100 Greatest War Films

[bobs1900]

Channel 4 this weekend are showing 100 of the greatest war films, on Saturday 14th May at 9.20pm and on Sunday 15th May at 9pm.



Hopefully, there will be a number of British war films in that 100.



Should be worth watching.

[Steve Crook]

Originally posted by bobs1900@May 10 2005, 02:23 PM

Channel 4 this weekend are showing 100 of the greatest war films, on Saturday 14th May at 9.20pm and on Sunday 15th May at 9pm.



Hopefully, there will be a number of British war films in that 100.



Should be worth watching.

There are quite a few British films in their list of nominations at the Channel 4 web site. But they'll probably do what they usually do with these countdown series, have a few seconds from each film and then have someone who's opinion you don't really care about say a few words about it.



Steve

[DB7]

Originally posted by SteveCrook@May 10 2005, 08:43 PM

have a few seconds from each film and then have someone who's opinion you don't really care about say a few words about it.

Also, will CH4 discover that Jimmy Carr isn't the only host on the planet.



My money would be on Apocalypse Now and The Great Escape for top 5.

[Marky B]

Although,I wasn't over fussed on it,but I think Apocalypse Now will win the number 1 slot.

Ta Ta

Marky B

[aaron]

Looking at the trailer for this nonsense countdown, it seems that 'a matter of life and death' is included. Although i agree that this film deserves a high place in any poll, I'm not sure that i would categorize it fundamently as a 'war' film...? Incidently, if we must concern ourselves with ranking points, my vote goes to 'All quiet on the western font.

[Gibbie]

Originally posted by aaron@May 12 2005, 12:17 PM

Looking at the trailer for this nonsense countdown, it seems that 'a matter of life and death' is included. Although i agree that this film deserves a high place in any poll, I'm not sure that i would categorize it fundamently as a 'war' film...? Incidently, if we must concern ourselves with ranking points, my vote goes to 'All quiet on the western front'.

Perhaps on the CND list.

[Steve Crook]

Originally posted by aaron@May 12 2005, 01:17 PM

Looking at the trailer for this nonsense countdown, it seems that 'a matter of life and death' is included. Although i agree that this film deserves a high place in any poll, I'm not sure that i would categorize it fundamently as a 'war' film...? Incidently, if we must concern ourselves with ranking points, my vote goes to 'All quiet on the western front'.

I agree, AMOLAD isn't a war film. It's just a film that was made in and set in wartime. In fact not many of the Powell & Pressburger films made during the war have any fighting in them. They're more concerned with much more important things.



And none of the people at Channel 4 noticed that they've put AMOLAD as being made in 1962 in their nominees list on the web site.



Steve

[Gibbie]

Best British related war movies:



* Where Eagles Dare

* The Great Escape





Best Propaganda movie:



* Foreign Correspondent

* In Which We Serve





Best Romantic War movie:



* Random Harvest

[Fellwanderer]

Originally posted by Gibbie@May 12 2005, 11:07 PM

Best British related war movies:



* Where Eagles Dare

* The Great Escape

Best Propaganda movie:



* Foreign Correspondent

* In Which We Serve

Best Romantic War movie:



* Random Harvest

Can't disagree with that list - though I'd add "Mrs Miniver" in the Best Propaganda section.

[TheLurkerKIng]

The Good

That they came up with a list.



The Bad

What are "Braveheart," "Charge of the Light Brigade," "Gladiator," and "Saving Private Ryan," doing on the list? If they are some of the phoniest war films ever made, and I am not disagreeing with that assessment, then what are they doing on a list of the greatest war films ever made? With all the war films out there, you'd think they could come up with four films that were just as great, if not as phony.



The Ugly

The definition. They must have used the broadest defintion possible to rope in as many films as possible. If "Casablance" is on the list, then why not "The Four Musketeers." If "Casablanca is about World War II, then "The Four Musketeers" is about the siege of La Rochelle.



They may be great, but are they enjoyable? Not particularly. At least not for me. I have seen 42 of the films on the list and enjoyed only 25 of them, or about 60%. Even the ones I enjoyed, most of them, I thought, did not have the most rousing action sequences. Therefore, here is my list of the 26 war films with the most rousing action sequences in them. Of coruse, they exclude those films I have not seen, but looking at some of the films on the list, there are a number of films not seen on that list, as well.



"Here they come again!"



The Alamo (1960)

The Alamo (2004)

All Quiet on the Western Front

Ben Hur (1959)

A Bridge Too Far

Damn the Defiant

Fall of the Roman Empire

The Four Feathers (1939)

The Four Musketeers

Gettysburg

Glory

How the West Was Won

Intolerance

King Arthur

Lionheart (1987)

Major Dundee

The Messenger

The Mission

Pearl Harbor

Revolution

Vera Cruz

The War Lord

Waterloo

Young Winston

Zulu

Zulu Dawn

[DB7]

Ooh Pearl Harbor - maybe one of the most toe-curlingly bad films of recent times. Wouldn't you rather Tora Tora Tora?



I'd like to see Cross of Iron and Das Boot poll highly but they've not got a chance against Tom 'Apple Pie' Hanks and Saving Ryan's Privates.



Thankfully it looks like U571 never made the cut

[Gibbie]

Originally posted by Fellwanderer@May 13 2005, 08:09 PM

Can't disagree with that list - though I'd add "Mrs Miniver" in the Best Propaganda section.

Oh, yes, add in the Mrs.

[Gibbie]

Originally posted by TheLurkerKIng@May 14 2005, 02:41 PM

The Good

That they came up with a list.



The Bad

What are "Braveheart," "Charge of the Light Brigade," "Gladiator," and "Saving Private Ryan," doing on the list? If they are some of the phoniest war films ever made, and I am not disagreeing with that assessment, then what are they doing on a list of the greatest war films ever made? With all the war films out there, you'd think they could come up with four films that were just as great, if not as phony.



The Ugly

The definition. They must have used the broadest defintion possible to rope in as many films as possible. If "Casablance" is on the list, then why not "The Four Musketeers." If "Casablanca is about World War II, then "The Four Musketeers" is about the siege of La Rochelle.



They may be great, but are they enjoyable? Not particularly. At least not for me. I have seen 42 of the films on the list and enjoyed only 25 of them, or about 60%. Even the ones I enjoyed, most of them, I thought, did not have the most rousing action sequences. Therefore, here is my list of the 26 war films with the most rousing action sequences in them. Of coruse, they exclude those films I have not seen, but looking at some of the films on the list, there are a number of films not seen on that list, as well.



"Here they come again!"



The Alamo (1960)

The Alamo (2004)

All Quiet on the Western Front

Ben Hur (1959)

A Bridge Too Far

Damn the Defiant

Fall of the Roman Empire

The Four Feathers (1939)

The Four Musketeers

Gettysburg

Glory

How the West Was Won

Intolerance

King Arthur

Lionheart (1987)

Major Dundee

The Messenger

The Mission

Pearl Harbor

Revolution

Vera Cruz

The War Lord

Waterloo

Young Winston

Zulu

Zulu Dawn

What about Camelot? [

[The_Late_Peter_Cook]

*Scratches head* I'd be hard pressed to name 100 GOOD war movies, let alone 100 GREATEST ones!



It's not suprising that some of the choices here are a bit, well dodgy. I mean, DOCTOR STRANGELOVE? LOVE AND DEATH? SPARTICUS? Even bloomin' FROM HERE TO ETERNITY is set in peace time for most of its action!

[donauwaelzer]

At the risk of mentioning possibly too many "english," films, but what happened to, "The Cruel Sea," "Malta Story," "Dunkirk," and "Ice Cold in Alex?"

As chopped as "Cruel Sea," was, there was still some unforgettable imagery there. "Ice Cold in Alex," was a great story. I only wish I could find a copy of, "Dunkirk." And while I'm on the subject, what happened w/"Hill in Korea?" that surely deserved a mention.

[DAVID RAYNER]

Damn the Defiant, Lurker King? Surely you mean H.M.S. Defiant, to give this British film its original British title. Why DO the Americans have to change the titles of our films? There's no rhyme or reason for it. Are the American distributors saying that the American cinemagoing public are so thick, that they wouldn't know what H.M.S stands for? Below is a frame from my DVD collection containing the original title.



When choosing a list of "war" films like this, Channel 4 have to go by two criteria. (1): Their very young programme controllers (for whom anything prior to 1995 is positively pre-historic) have to have heard of the film and (2): They have to choose films they can readily find clips from. Odd, though...as Ice Cold in Alex has been shown on Channel 4 quite a few times now, I would have thought it would be easy for them to include that in a list one hundred titles long.

[West Mercian]

THE DAM BUSTERS is my all time favourite British War Film and I made a point of watching it at 7pm on Channel 4 this evening Saturday 14 May 2005....I've seen it so many times that if I had a quid for each viewing I need never bother with the lottery!



As for the question of "Political Correctness" regarding Gibson's dog Nigger, they kept to the full original soundtrack this evening and Nigger was named in all his glory. A little bit of sanity...the dog concerned WAS called Nigger after all, and I daresay that's the name on his grave. Does anybody know if tht's the case? I'd like to know. I have only driven past RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire.



I first saw The Dam Busters as a young lad, with my father, one Saturday afternoon matinee in Llandudno on it's first release. I was obsessed with the RAF at the time and was happy to serve in the RAF four years later during my two year's National Service...two of the happiest years of my life!



Cheers...this is my first posting....first of many I hope.

[DB7]

Originally posted by West Mercian@May 14 2005, 10:37 PM

A little bit of sanity...the dog concerned WAS called Nigger after all, and I daresay that's the name on his grave. Does anybody know if tht's the case? I'd like to know. I have only driven past RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire.

I did read somewhere that if you look closely a dog can be seen in the background after they return from the mission.

[bobs1900]

Well the 1st part of the 100 Greatest War Films was shown last night and here is the list of the first 50, running down from 100.



See what you think?



100 RAMBO, 1ST BLOOD PART 11 (1985)

99 THE EAGLE HAS LANDED (1976)

98 THE BIG RED ONE (1980)

97 LACOMBE, LUCIEN (1974)

96 COLD MOUNTAIN (2003)

95 WELCOME TO SARAJEVO (1997)

94 THE COLDITZ STORY (1955)

93 EUROPA, EUROPA (1990)

92 THE BIRTH OF A NATION (1919)

91 HELL IN THE PACIFIC (1968)

90 REGENERATION (1997)

89 VON RYANS EXPRESS (1965)

88 MEMPHIS BELLE (1990)

87 ROME, OPEN CITY (1945)

86 EL CID (1961)

85 TO BE OR NOT TO BE (1942)

84 THE CAINE MUTINY (1954)

83 CROMWELL (1970)

82 NO MAN’S LAND (2001)

81 LOVE AND DEATH (1975)

80 LAND AND FREEDOM (1995)

79 MRS MINIVER (1942)

78 BREAKER MORANT (1980)

77 CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE (1936)

76 SANDS OF IWO JIMA (1949)

75 GONE WITH THE WIND (1939)

74 ALEXANDER NEVSKY (1938)

73 RIDE WITH THE DEVIL (1943)

72 LIFE AND DEATH OF COL BLIMP(1943)

71 COME AND SEE (1985)

70 OH! WHAT A LOVELY WAR (1969)

69 WENT THE DAY WELL (1942)

68 GLORY (1989)

67 NAPOLEON (1927)

66 ENIGMA (2001)

65 THE GENERAL (1927)

64 THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS (1966)

63 WHEN THE WIND BLOWS (1986)

62 RAN (1985)

61 LA GRANDE ILLUSION (1937)

60 THE ENGLISH PATIENT (1996)

59 REACH FOR THE SKY (1956)

58 STALINGRAD (1991)

57 IN WHICH WE SERVE (1942)

56 LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL (1997)

55 CASUALTIES OF WAR (1989)

54 FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953)

53 TROY (2004)

52 HOPE AND GLORY (1987)

51 A TOWN LIKE ALICE (1956)



There are some of these films that I would not categorise as a war film, but there you go? Not to many British war films?



The final 50 follows tonight.

[aaron]

Nice to see 'Breaker Morant' get a mention (78). An under-appreciated film IMHO.