Films.

[Guest IMDB Fan]

Anyone know if J'Accuse is available on DVD?

For me - I love Genevieve.  OK not a war film (well - war of the sexes, if that counts), but just lovely fun and an England that sadly doesn't exist any more.  Great music, too.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Have you tried amazon either www.amazon.co.uk or www.amazon.com ?

[Guest IMDB Fan]

What did people think of the film "The Trench" which was out a few years ago. No one has mentioned it I dont recall it being a bad film and given the subject matter would have thought many of the pals would have watched it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

THE TRENCH ? Hated it . It seems to have an anachronistic cynical air with too much swearing . I know we`ve discussed this before but I have doubts young men swore that much in those days

It`s never revealed what infantry regiment is featured and for some ridiculous reason the characters seem to be from all over the British Isles

[Liam]

I am surprised nobody has mentioned Hannibal Brooks

[De Petrowski Alexander]

okay here it goes...and yes i am aussie minded

the lighthorsemen

galipolli

anzacs

ant other oz movie i forgot about ww1 Seems theres also 50.000 horsemen but never could track it down.

and for a laugh young indiana jones in ww1

coo-ee

patrick

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Speaking about good Aussie movies, one could add " Z Force " with a young Mell Gibson, perhaps not historically accurate but still very good

[De Petrowski Alexander]

Other good movies

A thin Red Line

Die Brücke (Germany 1959) Black & White : about a squad of hitlerjugend defending a local river bridge until the end, somewhere in central Germany 1945

Harrison's Flowers

Gettysburg

All quiet on the Western Front (with Ernst Borgnine)

[marina]

'Glory', the American Civil War film. And 'A Very Long Engagement.'

Both really good.

Marina

[Steven Broomfield]

I am surprised nobody has mentioned Hannibal Brooks

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

There's probably a reason....let me think...it'll come to me....wait....ah yes...probably 'cos it's not very good

On second thoughts, the sight of Oliver Reed being out-acted by an elephant has a certain picquant charm.

[marina]

On second thoughts, the sight of Oliver Reed being out-acted by an elephant has a certain picquant charm.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Marina

[Gunboat]

Apocolypse now! I can't get past the pathetic fireworks used to simulate tracer rounds. My childhood efforts with a bow made of an old ruler a piece of string and a sparkler for an arrow looked more realistic.

As for good films.... The Hill is on my list.

[Gunboat]

Why are we (the British, and in particularly the English) always shown as either villains, or a bit cowardly, or incompetent, or public school prats etc etc? It’s not just US films, Gallipoli was pretty down on the British too. Remember the bit when the Aussies are getting slaughtered and there are two English officers who can stop it, ones nasty, the other bumbling and incompetent. And the Aussies ask how the British landing is going on and they’re told, ‘they’re sat about drinking tea’.

I think the reason is because the British celebrate their stereotype of being fair minded and willing to accept criticism as well as praise when this is potrayed. I think it is probably fair to say their was villains, cowards, incompotents and the equivalents of public school prats in every army...but we are perhaps more willing to let this be portrayed!

Mind you I can recall some negative stereotyping perpertrated by the British War Themed comics from my youth... when characters were wounded or killed.

The noble Tommy always had a dignified Uggh

The Germans always were denoted Arggghhhh or more often Accccccchhhh

And the Japanese Aiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeee

[Guest IMDB Fan]

Mind you I can recall some negative stereotyping perpertrated by the British War Themed comics from my youth... when characters were wounded or killed.

The noble Tommy always had a dignified Uggh

The Germans  always were denoted Arggghhhh or more often Accccccchhhh

And the Japanese Aiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeee

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Oh good days indeed when I would watch DOCTOR WHO on a saturday ( It`d be that chap with the curly hair and the scarf and very scary monsters - Not like nowadays ) and I`d buy Battle and Warlord comics on a Monday morning

But are you sure that`s how the Germans and Japanese spoke ? I can`t remember a single thing about the Japanese except they were all short sighted but I do remember with the exception of Captain Hellman all the Germans would say was " Gott In Himmel ! "

All time favourite comic strip ? CHARLEY`S WAR of course

[squirrel]

I reckon it's just jealousy of our command of the English language and the stiff upper lip seriously understated way we use it.

[Steven Broomfield]

But are you sure that`s how the Germans and Japanese spoke ? I can`t remember a single thing about the Japanese except they were all short sighted but I do remember with the exception of Captain Hellman all the Germans would say was " Gott In Himmel ! "

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

"Achtung - Spitfeur"

[Tony N]

it is a silent movie but very good!!!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Kristof,

I taped Westfront 1918 years ago and it was with sound (don't have a video recorder anymore ). Great film though as well as:

All Quiet on the Western Front (Lew Ayres)

08/15 (WWII)

Luftwaffenhelfer (WWII)

La Grande Illusion

Gallipoli

Tony

[Gunboat]

I`d buy Battle and Warlord comics on a Monday morning

All time favourite comic strip ? CHARLEY`S WAR of course

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Oh now we are talking! Battle and Warlord.

And those little war themed illustrated novellettes you could buy. They were the mainstay of my summer holdiays.

The user name I use now came from a character from Charleys War who allegedly I looked like and the lads in my cadet detachment pinned the picture up next to mine saying can you tell who is who. As I went to boxing with some of the same lads the story spread and one of the trainers brought in a picture of the twenties heavyweight Gunboat Smith and the name haunted me there as well

Charley's war is being re-run currently in 2001AD

[Guest IMDB Fan]

Many of the early strips of CHARLEYS WAR are republished on a great website which I`ve just forgotten about . Not too difficult to find via a search engine though

Oh and the British and commonwealth troops always had a habit of saying " struth " in comics !

[Gunboat]

Oh and the British and commonwealth troops always had a habit of saying " struth " in comics !

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

As did I earlier when whacked my thumb with hammer!!!!! Er ahem

[Guest PAJORO]

'Regeneration' does it for me, gentle at times, horrible at other points, & most importantly honest.

'Blockheads' just for Stan living in a trench for 20 years after the Armistace, whilst living on tins of baked beans, oh and Ollie thinking that he's had his legs blown off, priceless slapstick!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Now your talking movies Sons of the desert.

[Fogarrach]

I don't think anyone has mentioned any movies about the attack on the Japan home islands yet (if wrong, apologies for skimming). This may be due in part to a lack of commercially available movies on that topic.

In that genre both Grave of the Fireflies (Kobe firebombing) and Barefoot Gen (Hiroshima) are astonishing pieces of cinema. Both are available in the UK (Grave is in Fopp for a tenner, Gen in HMV but still fairly expensive) - they are both anime but please don't let that put you off. The message is astonishing in both and in my opinion the medium adds to the impact.

Along with a bunch of movies already mentioned the documentary style Culloden movie/drama is also on my list. Can A Canterbury Tale be considered a war movie? If so it is well up there - almost made me wish I was from Kent, and I say that as a Scot. It is a wonderful english pastoral movie (with very subtle British US bonding propoganda underneath) by the same duo that gave us A Matter of Life and Death and Blimp.

On my list of not seen yet but must see movies are Lacombe Lucien and the Burmese Harp.

I'm sure catch 22 has already been mentioned in the string.

Oh and for that romantic night in there is Mediterraneo and the English Patient.

[Fogarrach]

darn, I forgot Ice Cold in Alex.

I am not worthy.

[Audax]

Best War Films covering pre 1920 storylines.

BREAKER MORANT - still one of my favourites

LAWRENCE OF ARABIA

DR ZHIVAGO

GALLIPOLI - I used to like this one but have gone off it.

THE LIGHTHORSEMEN

I can't think of any big screen movie that deals in a satisfactory way with the Western Front although PATHS OF GLORY has some memorable battle scenes.

I going to check to see if 'Oh what a Llovely War' is out on DVD yet.

Any pals got any other favourites?

[Steven Broomfield]

Post-1920, I'm afraid, but bought "The Way Ahead" doe £4.99 in HMV, brilliant.

[Gerald Moore]

I can strongly recommend Joseph Losey's 1964 film "King and Country". based on the stage play "Hamp". Tom Courtney, as the doomed private, and Dirk Bogarde, as an officer who rediscovers his humanity in a wasteland, are perfectly cast. The atmosphere of a tired British battalion, in reserve at 3rd Ypres, is well captured. The harmonica score is haunting.

[Garron]

One of my favorites is Brotherhood its about the korean war from the thier prospective, its got subtitles and itsnt in english, but its great very moving ending (and i mean moving).

also another one No Mans land about the Bosnia and Herzegovina war in 1993, great film also with subtitles but a great watch, mainly about three (2 from one side and 1 the other) soliders stuck in a trench in no mans land and one man lying on a land mine, looking for help from the UN,

Garron

[De Petrowski Alexander]

Another good War movie is the Thai film " Bang Rajan" It's about a Thai village were the locals manage to defeat several attacks by troops of the invading Birmese Army, until the last attempt were a greatly reinforced Birmese Army finally overcomes all resistance (a sort of Thai "Alamo")