"Gems on Amazon Prime?" Topic

Finally got AP hooked up and there's a bewildering variety of war films I've never heard of.

Any standouts you can recommend? I dont care for planes and ships, otherwise I'd be interested in any land based pictures from any period.

Not a movie, but you won't go wrong with the show Strike Back.

There's a couple of Finnish war movies (I believe one on the Soviet invasion in '39 and one about the Continuation War. I thought the series Fauda (about an Israeli counterterrorism unit) was excellent.

I don't know about gems, but there are some that I thought worth my time.

"Theirs is the Glory" is a docudrama about Arnhem; interesting in that it was shot immediately after the war and heavily features the actual participants playing themselves.

"Gallipoli" – Not the Mel Gibson one, but an Australian miniseries starring Kodi Smit-McPhee. Follows not only a group of Diggers, but also the senior command and the journalists covering the campaign. Also, the New Zealanders get some recognition!

"April 9" – A Danish cyclist platoon faces the Wehrmacht. Based on actual events, and a very realistic, no frills look at small unit combat.

"Journey's End" – This one is a gem. One of the best WWI films I've ever seen.

"1939:Westerplatte" – The Polish garrison of Westerplatte resists the German invasion. No mythologizing or whitewashing here; there are some heroics, but it also delves into the disfunction in the garrison command.

"Battalion" – About the Russian women's "Battalion of Death" in WWI. Much is fictionalized, but interesting nonetheless, especially the factual parts.

These are good enfant! I saw and liked Battalion.

T-34 was alright, wish it wasn't dubbed though.

What else?

"Warsaw 44" – Mixed feelings on this one. It centers around a group of young people who take part in the Warsaw Uprising. I think it does a good job of showing many facets of the struggle. For example, the Home Army mobilizes large numbers, but their decentralized organization makes it difficult to establish effective C&C. The young volunteers are brave and enthusiastic but also naïve and undisciplined. Parts of the city carry on as if nothing is happening while blocks away it's a literal war zone. It certainly doesn't pull any punches in the blood and guts aspects; the booby-trapped German "tank" scene in particular is very graphic. All that said, it drags in spots.

Glad you mentioned dubbing. Everything I've listed so far is available in the original language.

Halfway through "panfilov's 28" Its a Russian WW2 movie bit slow but still fairly good so far