1. Come and See - Russian
2. Full Metal Jacket
3. Kurosawa's Ran
4. Paths to Glory
5. Zulu
6. Dunkirk 1958
7. The Dambusters
8. Henry V 1944
9. The Guns of Navarone.
10 The Longest Day
&
11. Carry on up the Khyber
Re: Best War Films
Posted: 31 May 2025, 14:56
by Swiss.
Another excellent film that comes to mind is The Trench with Daniel Craig.
Re: Best War Films
Posted: 30 May 2025, 10:15
by Mr Anon
Just for representation of some more modern war films that were decent
Enemy At The Gates
Greyhound
1917
Re: Best War Films
Posted: 30 May 2025, 09:01
by Russ of the BML
I watched one last night 'Where Eagles Dare'. How that's not on your list I do not know.
And you have also omitted 'The Eagles Have Landed'.
Do you hate Palace?
Re: Best War Films
Posted: 29 May 2025, 15:04
by Swiss.
Swiss. wrote: ↑29 May 2025, 14:31
An excellent foreign language film is Narvik about the brave resilience of the Norwegians in a port in 1940. There’s also one where a Wehrmarkt soldier disguise himself as an officer and ends up in prison camp . I’ll try and find it .
The Captain 2017. Highly recommend it. He actually disguises himself as a Waffen SS officer
Re: Best War Films
Posted: 29 May 2025, 14:31
by Swiss.
An excellent foreign language film is Narvik about the brave resilience of the Norwegians in a port in 1940. There’s also one where a Wehrmarkt soldier disguise himself as an officer and ends up in prison camp . I’ll try and find it .
Re: Best War Films
Posted: 29 May 2025, 14:25
by Swiss.
Mr Anon" wrote: ↑28 May 2025, 14:07
No love for the newer Dunkirk? Thought it was a great film only let down for Nolan's failure to portray the scope of it, frustrating he insisted on using no CGI at all
Absolutely spot on. To really appreciate the massive scope of the operation you have to use CGI or a massive budget .
Re: Best War Films
Posted: 29 May 2025, 07:12
by WHU(Exeter)
Raging Bull, that’s the one…thanks very much for that. Will be watching that one again soon.
Re: Best War Films
Posted: 28 May 2025, 23:25
by ragingbull
WHU(Exeter) wrote: ↑28 May 2025, 11:42
Love a lot of the films already mentioned, a couple of mine would be films that aren't really classed as 'war films' really, but they're both set during war time (WW2) and how what's going on with the war effects local lives -
A Canterbury Tale (one of the best films ever made imho) and a Czech film called Closely Observed Trains.
There's a similarly themed French one that I'd love to see again, but I watched it donkeys years ago and have clean forgotten the name. It's about a German officer who commanders a room in a French house occupied by a french woman and her elderly Father. For most of the film the woman will have absolutely nothing to do with the German, but as the weeks pass she sees the human side to him. b/w film and if anyone has watched it and can remember the title would love to watch it again.
The Silence of the Sea,after a google search.
Re: Best War Films
Posted: 28 May 2025, 18:04
by ,
Personal choices so no objectivity on display here.
I will discount anything American except for Catch 22.
Topping that is Bridge over the river Kwai.
However Das Boot is my personal favourite.
Re: Best War Films
Posted: 28 May 2025, 14:07
by Mr Anon
No love for the newer Dunkirk? Thought it was a great film only let down for Nolan's failure to portray the scope of it, frustrating he insisted on using no CGI at all
Re: Best War Films
Posted: 28 May 2025, 14:02
by Mr Anon
While on the subject of scores V soundtracks some great ones in this thread, Zulu and Henry V (1985) had a cracking scores, Platoon had a great soundtrack.
They probably all do to be honest but those are the ones that spring to mind
no see hereA score is the music, usually orchestral, meant to be played during the film to augment the events of the film. So for example, Star Wars has music composed by John Williams that is the soundtrack. It's played throughout the film and when there are space battles there is exciting music played. Each character has a theme--a bit of music played when that character appears. Darth Vader's is perhaps the most memorable, featuring lots of dun dun dun dun dun DUN dun dun DUN sounds. When there's a quiet, romantic moment, the music is sweet and slow, etc. All of this music is written uniquely for the film, and timed so that the music and the events of the film are perfectly synched. Like if someone stabs someone or shoots someone, then at the moment of the violent event, there might be a loud, sudden peak in the music. It's background sounds that are designed to augment the action. Many writers of scores say they don't want people to overtly notice the music, because it so well combines and complements the story and action.A soundtrack generally contains music that may have lyrics, and may have been written for the movie specifically, or not written for the movie, but relates to the movie somehow. Like it could be music to be played with the credits, or music listened to by one of the characters. It might be designed to be more noticeable than the score, since it's not timed to coincide with the action. It was not written to sync with the action.
That was my point? KoH had an original score meant to match what was in screen. Anyway it's minor and as Anon says it contained non original parts pieces too , I didn't mean to offend you.
You're both right (or wrong) kingdom of Heaven did original score composed specifically for it but also contained some medieval tunes which would technically be a soundtrack if it contained them. I'm assuming Swiss wass refering to the score part though which is indeed epic
You're both right (or wrong) kingdom of Heaven did original score composed specifically for it but also contained some medieval tunes which would technically be a soundtrack if it contained them. I'm assuming Swiss wass refering to the score part though which is indeed epic
no see hereA score is the music, usually orchestral, meant to be played during the film to augment the events of the film. So for example, Star Wars has music composed by John Williams that is the soundtrack. It's played throughout the film and when there are space battles there is exciting music played. Each character has a theme--a bit of music played when that character appears. Darth Vader's is perhaps the most memorable, featuring lots of dun dun dun dun dun DUN dun dun DUN sounds. When there's a quiet, romantic moment, the music is sweet and slow, etc. All of this music is written uniquely for the film, and timed so that the music and the events of the film are perfectly synched. Like if someone stabs someone or shoots someone, then at the moment of the violent event, there might be a loud, sudden peak in the music. It's background sounds that are designed to augment the action. Many writers of scores say they don't want people to overtly notice the music, because it so well combines and complements the story and action.A soundtrack generally contains music that may have lyrics, and may have been written for the movie specifically, or not written for the movie, but relates to the movie somehow. Like it could be music to be played with the credits, or music listened to by one of the characters. It might be designed to be more noticeable than the score, since it's not timed to coincide with the action. It was not written to sync with the action.
Swiss. wrote: ↑27 May 2025, 12:08
How about Kingdom Of Heaven and Blackhawk Down?
Forgot KoH.
The Directors Cut is a great film.
Great sound track as well.
It's called a score, I thought you went to film school?
Re: Best War Films
Posted: 28 May 2025, 11:42
by WHU(Exeter)
Love a lot of the films already mentioned, a couple of mine would be films that aren't really classed as 'war films' really, but they're both set during war time (WW2) and how what's going on with the war effects local lives -
A Canterbury Tale (one of the best films ever made imho) and a Czech film called Closely Observed Trains.
There's a similarly themed French one that I'd love to see again, but I watched it donkeys years ago and have clean forgotten the name. It's about a German officer who commanders a room in a French house occupied by a french woman and her elderly Father. For most of the film the woman will have absolutely nothing to do with the German, but as the weeks pass she sees the human side to him. b/w film and if anyone has watched it and can remember the title would love to watch it again.