50s, 60's and 70's. In my humble opinion, the Finish made movie "Winter War" has a lot to offer and raised the bar on technical realism with the producers getting vehicle, planes and equipment from the museums to use. As for realism the one thing movies (and documentaries ) can never capture are the smells. Only those who were there get to experience those.
 

Paul M. Weir

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Not sure what it meant by reality.
No film will be truly real, the cast nearly always get to walk away (though bad shit occasionally happens on set). I'm thinking about not having German marked M47s in sunny Spain for the Ardennes. I do make allowances for explosions beefed up with petrol for extra dramatic effect. I have no problem with StuGs mocked up on FV-432 and similar or Tigers on T-34/T-54, at least the crew made the effort.

I didn't include Saving Private Ryan simply because the underlying plot premise didn't seem right to me. YMMV. Band of Brothers and The Pacific were series rather than films. Having said that, those three get very high marks in terms of production quality and perceived realism. Despite all it's faults Pearl Harbour also ranks high in terms of special effects and equipment, however I feel its story line sucked like a tornado.

In the air war department there have been some excellent films; The Blue Max (1966), The Red Baron (1971), Memphis Belle (1990), Battle Of Britain (1969), Tora!, Tora! Tora! (1970), Aces High (1976) and Fortress (2012).
 
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MajorDad

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I'm thinking about not having German marked M47s in sunny Spain for the Ardennes. I do make allowances for explosions beefed up with petrol for extra dramatic effect.
Paul
Fully agree about the tanks. Being a combat engineer I have to shake my head at the "atomic" hand grenades or over done explosions. Normal explosions are good enough for me. One of my favorite WTF is soldiers holding the barrels of their weapons right after a fire fight. Nothing like second degree burns.:)
 
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