Upcoming WW2 films list

just saw the first trailers for "the Monuments Men" about the guys who treid to track down as much of the stolen art at the end of the war. surprizingly its looks half way decent but time will tell if clooney blows it .

 

I like Clooney as an actor, but as a director, eh. It's got an interesting cast and I feel this film may end up a tad quirky. Nevertheless, I will catch it on Feb 6. Hopefully it is as good as the book.

 

Sadly most big name actors are more entertainers rather than classical "actors". Essentially they play themselves in different situations rather than discreet and distinct characters. I count Clooney firmly in this category, which in itself is not all bad after all the Duke was little different. The key is to have a character that is no too far away from his base personality. Wouldn't be surprised if Goodman or Murray doesn't steal the movie, as earnest and dedicated is not Clooney's strong suit. Now if Clooney has to run some elaborate and complicated scam on the Nazi's......

 

The book was very good. Very interesting subject. I'm really looking forward to the movie.

Uhoh. I just checked IMDB and Clooney is also the director. Hope he does a good job.

Lots of German filming locations .... but ....... it also has John Goodman in it, so that will be an unwelcome distraction.

And Matt Damon's part was orginally supposed to have Daniel Craig, who I think would have been better.

 

Keepimng this thread going...

...Was "The Book Thief" any good? Just released on dvd. I have the novel on my book shelf but have not gotten around to reading it yet. The fantasy element of the book put me off somewhat. The narrator is the grim reaper.

The movie looks quite handsome.

 

Up coming this year, another biopic about mathematician Alan Turing starring Benedict Cumberbatch (of "Sherlock") as Turing.

Turing commited suicide in 1952 after being sentenced to a prison term for homosexuality and losing his security rating and his job. With the official royal pardon of Turing last year (50 years later), and all the controversy about Russia's position on homosexuality, this movie should be very apropos. The movie is called "The Immitation Game".

 

Another 2014 release: Angelina Jolie has directed the true life story of Gold medal runner and POW Louis Zamperini. The screenplay is by joel and Ethan Coen. The title of the movie is "Unbroken".

 

Finally, coming out this month is "Railway Man", the true life story of eric Lomax, who was a POW in the hands of Japanese and forced to help build the Burmese railroad. He was tortured mercilessly, but somehow survied the war.

The film is about healing. It is set in two different time frames. Later in life Eric Lomax found the Japanese officer who tortured him and found it in his heart to forgive him for what he had done. The older Eric is played by the always outstanding British actor, Colin Firth.

 

Unlike, say, the opening songs in "Kelly's Heroes" and "Anzio"?

 

the Russian film "Stalingrad" will finally see release in Canada in 2014. I saw the poster a couple of days ago when I went to see "Captain America- The Winter Soldier". I actually thought it had already been released on dvd.

It looks spectacular, though some reviews I have read have torn it appart.

 

I thought the book was very good. I found the narration aspect a positive and was an interestng swing on a narrative. I find modern day novels on the Second World War frustrating.This was a nice read. Furthermore, the film was excellent. Geoffrey Rush's character was, as always,well acted and he portrayed the father very well, compassionate with humor. Emily Watson was a perfect fit for the mother.

 

I have been watching the old television series...12 Oclock High.
My interest in WW2 has been primarily in the European ground war.
This television show has really opened my eyes to what the flyers went through...at least from the perspective of the USAAF... dropping bombs during the day.
It was an Odd/Surreal balance of war and safety. I would, without doubt, much rather take my chances with the infantry.
I am not keeping score, it was all tough going, but the bomber guys had a unique story to tell...that's for sure. Long. loud, cold flights. You might get shot in Berlin, then ride for 5 hours straight with no Flak or enemy fighters, but bleed to death in the relative safety and comfort of the plane.
Anyway...I tip my hat to those guys...ALL of them.
To the guys that got shot down on their very first mission, to the guys that did their 25 (or whatever number it was) and never suffered even a small wound.
I imagine there must have been some startling cases of fatigue and mental trauma in the 8th Air Force.
I may be wrong...but is it true (with the exception of the German Sub guys) that the 8th Air Force suffered more losses of percent than any other branch of service.?
Thank You

 

If you want to read a really comprehensive book about the USAF bomber war, read "Masters Of The Air" by Donald Miller. Twelve O'Clock High gets a lot of it right, from the attrition in air crews to the weather challenges, to the things you mention above. Spielberg-Hanks are in development to turn that book into a third "Band Of Brothers" type mini-series.

Some of it doesn't really get accross properly in "Twelve O'Clock High". Asphyxiation from defective oxygen tanks or clogged hoses. Frostbite leading to amputations. Electrocutions from heated flight suits short circuiting. A lot of gruesome stuff you wouldn't think of.

In the series, half the time the pilots and crew don't use their oxygen at high altitudes (a concession based on wanting to see the actor's face). There is little reference to the constant cold the crews had to endure, or sometimes resorting to pissing in their flight suits during the twelve hour long flights and then literally freezing their genitals off.

An estimated two out of three aircrew were casualties in the bomber war. I just read a book on fighter pilots in the 8th air force and while they had it a little better, the attrition for them was also pretty high.

 

^^^^^ I hope that movie comes to be...also hope it is not too Spielberg/Hanks-ish.
And yeah...I realize the television was just that, a television show...not a documentary. I think they did an admirable job of balancing the two.
Funny you should say oxygen. Was just discussing that with my wife. A fighter attack might cripple O2 for the tail gunner...and the poor guy might expire before anybody would even know. Imagine loosing air at 20k feet...having to dive down to search for oxygen, and knowing that you will only be making yourself easy pray for the Luftwaffe.
I have always heard that attrition was about 3%, but you guys would know better than me.
3% x 25 missions.? Your life is no better than a coin toss...maybe worse.

 

Your casualty rates are a bit high, sir. I recently visited the Mighty 8th Air Force Museum in Savannah and had a discussion with one of the tour guides there. The casualty rates they have on record are 26,000 aircrew killed of approximately 400,000 enlisted. This would put their casualty rate at about 6.5%. But, if you take into account that only 135,000 of those were combat air crew than the rate jumps to 19%. RAF Bomber Command air loss rates were even worse. Over 55,500 were killed of the 125,000 combat air crew with a loss rate of a staggering 44.4%.

Sincerely,
Don C

 

Thanks BigDaddy. Your comment is appreciated. I'll need to re-read, but I was citing from memory (never a good idea) and was thinking also of aircrew who were discharged following physical wounds and mental breakdown related to combat stress.

re: RAF bomber command, the higher rate may be attributable to the idea that while American crews were required to fly 25 missions (and later in the war 30 and 35), the British crews were in for the duration. Again, I will need to look something up on this as I am repeating something I read in "Masters Of The Air" in the fall of 2013.

I have a couple of books waiting on my e-reader at the moment about the British side of things "Diary of a Lancaster Bomber Pilot" by Les Joy, and "A Good Clean Fight" by Derek Robinson. "Life As A Battle of Britain Pilot" by Jonathan Falconer.

In any case all these young men demonstrated incredible fortitude and grit. For a quick and easy summary you can take a look at a talk by Donald L. Miller on you tube. He gives a few facts and figures.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAoYs2uGXyM



Saint Vincent College School of Humanities and Fine Arts and its Charles G. and Anita L. Manoli Scholarship Committee will present a lecture by Dr. Donald L. Miller, a graduate of Saint Vincent who has served as the author, commentator and scriptwriter of more than 40 national television productions, The talk is entitled, "Masters of the Air: the 8th Air Force in World War II."

 

New Trailer for "Fury" just became available on IMDB.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2713180/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

 

Hmmm... I hope it's good

 

Boy...Monuments Men was a disappointment.
I guess it was kind of mis-cast, and suffered from mediocre screenwriting.
The Campy/Inside humor was really out of place.
Not much character development, etc etc
Kind of hard to put my finger on...it was just not a great movie.
Was a Great Topic...and Clooney has made some Really Good movies, but this was not one of them.
The scenes where 2 of the main characters get killed are 2 of the best...but they happen early on.
Oh Well.