American vs British war movies

[PhillColeman]

British war movies have generally been rated better than American war movies because Brit war movies usually have no music scores... there are no bands playing in combat

 

Brits usually make realistic war movies... John Wayne was booed by soldiers at a USO appearance because the soldiers believed Wayne's war movies deceived them about the real horrors of combat.

 

And Brits usually avoid making fantasy war movies... during and after the Vietnam War American studios pumped out no fewer than eight V'War POW rescue movies... when in fact not a single American prisoner during the V'War was rescued.

 

Phill Coleman

http://www.americanwarlibrary.com/a44/pcole.htm

[mrroberts]

It is unfortunate that part of our American culture is about treating war like its a football game, we need the rah, rah stuff to be motivated during the war and when its over we all play "monday morning quarterback". War always is a dirty business and we should never treat it like it isn't. Unfortunately sometimes it is a necessary business, but we owe it to ourselves and those who have to do the dirty work to keep things real, be honest about our purpose and fully support our people who are making the sacrifices. Maybe we can learn something from the British and how they deal with the subject of war in their films. Phill, which films do you believe best do that?

 

Edited by: mrroberts on Aug 1, 2010 11:38 PM

[PhillColeman]

There are a number of excellent American films but the British have made many that are far superior. Of course, any war films that don't include women are more realistic because romance is all but non-existent in combat. In the history of American war films those that don't include romance can probably be counted on one hand. War films should be realistic for the sake of the male children who will one day be called upon to serve.

 

-- Phill

[mrroberts]

Its been sometime since I saw it, but "The Cruel Sea" is a very somber , realistic film that tells about war like it is. When you see it, it seems like it was made during the war years, but it was made in the early 50's.

 

Edited by: mrroberts on Aug 3, 2010 10:24 PM

[ChiO]

And then there's Samuel Fuller's The Steel Helmet, Fixed Bayonets!, and Merrill's Marauders (without women) and *Verboten!* and China Gate (with women).

 

And, I would argue, the greatest (at least my favorite) wartime film is British _and_ a fantasy (maybe): A Matter of Life and Death.

 

Just goes to show.

[Sgt_Markoff]

Quite a lot of generalizations in this thread.

I was looking for somewhere to post about Michael Caine in 'Play Dirty' but now I'm not sure what to say.