The Single GREATEST war movie of all time

[MrScorpio]

Poll question: The Single GREATEST war movie of all time

I'll start out with my faves

[MissMillie]

1. Of those you have posted, I have only seen Glory

but I notice that "Patton" is mysteriously missing from your list....

[MrScorpio]

5. I'll clue you in

All of the above are pretty anti-war... Patton didn't make that cut

[MissMillie]

14. While I admire your reasoning... I don't see

how "Glory" differs from "Patton".... they're both history lessons about people... (one about a General, another about a regimine of soldiers)... and neither one makes any moral lessons about the wars in question

[lips]

63. considering that these are movies with messages

and the fact that we're in a war right now with a message so scrambled and depressing why is the epic
"Casualties of War" with MJ Fox, Behringer, et al. no where to be seen?

War movies rule, but, sorry, 'Full Metal Jacket' was cinema from the maggoty underbelly of failed budgeting and crappy storytelling.

[AlCzervik]

2. My favorite is Stalag 17.

[ghostsofgiants]

3. I'm not big on war movies, but I looooove Apocalypse Now.

[Broken_Hero]

4. Other:

I know it was a tv miniseries, but Band of Brothers, and if I'm pushed to pick a movie/movie, I'd go with The Longest Day.....

[kwassa]

9. "Band of Brothers" is truly the best.

I actually liked "A Bridge Too Far", among war movies.

[Parche]

10. band of brothers

I second that....but it is a mini-series tho......................:hi:

[tokenlib]

32. But the effort surpassed many movies...

The money spent, the research and efforts to be true to the story,and the quality puts it right up there.

[chknltl]

70. Add my vote for Band Of Brothers

Saving Pvt. Ryan was my first thought and I was gonna join in with praising it as others here have BUT Band Of Brothers "took me there" as no movie could.

[WolverineDG]

6. Saving Private Ryan

for the opening sequence alone. :patriot: to all those who fought with the Allies on D-Day & in the decoy invasion of Italy (my uncle was one & he was caught & finished out the war in a Nazi POW camp).

dg

[AwakeAtLast]

12. I second that n/t

[yourout]

42. the best without a doubt.

[blindpig]

7. this one

[edbermac]

8. Full Metal Jacket, you maggott!

I'll bet you could suck a golf ball through a garden hose!

[AngryAmish]

11. Disorderlies

[Bicoastal]

15. Ok, you.

Just remember, when the question is "What's your favorite movie starring members of an obese rap group acting as nursemaids to a character actor from the 1930's?"...

...be sure to say "Schindler's List."

[ceile]

13. Das Boot

Don't like war movies, but this one always stuck w/ me.

[rug]

34. Seconded

[NewJeffCT]

44. that one is on my list of movies I must see

before I die.

Unfortunately, my list is long...

[KG]

46. see the German version w/ subtitles.

ok, its just me, i liked it more.

[kwassa]

16. Platoon

my favorite about Vietnam, and I am not a big fan of Oliver Stone, either.

[applegrove]

29. I thought platoon was a great movie too.

[WinkyDink]

17. "The Longest Day", "The Guns of Navarone", and "The Red Badge of Courage".

[Enrique]

18. Mister Roberts

also Mrs. Miniver.

[Hangingon]

27. I second Mr. Roberts

[Nickster]

19. My heart is with Apocalypse Now, but Patton is the single greatest war flick for me.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

20. "Casualties of War" was pretty visceral and disturbing

I guess there are three ways to judge a war movie: 1, as someone who's never served in the Military (I didn't), 2, as someone who did serve but didn't see combat, and 3, someone who served and did see combat.

"Casualties of War" comes to mind because of the final scene between Thuy Thu Le and Michael J. Fox. I can't discuss it here without offering up a spoiler but it was a pretty shocking finale to a movie that had already hung me out to dry.

Second choice would have to be "Saving Private Ryan," primarily for the fact that Tom Hanks was pretty damned convincing as an officer who wasn't all that happy to have given up his life to find Ryan. I haven't watched it in several years, but his challenge to Matt Damon..."be worthy," whatever the exact quote was...just struck me as real.

:patriot:

[DarkTirade]

21. Huh. I just realized I haven't seen a single one of those movies.

Do I have to turn in my guy membership card now? :(

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

22. Some great foreign war movies

Die Brücke (The Bridge), a German film made in 1959 about 13 and 14 year old German troops at the end of the war (when they were running out of grown men), sent to defend a bridge from the advancing GIs. I saw this film on American television with subtitles in about 1962 but have not seen it here since. It's a great film.

Stalingrad, another German film that is far more gritty and grim than any American film made on the war that I have seen.

Normandie Niemen, a French film about the squadrons of French volunteer fighter pilots who went to fight alongside the Russian Air Force on the Eastern Front in World War II. A true story about the nearly 300 German planes these squadrons shot down in the war. Their leader Marcel Albert won the highest military honors the Soviets could bestow, Hero Of The Soviet Union, for shooting down 21 German planes, with several other probables.

Les Crois De Bois (Wooden Crosses), a French film about the World War I trenches that is every bit as grim and unsettling as All Quiet On The Western Front.

[MrScorpio]

25. I saw Stalingrad on German TV when I was stationed there

It was a very gritty movie

[nytemare]

23. I voted "All Quiet"

But, I must recommend a Korean movie called "Tae Guk Gi", which was very well done.

[Iggo]

24. The Big Red 1.

Good shit, Maynard.

[redqueen]

36. Pussy! Pussy!

:rofl:

[Deep13]

26. Das Boot

[CatholicEdHead]

28. Tora, Tora, Tora

then The Longest Day

[Sacajawea]

58. "Tora, Tora, Tora is Rotten, Rotten, Rotten" -- Gene Shalit's review, IIRC

[NightWatcher]

30. Other: The Great Escape/ Dirty Dozen They take place in war, but are not about war

[PVnRT]

31. Green Berets and Red Dawn

:o

[Monkey see Monkey Do]

33. Other: "Come and See"

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMKwMzLj8Ow

[redqueen]

35. Haven't seen all those so I didn't vote.

But I did really enjoy The Big Red One and Band of Brothers and Bridge on the River Kwai... it'd be really hard to pick a favorite.

[regnaD kciN]

37. Lawrence of Arabia

n/t

[JoePhilly]

38. The Sand Pebbles. nt

[KG]

48. a totally awesome flick!

[Robeson]

56. nice pic.

[Rabrrrrrr]

39. African Queen. Or Casablanca.

[HamstersFromHell]

40. Das Boot

Absolutely the best.

[hippywife]

41. None. n/t

[NewJeffCT]

43. so many movies to choose from - how about Dirty Dozen?

but, a lot of good ones on your list as well - All Quiet, Glory, Full Metal Jacket, Platoon, Apocalypse, etc.

[Aristus]

45. A good one for all of you to check out would be "The Beast".

It takes place during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. There are a lot of *gotcha* moments in it. It's about a Soviet tank that gets lost in the wilds of Afghanistan, how they try to rejoin their comrades, and the group of Pashtun warriors who try to exact revenge on the tank for destroying their village and families.

The *gotcha* moments include (SPOILERS AHEAD): The main character at the end of the film, telling the tank commander, who had been reminiscing about WWII: "Sorry, sir; not much of a war. No Stalingrad...how is it we're the Nazis this time? How is that?"

The Afghan resistance fighters who earn our sympathy until we realize they will someday become the Taliban.

A pre-"born-again" Stephen Baldwin as one of the tank crewmen.

For militaria enthusiasts, the film was shot in Israel using actual Soviet-made tanks, weapons and equipment Israel captured from their Arab opponents during their various wars.

A pretty frightening look at what our fate will be in that region if we don't get out soon...

[Doc_Technical]

52. "When you're wounded and left on Afghanistan's plains

And the women come out to cut up what remains
jest roll to your rifle and blow out your brains
an' go to your Gawd like a soldier"

Rudyard Kipling

http://www.zeitcom.com/majgen/09kipling.html

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

47. A lot of good choices, but I'll go with The Thin Red Line.

I was watching it about three weeks ago- the ensemble cast was excellent. Okay- perhaps Travolta sucked a little, but Sean Penn ruled!

[Tyler Durden]

49. The Train (1964)

The Train (1964)
Directed by John Frankenheimer. With Burt Lancaster, Paul Scofield, Jeanne Moreau

Also the BEST Railroad film of all time.

If the scene where the Spitfire chases the locomotive into a tunnel in a hail of .50 caliber bullets doesn't make your pulse race, then you're dead.

[Hotler]

50. kellys Heros, woff, woff!

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

51. Johnny Got His Gun

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Got_His_Gun

[Paladin]

53. Toss-up Between "Saving Private Ryan" and "12 O'Clock High"

n/t

[Dr. Strange]

54. Star Wars

You may as well close the thread now.

[begin_within]

55. Here's a great one, sadly overlooked:

The Americanization of Emily (1964) Brilliant script, great cast including Melvyn Douglas, James Coburn, James Garner and Julie Andrews (in a non-singing role). http://imdb.com/title/tt0057840/

[Adsos Letter]

57. "Go tell the Spartans."

[Starbucks Anarchist]

59. Paths of Glory.

I think mainly because it does so much in such a short timeframe.

[Duer 157099]

60. Bridge on the River Kwai or Galipoli

I like em both

[Oeditpus Rex]

61. I gotta go with 'Tora! Tora! Tora!'

because it's accurate. :thumbsup:

Then "Twelve O'Clock High."

Question, though — can you call "Things To Come" a war movie?

[reyd reid reed]

62. Saving Private Ryan

Sands of Iwo Jima.

Patton.

I can't remember the rest but there are soooooo many of 'em.

[nemo137]

64. Oh, man.

Glory was probably my favorite of those listed, but Saving Private Ryan, Gallipoli and Breaker Morant are all great.

[harmonicon]

65. geez people... how about STAR WARS?!

"war" isn't even in the title of those other movies! and "STAR WARS" is in ALL CAPS!!! What's a better war movie than that?

[UndertheOcean]

66. As good as the others are , I must vote for kubrick.

[ruiner4u]

67. dr strangelove

[6000eliot]

68. Paths of Glory.

One of the most devastating movies I've ever seen.

[txwhitedove]

69. Just one? Glory is a favorite, Platoon, and Enemy at the Gates.

[Bullwinkle925]

71. I don't know if it's the SINGLE greatest . . .

but I absolutely love "A Midnight Clear".

It has always resonated with me.

[Orsino]

72. Branagh's Henry V.

Or maybe Kelly's Heroes. It's one or the other.