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Good Foreign-Made War Movies?

Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2006 10:46 pm
by Mr. Football
Seems these days, you have to really search to find any good War movies, as Hollywood has put out nothing but formulaic crap lately.

I've come across a few very good foreign movies such as Dark Blue World, Europa, Europa, Stalingrad, Downfall and a very intense superbly filmed Russian-made movie called "Come and See" about the war on the Eastern Front.

Movies I'd like to see:
Theres a WWI film that is supposed to be superb, called Joyeux Noel that was released last year, and a WWII film called Bon Voyage that looks good too. Has anyone seen a Russian WW2 movie (supposed to be a classic) called "My Name is Ivan"?

I'm always on the lookout for good Foreign films, specifically with WWII themes. If anyone has any recommendations, please post them.

Posted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 12:18 am
by ARMY GROUP 1
CAN YOU HELP. DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT 'LA BATTAILLE DU RAIL' WWII MOVIE RELEASED IN JAN 06 ABOUT THE FRENCH BLOWING UP A GERMAN WAR TRAIN. THE STORY APPEARS APPEALING, MUCH LIKE THE FILM 'THE TRAIN' I DARE SAY. I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE IT IN MY COLLECTION IF EVER ITS RELEASED IN REGION 4 FORMAT (AUSTRALIA).

Posted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 6:39 am
by Threetoughtrucks
Can I enter my favorite modern war movie into this mix.

The Brit production "Bravo Two Zero" about the SAS in Iraq.

Are you leaving off "Das Boot"?

I saw "My Name is Ivan". If it is the same movie I remember, it was a proganda film shot during or just after WW2, B&W and lots of waving grain fields and about good peasant stock rising up to kick some Nazi butt. I don't remember anything special about the footage to interest us, but I could be wrong.

TTT

Posted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 8:33 am
by luftpanzer
I brought Come and see and watched it once. I thought it was a bunch of comunist era crap!! But you did not mention the Finnish movie Winter War about the invassion of Finland by the Soviet Union. That was a good movie to watch. Also ther was an early post war series made in Germany called OT18 that was good. And the early post war German movie called
The Bridge. another one about a Luftwafle ace called The Star Of Afrika.

Posted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 9:37 am
by blaster_e11
"La bataille du rail" was released in dvd (region2) in 2001, i don't know if any region4 dvd was ever made

for those who are wondering it's a french movie about French railroad workers who were part of the Resistance during the German occupation

it was made by rené clément in 1946

when it comes to non US war movies i also like to watch "la légion saute sur kolwezi" aka "Operation Leopard" (the legion storms Kolwezi)

Posted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 9:40 am
by Mr. Football
"Come and See" was for the most part about the partisans. Probably could've been a more realistic and less idealistic view of the partisan struggle, but this was the best representation of this part of the war that I've ever seen on film. It wasn't loaded with any more 'propaganda' than you'd find in any hollywood-style movie.

The scenes were shot superbly. Yes, it focused on the horrors of the war on the Eastern Front, specifically the Einsatzgruppen. Yes, they were bad, bad guys. The movie was as much a psychological thriller as it was a war movie.

I thought it was an extremely impressive film, an emotionally difficult film to watch, as it is incredibly graphic, incredibly real. When they fired those guns, those were REAL guns. When they blew that cow away...that was a REAL cow.

Posted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 5:03 pm
by Teamski
The Winter War is a really good movie. I just picked it up a couple weeks ago. Not cheap, but good...... It had some really good intense scenes in it. I really liked the Finns throwing Molotov cocktails at T-28s. Pretty realistic!

-Ski

Posted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 5:37 pm
by tmanthegreat
Das Boot is a good one. It seems it won an academey award for best picture in the early '80s.

Posted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 5:46 pm
by aferguson
this is a good thread.......lots of movies i've never heard of. Anyone know of a good (economical) place to get some of these movies?

Posted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 6:07 pm
by Mr. Football
Netflix has them all, as does Blockbuster Online...and some Blockbuster locations.

Posted: Tue Mar 21, 2006 9:25 am
by steelbonnet
For the propoganda listing,Brit film "Went the Day Well". made during WWII & you can see where "The Eagle has flown" came from.
As it`s about German soldiers posing as Brit troops in a rural village prepairing for Operation Sealion.

It`s rather corny on how there found out mind. "They write there No7 with a stroke though it & No5 is elongated". Though add finding a German chocolate bar in the CO`s pack may have been the tilting of truth.

Still a great film.Actually was on today too :D

Some Great films here already listed,that I 2nd :D

Though TTT "Bravo Two Zero" is a great film. You just have to recall both Andy McNab & Chris Ryan ("The one that got away") both disgraced former comrades (living & deceased) with there embelished lies just to sell books & then get both made into films.
Still Both films are certainly Great to watch.

Ja
Steel Bonnet

Posted: Wed Mar 22, 2006 2:02 pm
by luftpanzer
tmanthegreat wrote:Das Boot is a good one. It seems it won an academey award for best picture in the early '80s.
And dont forget the Classic 80s remake "Das Booty" :lol:

Posted: Thu Mar 23, 2006 7:25 am
by Threetoughtrucks
SteelB:

I have enjoyed "Went The Day Well" for years. I always thought it was well made and photographed. I agree, a bit heavy handed and corny. Since my son has always written his sevens with the line through it, I'm glad we didn't have those Brits looking for German spies with my family. :roll:

The Brits have other WW2 era movies I always enjoy. A favorite is "In Which We Serve", a great Navy pic. Another is "K-225" about a Canadian corvette in the North Atlanta. In NYC, as a kid (100 years ago), local TV shows used to play these old Brit movies in the middle if the night. No recorders then, so I had to get up in the middle of the night to catch these great old WW2 movies. I was a tired guy in school the next day, but I never missed those war pics. :shock:

I didn't know that about "Bravo Two Zero" and McNab. Kind of sours my feelings about the movie. I did always think there was more to the story about the one guy that walked for what, a hundred miles, through the desert, by himself.

The Israeli's did studies on walking in the desert in the 60's and found that a well conditioned soldier can march forever in the desert IF they consume a liter of water EVERY hour. The key is replacing the body water. I didn't see that SAS guy with such water supplies available.

TTT

Posted: Thu Mar 23, 2006 7:51 am
by blaster_e11
if i remember correctly, in the book they pack an awful lot of water

Posted: Thu Mar 23, 2006 4:04 pm
by Teamski
Threetoughtrucks wrote: I saw "My Name is Ivan". If it is the same movie I remember, it was a proganda film shot during or just after WW2, B&W and lots of waving grain fields and about good peasant stock rising up to kick some Nazi butt. I don't remember anything special about the footage to interest us, but I could be wrong.

TTT
Oh, I forgot about that one!!! That was a pretty good movie, especially because of the propaganda. I'll have to search for it now! I caught it on Bravo (I think) a couple years ago. VERY interesting movie.....

-Ski

Posted: Fri Mar 24, 2006 2:31 am
by steelbonnet
TTT,
Some other great Old war movies there mate. When I was younger they used to always play them. Alas so many names escape me at present of them too :( The Actual War time one`s are really great & the one`s shortly after the war too.
Maybe it`s that Patriotic feel they want to give you?

There was that film about the German`s in a Russian village/town (again name escapes me) made either during or just after the war.That was great.

As for the "Bravo Two Zero" & "The One that Got away". The walk is true it`s the the way Both McNab & Ryan both dishonored there fallen collegues & made them the scape goats for the op initially failing (Sheep herder boy spotting them). That NEVER happened.

A former SAS member who knew most if not all of Bravo Two Zero actually went there & followed the route Ryan took. The Sheep boy is now a man & said He didn`t see ANYTHING that day & didn`t spot anyone.
The firefights were Not as intense as proclaimed.

Looks like with McNab & Ryan`s personal squabble they were happy to tarnish anyone else from the Regtiment to make themselves look better.

Which is a GREAT shame really as they were BOTH SAS & had proven they had what it takes. So for them to become Prema Donna`s is such a waste.
Though that`s human nature i suppose & well both of them had financially done VERY well from writing exploits (fact & Fiction) & TV/Movie advisor roles they have done.
Sold out the Regtiment for personal gain is one way I`ve heard a former member say it.

Ja
Steel Bonnet

Posted: Fri Mar 24, 2006 10:50 am
by Threetoughtrucks
SteelB:

I was looking to buy both books on the Bravo Two Zero mission. Now I'm reluctant to give either guy money. Is there another source you are using for factual info on what really happened?

Back to this thread, "In Which We Serve", a classic Brit Navel pic is due out on DVD later this year. I recently found a very bad copy of "Corvette K-225" on VHS (long out of reproduction), great movie.

I'm just a sucker for Brit WW2 flicks, like "We Dive and Dawn".

A fictional story is around, called "The Ship the Died of Shame". A really good pic about a Brit MTB. that after the war, the captain and first mate (Richard Attenborough), buy the boat surplus and start smugling. I love it, the worse the cargo, the more the ship gives them trouble.

TTT

Posted: Fri Mar 24, 2006 11:09 am
by steelbonnet
hey TTT,

I`d still say Buy them both as there are elements of truth in them both.I actually have them both too.
As for Actual Bravo Two Zero fact. I do believe a 3rd one was written (The real bravo two Zero ) & that is the one that puts the former 2 authors to shame :(
http://www.countrybookshop.co.uk/books/ ... 0304365548

As said also a documentry was done were a former SAS member follwed the route (initially a Hommage to Ryan`s Great walk then as facts became clear along the route less zeal was shown,in fact he didn`t bother walking all the way to Syria in the end as it didn`t seem worthwhile).

Back to topic.
Yes must admit i do love the Classic British WAR movies they do have that something.
One was on today actually & was great to watch again.
the film being "SEA of SAND" (1958) Second World War action movie about a dangerous mission by the Long Range Desert Group to blow up a vital enemy patrol dump behind German lines in North Africa in 1943. With Richard Attenborough, John Gregson and Michael Craig.

Was a Great to watch & alas the Jerries all used US M3 halftracks & the big US Duece trucks & there was a sdkfz 222 (though it actually wasn`t,still nice try).Still the chevy`s the LRDG used were SPOT ON :D

Ja
Steel Bonnet

Posted: Fri Mar 24, 2006 9:50 pm
by Threetoughtrucks
Another good story about Brit desert warfare is "Play Dirty" -1968 with Michael Caine and Nigel Davenport (a great Brit heavy).

A small group of SAS types go behind lines in two Chevys and a Jeep. Minor problem is that the Germans all use White half-tracks and the Brit "Chevys" are two heavily mocked up Dodge M-37's.

Great scenes include the three vehicles being winched straight up a clif by each other and one cable breaks and the real vehicle rolls down the clif ending up in pieces. I guess nobody wanted to destroy one of the few remaining Chevy 1 1/2 ton trucks favored by the SAS. 8)

TTT

Posted: Sat Mar 25, 2006 7:58 am
by blaster_e11
capitaine conan is a french movie about WW1 and ruthless french troopers that fought in bulgaria

these guys weren't known for taking prisoners