As a moviegoer for more than 70 years, I’ve seen some great movies, some not so great, some really bad ones, some trying but failing to be deep and meaningful, some reveling in their shallowness. I was born the year The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind were released. My mother started taking me to the movies shortly after that. I saw some movies that were definitely not PG rated. I can still remember being afraid of The Thing and delighting in An American in Paris.
Many times I disagree with the critics. I don’t call them and tell him what I think of their reviews, so now that there is an internet for anyone to babble on, I add my voice. I’m sure there are many of you who will disagree with my assessments. Some of you will agree. I hope to hear from all of you.
I believe that more dramatic films were made on stories from World War II than any other event in history. Because it was a truly world war, we have films from the European theater, the Baltic, Africa, the British Isles, the United States, and the Pacific, just to name the most obvious.
Although some comedic films were made, the seriousness of the war lent itself to real drama. This month, I will share with you some of my favorites from the European Theater of Operations (interesting that it should be called a theater). And, did you ever notice what great casts these films have?
Best Days of Our Lives (1946): This film won seven Academy Awards. The storyline involves three returning GIs trying to adjust to everyday life. The most heart-wrenching tale is portrayed by Harold Russell who lost his hands in combat.
Twelve O’Clock High (1949): Gregory Peck plays a tough, heartless general who is charged with turning a discouraged group of pilots into an effective fighting unit. In doing so, he learns the true meaning of leadership. Dean Jagger, Hugh Marlowe, and Gary Merrill round out the cast.
The Longest Day (1962): This Academy Award winner is the definitive film about the D-Day invasion. It gives a perspective on what went into the planning and execution for both sides. Look at this cast: John Wayne, Sean Connery, Robert Mitchum, Henry Fonda, Rod Steiger, Peter Lawford, Mel Ferrer, Robert Wagner and a army of thousands.
Stalag 17 (1953): Oscar-winner William Holden heads cast of Otto Preminger, Robert Strauss, and Peter Graves in this prisoner-of-war-camp film. The film works largely because of Holden. After a series of escapes fail, the prisoners start to suspect there’s a mole. Billy Wilder directed this movie which is a mixture of wit and pathos.
To Hell and Back (1955): Real life hero Audie Murphy stars as himself in this biopic. Murphy earned every medal that America gives, including the Congressional Medal of Honor. It’s not a great movie, but Murphy deserved this final honor before he started playing cowboys.
Dam Busters (1954): This is an interesting true story about the invention and use of the “bouncing bomb” that caused havoc for the Germans. The bomb was dropped into a river behind a dam and bounced to the dam and destroyed it. “Water, water everywhere.” Michael Redgrave and Richard Todd star.
Go For Broke (1951): This poignant film is about Japanese-American soldiers who must prove their worth and loyalty to their fellow fighters. Van Johnson is their officer who takes a lot of proving. They do prove themselves, but at a terrible cost.
Battleground (1949): Van Johnson, James Whitmore, James Arness and John Hodiak find themselves with many others in the early days of the “Battle of the Bulge.” Whitmore as a crusty sergeant shines in this tense drama. The film earned a Best Screenplay Oscar.
Dirty Dozen (1985): For a war movie, this was a lot of fun. The cast is terrific: Lee Marvin must control Telly Savalas, John Cassavetes, Donald Sutherland, Charles Bronson, Robert Ryan and seven other hardened convicts. Their task is to raid a Nazi villa and kill the occupants.
Great Escape (1963): This movie is on many lists of best films. I didn’t particularly like it. The cast was good: Steve McQueen, James Garner, Charles Bronson and Richard Attenborough. The story was boring.
Patton (1970): When a great story and a great actor and great everything else comes together, you get a great movie. Winner of 10 Academy Awards, including a Best Actor for George C. Scott (which he refused to accept), Patton is a film worth watching again and again and…
A Bridge Too Far (1977): This movie is full of historical inaccuracies but still enjoyable to watch. The story revolves around an Allied attempt to win the war by seizing key bridges in Holland. I don’t understand how they failed with the likes of Sir Michael Caine, Sir Sean Connery, Gene Hackman, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Robert Redford, and Sir Laurence Olivier leading the charge.
The Young Lions (1958): Marlon Brando as a Nazi officer (can you believe it?) must deal with anti-Semitism. Montgomery Clift, Dean Martin, Hope Lange, and Lee Van Cleef co-star in this glossy but not true-to-the-book film.
Saving Private Ryan (1998): Even the acting skills of Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Ted Danson and Paul Giamatti can’t save this mess of a movie. See The Longest Day instead.
Inglourious Basterds (2009): With this film, we go from just bad to horrendous. This is a slimy, creepy film that I didn’t want to watch. I don’t care for Tarantino films to begin with, but this is too bad even for him.
Guns of Navarone (1961): British soldiers are under attack in Greece and face total destruction unless help arrives. The problem is that the dreaded guns of Navarone can stop any ship within range. The solution is to send in the commandos. Are Gregory Peck, Anthony Quinn and David Niven up to the task?
