"When did Hollywood ever "get it right"?" Topic

Let's face it, this has mostly turned into a list of your favorite films rather than the most accurate ones, right?

Lord of the Rings
The Thin Red Line
Aliens

@ Extra Crispy (warning – early comment/thread resurrection)

Whilst I thought The Thin Red Line and enormous snooze fest but Aliens, I accept, is one of the greats (I'm not sure how it's' accurate', mind you: to what?), on what planet is (either Peter Jackson's or even Ralph Bakshi's) Lord of the Rings film(s) "accurate"?

To Tolkein?

Seriously?

John T

Also loved it when John Clements showed up C. Aubrey Smith's account.."…but nobody ever said'The 68th will move forward'…unless it was the horse."

Duelist for the win, and best years of our lives, because I'll say this in public here, now, adjusting to civilian life after three tours has been hell. You all should watch this film.

To Hell and Back

The lead looks just like Audie Murphy only older

Audie also did a great Red Badge of Courage

Twelve O'Clock High

I was rescently given a DVD of the 1939 version of The Four Feathers as a gift, (along with Zulu), and found is extremely enjoyable. I agree the battle scenes are wonderful. The plots not bad either. I am no movie critic but I think Richardson did a fine job and who can top C. Aubrey Smith as a retired Crimean War officer.

Just watched this yesterday, on "Film 4" here in the UK. It is, by common consent, the best of the seven versions of the film. What makes it for me are the locations (it was filmed in the Sudan) and the "look" of the drill and bearing of the British troops, who were from the 1st Bn, East Surrey Regiment.

Supercilius Maximus: I was wondering if you ever saw any of the other versions of "The Four Feathers" and if you did would you care to comment on what you thought of them? I have never seen any of the others yet. Just curious. Thanks, John Miller

Three of them were silent – a little before my time, although I believe the last one had Fay Wray in it. Those I've seen are "Storm over the Nile" which had the same director and exactly the same script as the 1939 version, and used the battle scenes from the earlier one as well; the 1977 remake with Beau Bridges and Simon Ward, which wasn't bad; and the 2002 travesty.

Supercilius Maximus: Thanks for getting back to me. From your comment I will avoid the 2002 version. I will however, try to view the 1977 version and "Storm Over The Nile". Thanks, John Miller

Action In The North Atlantic, 1943.

Decent Bogart movie, and used as a training film by the Merchant Marine: link

@ John M,

A member on here (Bangorstu) just told me an amusing story about the 1939 version – apparently one of the Dervish "extras" refused to get shot in the Omdurman battle scenes, and made it all the way into the British lines. When asked why he had ignored the directions to "die" from the film crew, he pointed out that the British hadn't managed to kill him in the actual battle, and he didn't see why they should get to kill him in the pretend one. He was allowed to carry on.

I thought Terry Camilleri's portrayal of Napoleon in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure was spot on.

Agree, he was perfect, only one that shows how petty Napoleon was.

Supercilius Maximus: Sorry it took me so long to respond. Great story, I really get a kick out of that kind of stuff. Also find it interesting that the East Surreys doubled for the "good old North Surreys". Thanks for posting that! John Miller

Two movies that are well worth watching but have not been mentioned yet.

Operation Burma! 1945 . An American unit lead by swashbuckling Errol Flynn, is sent to take a Japanese radio station in Burma.

In one scene, the boys take up position on either side of a narrow trail to enfilade a Japanese patrol. They wait long enough before springing the trap to get all of the patrol, but they also kill a few of their own because some stupid officer (obviously not our Errol) doesn't know how to position and direct an ambush enfilade.

In another scene, the boys come across another group of "japs" enjoying chow. They start massacring away, but one of the brighter lads realizes that there are twelve piled rifles and only eleven of the enemy. He rushes off to find the twelfth and gets him (taking a piss) before he can get away and warn HQ. Wow, that was a close one! Two good examples of how easy it is to screw up in combat. Also a lesson in the importance of killing every one of the enemy that you encounter when in hostile held country.

The Beast, (1988) is an excellent tale of a Russian tank crew in Afghanistan who make the wrong turn and are trapped in a mountain pass by the Taliban. The tank is an Israeli Ti-67 which was a copy of the Russian T-55 that was used in Afghanistan. There are a few minor inaccuracies (the antennas, the machine guns, but that is for a different forum) but the tank actually rolls back when the gun is fired, something almost never seen when movie tanks fire. It is also interesting to see that when fighting the Russians, the Taliban were a sympathetic bunch. They didn't become monsters until they fought the Yanks.

There is also one chilling scene that is surely based on Kipling's poem, The Young British Soldier:

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.

Cheers,
Phil

@ PhilinYuma,

Operation Burma! 1945 . An American unit lead by swashbuckling Errol Flynn, is sent to take a Japanese radio station in Burma.

This film sparked a riot when it premiered in the UK, as it appeared to overplay the very (very) limited US presence in that specific theatre of operations, and had to be quietly re-released in 1952 with an apology. A chap I worked with in the mid-70s was in the Ministry of Information during the war and they had had to put out a press release pretending the cinema in Leicester Square where it was being shown, had been hit by a "lone wolf" German air raid to cover up its near-destruction by outraged British and Commonwealth soldiers. US officers in the audience, especially those with British girlfriends, were attacked and British and US provosts had to be called to stop the fighting.

In one scene, the boys take up position on either side of a narrow trail to enfilade a Japanese patrol. They wait long enough before springing the trap to get all of the patrol, but they also kill a few of their own because some stupid officer (obviously not our Errol) doesn't know how to position and direct an ambush enfilade.

I'm open to correction, but I think you're confusing this with an early scene in "Too Late The Hero" with Michael Caine, Cliff Robertson and Denholm Elliott (who is the offending officer). This 1970 effort included a plethora of well-known UK character actors who were stalwarts of British war films: Harry Andrews, Ian Bannen, Ronald Fraser, Percy Herbert, Sam Kydd, and (to a lesser extent) Lance Percival.

Operation Burma! 1945

Wow. Right up there with U-571 as a prime example of Hollywood getting it right. Then again, maybe not.

@ Super Max
Thank you, I am sure that you are right and that it is the Michael Caine movie. Haven't seen it for well over 10 yrs because I don't have TV. When the stupid officer misposted the men for an ambush, he did exactly what I once saw in Kenya when my platoon was co opted by a Lt and his boys to set up a similar ambush It was obvious what would happen once the boys swung their SMLEs (no stens, he really thought that they could take out a group of about 30 MauMau with rifles) toward the enemy; they would take out their mates.

I couldn't argue with an ocifer, but I did persuade him to let me get my boys behind the approaching group to "close the door" and keep us from getting killed.

The story had a happy ending, though. The military genius set up a grenade with a trip wire, which the first enemy would trip as he reached the far end of the ambush site and signal everyone to open fire (the Lt must have just come off a course, or something). But the treacherous MauMau sent two teens up ahead to walk point and the poor bastards walked through the ambush and triggered the grenade, and the enemy vanished without even entering the trap.

Great exercise though.

I spend very little time thinking about my short and unheroic combat experience, but the scene brought back "the good old days" a bit too forcefully, and I didn't remember the name of the movie afterwards. I have just ordered it from Amazon, though, and will confirm whether or not we are right as soon as I have watched it.

Cheers,
Phil

Generation Kill on HBO was fairly spot on. I wasn't in the invasion but I was in theater not long after that, and found that the show was the most accurate I've seen. I apologize if this one had been brought up already.

Interesting to hear your experiences Phil. Through lecturing at the NAM in Chelsea, I've met veterans of most of the UK's "brush wars" but never come across anyone who had served in Kenya (or at least nobody who wanted to admit to it!).

link

The action for which Murphy was awarded the Medal of Honor is depicted near the end of the film. In January 1945, near Holtzwihr, France, Murphy's company is forced to retreat in the face of a fierce German attack. However, Murphy remains behind, at the edge of a forest, to direct artillery fire on the advancing enemy infantry and armor. As the Germans close on his position, Murphy jumps onto an abandoned M4 Sherman tank (he actually performed this action atop an M10 tank destroyer) and uses its .50-caliber machine gun to hold the enemy at bay, even though the vehicle is on fire and may explode at any moment. Although wounded and dangerously exposed to enemy fire, Murphy single-handedly turns back the German attack, thereby saving his company. While the film depicts this action as having taken place in balmy weather and good visibility in rolling terrain, it actually took place in the bitter winter of 1945, at the edge of a forest on the flat Alsatian Plain in conditions of poor visibility. After a period of hospitalization, he is returned to duty. The film concludes with Murphy's Medal of Honor ceremony shortly after the war ends.

Just for fun, how about Major Dundee?

Not Hollywood, but a very interesting drama using newsreel film, and many of the men who took part in the action is "Theirs Is the Glory" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theirs_Is_the_Glory) link here to the youtube version YouTube link
"Went the Day Well" is also good.

Waterloo. Master & Commander. Downfall. Stalingrad (German film). All quiet on the western front.

Some are terrible historically but still great films, like U571 or Braveheart.

Tora Tora Tora is highly accurate. It was a joint Hollywood-Japan production. Both parts are pretty accurate. If you take Charlton Heston and his back story out of it, Midway is pretty accurate as much of it was taken from Walter Lord's book Incredible Victory.

I cringe at the end of "Major Dundee" when the keen-as-mustard LT describes French line lancers and Chasseurs as 'irregulars' – diametrically incorrect to start with, but especially rich coming from a rag-tag bunch of deserters, criminals and POWs.

'Major Dundee' features in a great scene in the comic "The 'Nam" – it's being shown in a firebase – the grunts are contemptuous of Charlton's lack of tactical nous, but they enjoy the fact that the VC won't mortar the base while the movie's showing. Not out of courtesy – but because they're watching the movie from the treeline.

Titanic.

The ship sinks.

Longest Day and Tora Tora Tora did not do brilliantly at the cinema, as too factual. Is Paris Burning? I still simply love, esp now in the original French version, Paris, Brule t'il? even though recent research says the whole story is nonsense. Subtitles put people off. Not me with my hearing loss!

Folk want the Great Escape after the breakout. Up to then it is brilliant. Then it goes crazy. Steve McQueen would have been executed, perfectly legally, by Allied Forces, let alone SS, after his attacks on German Military units.

I'll stick with Dunkirk (actually both films) or the first 24 minutes of SPR ….

Great thread but two running side by side with same topic;

TMP link