Anyone find anything wrong with "Enemy At The Gates"?

Mmmm... thanks for the comments, PT. Nice to have you here.

 

The only decent Pearl Harbor movie Ive seen is "Tora! Tora! Tora!"

As for "Enemy at the Gates" that was pretty good. No Americans at least. Also, Im not sure, but was the Tiger tank in "Saving Private Ryan" actually a tiger tank, a reproduction, or something else entirely? Its been awhile since Ive seen it.

 

They were , I believe, T-34s reasonably well 'mocked-up' but they're of course out of proportion ( ie turret is way too big for the superstructure ).

 

It seemed pretty real to me and can't think on Spielberg not wanting an identical Tiger in his film... He is kind of crazy with his huge monsters chasing the main characters and make the ground tremble. Look at the enormous shark in "Jaws", the tyrannosaur in "Jurassic Park" and the Tiger in "Saving Private Ryan"...

 

Well, I'd agree that Spielberg's Tiger is a little more realistic than the rubber shark which finally appeared in 'Jaws' !

 

I love "Jaws"!

Martin, we both can be the foolest here, who are all the time joking very nicely and I love it. But we cannot agree in a single bloody film, can we?

 

Friedrich, I shall defend to the last drop of blood your right to like cr*ppy movies !

 

Then I will become a vampire and will drink until the last minilitre of your blood! So you will stop having those horrible film-tastes...

Oh... you, Brit...

 

Spielberg and Tom Hanks are both huge WW2 buffs so they were going for realism...I have no idea what they used for the Tiger tank, though.

 

Whatever they had used it was pretty real. Also "Band of Brothers"' Tiger was very real too. I just did not like the Stug...

 

Sorry if I'm going to disappoint anyone here, but the 'Tigers' in SPR were definitely modified T34s. I met a dealer friend at the Beltring fair today and he confirmed this - he was involved in supplying the tanks ! ( Don't forget, most of SPR was filmed in the UK ). Three were modified and the result was quite good except for suspension and the turret sitting too far forward.

 

Well, sir, I will believe you. It is ironnic that I want to be an engeneer but don't have a technnic eye to realise about those details...

Anyway, did you like it or not?!!!

 

'Saving Private Ryan' you mean ?
Yes - the first 40 minutes was truly incredible; the best combat recreation I've ever seen. A remarkable achievement. Unfortunately, I felt that from then on the film seemed to lose its' way and became unrealistic in certain aspects.
Overall - good.
By the way, I saw it once at a special viewing at the US Embassy in London ( a most interesting evening ).

 

Urealistic where, my dear Martin?

 

Wow... someone else actually noticed this.

Martin-

Martin- this is from my thread about bovington... ??? Does bovington have one of these modified tigers on display? I knew they were restoring a real Tiger...

And Martin, please don't tell me you did not like Jaws. You seem very reasonable!

Friedrich, I'd agree on the vehicles from Band of Brothers- I don't remember the specifics, but I remember thinking that some looked really, really good, while others seemed like rush jobs.
I'll have to go get that DVD to review- I saw it on cable without a VCR to record it...

 

Oh dear - it's years now since I saw it so will have to struggle to remember.

I think I felt that the 'guys on a mission' idea was taken a little too far overall. The frontal attack on the MG42-defended radio station - I think in reality they'd have bypassed the thing to focus on the 'mission'. Attacking the village singlehanded - in reality they'd have 'whistled up' artillery support and/or the Tactical Airsupport which eventually appears ( in the 'nick of time' ) anyway. Hanks shooting at the Tiger.

Don't get me wrong - it's a very, very good film for a Hollywood effort but the first section is so impressive that the rest of it was a little bit aof a letdown.

I thought that Spielberg did some valuable things - the opening sequence made me feel how terrible that sort of combat is ( you could feel the bullets and chunks of metal flying about and suddenly realise what these things can do to people ). And the scene where the Americans mow down the Germans who have surrendered at the beach. Like everyone else, I went 'Yessss - GREAT!! ' - and then suddenly realised how such things can happen 'in the heat of the moment'. And then in peacetime we all say 'How awful - how could they do such things ?'

Put it this way - if it came to the movie screens again next week - I'd see it again. ( I saw it twice first time round - at least there's no soppy romance in it ! )

 

Ugggghhhhhhhhhh (as Lurch would say) I shudder to think about SPR with romance in it.

Cant wait for Band of Brothers to be available on DVD.

 

Hi Crazy

'Jaws' - no, it's a great fim, it's just that the shark is better when you don't see it, when it's a hidden threat. The rubber model that 'eats' Robert Shaw is a little 'naff' as we say over here.

I don't actually know if Bovington has a SPR 'Tiger'. I'm really going to have to drive down there soon just to see what they have got so I can report back . . . .

 

No they don't, or at least they did not in March. The real Tiger I was on display though.

Two things i hated about that tank in the film. Firstly, ow the hell did Tom Hanks manage to stick his SMG right into the drivers vison slit. And what was that thing it had for a commanders hatch. It looked like tissue paper

Friedrich, those StuGs in Band of Brothers were FV432s. Not a bad job except for the suspension. But not alot they could do about that i guess.

 

Ahh... so they finished restoring it?
Martin- I wiah I could revisit Aberdeen, but because it is on a military base, apparently it is now closed to the public... security reasons.
(I'd bitch, but they have a point...)
And you're right about the shark... but we can forgive that just for how many kids (and some of us!) who couldn't go near the beach after watching it!

I did think Spielberg kind of wuss-ified the Tiger in SPR (no mgs???), but then again, that 20mm that shows up seems to be uncannily accurate... and the crew seemed very lucky in avoiding fire and way too quick in moving the gun...
In SPR, one of the vehicles that impressed me the most was the halftrack that got shot up when they met up with Ryan... SdKfz 250 something? Even seemed to sound realistic...

(we're not really talking about enemy at the gates anymore, are we )

[ 22 July 2002, 01:57 AM: Message edited by: CrazyD88 ]