WWII film recommendations
 

Decided to sit down and rewatch some of Band of Brothers over the weekend in honor of the anniversary of D-Day.

It's gotten me in the mood to watch more WWII films. I've seen a lot of the classics, but does anyone have any more recent recommendations? I'm happy reading subtitles, so any foreign film recommendations are welcome as well!

A Russian war film that has action but whose message is not what I would have expected. Watch it you may like it!

The White Tiger on YouTube

The White Tiger (with subtitles) (Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Director: Karen Shakhnazarov , 2012 ) - YouTube

Have not seen it for many years but a Walk in the Sun was an outstanding one.

Also Operation Burma.

WW II In Color and Greatest Events of WWII in Colour...both on Netflix.

13 & 10 episodes, with some never seen previously film footage. :thumbup:


https://www.netflix.com/title/70254851


https://www.netflix.com/title/80989924

I don't usually watch war movies but I am looking forward to the new Tom Hanks film "Greyhound". My dad was the chief radio officer on the SS Ingham during WWII that escorted ships across the Atlantic which is what Hanks' ship does in this movie. Apple paid $70million for the rights to the film so it will only be on Apple+. Not sure when it will be released.

kathy

I too enjoy WWII and war movies in general. I remember the show Combat was my favorite back in high school. I even have a picture right now of Vic Morrow and Rick Jansen in combat gear on the wall.

I was really looking forward to Greyhouse, the previews looked excellent. I believe the new release date is June 12, so let's get the theaters open.

A movie that wasn't really during the war, but was about a naval ship and had excellent acting was The Caine Mutiny with Humphrey Bogart and excellent supporting cast. Even some of the newer films I like, all of the ones written by Tom Glancy are excellent. Last year's WWI movie 1917, I saw in the theater and on DVD, it's really Great!!

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Fighting Seabees and Sands of Iwa Jima are two excellent movies with John Wayne.

There was an excellent movie with Robert Mitchum as a captain battling a German Submarine but do not remember the name of it.

just watched The Last Full Measure .. true story of WWII USAF paremedic William Pitsenbarger.. excellent movie.. on demand dish network

Film recommentations
 

We saw Dunkirk and thought it was very well done. I was a bit confused until I realized it was from the perspective of one man's hour, another's day and the third's week. All woven together.

Midway explained some things I was unaware of about WWII. There is also an excellent YouTube video (2 parts) explaining Midway from the Japanese perspective.
Just search YouTube for "explanation of Midway" by Montemayor.

An although not WWII, 1917 was an amazing movie.

IMHO--its not a movie, but , the HBO series, "The Pacific" is the best WWll depiction of the war in The Pacific--it makes Saving Private Ryan, look like a cake walk-- seeing the effects emotionally on the marines is unforgettable & when a battle hardened gunny cracks, makes it all too real

Sorry that I can't offer any recent WWII flicks

Some of the old B&W classics still work well...you may enjoy watching "Sahara" with Bogart

The Robert Mitchum movie was "The Enemy Below" ; however, the best WW ll submarine movie is "Das Bot"-- real diesel submarine life

Another vote for A Walk in the Sun.

An older mini series: Winds of War, and if you like that, the sequel: War and Remembrance. Based on Herman Work’s books of the same name.

Those were a bit long but very well done. Herman Wouk was an incredible writer

Thanks for reminding me that the movie was The Enemy Below. Wonder if it is available anywhere?

Wind Talkers set in the Pacific during WWII about the Navajo indian code radio soldiers.
We Were Soldiers a true story of a battle in Vietnam.
The Memphis Bell an excellent movie about a bomber squadron.
Pearl Harbor both a romance and war story.
Platoon, Vietnam dark tale.
Full Metal Jacket, another dark war story.
Good Morning Vietnam, an excellent movie.
Flyboys, also an excellent WWI movie.
Enemy at the Gates, an excellent movie about Nazi and Russian snipers in WWII.
Das Boot, German submarine story.
Behind Enemy Lines an ok story of downed US pilot in Bosnian war.
Of course, hard to beat Private Ryan or Band of Brothers!!

Another good film--"Hacksaw Ridge"

Das Boot I just looked it up and I had given it a 9, and have seen it twice. Very powerful film. In fact most submarine movies tend to be great. I mentioned earlier most movies from Tom Clancy books, Hunt for Red October is one, and also another submarine movie Crimson Tide is excellent.

Das Bot made me think of The Beast (1988), sometimes called The Beast of War. Totally different than a submarine, it's about a Russian tank fighting in Afghanistan. The similarity is they're not American military, they're confined to a small space, very small tank, and it's kind of us against them being outnumbered. The guerilla fighters in the desert. It's very compelling and somewhat like the movie 1917, in the fact as soon as they get out of one predicament they're into another.

I just saw on Directv that The Beast will be on the Sony Movie Channel Monday June 22 at 12:30pm.

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Great idea! I think I will rewatch, too.

I always enjoy Patton (1970), A Walk in the Sun (1945) and Sahara (1943).

Hung Ho ! (1943, B/W, w/Robert Mitchum & Randolph Scott)
Story of the forming, training, and Makin Island raid by the Second Marine Raider Battalion (aka: Carlson’s Raiders).
My Dad was one of “Carlson’s Raiders!”

Big Fan of Band of Brothers
 

I read the book "Band of Brothers" before the series came. Not only did I watch every episode but I bought the DVD set and nearly all the books written in the aftermath from Major Winters, Lieutenant Compton, Sgt Malarky, Sgt Guarneare, Pvt. Hefron..

One funny story: After the war Pvt. Hefron and his brother (a sailor who served in the Pacific) sat down with their dad and started telling war stories. Hefron said "I had a German General surrender to me, at which his dad and brother said "can't take this much BS" and the conversation ended.

As the TV series was airing the episode came up where a German General surrenders to Pvt Hefron. His phone rings and it's his brother. He says, "You really DID have a general surrender to you!"

Good movie but think it was called Gung Ho.

Mister Roberts H. Fonda, J. Lemmon and J.Cagney at their best!
Heaven knows Mr Alison Robert Mitchum, Deborah Kerr
A bridge too far Too many to name!
Stalingrad The 1993 version.
The Hill Sean Connery, Harry Andrews, Ian Bannen, Alfred Lynch. (Brilliant)

Anthropoid (2016) - Rotten Tomatoes

Saw this at the Barnstorm Theater here in the Villages. Quite an exciting true story even if depressing.

Also really liked Fury.

HBO has a wonderful miniseries called “Pacific”. I watched it last week. It is a 10 part series, very realistic and it features real people such as John Basilone, Medal of Honor winner, and Eugene Sledge, author of “With the Old Breed”, a book about his experiences in the Pacific. You will thank me.

As I previously mentioned "The Pacific" is the absolute best, the above poster, seconds it--its real not a Hollywood script

The enemy below. Also starring Curt Jurgens as the German sub Commander.

Battleground (1949) with Van Johnson and James Whitmore. About the Battle of the Bulge and made only 4 years after.

In Harm's Way (1965). Another with a cast of thousands but a good cover from Pearl to the Battle Of The Coral Sea.

Not WWII but a real classic, The Fighting 69th ( pre war) with James Cagney, Pat O'Brian

If you have Prime, there are a number of Russian and European films about WWII that give an interesting perspective.

My Dad was Navy also, except in the Pacific Theatre. Armed Guard for convoys to Guadalcanal, Vladivostock. Australia and New Zealand. Took him years to talk about it, but I found out he was a war hero and received the Presidential Commendation For Bravery.

On November 11, 1943, the SS Cape San Juan, an Army troop ship carrying over 1400 troops , was torpedoed by a Japanese sub in the South Pacific. The survivors in the water had to contend with a massive shark attack where sharks were literally pulling men off the life rafts. My Dad was on the SS Meredith at the time as Gunners Mate/1c. The Meredith was the first ship on the scene. Without hesitation, he dove into the shark infested water and began pulling injured men up to the Meredith. Many of the troops were from the 5th Air Force, First Fighter Control Squadron.

In 1995, the survivors managed to track down my Mom and Dad to invite him to their Reunion. Sadly, he had passed a few months before. All this was 18 months before the USS Indianapolis.

"Wing and a Prayer", 1944, starring Don Ameche and Dana Andrews. Based on the battle of Midway and Torpedo 8's sacrifice.
"Sailor of the King", Jeffery Hunter.
"Pursuit of the Graf Spree", also known as "Battle of the River Platte". The Achilles, which fought for the British in the battle, is used as the Graf Spree.

I saw someone mention Enemy at the Gates. I 2nd that one for sure. And will add an older one I haven't seen mentioned but is a must watch IMO. The Longest Day. Both have excellent casts.

Your dad was a hero! You should be proud.

Sink the Bismarck was an excellent one.

Thank you. I am

Wrong, the USS Salem was used to portray the Graf Spee--"The Sailor of the King " great movie, but totally fiction

Again , history totally trumps , fiction when it comes to WW ll, movies

Last summer I got to tour Littlecote House, where the Band of Brothers were stationed before D-Day. I was there a week before D-Day, and a group of reenact-ors were drilling in the back gardens. I have some photos of that. There is a small museum in their honor, a couple rooms of gear. (My 14th Great-grandfather bought Littlecote House and the estate from his new wife’s father in 1410, and the family lived there for almost 200 years before running out of money.)

Try “A French Village,” a series on Amazon Prime. It’s in French, and most of the actors are French and German until the Americans and British arrive. Shot in France, near Villeneuve and Besançon, on the border of Vichy. It begins when the Germans roll in and occupy the village. It’s about the occupation, year by year, and the resistance, and all that. Pretty devastating picture of what it was like for ordinary country people.