The heavily criticized film entitled ...

Battle of the Bulge (Robert Ryan, Henry Fonda, Charles Bronson, etc.) has Charles Bronson's character leading a last stand battle in a Belgian town. I have often wondered if this is loosely based on Major Bahe's delaying action against the Panzer Lehr in Rochefort, Belgium,between December 23rd and 24th, 1944. My dad got swept up in that fight and some of his platoon members were captured.

 

As with many 'epic' films about large scale battles, the compression of events or depiction of generic battle scenes where many events take place at one place where in fact they took place in multiple locations over a longer period of time is common. Heck it takes place in every modern film based on a book for that matter.

As for the film itself most criticism seems to fall on the use of 'modern' tanks with little dressing up.

Personally I do not view it quite so critically on that front. This was before the era of CGI and it was about a major battle featuring tanks. It's not like there was a battalion (or even a platoon for that matter) of Tiger's laying about ready to use, let alone Panthers or Mk IV's. I recall watching it as a lad on TV every winter where they broke the film up into two parts with night two beginning just as they start the bombardment from tanks on the 'Belgian' town.

Loved it immensely, but then again this was the era when after Johnny Carson signed off and a repeat of the late local news all you saw on your TV was a test pattern.

 

I always loved it. Still do.

 

Movie is forever linked with Panzerlied. Wiki says it is the official song of the Chilean Army.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RJjBGa_2bU

 

Yeah that scene in the bunker when the tank commanders start singing Panzerlied was the best part of the movie. Telly Savalas's parts were pretty good too. Well when his tank's turret got blown off and he and several crew members survived was a bit of a stretch, but such is Hollywood.

 

I was impressed with Ty Hardin as Schumacher and his inflitrators. Scary but true stuff. Hard enough as an American commander to organize a coherent battle front without having to deal with Germans posing as American soldiers mucking it all up.

Where the movie falls short for me is in not presenting many (or any) real American officers above the rank of Lt Col. No Patton or Bradley or others to give a wider perspective on how shocked they all were by events. Instead we get Henry Fonda's fictionalized character.

I have also read reviews criticizing the movie for having all the wrong terrain, which makes sense given where it was shot.

 

Given the vague title, Is this thread open to other films that were heavily criticized?

 

Most under rated character in the movie. The scene when he tries to bluff the engineers is great.

 

Sure.

 

The exchange between Van Johnson's character (along with his fellow Screaming Eagles) and the "5th Column" Germans in Battleground is one of my favorite scenes. Actually, if I had to pick my favorite war film, it would be Battleground.

 

Okay then. I was sadly disapointed when I went to see USS INdianapolis Men Of Courage. There are a couple of spoilers in this comment so skip it if you really want to see this movie.

Critics are having a field day with this one. Many bad comments regarding the CGI which I will gloss over. Many negative comments about them featuring the USS Alabama (wrong class of cruiser). Okay I can understand this choice. This was a medium to low budgeted movie intended for direct to video release and was available for the streaming before it was actually released in theaters. So in fact it has been available for months now.

They shot the live action on the Alabama because it was available and then matched the CGI to the live action. A lot of the poor CGI shark effects are due to a low effects budget. All of these things can be excusable as well as certain B movie casting choices. If everyone is doing their best the movie can rise above all of that.

All my peeves are directed to the script. There is no budget to a filling a blank piece of paper with interesting, good properly researched dialog and characters.

So here goes. Again spoiler alert, but the movie has been "out" for several months for streaming and I'll just talk about the first five or six minutes or so..

Opening scene (lasts just under 50 seconds) in the battle of Okinawa. The captain barks orders during an attack by Japanese aircraft. It comes across like a poor Star Trek episode. Here are three samples to give you an idea.

Captain: "Fire!"
1st officerrelaying order) "Fire!"
Captain: "Eleven O'Clock. Fire"
1st officer: "Eleven O'Clock. Fire"
Captain: "Twelve O'Clock"
1st Officer: "Twelve O'Clock"
Captain: "Fire"
1st Officer: "Fire"
Captain: "Brace for impact"
(Zero hits ship foreward)
Captain: "Damage report"

In a situation where fast moving fighters and bombers are attacking It seems inconceivable to me that the captain would be relaying firing orders to the gun crews. Anyone out there ex-navy? Wouldn't the gun crews be free to shoot at whatever targets of opportunity they have? Also with the larger calibre ship's guns wouldn't they be putting up a flak screen rather than picking out individual targets?

Second scene: Four men in civilian suits in a dark screening room (looks like a broom closet by the size of it) watching what looks like newsreels. Who are they? No context is given.

Man 1 starts to fire off an update of the war since Pearl Harbor (I guess the other guys were living under a rock between december 1941 and July of 1945)
Man 2: "Where is this all going?"
Man 1:describes beating the "Japs" with one single blow.
Man 2: "Jesus are you talking about the Atomic bomb?"
Man 1:"Would send the message loud and clear. drop it on Hiroshima. Military target."
Man 3: "Ostensibly, but you'll kill every man woman and child"
Man 2: "Not to mention the radioactive fallout"
Man 3: "Even if the bomb works and there's no garantee that it will, you can't fly it to Japan"
Man 1: "We motor the sonavabitch to Tinian, the Philipines"
Man 2: "The Japanese will spot a fleet"
Man 1: "One ship alone unprotected"
Man 2: "It's a damned suicide mission. But if it works, they're heroes"

Four men actually calling it an Atomic bomb. Correct me if I am wrong, but even the scientists and air crew of the Enola Gay, fully briefed and trained, called it the gadget or the device. There was no clear idea of the effects of radioactive fallout. Only scientists at Los Alamos had even a vague idea about the dangers of radioactivity before the bomb was dropped. Most people in the know just thought of it as a super bomb. The "If it works, they're heroes" line sticks in my craw. So I guess the crane operator doing his job in San Fransisco was a hero as well for doing his job in delivering the bomb onto the deck of the Indianapolis. The truck driver who drove it through the nevada desert and to the port. Also a hero for doing his job. Doesn't cheapen the word? I like Quint's conclusion to his speach in Jaws. "Anyways. We delivered the bomb". Just matter of fact. As though that was the most important part of his story.

Later as Captain McVey is being given his orders by the Admiral a man is welding a box to the deck of his cabin. This adds atmosphere to the scene as the arc welder creates lighting effects on their faces.

Captain: "Where do we pick up our escort?"
Admiral:"There will be no escort"
Captain: "Does this have something to do with the Manhattan project?"
Admiral: "as of 0500 tomorrow you will be under the direct command of the president of the united states"

This indicates a lack of respect for your audience's intelligence. Would a captain and Admiral be discussing matters of military importance in front of a civillian worker? Would the captain know the top secret code name for the Atomic bomb project? Would a captain be under the direct orders of the president without Truman actually being aboard? Would an admiral phrase it that way?

Sorry for how long that post was. It just irks me. I rewatched Mission Of The Shark yesterday and was impressed with the elegance of the scene between the Captain and the Marine major (Played by Dale Dye).

Major:"This mission certainly won't do your record any harm. You know the navy picked their best for this one"
Captain: "Thank you major"
Major: "Aren't you the least bit curious about what it is you're carrying?"
Captain: "Petty Officer Kinderman has it on absolute authority that we are carrying personal toilet articles for General MacArthur"
Major: "I think it's safe to say that it's something more important than that"
Captain: "Are you trying to tell me something I don't need to know major?"
Major: "That cargo out there von your foredeck are components to the deadliest weapon the species has come up with to date. But frankly sir, I would be more than surprised to find out that the navy hasn't seen fit to inform the officer responsible for delivering it"
Captain: "Well maybe they have, and then again maybe they think I'd handle the situation the same way no matter what it is we're carrting. Even if it is toilet paper for general MacArthur"

They are already underway when this conversation takes place. The Major is part of the Marine escort for the bomb and maybe knows that within a few days the bomb and its target will have found each other, so the secret is safe at this late juncture. Maybe he has looser lips than he should have. But McVey is portrayed as an honorable man just doing his job. Not too inquisitive and not encouraging a fellow officer towards spilling important military secrets. Men Of Courage has two screenwriters credited. Mission of the Shark has one.

 

I have used this film to support a visit to the area by a group of British officers and NCOs soldiers in 2006. We visited the area where the real fightign took place. Unfortunately the coach only had a VHS video player and we could not use any of the DVDs with documentaries (or Battleground)

Actually, it worked better than I had expected. The battle of the Bulge film did capture some of the episodes and character of the battle. It included the story of the complacency of the ill prepared US troops on the Schnee Eiffel, As we followed the route of KG Peiper I could refer to the story of the massacre and the fuel dump - even though it was to point out that setting fire to it had no effect and was pure Hollywood) And the good guys won in the end....

 

And in PT 109 Ty Hardin had the baddest goatee and mustache. Was watching it a couple weeks back and commented it to the wife. I said, "I always thought that was the coolest beard and mustache, kind of like a knight, Prince Valiant stuff. I might try to grow mine out like that." Wife looked at me and said, "Ahhhhh, NO."

​

 

As in the ComInWife has spoken, the matter is settled.

 

I wonder if he shaved his legs too.

 

I'm a little worried that is what you are wondering about

 

His trying to look so "he-man" is a bit strange with a shaved chest. Just figured the same if he shaved his legs as well.