HoustonAg2106 said:

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rononeill said:

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watched "flags of our fathers" and "letters from iwo jima" last week on a couple flights. thought they were really good from a telling-the-story standpoint. really clever format. as a 40 something, I had no idea how brutal that battle was. seems like the Normandy invasion gets most of the spotlight these days.

while several others on this thread are higher ranked for good reason, I highly recommend both of these if you like war films (watch Flags first).

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Flags of our Fathers book was also very good, even better than the movie I would say.

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Its interesting now that Doc Bradley has been proven to NOT be one of the famous flag raisers. I think within the past 6-7 years two of the thought of flag raisers have been proven to be someone else. Not knocking those guys at all, they didn't know it was a big deal, there were two flags raised that day, and then they still had over a month of arguably the worst combat USMC has had to endure.


https://abcnews.go.com/US/marines-correct-identity-member-raising-flag-iconic-iwo/story?id=66348494

My two faves are:

Saving Private Ryan
A Bridge Too Far


Also, dont sleep on the foreign films. Loved "The Kings Choice" (Norwegian) and "The Unknown Soldier" (Finnish). Some good Russian flicks out there too on Amazon Prime

I'm a traditionalist, Patton and Midway, in that order.

To hell and back isnt that great of a film, imo, but Murphy deserves all the respect. Surprised no one has mentioned it.

Idk if I saw Defiance on the list. Daniel craig and Liev Schreiber as jews avoiding the nazis in the forrest with a community of exiles.

I remember really enjoying Escape From Stalag 17 as a kid. was it the idea for Hogan's Heroes?

I also seem to remember a serious POW camp escape movie where they dig a long tunnel, it was a very tense movie as I recall. Was that The Great Escape? or a is there a different one?

Pretty extensive list of films on this thread already. I'll add a couple more:

Come and See
Grave of the Fireflies

Lots of great ones and we definitely need a bracket.

But I cannot believe this absolute classic has not been mentioned - unless I missed it.

Victory

A WWII soccer movie starring Pele and Rocky (Stallone) and Michael Caine plus a few other real players.

yes i'm being a bit facetious but... I actually kinda love that stupid movie.

rednecked said:

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I remember really enjoying Escape From Stalag 17 as a kid. was it the idea for Hogan's Heroes?

I also seem to remember a serious POW camp escape movie where they dig a long tunnel, it was a very tense movie as I recall. Was that The Great Escape? or a is there a different one?

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Yes, that's The Great Escape. WWII prison movies are a genre unto themselves. Hogan's Heroes was inspired by Stalag 17, IIRC.

Enemy at the Gates is also a good one that hasn't come up yet.

G Martin 87 said:

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Enemy at the Gates is also a good one that hasn't come up yet.

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Nope, I included it in my initial list.

What I appreciated about this movie was what I loathed about The Thin Red Line. TTRL just opens with no setting up of what these soldiers were fighting for, no general idea of the history at Guadalcanal; EATG opens with a map of Europe and a big freaking swastika, with red spreading across the map both west and east. Kinda set the stage for why we should give a crap about a bunch of Russians in the story they were about to tell.

Zombie Jon Snow said:

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Lots of great ones and we definitely need a bracket.

But I cannot believe this absolute classic has not been mentioned - unless I missed it.

Victory

A WWII soccer movie starring Pele and Rocky (Stallone) and Michael Caine plus a few other real players.

yes i'm being a bit facetious but... I actually kinda love that stupid movie.

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I considered this movie, but have only seen it once and have very little recollection of it.

On the other hand, my list includes 1941 and Captain America: The First Avenger, so I would have no issue with including a POW movie about a soccer game.

Sorry, just missed it then.

I agree. Having the geographic context at the beginning may be something of a movie-making cliche, but it's a big help for viewers who aren't WWII buffs. (I am, also love battlefield maps, but I still like it.)

I have seen Victory multiple times and it is a great film. to see the greats of the sport of football and actors at that time was incredible. The soundtrack and John Huston being a part of it was great.

G Martin 87 said:

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Sorry, just missed it then.

I agree. Having the geographic context at the beginning may be something of a movie-making cliche, but it's a big help for viewers who aren't WWII buffs. (I am, also love battlefield maps, but I still like it.)

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I'm also a WWII nut who also loves to look at those maps, but even so, that just bugged me. Then there was the whole alligator with a woman on a swing and a bunch of images that looked more at home in a National Geographic magazine ... I've watched it a second time since I saw it when it came out in theaters, and I enjoyed it more the second time, but still think that movie to be not much of a war movie.

Brad 98 said:

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I have seen Victory multiple times and it is a great film. to see the greats of the sport of football and actors at that time was incredible. The soundtrack and John Huston being a part of it was great.

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Wasn't the score by Bill Conti (Rocky, The Right Stuff)?

I wasn't then nor am I now a fan of soccer, so that wasn't the appeal of the movie for me (I think it came out in 1981, so I was in 9th grade). It was Stallone being in the movie, as well as the WWII setting. I'm gonna have to watch it again.

Yes he was

G Martin 87 said:

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Enemy at the Gates is also a good one that hasn't come up yet.

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Agreed, best movie about the Eastern front and sniper warfare...

G Martin 87 said:

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rednecked said:

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I remember really enjoying Escape From Stalag 17 as a kid. was it the idea for Hogan's Heroes?

I also seem to remember a serious POW camp escape movie where they dig a long tunnel, it was a very tense movie as I recall. Was that The Great Escape? or a is there a different one?

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Yes, that's The Great Escape. WWII prison movies are a genre unto themselves. Hogan's Heroes was inspired by Stalag 17, IIRC.

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I love The Great Escape. Except for that whole final scene disaster. The movie Chicken Run is dumb, but there's a scene where the rooster gets locked up in a cage and does Steve McQueen's bit with the ball and glove bouncing it off the wall. It was perfect.

CajunAg97 said:

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G Martin 87 said:

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Enemy at the Gates is also a good one that hasn't come up yet.

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Agreed, best movie about the Eastern front and sniper warfare...

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and bunker/barracks sex!!!!!

G Martin 87 said:

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rednecked said:

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I remember really enjoying Escape From Stalag 17 as a kid. was it the idea for Hogan's Heroes?

I also seem to remember a serious POW camp escape movie where they dig a long tunnel, it was a very tense movie as I recall. Was that The Great Escape? or a is there a different one?

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Yes, that's The Great Escape. WWII prison movies are a genre unto themselves. Hogan's Heroes was inspired by Stalag 17, IIRC.

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I always enjoyed the Great Escape because it reminds me of the stories of my great Uncle. He was captured (along with most of the 106th ID) on the first day of the Bulge. He was a bit of troublemaker as a POW and was transferred to 5 different camps in his 6 months of captivity before the war ended.

Stalag 12A
Stalag 4B
Stalag 3A
Stalag 3B
Stalag 383

Loved hearing stories about him. He passed away back in '03 and I hadn't developed an interest in history yet. My dad would go over and talk to him for hours about the war.

Tanya 93 said:

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I love The Pianist and JoJo Rabbit

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wait, someone stayed awake to finish the Pianist!?

Kelly's heroes, man

G Martin 87 said:

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rednecked said:

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I remember really enjoying Escape From Stalag 17 as a kid. was it the idea for Hogan's Heroes?

I also seem to remember a serious POW camp escape movie where they dig a long tunnel, it was a very tense movie as I recall. Was that The Great Escape? or a is there a different one?

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Yes, that's The Great Escape. WWII prison movies are a genre unto themselves. Hogan's Heroes was inspired by Stalag 17, IIRC.

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thanks. definitely going to have to watch these again sometime.

Zombie Jon Snow said:

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Lots of great ones and we definitely need a bracket.

But I cannot believe this absolute classic has not been mentioned - unless I missed it.

Victory

A WWII soccer movie starring Pele and Rocky (Stallone) and Michael Caine plus a few other real players.

yes i'm being a bit facetious but... I actually kinda love that stupid movie.

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It popped into my mind trying to figure out brackets for a possible tournament. POW films was one possible bracket then I tried to come up with films to fill it and that was a possibility.

The Great Escape
Saving Private Ryan

wangus12 said:

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G Martin 87 said:

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rednecked said:

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I remember really enjoying Escape From Stalag 17 as a kid. was it the idea for Hogan's Heroes?

I also seem to remember a serious POW camp escape movie where they dig a long tunnel, it was a very tense movie as I recall. Was that The Great Escape? or a is there a different one?

---

Yes, that's The Great Escape. WWII prison movies are a genre unto themselves. Hogan's Heroes was inspired by Stalag 17, IIRC.

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I always enjoyed the Great Escape because it reminds me of the stories of my great Uncle. He was captured (along with most of the 106th ID) on the first day of the Bulge. He was a bit of troublemaker as a POW and was transferred to 5 different camps in his 6 months of captivity before the war ended.

Stalag 12A
Stalag 4B
Stalag 3A
Stalag 3B
Stalag 383

Loved hearing stories about him. He passed away back in '03 and I hadn't developed an interest in history yet. My dad would go over and talk to him for hours about the war.

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That's amazing. I'll drink a toast to your great uncle the next time I watch The Great Escape.

This guy was my friends father when I was growing up. Weird and cool to have a personal connection to the great escape, wish I had understood more as a kid so I could have asked him about it.

https://www.inforum.com/entertainment/2931618-eriksmoen-trombonist-helped-tunnel-out-german-camp

So many great ones listed. My personal top two from WWII:

Patton
They Were Expendable

jkag89 said:

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Zombie Jon Snow said:

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Lots of great ones and we definitely need a bracket.

But I cannot believe this absolute classic has not been mentioned - unless I missed it.

Victory

A WWII soccer movie starring Pele and Rocky (Stallone) and Michael Caine plus a few other real players.

yes i'm being a bit facetious but... I actually kinda love that stupid movie.

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It popped into my mind trying to figure out brackets for a possible tournament. POW films was one possible bracket then I tried to come up with films to fill it and that was a possibility.

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A POW bracket is a must. Here are some other bracket suggestions. Lots of fun possibilities.

Land
Sea
Air

Solo Unit (Fury, Das Boot, Memphis Belle, etc)
Small Unit (Dirty Dozen, Kelly's Heroes, Navarone, Band of Brothers, The Pacific, Saving Private Ryan, etc)
Big Unit (A Bridge Too Far, Patton, Battle of the Bulge, Midway, etc)


Early War (Tora, Dunkirk, Battle of Britain, etc)
Turning Points (Midway, El Alamein, Enemy at the Gates, Saving Private Ryan, etc)
Endgame (Bulge, Flags of Our Fathers, A Bridge Too Far, Dirty Dozen, etc)

Yanks
Brits
Krauts
Nips

West Front
East Front
Atlantic
Pacific

G Martin 87 said:

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jkag89 said:

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Zombie Jon Snow said:

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Lots of great ones and we definitely need a bracket.

But I cannot believe this absolute classic has not been mentioned - unless I missed it.

Victory

A WWII soccer movie starring Pele and Rocky (Stallone) and Michael Caine plus a few other real players.

yes i'm being a bit facetious but... I actually kinda love that stupid movie.

---

It popped into my mind trying to figure out brackets for a possible tournament. POW films was one possible bracket then I tried to come up with films to fill it and that was a possibility.

---

A POW bracket is a must. Here are some other bracket suggestions. Lots of fun possibilities.

Land
Sea
Air

Solo Unit (Fury, Das Boot, Memphis Belle, etc)
Small Unit (Dirty Dozen, Kelly's Heroes, Navarone, Band of Brothers, The Pacific, Saving Private Ryan, etc)
Big Unit (A Bridge Too Far, Patton, Battle of the Bulge, Midway, etc)


Early War (Tora, Dunkirk, Battle of Britain, etc)
Turning Points (Midway, El Alamein, Enemy at the Gates, Saving Private Ryan, etc)
Endgame (Bulge, Flags of Our Fathers, A Bridge Too Far, Dirty Dozen, etc)

Yanks
Brits
Krauts
Nips

West Front
East Front
Atlantic
Pacific

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Certainly gives me ideas. I like the Solo/Small Unit idea for a bracket.

Also thinking about
ETO maybe split into two brackets (North Africa/Italy and France/Germany)
PTO maybe also split into two brackets (Naval Engagements and Land Combat)
Eastern Front
The War from the Axis perspective (Das Boot, Letters from Iwo Jima, The Tin Drum)
More light hearted look (Father Goose, Operation Petticoat, 1941.. Maybe have dark comedies in this group also Inglourious Basterds, To Be or Not to Be, the original and the Mel Brooks remake are both very good)
Films that explore the Homefront (A League of Their Own, Since You Went Away, Hope and Glory, Swing Shift)
Films about Resistance Movements (Factual such as Sophie Scholl -The Final Days and A Hidden Life or purely fictional such as Casablanca)
Holocaust (Schindler's List, Life is Beautiful, The Pianist, The Diary of Anne Frank maybe The Book Thief could fit here)
Mini-Series (Band of Brothers, The Pacific, Holocaust)

The problem I have with setting brackets up is there are so many options and why my Christmas one got so large.

I've been racking my brain all afternoon because The Great Escape didn't seem like the one I was thinking of. It think I blended two movies together because I was remembering a hang glider or something. A bit of googling and I found Colditz: Escape of the Birdmen. Anyone seen this one? It was a glider they were building to escape from a castle prison. It's only available as a rental. Might get it this weekend.

Father Goose
1941

Many good ones here, and I am unable to come up with a favorite two.

The mention of Empire of the Sun on another thread, a really good movie and one I have seen multiple times reminded of another from a youth's perspective: Hope and Glory.

Not a movie filled with battling soldiers or military strategy, it is nonetheless in my opinion an enjoyable movie set during WWII in London.