War Movies, I want to FEEL it...

Hi guys,

I just spent the last few hours looking thru all the movie threads, well, most of them anyway. A lot of good movies listed, at 52 y/o, I thing I've seen (and have collected) many of them. I grew up with John Wayne, but I just can't take his war films serious anymore.

I'm looking for something different. Take Das Boot, I've read and seen a lot on the U-boat war, but the way that movie was made, I really "felt" it. since then when I read anything on U-Boats I have a better feel of what there talking about, minor inaccuracies forgiven. Last week I bought El Alamein, in the line of fire, same thing, with all I've researched about the battles in North Africa, this film gave me that realistic feeling of what life was like in the desert. I've read all the bitching about the movie Stalingrad, but hey, I was cold when I finished watching that film.
Enemy at the gates came close, but it's hard to get the feel when the Russian sniper's got a heavy British accent. One has to admit, there version of Stalingrad looked pretty damn real, at least more real than anything i've seen to date. If Jude law spoken the proper laungage, had a frost on his eye brows, a red nose and snot dripping from his nose it would have been much better

I want to see more of these kinds of war films. Foreign film seem to be what I'm craving simply becouse there done in their native language, which I'm finding out adds a LOT to the authentic feel of a film.

Any suggestions? Off the "main stream" lists?

neil

 

Have you seen Talvisota - The Winter War?

Talvisota (1989)

Just make sure you don't get the butchered Belle & Blade DVD. Horrible picture quality + 70 minutes of footage missing.

The uncut, region free, PAL-format DVD can be ordered here:

Suomikauppa.fi - Online Shop For Finnish Goods! - Winter War DVD PAL

But that's not all. There's also a 4 hour TV version, which is even superior to the original theatrical release. The TV version is planned to be released on DVD next year.

 

Here´s a taster from youtube.

YouTube - Talvisota -- The Winter War

Won´t make you feel warmer than in Stalingrad but a great battle scene.

 

^ And that's from the Belle & Blade version.

Here's the uncut version; see the difference between the picture quality.

YouTube - Talvisota - The Winter War 12/20 - HD quality link in description

 

Kanal, the warsaw uprising.
Orzel..Subs to us lesser mortals.
Generation...about resistance in Poland
Army of the shadows...about French Reistance

And that is the total of my foreign war movies, that have just fallen on my head when venturing into book room....The things we do for warfare.

 

Sam Peckinpah's Cross of Iron. You can almost smell it, and it was made way before these computer graphics.

 

When Trumpets Fade.

It's not a great movie (and not a bad one either), but it does a good job of showing that not all American soldiers are the heroic, selfless warriors that we see in Band of Brothers. It's low budget, but very tense and the battle sequences are excellent.

 

Yes...Talvisota is exactly what I'm looking for, and I'm looking into all the others. Cross of Iron is one that I've heard about for years, but never got around to. I think I'll be picking that one up also.

Thanks...
neil

 

Stalingrad (1993)

 

^ I think he has already seen it.

 

Kokoda (2006) is another often unjustly overlooked film.

 

the one thing I noticed about "Trumpets" as opposed to movies like "Kelly's Heroes", is that their uniforms are realistic. Absolutely filthy, covered with mud and blood, wet to the core. VERY realistic.

Here are some youtube links to "When trumpets fade"
the first one is the first 10 minutes of the movie.

YouTube - When Trumpets fade
YouTube - American vs Germans
YouTube - When Trumpets Fade

I like "Saints and soldiers" because of the realism in it as well
YouTube - Saints and Soldiers trailer

I mean, sure they put the 101st into the fracas before they actually were, but the fact that so many reenactors donated their time and experience to the movie makes it worth watching, because you know those guys are sticklers for realism!!

 

Funnily enough I also saw El Alamein- line of fire last week and also really enjoyed it, I found it very moving and agree it's a pretty stark and realistic depiction of the last days of the Italians in North Africa.

I'm also a big fan of the foreign language film as opposed to Hollywood when it comes to the WWII flick.

I'd also recommend Talvisota as others have said which is a truly epic 3 hour long war movie.
Also worth checking is Tali-Ihantala 1944 another Finnish movie which is a semi documentary style possibly made for TV but big budget, very good and used some real WWII vehicles in the making
YouTube - Tali-Ihantala 1944 trailer

Zvezda, a Russian movie about a recon platoon which is fairly good
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=L-LZcaB28iQ

Finally I haven't seen this one it's a Polish TV series apparently but looks impressive, would'nt mind getting hold of the show if it's available on DVD
YouTube - German convoy attacked by IL-2 Shturmviks 1945

 

These are great, I'm writing them ALL down! I already ordered a couple.

neil

 

Howdy Neil and I totally agree with you. I also have seen the foreign movies you listed and I thought they were good. Das Boot is a classic. I find American made movies too "entertaining". El Alamain was great. I wish there were more movies like these.

 

Hollywood IS slowly getting better though...I first noticed it with Platoon and Full Metal Jacket, story lines were eh, but the soldiers were finally beginning to look real. Saving Private Ryan, when that ramp dropped on the Higgins boat in the beginning, it blew me out of my seat!

neil

 

I didn't look through all the suggestions, so if I'm pulling a duplicate I apologize. However, Die Brücke (The Bridge) is an excellent movie about the final days of WW2 from the viewpoint of a bunch of young boys conscripted into battle to defend a bridge from the advancing Red Army.

Very heart-rending, and if I am not mistaken made in the fifties.

 

Actually they fight American army.
I was a bit disappointed with this film but the book is excellent.

 

I had a look through my collection last night and one I forgot is the Czech movie Dark Blue world which is one of the best WWII aviation movies ever and now quite well known, even if you're not a flight fan it's essentially about comradeship and also what happened to these guys in the communist regime after the war
YouTube - Train attack

Another suggestion is "The Fallen" which is about the relationship between American troops and locals and partisans in Italy and the German relationship with the Italians as allies. It's a really strange little movie and is essentially a study and observation of these relationships. I'm not exactly reccomending it, depends on how desperate you are for alternate WWII viewing material, I've seen it twice and still dont know what to make of it. I could'nt even find a youtube clip on this, here's a review.
The Fallen (2004) Movie Review | BeyondHollywood.com | Asian, Foreign, Horror, and Genre Movie Reviews and News