January 2005 Dispatches/Top 10 War Movies

[Neepster]

ZULU!!!! We need Zulu on the list. That is the all time best movie about a small force holding out against all odds. A little Brit Discipline and the perseverance of the welsh will win out any day!

How about Zulu Dawn as well? Sure Zulu and Rourke's Drift is cool, but the epic (and ultimately disastrous) battle of Isandlwana is amazing. Zulu Dawn was the first movie I'd ever seen with a cast of thousands that tried to recreate a battle.

And I have to throw in Stalingrad (German version) for consideration as well.

 

[GeorgiaDixie]

I'm agree with most of the list and after reading all the comments in the thread, I agree with a lot of them too! Since you put "War Films" in parantheses I won't say anything about the fact that several of the films aren't really about "war", but mostly about prisoners, court rooms, and training. I have to admit I have not seen two of the films on the primary list (Breaker Morant and Ballad of a Soldier), but don't think that more obscure movies should be on the list. I also have to say that I too don't understand how Enemy at the Gates got ahead of Saving Private Ryan or Gettysburg (I had to put my Civil War film in there!) or The Patriot for the honorable mention. True, it had excellent parts, but so did the SPR and I thought Gettysburg and The Patriot were just spectacular throughout. And the absence of one John Wayne movie (Sands of Iwo Jima, Green Berets, Horse Soldiers, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, Fort Apache, etc.) really got me.

P.S.- Luckily you said you'd be making a separate John Wayne list or I would have blown a gasket!

 

[rsjrev]

Personal favorites:

"To Hell and Back"

"The Boys in Company C"

 

[Bow]

What ever happend to " They were expendable" about PT boats at teh start of the Pacific war and includes " the Duke"

Bow on the island

per ardua ad astra

 

[GeorgiaDixie]

What ever happend to " They were expendable" about PT boats at teh start of the Pacific war and includes " the Duke"

Bow on the island

per ardua ad astra

I think it was excluded, along with the other John Wayne movies. Otherwise, you'd have to have at least one on the list. I'd have a hard time picking just one, though.

 

[JeremyScott]

Everything John Wayne, well except the conquerer

 

[Argos]

It's late and I have to work early, so I didn't really get the time to read through this as thoroughly as I'd have liked, but only one place (the first post) did I see my all-time favorite war movie listed...The Longest Day. Maybe, as was said about The Green Berets, it hasn't "aged well," but for its time it was (in my humble opinion) an outstanding movie. Discussing its what the film accomplished cinematically isn't really what these forum are about, but I found the fact that, unlike just about every other movie ever made (with the exception of Dog Day Afternoon, decidely NOT a war movie), The Longest Day used a musical score only very sparingly, which gave it a sense of realism that was probaly all out of proportion with its accuracy.

Just a matter of personal preferences I suppose, but that film certainly tops my war movie list .

 

[Lance Williams]

It's late and I have to work early, so I didn't really get the time to read through this as thoroughly as I'd have liked, but only one place (the first post) did I see my all-time favorite war movie listed...The Longest Day. Maybe, as was said about The Green Berets, it hasn't "aged well," but for its time it was (in my humble opinion) an outstanding movie. Discussing its what the film accomplished cinematically isn't really what these forum are about, but I found the fact that, unlike just about every other movie ever made (with the exception of Dog Day Afternoon, decidely NOT a war movie), The Longest Day used a musical score only very sparingly, which gave it a sense of realism that was probaly all out of proportion with its accuracy.

Just a matter of personal preferences I suppose, but that film certainly tops my war movie list .

Argos, welcome to the forums. I too had a problem with "The Longest Day" not making the list. I hope to see you again on the forums.........

 

[Lance Williams]

John Wayne on AMC Today

Since John Wayne seems to keep cropping up on this thread I guess this is a good a place as any to mention that four of his better efforts air today on AMC beginning at 3:45 PM.........

"Rio Grande"
"She Wore A Yellow Ribbon"
"The Quiet Man"
"The Sons of Katie Elder"