War Films

[MrBarlow]

Hannibal Brooks. 1969.

A British P.O.W in Germany escorts a elephant called Lucy over the Swiss Alps to a new zoo.

You got something different from a director who went on to make violent films Michael Winner and hard nut pub brawling fighter Oliver Reed as the lead actor. What may start as a drama then turns to comedy with Michael J. Pollard who tries in vein to escape at any possible chance even in a gymnastic horse equipment. The cinematography is great in this and captures the scenery of the trek perfectly.

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[Demdike@Cult Labs]

I'd definitely upgrade my dvd of Hannibal Brooks should say Indicator release it on Blu.

[MrBarlow]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

I'd definitely upgrade my dvd of Hannibal Brooks should say Indicator release it on Blu.

I'd second that hope that indicator would snap the film up for a nice blu release.

[MrBarlow]

Schindler's List. 1993.

First time actually seeing this all the way through and this was tough to sit through, think I had a few smoke and coffee breaks during this. As we all know the persecution of the Jewish families and what they went through yet this film tells the tale of one man who was a Nazi member and admittedly a profiteer who managed to save the lives of 1100 of his workers.

Liam Neeson cannot be faulted for his portrayal as business man Oskar Schindler who managed to gain trust with the German SS and able to negotiate prices for the release of his workers to safety. Near the end where he announces that the war is over and how he admitted about what he was and what may happen, Neeson's delivery of that speech is very powerful and almost feels like you are forgetting your watching a film.

Ralph Fiennes portrayal as Amos Goeth is as colder as his Voldermot portrayal in the Harry Potter and able to show some compassion then switches to a cold hearted soldier who remembers his duty and not caring who he picks off. The end title card says he was arrested, tried and convicted of his crimes and was hung, at least he got his karma and shows crime does not pay. This is a haunting movie especially with the little girl in the red coat that shows there is a symbol of hope and salvation but eventually we are shown that no one can be safe. I'm sure someone was definitely cutting up a onion at the end to make my eyes water.

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[MrBarlow]

Contraband. 1940.

A Danish sea captain goes against German spies during a blackout in London in the first year of WWII.

Conrad Veidt plays a heroic Danish ship's captain, a seemingly sinister fellow who is actually a humorous chap on the side of peace. He is seen early in the film harshly admonishing a passenger for not wearing a life jacket. Teaming up with beautiful Valarie Hobson, he finds himself involved in exposing nasty Nazi's plan to blow up an American Navy ship. With some light humour and creative direction with some nicely matched cinematography am this was a decent afternoon film to watch.

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[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Midway (1976)

Charlton Heston and Henry Fonda lead a terrific cast in this blockbuster war movie about the events following Pearl Harbor leading up to the crucial battle betwen the US and Japanese navies for the islands of Midway in the Pacific ocean.

One of the great epic World War II films, it tells the story from both the American and Japanese commanding officers points of view and features a plethora of big names in the cast, alongside Heston and Fonda we have Glenn Ford, James Coburn, Hal Holbrook, Robert Mitchum, Cliff Robertson, Robert Wagner as well as terrific Japanese actors like Toshiro Mifune, John Fujioka and Pat Morita.

My only slight gripe is that although the US Navy allowed the use of USS Lexington, an Essex-class aircraft carrier, much of the action sequences are from other films such as Tora! Tora! Tora! 1970), Battle of Britain (1969) and the Toho film Storm Over the Pacific (1960). However it is a spectacle and looks fantastic via the Powerhouse Blu-ray which even utilises the original Sensurround sound mix which was used in cinemas.

I'll be interested to see the three hour tv version which is 45 minutes longer than the movie and adds a couple of extra characters and also features the Coral Sea battle which took place leading up to the events of Midway.

[MrBarlow]

Waterloo. 1970.

First time actually sitting down and watching this and to see Rod Steiger's performance as the French Emperor Napoleon is amazing and exactly as you would picture the historical figure. It also depicts how a military genius who lays waste to most of Europe but cannot overcome his own inner-demons. Steiger's portrayal, unlike most depictions of Napoleon, shows both the Emperor's military and political fervour as well as his anxiety, insecurity and mental anguish.

Christopher Plummer takes on the role of one of Britain's great heroes, Plummer's performance is beautifully underacted and Plummer chooses to show both Wellington's massive ego and his sharp and witty sense of humour. Like Napoleon, and most English aritocrats, Wellington was also an eccentric.

The battle scenes are exceptional, although perhaps not quite bloody enough to give an accurate depiction of the horror and carnage of warfare at that time. But for a film thats over 2 hours long this was a great movie to sit through with peace and quiet.

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[Demdike@Cult Labs]

The Cockleshell Heroes (1955)

A thoroughly entertaining British war film based on a true story directed by and starring Jose Ferrer, with Trevor Howard, Anthony Newley, Victor Maddern, John Van Eyssen and Christopher Lee in support roles. (Lee and Van Eyssen would perform together two years later as Count Dracula and Jonathan Harker in Hammer's Dracula).

Based on the real life Operation Frankton, the December 1942 raid on German cargo shipping by British Royal Marines Commandos, who infiltrated Bordeaux Harbour using folding kayaks by paddling 70 arduous miles up stream to complete their mission.

Whilst the first half of the film deals with getting the marines into shape for the mission it's fairly unconventional in how it does it, this is no Dirty Dozen or films of that ilk it's all rather quirky and at times quite amusing. Meanwhile Ferrer and Howard clash repeatedly over the mission and Ferrer's unconventional training methods.

The raid itself is exciting with a proper build up of tension and a real 'will they, won't they' complete their mission air of suspense as German gun boats search the harbour for the marines.

The now out of print Eureka Blu-ray looks terrific when compared to the dvd version. Despite being the only extra, film historian Sheldon Hall's half hour interview is highly informative.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

The Desert Fox (1951)

A biopic of German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel during World War II which created the myth of what a great man the Field Marshal was and how respected he was by both his own men and the opposition Allied forces during the North Africa campaigns at Tobruk and El Alamein.

It's only when he returns to Germany and discovers the Atlantic Wall to stop any Allied invasion is inadequate that it brings him into conflict with Hitler and later into the plot to kill Hitler with Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg (Sadly not played by Tom Cruise as he later would be in the 2008 film Valkyrie) which results in his arrest for treason.

The great James Mason plays Rommel brilliantly, bringing out both his tactical genius and humanity quite beautifully as the film turns from war time adventure to that of a study in disenchantment. Henry Hathaway directs with assurance and poignancy and the fact real battle footage from the North Africa campaign was used gives the film a real sense of authenticity.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

The Desert Rats (1953)

Richard Burton leads the cast as the commander of an Australian tank unit during the battle of Tobruk. A sequel of sorts to The Desert Fox (1951) or should that be prequel as it takes place before those events. James Mason returns as Field Marshal Rommel and steals the film with the few scenes he's in.

The Desert Rats is a stodgier affair than the first film and quite dull with it. Director Robert Wise manages to make only the scenes where a captured and injured Burton sits down in discussion with Mason's Rommel in his tent feel anything like a classic.

A missed opportunity