Worst WW2 movies ever made?

good one Slip!
it was on over the weekend, watched about 2 mins before I turned it off! It almost seems like they were trying to converge every type of film making known into this one film! It also made me think they were trying to make an "Apocalypse Now" type film eith all that incessant narrating!
(don't get me wrong I LOVE Apoc Now!)

 

Hi Col, I think the Gentleman-General your thinking about was: Heinrich von Luttwitz if im not mistaken?

 

Hi Slava, according to a book one of Duke's children wrote, he was offered the role of the American General, but turned it down and he suggested Robert Ryan; for the role. He and Ryan were good friends and had worked together on the movie: The Flying Leathernecks.

Also, I THINK the book that mentioned it was written by Aissa Wayne? or either Michael Wayne? not sure which?

 

Jesus you really do know everything about him!

 

Herr Oberst - gotta agree with you about Battleground. I first saw that as a kid and it impressed me then. Didn't see it again til I bought the DVD a couple years ago, and it still stands up. Besides having lots of good equipment and vehicles, it reflects that era's dialogue and look, and creates viewer interest in the characters. And, unlike most BotB movies, it accurately shows how not all of the battle was fought during snowy weather.

 

Heh heh-no, but I am friends with a guy who lives in Illinois who runs the official John Wayne website for Ethan Wayne of Wayne Enterprises. This guy knows enough about Duke to fill an entire encyclopedia about John Wayne.

Also, this friend also has his own private museum full of Duke collectables and knows other collectors who have John Wayne collectables ranging from every movie he was ever in, almost every guest spot on TV shown, commercials, game shows, radio spots, posters, studio release 8x10's, many many lobbycards, several J.W. commemorative guns, collectors cards, autographs, mugs, beltbuckles, a hat Duke wore in Red River, several unpublished photos of Duke, a knife collection, stein collection and the list goes on and on. My friends Duke collection was valued over $1.2 million back in 1995. At today's prices-no telling. Anyway, he has been a life-long fan of Dukes and he even met him when he was a boy, on the set ot: The Searchers.

I know another Gent who was a bit player who was in four of Dukes Westerns including the John Ford Cavalry Trilogy: Fort Apache, Rio Grande and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon. This guy had been friends with Duke and even flew him from place to place in his own private plane. This man also purchased several of Duke's rifles and pistols as well as articles of clothing from Dukes sadly, now deceased son-Michael Wayne-who was also in charge of Batjac Production Company-and is now unfortunately-owned and ran by Gretchen Wayne-Michaels spouse.

When he passes away, he is leaving his entire collection of JW memorabilia, to the John Wayne Museum that is going to be built in the hometown of his birth and early years of: Winterset, Iowa.

What I know about Duke, can fit on my thumbnail-compared to the Gents mentioned above ;-)) But thanks for the nice compliment anyway ;-D

 

Now thats impressive!

 

The only other movie I felt shared that kind of character interaction was Bad of Brothers, in Saving Private Ryan the actors weren't as good and it seemed forced.

There is a new foreign movie out that takes place during WWII called the Black Book?, saw a preview, Is it any good?

I just bought and watched again The Desert Fox, $6, and I saw it along time ago. I think I got my 6 bucks worth. James Mason makes an excellent Rommel, it's dated but worth watching, especially the file footage intermeshed, nice art for back drop of the Atlantic wall. A little music score treat for you Hogan's Heroes fans.

 

I'm late on this thread but I just have to add that I sure am glad you guys haven't had the misfortune of watching some of the WWII based movies local producers have made recently.
Another thing, I think this thread have to be made current again so we and the other newbies can share their views.
I completely agree with the posts here about the Thin Red Line and Pearl Harbor. However, I have to admit that a part of me would like to splice some of the action sequences of Pearl with that of Tora Tora Tora. And come to think of it, some scenes of the Omaha landing in Ryan with the Longest Day.
I read through this thread and I'm surprised that Battle of Midway wasn't mentioned here. For me, Midway was more like a movie that used Tora Tora Tora out takes. It isn't the worst movie but it surely looked like it was a badly coupled up one that was made on the cheap. What really wrecked Midway for me was the scene when the hero pilot's plane crashed on deck of the carrier. The scene was lifted from footage of a jet crashing on deck! That was how cheaply made Midway was.
As for Enemy Below, that was the very first World War II movie I remember seeing as a kid. It was shown on a rerun on local TV.

 

Yes I too thought it bad. I also seen some footage from Thirty second over Tokyo, and the Battle of Britain films as well. The scene of the plane crashing into the deck was footage taken from the Korean War IIRC.

 

I could not agree more, for a 3+ hour movie about 30 min was worth watching.

 

I didn't read the whole thread so these may have been mentioned...
1. The Great Raid...seems to just drone on and on and Benjamin Bratt is a terrible actor.
2. Windtalkers
3. Don't know the name but it is a movie about a group of American and Canadians melded into a brigade. The first part is set in Montana at an Army camp. Cliff Robertson stars in it. The movie just drags and the action scenes are anti-climactic.

 

That would be 'The Devil's Brigade'... if you collect WWII movies, then it's worth having....otherwise, give it a miss.

I gotta go with 'A Wing And A Prayer' - granted, it was made during the war years, but the plot is just laughable.

-whatever

-Lou

 

I saw one once, forget the name, but we see this Japanese chap looking through some binoculars, then there is an explosion nearby. The man falls, but he still has the binoculars pressed against his eyes!

 

What is the main ingredient for a bad war movie? The plot, scenes that really don´t belong in it (mostly action ones) , or a combination of both?

 

For me, it's a combination of both. Take Battle of the Bulge and Midway. They had good actors but somehow things really didn't jell together.
The Thin Red Line also had a good cast but the story was way off.
Some war movies work because of the films' ability to suspend the viewers' disbelief. An example of this is Kelly's Heroes and the Dirty Dozen. Outrageous plot but They're not meant to be taken seriously so they work.

It's really subjective but it seems in this forum, there's a consensus of what really is the worst film. Reading through this thread, Pearl harbor and thin red line is on the top of the list followed closely by Battle of the Bulge.

 

i would haft to say the worst i have seen is called.shock.very low budget
poor acting ..krieg

 

I think that's pretty fair......

 

may i ask why you dont reaily go much on these three films you have
listed??..mw

 

Pearl Harbor - storyline is drivel, Battle of Britain section unconvincing, CGI flying scenes ditto, despite the love-plot the characterizations seem thin, etc etc. OK for kids - Tora Tora Tora told the Pearl Harbor story better, IMPO.

Battle of the Bulge - probably one of the greatest missed opportunities ever IMPO. Would have been better to tell the story straight, but Hollywood had to tinker and add a load of guff to the KG Peiper saga. As for blunting the advance of a KG by setting light to a couple of oildrums - barf ! Unwatchable.

Thin Red Line - a curate's egg ; good in parts ( especially the fight for the bunker on the hilltop ). But - could anyone make much sense of the story ? Overlong, confusing, and the central character was, in the end, very irritating indeed. The least bad of the three.

I'm not a professional film critic - so these are only personal opinions. Others may think that they're great films - that's OK by me.....