"Your Favorite Christmas War Movie" Topic

As I've mentioned here before my childhood Christmas's were filled will violence, gunfire and exposions…but enough about my family; do you have a favourite war movie you traditionally watch during the Christmas season?

I'm not just being completely nosey I want to watch one with my kids and I need some inspiration. I've already watched "Zulu" (which my 8 year old daughter loved BTW) and have bought the "Generation War" Series but I want to watch something a little more family orientated?!? If that makes sense.

Merry Christmas TMPer's

Battleground, as it's a war movie that takes place during Christmas and while made up very plausible.

There are few of what one might call "Christmas War Movies." I don't watch war movies during Christmas and the networks don't put many on.

However, if you want to watch a "war movie" with a theme of hope and love then I would recommend

"Mrs. Minniver." If you haven't seen this one, you must have been raised by wolves. It's the story of a well to do English family at the start of WWII and deals with the incredible tragedies of loss and new hope and recovery.

"Since you went Away." A classic tale of how the women cope at home in the absence of their men and how the war affects them. A tribute to the quiet courage of the other half of families sundered by war.

"The Best Years of our Lives." Again, a classic of what happens to the veterans when they come home and try and re-adjust to civilian life. The story of Homer a double amputee is particularly wrenching in a quiet understated way, when he tells his fiancé how to help him undress and get ready for bed with his two hooks removed from his hands.

"Waterloo Bridge." A very sad tale of what war does to demoralize people and their recovery. Viviean Leigh is amazing in the heroine's role and it can be a very sad story brought to a happy end.

"Random Harvest." Ronald Coleman and Greer Garson. He's a badly wounded officer from WWI with amnesia, she an stage performer who hides him when he wanders away from a sanitarium. He's not dangers, but helpless. The movie goes on a roller coaster ride of emotions up and down until it ends with a tremendous finale. I can't even begin to tell you the plot twists and turns.

There is another movie, the name of which I forget about a former Czech officer who escapes from a Concentration Camp who adopts the identity of a slain British Officer. To avoid getting sent back when captured. He is now in a German camp and he gets letters from the dead officers wife and he poses as her husband writing back. He eventually escapes with the aid of the other British officers and goes home. He has fallen in love with her. She knows he's not her husband, but she with him. Wonderful story

There's bunches of others to be found in "Projections of War
a book about the movies produced during the war.

"Random Harvest."
"Waterloo Bridge."

Of them Random Harvest is the best.

Mine is "Rudolph the Red Nosed Grenadier".

Or "Frosty, The Winter Soldier" …

Stalag 17

YouTube link

All battle of the bulge movies.

Otto, you are thinking of "The Captive Heart" link

Traditionally, we always used to get "The Great Escape" shown on TV at this time of year, although I suppose for wintry scenes we should look at "Where Eagles Dare", "Talvisota" or "Dr Zhivago".

I would have expected "Joyeux Noel" to be a Christmas war movie.

A tie between Battleground and A Midnight Clear. Both are movies take place during the Bulge, albeit in different places…

Joyeux Noel.
It's set during Christmas and I love the early war WW1 uniforms!

"Castle Keep"

'The Long Walk' is very good, Polish prisoners escape from the gulag and walk to India. It starts off pretty snowy in Siberia….

War Panda:
Bedknobs and Broomsticks might be just the ticket for your wee daughter, but I fear the movie may be a bit too cerebral for her father! : ) Also Joyeux Noel is a good Christmas flick from France about the WWI Christmas Truce of 1914. Kelly's Heros is a good Anti-War movie for any season and a silly romp. A Midnight Clear is a good choice too (Christmas 1944). There is also a British movie about the unofficial truce between Allied and German soldiers in 1914 but I can't for the life of me remember its name. Finally Silent Night features Linda Hamilton as a German Hausfrau trying to protect her child when her cabin is invaded by some American soldiers on Christmas Eve. I kept expecting her to go all terminator on the Yanks, but she didn't.
Cheers and season's greetings to you and yours.
Rod Robertson.

I'd happily second "Stalag 17."

While I enjoy "The Americanization of Emily," that usually gets watched around June 6.

I normally have the week between Christmas and New Years' off, and my wife has to work. I usually pick the coldest, most wretched day of that week, and sit on the couch eating popcorn and watching Viking movies.

Grelber

Battle of the Bulge, especially when seen about the time that Matchbox released their M24 Chaffee (coincidentally my favourite US tank of WW2)

Winter War or Stalingrad

"Glory" set during the American Civil War, has several scenes set during Christmas in 1862 -- as the 54th Massachusetts infantry undergoes training prior to going into action at Ft Wagner.

Dear Huscarl

THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!!

I have been trying to find it for years! Now my challenge is to not forget it again!

Otto

Not to hijack War Panda's thread, but what frosts me is that when I was a kid the networks for Christmas Eve and till New Years used to space out their programming with showing all those old sword and sandal movies, bible epics, and assorted other old chestnuts that I loved to watch for hours. I am sure they did this as a baby-sitting service to keep rambunctious tykes like me out of Mommy's hair while she's cooking Christmas Dinner. They don't do that any more.

Being still a rambunctious tyke at 67 I miss those dearly. But I guess it's better. I'm the cook in the family and have to get busy and can't be watching "The Greatest Story Ever Told" "The Bible", "King of Kings" and so forth and so on. I could barely get to watch Babes in Toyland this year.

Otto

@ Ottoathome
In the last few days I've watched Horatio Hornblower, The Crimson Pirate and The Flame and the Arrow (not to forget The Dam Busters)

And yes, I heartily recommend Mrs Miniver to all who haven't seen it.

Kind of off topic but, I used to work in video stores. When people would ask me to recommend a good Christmas movie i would always tell me the original Lethal Weapon. Why they would ask?
I would explain ,#1 takes place during Christmas season. #2 and here is the important part, the main story arc is the redemption and rebirth of Riggs.He learns to forgive himself and reenter life.

"The Night the Reindeer Died"

Most of these not in Netflix, of course.

White Christmas with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye

When I was a kid my favorite was "The Longest Day". Come to think of it, still is !

The Longest Day was on British TV only this week! I'd rate that as my favourite Christmas war movie (not set at that time, but a good one to see at Christmas).

As for Battle of the Bulge movies, Battleground is excellent, Castle Keep I like a lot, A Midnight Clear I didn't like. Battle of the Bulge….well, I liked it when I was 10.

Thanks to all!

I know watching war movies during Christmas might sound a little strange to some but I grew up in a house where my older brother and I would watch war movie after war movie all during the Christmas. growing up in Ireland it was popular viewing. Every year I get that yearning and I need my fix
I had never seen Stalag 17 but I'm half way through watching it with the kids (it's free on YouTube) and it's brilliant ;:)

I appreciate all the recommendations…I'll make my way through them before the festive season ends I'm sure

I just watched Ice Cold in Alex all the way through for the first time ever (I usually miss the start of the film and only catch it whilst channel-hopping).

Lawrence of Arabia watched over two nights, 23 & 24 December, like I did in 1975 whilst making the newly-released Airfix multipose 8th Army!

Oddly, I cannot find this in any TV scheduling of the time, but my memory is clear due to other family events. I'm beginning to wonder if the schedules were blown by a strike and the change was never recorded.

Anyway, other war films I associate with Christmas are…
Zulu Dawn
Battle of the Bulge
Dirty Dozen
Waterloo
Carry on up the Khyber
…purely on the basis that this was when I first saw those films. The last one is probably the best for family viewing although you might have to cough loudly over the 'Fakir! Off!' line…

But then there is always the Munchkin army in the Wizard of Oz.

Fine paintball fight in "Grumpy Cat's Worst Christmas Ever" ;^)