"Most historically accurate war movie ever?" Topic

I know it almost seems contradictory to mention 'historical authenticity' in the same sentence as 'Hollywood,' … but which war movie do you regard as the most historically accurate? Please don't include documentaries, as I'm asking about dramas.

Come and See as to be close then again its not 'Hollywood'

Curiously, anytime you mention ANY movie to a vet, they say it wasn't like that at all. That being said –

Das Boot (OK, OK, so it's not Hollywood…)

Depends on what you consider a war movie. The Warlord was excellent, really captured the fell of the 11th century(1

Downfall

Off the top of my head I thought Glory and Gettysburg both seemed unusually authentic.

All of the above ww2 movies are pretty good as regards history, and the likes of Das Boot and the Downfall are quality films as well.

Band of Brothers (Not quite a movie though)

All quiet on the Western Front.

A buddy of mine who served in Viet Nam, and worked in the movie industry, tells me The Thin Red Line is the best he's seen for accuracy, in particular the officers and what they do.

Their's Is The Glory.

Can't get more historically accurate than filming on the actual location using the men who fought the battle and their equipment.

However I suppose this is really a docu-drama.

link

I wasn't there (of course) but Beneath Hill 60 looked very authentic. It's Australian, not Hollywood, and war pictures from Down Under seem realistic.

Zulu
Zulu Dawn

I'm guessing.

As an army vet – I hate movies where the actors fail to 'be soldiers' – the Hurt Locker was a particularly strong example of the actors NOT acting like soldiers – for me both Blackhawk Down and We Were Soldiers are beleivable examples of troops acting like troops despite any of their other inaccuruacies – despite not being a marine – both Boys in Company C and Full Metal Jacket had an accurate basic training feel – as did the comedy Rennisance Man with Danny Devito – again despite any other inaccuracies

Anyone who has been in combat would tell you that the beach landing scene from "Saving Private Ryan" would put you into a cold sweat. TIG

Cross of iron and Das Boot

Another vote for "Theirs is the glory"

The Longest Day and a Bridge too far were good As was Das Boot, the battle of Britain, Midway.

A number of movies I did not have a problem with. The main one that frustrates me are the ones with exploding cannon balls when they did not explode.

Zulu and Zulu dawn, March or Die,

"Das Boot" didn't pull any punches. "12 O'clock High" was pretty rough too. But for the shear violence of combat, I actually flinched a few times the first time I saw "Saving Private Ryan."

Anyone serving in a sub has to be crazy, "Das Boot" proves it. The depth charge attack and then the run by Gibraltor on the surface. I left the theater drained afterwards.

The opening of Private Ryan was tough. I was actually glad to get off the beach too.

MY WAY is wicked brutal. Covers little covered by movies russo-sino war late 1930s. Battle scenes more vicious than Saving Pvt Ryan

We Were Soldiers is very good. Black Hawk Down only misses in the fact that they combined real persons in to a few charactors in the movie and make them larger then life. I saw it at a special screening back when it was first released. My wife was with me and she had no idea what it was like. I give it a leg up on Band of Brothers and Saving Private Ryan (only the initial landing) as the got the
the psychology and physiology aspects of combat right.

VR
James Mattes

Come and See (Idi i Smotri)

It makes all other war films look like tea parties. (Even though they're still good too!)

There is a Finnish movie called "Talvi Sota" (Winter War)
that gives a good feel to me about fighting against overwheliming odds.

Hi,
"Am gruenen Strand der Spree".
5 part TV series made with veterans based on war memories.. The series created turmoil in germany after the war due to the topics covered.

It was re-released two years ago.

Depends if you mean overall, or in battle scenes historically accurate.

We were soldiers for example seems very good in the way the unit deploys and the opening moces, but then there is the "last stand" thing and the charge on the hill at the end.

Zulu and Zulu dawn, are historically inaccurate, the battles are inaccurate and the uniforms and weapons are inaccurate, so they fail on three counts!

For me, overall, combining decent battle scenes, accuracy to overall history….. A Bridge Too Far.

Jaz
6sided.net

I think the problem for me is rating historical authenticity as to what it means?

Do you mean the uniforms?

Equipment?

Tactics?

The scenario?

So for instance Blackhawk down.

Uniforms 5/10, black webbing is just wrong, other errors around issued uniform.

Equipment 5/10, wrong variant of the rifles etc.

Tactics 8/10, made more cinematic, but a good nod to the reality.

Scenario 7/10, cut bits out of the real event to make the film more dramatic.

Total 25/40, and I rate Blackhawk down as one of the better war movies from Hollywood. At the end of the day these are films are not documentaries, therefore historical authenticity and being accurate is not as important as being entertaining.

Pearl Harbour ? ( sorry)…

The Crossing

There have been a slew of very good movies over the last few years.

Older movies: tora tora tora, midway, Bridge Too Far, ,Longest Day

Newer: Glory, Gettysburg, Gods and Generals, We Were Soldiers, Winter War, Stalingrad, The Pacific, Band of Brothers

Can't bring myself to watch Blackhawk Down

I love almost all of the movies listed and think they were realistic as well. Never heard of 'My Way'. I will put it on my search list.

You know it may be easier to list war movies that are Unrealistic! LOL!
Enjoyed the thread.

Cross of Iron, Glory and Das Boote get my votes

I liked Generation Kill. I've read some of the actors were the guys who were actually there.

All Quiet on the Western Front. The first one, especially considering the time it was made. The second one is decent as well.

Last of the Mohicans
Gettysburg
Pacific
Band of Brothers
Gallipoli
Breaker Morant
The Duellists(!!!)
Revolution

I worked with a guy who had done 20 years in the USMC and was angry at Nixon for pulling out US combat troops of Viet Nam thus preventing him from doing a third tour there.
Aside from that, he said he felt "Full Metal Jacket" was the most realistic movie he'd seen.

Alamo? The Thornton one …

Why has no one mentioned The Patriot yet?

…ducks for cover

Hopefully for the same reason no-one suggested U-571 i.e. they are both tosh. A Bridge Too Far is visually spectacular and a good film, but not historically accurate. Of all those mentioned so far, Downfall and Das Boot come closest in my view. The Cruel Sea and Gift Horse win for me though.

Not movie per se, but th Pacific episodes of EB Sledge's account of Pelelieu and Okinawa I thought were pretty amazing in terms of the real life slog of combat. Not just the hectic, firefight portions, but the everyday grind of being exposed to fire and casualties on a continuing basis. I always liked Platoon as well; sure, it did a bit of Hollywood stereotyping and over dramatizing, but I thought it was a good, overall look at a tour in combat. As a former Marine, the squad sending a lone scout 200 yards across open ground into a cluster of buildings in Hue City ALONE has always irked me about Full Metal Jacket. I'm not saying stuff like that didn't happen or couldn't have happened, but I'd sure as hell hope we wouldn't have done that. As far as not whole movie, but just the firefight sequences, two of my favorites have always been (and this might sound crazy) 1) Forrest Gump, when the monsoon breaks, sun pops out, and all hell opens up, and 2) Heat, when the bank robbers popped out of the bank directly into oncoming cops (except for the finale to the scene, Al Pacino's ridiculous off-hand shot to put down Tom Sizemore, who's behind a hostage, after running several hundred yards!). I know, not a war film, but a great look at immediate action to a close ambush, with enemy fore and aft. Really spoke to the concept of violence of action, with a bit of an Australian Peel to break contact.

Jack

My dad was ROTC in the early 60s and graduating a PhD, served in a teaching position. However as a boy I remember him remarking a fellow officer who was a combat veteran always said "Pork Chop Hill" was the only movie that got warfare right -- because everything was screwed up.

Gallipoli
Jarhead
Generation Kill (TV, I know).

" There is a Finnish movie called "Talvi Sota"

Good flick.
link

Its hard to use anecdotal evidence as a measure of a film's "realism" since you are really only getting that person's impression.

Things may seem screwed up to a corporal being shot at but the same thing may seem to be right in the plan to the company Commander.

Declaring that Das Boot is realistic is only declaring that you "think" it would be that way. Not that it actually IS that way.

My personal belief is that none of them really convey "the truth". But I will still watch and enjoy most of them.

My Way – ha ha ha ha ha ha!

WATERLOO tries hard to follow the battle's events in a historically accurate way.

All I know is the opening scene to Saving Private Ryan and the combat scenes in Blackhawk Down were the only 2 movies to make me break out in a sweat. Normally I enjoy good action movies but those were hard to sit through.

The Story of GI Joe:

imdb.com/title/tt0038120

The Cruel Sea:

imdb.com/title/tt0045659

as well as the previously mentioned Pork Chop Hill.

Battle of Britain? Didn't Len Deighton say it was as historically accurate as you could get?

I think Tora, Tora, Tora; The Longest Day and The Dam Busters are also up there.

Braveheart

or the Patriot

I think films which feature many of the original participants or have them available as advisors are generally pretty good at reproducing what it was like 'to be there' even if someof the kit is a bit dodgy.

So:

Battleground
Theirs was the Glory
The Way Ahead
The Cruel Sea
A Walk in the Sun
Battleground
Die Brucke
The Longest Day
Battle of Britain

dare I say it…. A Bridge Too Far, despite the historical inaccuracies in Ryans account.

I love the Roman Legions doing their maniple thing in Spartacus.

My Mum & Dad said John Boormans 'Hope & Glory' was the most realistic war film they've ever seen, as they remember it being exactly like that.

Das Boot, Cross of Iron, Stalingrad and Downfall are all fine films in their own way, but all have particular points to make and axes to grind in the true 'stubble in the rubble' style pioneered by Die Brucke. Essentially, 'it wasn't our fault, guv'.

No love for Bondarchuks War & Peace? – probably the most accurate film renditon of the book. The film version of 'The Red Badge of Courage' is also excellent.

Of the more modern films, another vote for Black Hawk Down.