First of all, Dingus, Poster 10 From Navorone*, Nesrie, et al, thanks for a great discussion.
Jeff Daniels’ speech in Gettysburg is one of my two favorite movie motivational speeches (can you believe Gene Siskel dumped on this film for being a “Confederate propaganda piece”?), the other being Kenneth Branagh’s rendition of the St. Crispin’s Day speech in Henry V:
I loved Lancaster in Local Hero. “There’s a madman on the roof. You’d better call the police to get some marksmen over here. Shoot him down. Shoot to kill.”
*Sorry Navaronegun, but that’s effing brilliant. :)
It is brilliant. That is also a bad war movie. And a bad action movie. Sad, because the book is great, and it has freaking ROBERT SHAW!!! in it (as well as Edward Fox).
But Carl Weathers and a lame-o Harrison Ford really poop in the soup for that one.
My name is Pat Mullen (I ain’t hiding!). But I used Navaronegun for ages, dating back to usenet. I use “Force10Navarone” on Xbox Live because Navaronegun was taken. Why Navaronegun? I dunno. The original film, + history + war/military + Pulp Fiction reference+ habit (now). Its not a mystery, I have the same handle with my real name and this avatar on Twitter and this avatar with my real name on YT.
Completely agree about Force 10 and it’s all good about your name (although, the Duvall quote notwithstanding, I keep thinking your avatar should be Gregory Peck, but that’s just me.)
Tae Gu Ki was metioned already, but there are quite a few good modern Korean war films (SK). Alot of them are very good in terms of accesibility, aka. they are much in line with hollywood productions, heavily influenced by Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan (cinematography).
Northern Limit Line - naval patrol during early 2000s within NK borders
The Front Line - Korean War movie, great combat scenes ala Brotherhood of War
71 Into the Fire - Korean War, 71 teens hold out against NK division.
eh theres alot of Korean War movies, just look em up on youtube… actually have HD full versions on there… i’m not saying thats right, but theyve been there for years… also next would be east european war movies from russia, estonia, ukraine… mostly ww2… you know like tank battles n shit. some really good.
Another random, but found this interesting youtube video while linking the movies above. of a chinese veteran being interviewed about the korean war. w/ subtitles.
Chamberlain (Daniels) and the 20th Maine are definitely the highlight of that film - such a fantastic performance.
My favorite battle speech in a movie is Theoden’s “Spears shall be shaken, Shields shall be splintered” at Pellenor fields. Short, to the point, and delivered fantastically well. Helps that the Rohirrim theme is so fantastic too - that Hardanger fiddle gives me goosebumps every time I watch that scene.
Edit: Aw hell, I have to gush. But enough about me. The African Queen is one of the greatest films ever made. I first saw it as a kid on B&W TV. It fascinated me. To the point that I built an African Queen out of Lego. I actually acted out the movie with army men in the boat. I might have been 12 at the time.
Seeing it later in color was fascinating, my memories of the movie are still in B&W. Weird, eh?
But for the love of jeebus could you please capitalize the G? The first time I saw it, it read “Navar One Gun”, I can’t un-see it.
Right, movie stuff.
As others (I think?) have mentioned, when you see a movie influences your like/dislike, sometimes so much so that you’ll go on believing it’s a great film no matter what other people think
I saw Empire of the Sun when I was… 11? Not far from the age of Christian Bale was in the movie. I really identified with it, and still do. The critics generally give it a solid “meh”. Don’t care. Still love it.
(Also a great soundrack)
“Would you like a Hersey bar?”
It certainly doesn’t apply for every movie. I saw Hope and Glory a year later and remember thinking it was pretty great. It doesn’t hold up as well.
I think its fantastic. Always have. Spielberg just tells stories at times, and the critics want
(especially back then) him to be Kubrick and have 8 layered messages interwoven in his work. That wasn’t/isn’t him.
However he is meticulously true to the period and source material.
AND I have a curmudgeonly auto-dislike for children in film…and I thought Bale was great in the role.
Tell me you didn’t get tears of joy after seeing that.
First of all, I love the way Malick uses music in his movies. Having just seen BlacKkKlansman and what I said about how Spike Lee uses music, I am reminded now of the way Malick uses a bed of music to support the voice-over as water holding up a boat. Some directors have the music constantly running through so that we do not think for ourselves. Malick uses it to support the language so that we do notice and think about it…which dialogue is oft-times more related to poetry than mere dialogue.
You further bring to mind The Tree of Life for me. Not Zimmer (it’s Alexandre Desplat), and the careful way Malick uses music to bring us into that movie and keep us there. He understands how to be gentle without sacrificing the majestic.
Thanks for wrecking me for a minute. And thank you for laying these out in this order. The sound design and editing alone–heck, just the sound of the grass in that clearing–is utterly haunting. Watching it in that order, though…really good choice to set it up like that.
I will never tire of watching this speech. “What’s he that wishes so?” I get goosebumps even without clicking on the link. Of course, I shall. I’d say it makes me cry every time, but weep is more like it. Speaking of how music is used, even though I know I’m being manipulated by how Branagh uses Patrick Doyle’s score (especially during that speech), but I don’t care. It’s really interesting to watch the Olivier version from 1944, especially for differences in how the music is used.
Also…I was so pleased to see Christian Bale show up, because…
You’re not kidding. I was at the end of high school when this came out, and it resonated with me as well. It’s also, truth be told, one of my favorite scores by John Williams. The opening track, “Suo Gan” performed by The Ambrosian Junior Choir, was something I could not stop listening to for a long time.
I put Empire of the Sun in the same mental file as Hope and Glory because both are dear to me for different reasons (it makes me a bit sad that you say it doesn’t hold up, @cannedwombat, as I haven’t seen it in so long and don’t want to believe you) , and both are united in that I think they are far superior to the movie that won Best Picture that year, The Last Emperor.
Empire of the Sun also marks the first time I really got captivated by a John Malkovich performance.
