"TT" wrote in message
news:Xabln.13001$pL1.185@uutiset.elisa.fi...
> Kingo Gondo wrote:
>> "TT" wrote in message
>> news:pv9ln.12923$pL1.23@uutiset.elisa.fi...
>>> Here are my 35 war films better than Hurt Locker:
>>>
>>>
>>> Cross of Iron (1977) 10
>>> Das Boot (1981) 10
>>> Kelly's Heroes (1970) 10
>>> Glory (1989) 9
>>> Southern Comfort (1981) 9
>>> The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) 9
>>> Tuntematon sotilas (1955) 9
>>> 300 (2006) 8
>>> Casualties of War (1989) 8
>>> Enemy at the Gates (2001) 8
>>> Full Metal Jacket (1987) 8
>>> Heartbreak Ridge (1986) 8
>>> Paths of Glory (1957) 8
>>> Rukajärven tie (1999) 8
>>> Stripes (1981) 8
>>> The Deer Hunter (1978) 8
>>> The Dirty Dozen (1967) 8
>>> The Eagle Has Landed (1976) 8
>>> The Guns of Navarone (1961) 8
>>> The Killing Fields (1984) 8
>>> The Train (1964) 8
>>> Where Eagles Dare (1968) 8
>>> Apocalypse Now (1979) 7
>>> Behind Enemy Lines (2001) 7
>>> Black Hawk Down (2001) 7
>>> From Here to Eternity (1953) 7
>>> Gunga Din (1939) 7
>>> Hanover Street (1979) 7
>>> In Enemy Hands (2004) 7
>>> Patton (1970) 7
>>> Pearl Harbor (2001) 7
>>> Platoon (1986) 7
>>> Saving Private Ryan (1998) 7
>>> The Big Red One (1980) 7
>>> The Siege of Firebase Gloria (1989) 7
>>>
>>>
>>> Pay no attention to numbers :-P
>>>
>>> The list doesn't include such great movies as Schindler's list, The
>>> Downfall, Crimson Tide etc that don't have actual fighting sequences.
>>> Not sure if River Kwai has any...But yes, Stripes does have some
>>> although it's rather borderline to be considered a "war movie"...
>>> Also movies that I haven't seen in past decade or so are not included,
>>> naturally.
>>
>> Downfall has fighting sequences, especially near the end. As does River
>> Kwai, in a more limited way, although I don't see why that is even
>> necessary. Grand Illusion and several other great POW films have limited
>> "fighting", but they need to be on any such list, unless you want to call
>> it a "full-scale combat action" film list. But even Mrs. Miniver has some
>> of that. And what do you do with The Life And Death of Colonel Blimp?
>> Rome, Open City?
>>
>> Glad to see that I am not the only who likes "Firebase Gloria" (despite
>> some cheesy acting and one dreadful scene). And you will have gladdened
>> calvin's heart also.
>>
>> So these would be your top 35 war films?
>>
>> No They Were Expendable? Lawrence of Arabia? Objective, Burma!? The Dawn
>> Patrol (either version)? All Quiet On The Western Front? Come and See?
>> Ivan's Childhood? Battleground? Shenandoah? Westfront 1918? Letters From
>> Iwo Jima? The Lost Patrol? Gallipoli? The Enemy Below? Twelve O'Clock
>> High? Stalingrad? Pork Chop Hill? Hell In The Pacific? Play Dirty? Fires
>> On The Plain? The Longest Day? The Thin Red Line? The Human Condition?
>> Breaker Morant? Soldier of Orange? Hell Is For Heroes?
>>
>> And so on.
>
> Many movies there that I don't recall seeing.
>
> I just sorted my votes for "war movies" at imdb and took some movies off
> the list since I though they were just too much different from Hurt
> Locker. I thought that there was no point comparing most prison camp
> movies, westerns etc to hurt locker...but yeah, probably should not have
> included Kwai, Stripes etc in the list then. It's not all that simple to
> draw lines between genres.
I think They Were Expendable is the best WW2 movie (with full scale combat)
made during WW2--most are pretty bad (Objective Burma is probably next in
line for me, then maybe Bataan or Sahara or The Story of GI Joe). 30 Seconds
Over Tokyo is good, except for too much Van Johnson--*I* want to chop off
his goddamned leg before the movie is over.
Of the American post-WW2 films on the subject, I'd say Battleground is
pretty essential (with sufficiently diluted Van Johnson, which is just
fine). Twelve O'Clock High, too--perhaps the perfect role for Gregory Peck.
I can watch The Enemy Below endlessly, just because of Mitchum and
Jurgens--plus you can see almost the entire script of a Star Trek episode 10
years in advance of its filming!
Come and See has two of the most disturbing scenes ever filmed. The one is
reveled without any fanfare or on-screen violence, sort of like when Dith
Pran suddenly realizes he is in a mass grave in The Killing Fields. The
other is pure brutality.
The Japanese films I listed (Fires On The Plain and The Human Condition
trilogy) are just awesome. The Burmese Harp would belong up there, too.
I've never seen Rukajärven tie or Tuntematon sotilas, thanks for pointing
them out. I am afraid to say I have a Finn film deficiency!
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