Great World War Movies - World War I - World War II

Cloak and Dagger (WWII - 1946)

2009-07-27T05:01:00.000-07:00

Cloak and Dagger is a 1946 film directed by Fritz Lang, starring Gary Cooper. Like 13 Rue Madeleine, it is a tribute to Office of Strategic Services (OSS) operations in occupied Europe during World War II. The title is based on the 1946 non fiction book Cloak and Dagger: The Secret Story of O.S.S. by Corey Ford and Alastair MacBain. Former OSS agent E. Michael Burke acted as technical advisor.

As planned by Lang, the film had a different ending. Cooper lead a group of American paratroopers into Southern Germany to discover the remains of an underground factory, the bodies of dead concentration camp workers and evidence the factory was working on nuclear weapons. Cooper remarks that the factory may have been relocated to Spain or Argentina and launched a diatribe saying This is the Year One of the Atomic Age and God help us if we think we can keep this secret from the World!Producer Milton Sperling who had frequently quarreled with Lang on the set thought the final scene ridiculous as the audience knew the Germans had no nuclear capacity.A 1950 NBC radio show of the same title based on Ford and MacBain's book lasted 26 episodes. Cloak and Dagger began with actor Raymond Edward Johnson asking "Are you willing to undertake a dangerous mission for the United States knowing in advance you may never return alive?"

Directed by	Fritz Lang
Produced by	Milton Sperling
Written by	Corey Ford, Alastair MacBain (book) Boris Ingster, John Larkin (story) Ring Lardner Jr. Albert Maltz
Starring	Gary Cooper Lilli Palmer
Music by	Max Steiner
Cinematography	Sol Polito
Editing by	Christian Nyby
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures United States Pictures
Release date(s)	28 September 1946
Running time	106 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

The lions has wings (1939-WWII-Propaganda-British)

2009-07-18T08:56:00.000-07:00

The Lion Has Wings (1939) is a documentary-style British propaganda film. Made at the outbreak of the Second World War, it was made and released to cinemas very quickly and helped convince the government of the value of film in the propaganda battle as well as in spreading information

The Lion Has Wings is recounted in various "chapters" with a linking story revolving around a senior Royal Air Force (RAF) officer, played by Ralph Richardson, his wife and his family.

The film opens with a newsreel style documentary comparing life in Britain to life in Nazi Germany, narrated by E.V.H. Emmett in the contrived and maudlin narrative style common to such newsreels in Britain. This mainly uses existing newsreel footage with some additional footage shot especially for this film. It includes scenes from Fire Over England with Queen Elizabeth I giving her speech to the troops at Tilbury about repelling invaders. It also compares the relaxed lifestyles and openness of the British Royal Family and the British people with the militarism of Nazi Germany by including footage from Triumph of the Will (In German: Triumph des Willens).

The second chapter shows an early bombing raid on German warships in the Kiel Canal. Although it was mainly recreated in the studio and with special effects, it also includes some footage of the real bombers and their crews returning from the raid.^[1]

The third chapter shows an attack by Luftwaffe bombers and how it is repelled by the RAF, with assistance from the Observer Corps and the barrage balloons.

Cast:

Merle Oberon	Mrs. Richardson
Ralph Richardson	Wing Commander Richardson
June Duprez	June
Flora Robson	Queen Elizabeth I (edited from Fire Over England) (archival footage)
Robert Douglas	Briefing officer
Anthony Bushell	Pilot
Brian Worth	Bobby
Austin Trevor	Schulemburg
Ivan Brandt	Officer
G.H. Mulcaster	Controller
Herbert Lomas	Holveg
Milton Rosmer	Head of Observer Corps
Ronald Adam	Bomber Chief
Robert Rendel	Chief of Air Staff

Directed by	Michael Powell Brian Desmond Hurst Adrian Brunel Alexander Korda (uncredited)
Produced by	Alexander Korda Ian Dalrymple
Written by	Adrian Brunel Ian Dalrymple E.V.H. Emmett
Starring	Merle Oberon Ralph Richardson June Duprez
Music by	Richard Addinsell
Cinematography	Osmond Borradaile Bernard Browne Harry Stradling Sr.
Editing by	Henry Cornelius Charles Frend Hugh Stewart Derek N. Twist
Distributed by	United Artists
Release date(s)	3 November 1939 (UK)
Running time	76 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

They Were Expendable

2009-07-18T08:33:00.000-07:00

They Were Expendable is a war film released in 1945, directed by John Ford.
The film is based on the book by William L. White, relating the story of the exploits of John D. Bulkeley, a motor torpedo boat squadron commander and Medal of Honor recipient, and Robert Kelly, a skipper, during the World War II Japanese invasion of the Philippines in 1941–1942. The characters of John Brickley (Robert Montgomery) and Rusty Ryan (John Wayne) are fictionalized name changes of the actual subjects. While both book and film depict actions which did not occur, they were believed to be real during the war and the film is noted for its verisimilitude.

The film opens with a demonstration of the capabilities of PT boats in Manila Bay in December 1941. Lieutenant J.G. 'Rusty' Ryan (John Wayne) becomes disgusted when his superiors refuse to see the small boats as viable naval craft and is in the process of writing his request for a transfer when news arrives of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Ryan and Lt. John Brickley's (Robert Montgomery) demands for combat assignments for their squadron are frustrated for a time, but they are eventually allowed to show their capabilities. From there on, there are mostly 'action' scenes, with the exception of Ryan's romantic interludes with Army nurse Sandy Davyss (Donna Reed). With the mounting Japanese onslaught against the doomed American garrisons at Bataan and Corregidor, the squadron is sent to evacuate General Douglas MacArthur, his family, and a party of VIPs.

This done, they resume their attacks against the Japanese, who gradually whittle down the squadron. As boats are lost, their crews are sent to fight as infantry. Finally, the last boat is turned over to the Army for messenger duty. Brickley, Ryan and two ensigns are airlifted out on one of the last planes because the PT boats have proved their worth. The remaining men, led by Mulcahey, are left behind to continue the fight.

Robert Montgomery as Lieutenant John Brickley
John Wayne as Lieutenant (j.g.) 'Rusty' Ryan
Donna Reed as 2nd Lieutenant Sandy Davyss
Jack Holt as General Martin
Ward Bond as BMC 'Boats' Mulcahey
Marshall Thompson as Ensign 'Snake' Gardner
Paul Langton as Ensign 'Andy' Andrews
Leon Ames as Major James Morton
Arthur Walsh as Seaman Jones
Donald Curtis as Lieutenant (j.g.) 'Shorty' Long
Cameron Mitchell as Ensign George Cross
Jeff York as Ensign Tony Aiken
Murray Alper as 'Slug' Mahan T.M. 1c
Harry Tenbrook as 'Squarehead' Larsen SC 2c
Jack Pennick as 'Doc'

Directed by	John Ford
Produced by	John Ford
Written by	William L. White (book) Frank Wead (screenplay)
Starring	Robert Montgomery John Wayne Donna Reed Jack Holt Ward Bond Marshall Thompson
Music by	Herbert Stothart
Cinematography	Joseph H. August
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date(s)	December 20, 1945
Running time	135 min
Language	English

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(IMDb/wikipedia)

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2009-04-17T19:50:00.001-07:00

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Some great war movies

2008-07-28T22:05:00.001-07:00

The Dirty Dozen

2008-07-17T05:15:00.000-07:00

In England, in the spring of 1944, Allied forces are preparing for the D-Day invasion. Among them are Major John Reisman (Lee Marvin), an OSS officer; his commander, Regular Army Major General Worden (Ernest Borgnine), and his former commander Colonel Everett Dasher Breed (Robert Ryan). Early in the film the personalities of the three men are shown to clash and the character of the individualistic Reisman and the domineering Breed is established.

Major Reisman is assigned an unusual and top-secret pre-invasion mission: take twelve American soldiers convicted of capital offenses, either serving sentences of hard labor or awaiting execution, and whip them into a unit capable of carrying out the task. The plan, as described, is to infiltrate a château near Rennes, in Brittany, used as a retreat for senior Wehrmacht officers, on the eve of the invasion. Without having complete intelligence as to the identity of the guests, it was felt that the elimination of officers in the German high command or senior staff could cripple or confuse the German military's ability to respond at the time of crisis. It is quickly established that both Reisman and the generals with whom he frequently clashes consider the mission to be a suicidal long shot.

The film unfolds in three major acts; the first act identifies and "recruits" the prisoners, depicts the unit in training and highlights the interpersonal conflict between the men, some of whom see the mission as a chance for redemption and others as a chance for escape.

The second act places the mission, and the characters, in jeopardy when a breach of military regulations on Reisman's part forces General Worden, at Breed's urging, to have the men - now dubbed the Dirty Dozen by Sergeant Bowren (Richard Jaeckel) because of their refusal to shave or bathe as a protest against their living conditions - prove their worth as soldiers.

The final act, which was a mere footnote in the novel, is a set piece action sequence depicting in detail the attack on the chateau.

A Farewell to Arms (WWI)

2007-03-11T07:26:00.000-07:00

A Farewell to Arms
Directed by Frank Borzage

Helen Hayes - Gary Cooper - Adolphe Menjou - Mary Philips - Jack La Rue

A tale of the love between ambulance driver Lt. Henry and Nurse Catherine Barkley during World War I.

The action takes place in Italy and the two fall in love during the war and will stop at nothing to be together. The film also analyses Lt. Henry's feelings on war and the purpose of fighting. Written by Josh Pasnak (IMDb) When this version of A Farewell to Arms came out, Ernest Hemingway hated this film. They turned his novel and put too much emphasis on the romance angle. When Papa Hemingway said that he obviously did not know Hollywood well at all. If he did just knowing Frank Borzage directed this film should have told him something. Borzage did a whole slew of tender romantic stories in the Thirties like Three Comrades, The Mortal Storm, stuff like that. A Farewell to Arms is definitely in keeping with that tradition.(IMDb)

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Index of Movies

THE WINTER WAR (Talvisota) (WWII)

Band of Brothers (WWII)

Von Ryan Express (WWII)

THE WINTER WAR (Talvisota)

2007-03-11T03:36:00.000-07:00

The Winter War (Talvisota)

"Winter War" (Talvisota in Finnish)is the story of the 1939-40 Russo-Finnish War seen through the eyes of a reserve infantry unit. We see them leaving their farms on mobilization, to assembly at the border, and follow them into battle until the armistice some 110 days later. To most Americans who know anything about it, the Winter War is visions of Sissi skiing rings around Russians. True that did happen, but the majority of Finnish units operated conventionally either in the Mannerheim Line or to the North/North East of it. This is what this film describes. The battle scenes are as authentic as any in Saving Private Ryan; if memory serves the "Soviet" Forces are Russian extras. Vehicles, weapons, uniforms are all entirely accurate. It's probably fair to consider this movie as Finland's SPR. Whereas some have criticized SPR for it's somewhat contrived plot, this movie has none of that; simply citizen soldiers called to save their nation. We watch as more and more of their friends are killed and wounded, in relentless Red Army assaults. This sense of loss is brought home again simply, but elegantly, in the scenes with the "home front". The final anticlimatic news of the armistice on the troops is depressing to see, but again entirely accurate. This film is a fitting tribute to the Finnish "Greatest Generation" who also did nothing less than save their nation- twice in 5 years from Soviet enslavement. by J. Collins (Amazon)

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Index of Movies:
Band of Brothers (WWII)
Von Ryan Express (WWII)

Index of War Movies

2007-02-08T18:49:00.000-08:00

Index

World War II Movies:

Band of Brothers

Von Ryan Express
Enemy at the Gates
Germany Year Zero
The Young Lions (1958)
Der Untergang (Downfall - 2004)
Cross of Iron (1977)
Stalingrad (1993)
Das Boot (The Boat - 1981 )
The Night of the Generals
Aimée & Jaguar

Band of Brothers

2007-02-07T16:33:00.000-08:00

Band of Brothers

Directed by
Phil Alden Robinson(Part 1)Richard Loncraine(Part 2)Mikael Salomon(Part 3)(Part 10)David Nutter(Part 4)Tom Hanks(Part 5)David Leland(Part 6)David Frankel(Part 7)(Part 9)Tony To(Part 8)

Produced by
Steven SpielbergTom HanksErik JendresenStephen Ambrose

Written by
Novel:Stephen AmbroseScreenplay:Erik Jendresen(Parts 1, 5 and 10)Tom Hanks(Part 1)John Orloff(Parts 2 and 9)E. Max Frye(Part 3)Graham Yost(Parts 4 and 7)Bruce C. McKenna(Parts 4, 6 and 8)Erik Bork(Parts 8 and 10)

Starring:
Damian Lewis - Donnie Wahlberg - Ron Livingston - Matthew Settle
Music by
Michael Kamen
Cinematography
Remi Adefarasin(Parts 2, 5, 6, 8 and 9)Joel J. Ransom(Parts 1, 3, 4, 7 and 10)
Editing by
Billy FoxOral Norrie OtteyFrances ParkerJohn Richards
Distributed by Home Box Office
Release date(s) = September 9, 2001
Running time = approx. 600 min. (10 parts)
Country
United States United Kingdom
Language
English / German / French

Band of Brothers is an acclaimed 10-part television miniseries set during World War II, co-produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. The mini-series centers on the experience of Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, U.S. 101st Airborne Division and one of its early platoon leaders, Richard Winters. It is based on a book of the same name written by historian and biographer Stephen Ambrose.
The events portrayed in the mini-series are based on Ambrose's research and recorded interviews with Easy Company veterans. Some literary license has been taken with the episodes, and other reference books will highlight the differences between recorded history and the film version.

All of the characters portrayed in the mini-series are based on actual members of Easy Company; some of them can be seen in prerecorded interviews as a prelude to each episode. (Their identities, however, are not revealed until the close of the finale.)

The mini-series first aired in 2001 on HBO and still runs frequently on different US TV channels — most recently The History Channel.
DreamWorks has confirmed a new 10-part miniseries from the creators of Band of Brothers (Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman) is in development as of August 2006. The new miniseries will focus on the Pacific Theater. The untitled project is due out in 2009, although this is subject to change.

A deal is being finalized for HBO to partner in the miniseries, which is expected to cost more than $100 million.

Von Ryan Express (WWII)

2007-02-07T14:35:00.000-08:00

Von Ryan Express

Directed by Mark Robson
Produced by Saul David

Written by
David Westheimer (novel)Wendell Mayes
Joseph Landon
Starring
Frank Sinatra - Trevor Howard - Raffaella Carrà - Brad Dexter - Sergio Fantoni - John Leyton - Edward Mulhare - Wolfgang Preiss - James Brolin - John van Dreelen - Adolfo Celi - Vito Scotti - Michael Goodliffe - Release date(s) - 1965 - Running time - 117 min

Sinopsis (spoiler)

Von Ryan's Express is a 1965 World War II film produced and directed by Mark Robson. It starred Frank Sinatra and Trevor Howard. It is based on the 1964 novel of the same name by David Westheimer.

Colonel Joseph L. Ryan (Sinatra) is an American pilot who is shot down and taken to a Prisoner of War camp in Italy, run by the cruel Major Battaglia (Adolfo Celi) populated mainly by British prisoners.
Ryan, as senior officer, assumes command of the prisoners. The British commanding officer had recently died as a result of the harsh discipline, and Ryan clashes with his successor, Major Eric Fincham (Howard).
When the Italians attempt to flog an American for stealing, Ryan discovers he was stealing medicine which Fincham has ordered be stashed for an escape attempt. Ryan orders that the drugs be dispensed as necessary. He then shows the Italians the prisoners' escape tunnels in return for Red Cross parcels. Ryan then orders the prisoners to strip and burn their filthy clothes so Battaglia will have to issue new ones. Battaglia does so, but throws Ryan into the sweat box as a punishment.
That night, on hearing of the Italian capitulation, the guards flee, leaving the camp unguarded. The British put Battaglia on trial as a war criminal, and allow his second-in-command and interpreter, Captain Oriani (Sergio Fantoni), to defend him. Battaglia portrays himself as a broken man who has repudiated fascism, and Ryan orders him released.

However, the Germans return and capture them all. Fincham is furious at the thought that Oriani betrayed them, but when they are put on the train, they find a severely battered Oriani in the prisoner carriage. Battaglia is gloating outside, and they realise they have been betrayed to the Germans by the former commandant. The impression of collaboration with the Italian guards earns Ryan the nickname "Von Ryan" from the irate Fincham. The prisoners manage to seize control of the train by escaping through the bottom of the carriage, climbing onto the roof, and strangling the guards. After taking control of the roof, at the next stop, they jump on the remaining guards, and capture the German commander of the train, Major Von Klemment (Wolfgang Preiss) and his Italian mistress, Gabriella, (Raffaella Carrà).
Oriani persuades the Italian drivers to help, and the German-speaking Allied Chaplain, Captain Costanzo (Edward Mulhare), is enlisted to impersonate the German commander to ensure their passage through the next station.
Eventually Von Klemment escapes and is shot. Ryan then has to reluctantly shoot Gabriella as she escapes, to prevent her betraying them.
By this time a German troop train has been sent in pursuit, and Von Ryan's train is attacked by three German fighter aircraft. One aeroplane is shot down, but the other destroys a section of track. The POWs then take a section of the track behind them and replace the damaged track in front of them. Meanwhile Ryan, Fincham and the others try to hold off the German soldiers. The track is repaired and the train started, and Ryan and Fincham run behind the train to get aboard. Fincham reaches the train, and desperately reaches for Ryan, urging him to run faster. But Ryan is gunned down just short of the train, which then crosses over to neutral Switzerland.
However, in the book, Ryan survives and makes it into Switzerland with the other prisoners. At novel's end, he bursts into laughter when he discovers that the words "VON RYAN'S EXPRESS" have been painted by one of the prisoners on the outside of the train. (The movie does not retain this incident.) In addition, the book delves into the character of Ryan, whose carelessness as an air cadet cost the life of a fellow cadet

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia