It was indeed. Such a fantastic story, all the way through.
Ran
Zulu
The Best Years of Our Llives
Gallipoli
I love the Sharpe series, but there are so many of them now. While it usually makes sense to start a series in order of when they are published with the Sharpe series you can read them in order of the “time” in the book. With Sharpe you can easily start with the first book based in India.
For the most part the books are very good although as the series progressed they become very formulaic. But I can heartily recommend the original books (1-12 maybe) and the first India book. If you still want more after that there is probably another dozen books.
Thanks man!
Other than the opening 30 minutes of Saving Private Ryan I am not a big fan. Band of Brothers is much better, but then it had the time to develop the characters.
The Pacific, another HBO Series on WW2, was not as well received and I didn’t care for it as much. But it has some Saving Private Ryan opening type segments in it I remember correctly. It is also based on the actual lives of three soldiers.
I thought Clint Eastwood’s films Flags of Our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima were really good too.
- Stalingrad. Not the ridiculous 2013 Russian propaganda, but the 1993 German film. Can’t believe this hasn’t been mentioned yet.
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Gettysburg is an amazing work of film-making - the battle on Litte Round Top in particular - awesome.
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Waterloo. flawed, but the spectacle of Napoleonic troops marching into battle has never been equalled before or since. The 17,000 extras used to create the battle scenes dwarf even today’s CG feasts, and provide a realism to the battle scenes that the latter still cannot match.
- I could pick several here, but I’d probably go with “All Quiet on the Western Front”. The book is one of the most powerful novels I’ve ever read, and the movie is just harrowing in it’s depiction of the battle. Saving Private Ryan made me wish that someone would remake this using the same perspective and modern camera techniques … and then I came to my senses (no one would want to sit through that).
Das Boot is also awesome. Saving Private Ryan is pretty amazing for the first 30 or so minutes, but I’m not convinced it would even be mentioned in this context absent those opening minutes. (Edit: Scuzz beat me to it, Needless to say, I agree).
Great film. I love it, personally. Thoughts on Austerlitz?
Can confirm this movie is amazing, but like Das Boot, WHAT A BUMMER.
No one mentioned Midway
One of my childhood favorites that still stands up, mainly because I love the detail they put into the planning and preparation scenes. The fire scenes did convince me not to go Navy
I have made my four picks up thread but a movie I will usually finish watching if I stumble on it is In Harm’s Way.
Oh hey wait, The Final Countdown is a War movie! That gets my vote. Pew pew!
You and I could be bestest movie friends @Navaronegun !
Here are 4 from me, I picked ones that weren’t mentioned yet, so they are not all my favorites, but one’s I’d watch again. And truthfully I think I’ve seen just about every movie mentioned so far. I love war films.
Samuel Fuller. Big Red One. GREAT film. Completely underrated. And overshadowed at the time (unfairly) by Mark Hamill’s appearance in the film.
Man I always intended to see Monuments Men, I love the story idea, but just never got around to it.
Infants man, they mess with movie scheduling.
Was a bit confused which film you were thinking of, but I assume you’re thinking of the first part of Bondarchuk’s epic “War and Peace”? Haven’t had the opportunity to see it, unfortunately.
I meant this. Decent film.
My favorite film on Napoleon is Sacha Guitry’s work:
Though I have a soft spot for Eagle in a Cage.
Screw it, here is 4 more, because they weren’t mentioned yet!
Best Tiger vs Sherman Tin Can fight I’ve seen on screen.
Wasn’t sure what to make of this at first, turned out it was a fantastic story about a part of the world where you didn’t hear much about the events of WW2.
I’ll watch any Sniper vs Sniper movie, even if there is a horrible love story involved.
Pretty much the definitive meme making movie. Also the best account of the “last days” in the bunker imho.
Ah, sadly haven’t seen that either. Must put that on my to-watch list. The Guitry film I think I’ve watched, though several decades ago now. Enjoyed it, though I found the history a bit iffy, IIRC.
Would love to see someone good at this giving Napoleon the HBO series treatment - there’s more than enough intrigue, colorful characters and battles in that life to run multiple seasons. Or even better (though wishful thinking, unfortunately): Marlborough.