NationStates Jolt Archive

Do you know of any good documentarys or war films?
Just list one but if you have a few good please list them too, thanks.

I think that 'The Fog of War' (2003) is the best documentary I have ever seen.

I thought Manufacturing Consent was a good documentary. I'm not a huge fan of Chomsky, but he does raise some interesting points about media consolidation and corporate control of information.

Saving Private Ryan is my favorite war movie.

Do you know of any good documentarys or war films?
Just list one but if you have a few good please list them too, thanks.

I think that 'The Fog of War' (2003) is the best documentary I have ever seen.

"Little Dieter learned to fly" or something like that. Its about a US pilot shot down in vietnam. More of a story about the psychological consequences of war.

"Leningrad" Its a german movie, about the siege of that city. Quite gory, but very accurate about the horrors of war, the bravery of german soldiers and the sheer stupidity and "whatever insult you want to add" of their leaders.

Second that on 'Fog of War', though I was a bit disappointed the interviewer didn't ask McNamara about why he was so reviled and disliked during the Vietnam period. He came across as very intelligent and relunctant to enter the war. Yet most of the clips from that time had others saying how difficult he was and calling it 'McNamara's War' cause of his obsession with it.
While I realise he's at that age where a person softens and reflects and attempts to justify their actions, it would have made for a perfect documentary if he had explained why there was so much animosity towards him during those years.
But then again I'm probably just being over-critical.
Certainly put Michael Moore's docus to shame though.
A superb piece of film-making. Shows how you can get a story across without resorting to gimmicks.

As for movies, "Come and See". Get it and watch it. Seriously. Best (anti-)war movie ever made.

On the war movie front, I'd give votes (in no particluar order) to:

Saving Private Ryan
Das Boot
All Quiet on the Western Front
Shooting Party
An Occurance at Owl Creek Bridge
Bridge on the River Kwai
Ride with the devil
The Man Who Would Be King
Zulu
Laurence of Arabia
Twelve O'clock High
Hail the Conquering Hero
The Wind and the Lion
Patton
the Great escape
Schindlers List
The Train
Mr Roberts
Ran
PAths of Glory
Pork Chop Hill
Platoon
The Longest Day

Enemy at the Gates is certainly watchable [and hasn't been mentioned yet], but if you can only get one [series]...

Got to be Band of Brothers.

Enemy at the Gates is certainly watchable [and hasn't been mentioned yet], but if you can only get one [series]...

Got to be Band of Brothers.
Band of Brothers was a great book and a really good miniseries.

I was going to say "The Last Waltz" was a great documentary, until I realized you were looking for war documentaries. "Fog of War" gets my vote in that category. "Band of Brothers" or "Full Metal Jacket" for a good war movie.

Also, as a nice antidote to that bloody awful Pearl Harbour thing, try Tora! Tora! Tora!.

Do you know of any good documentarys or war films?
Just list one but if you have a few good please list them too, thanks.

I think that 'The Fog of War' (2003) is the best documentary I have ever seen.

Heh, when I first saw that you were looking for good documentaries I was just about to mention "Fog of War". I guess you have that covered.

One surprisingly helpful, but somewhat old, war film is "Tora, Tora, Tora". It's a little low-tech, but very informed. Compared to Leonardo DiCaprio in "Pearl Harbor", it's pure divination.

If you're interested in more modern films, have you considered "Band of Brothers", the HBO mini-series? Having borrowed the DVD set from a friend, I'll say that it's quite the achievment, and it doesn't consistently sacrifice historical accuracy for hollywood story as many other films I've seen do. Granted, it isn't a documentary, but I think its stories are more like along the lines of This American Life, than, say, "Blackhawk Down".

Also on the list is "Gods and Generals" (2003), and "Gettysburg" (1993). Both are 'based' on books in a series by Jeff Shaara (the military historical fiction writer), though Shaara disliked "Gods and Generals"' divergance from his books so much that he disallowed the director from making another book in the series "The Last Full Measure" into a film. You might want to try "Gettysburg" out first, then.

Anyway, that's about it for me. There are lots and lots of good documentaries out there that I haven't seen. You should check out the director of "The Fog of War" and see what else he's done. Good Luck!

Okay this is great, thanks guy's.

If you have more suggestions please post them here.
Thank you.

Do you know of any good documentarys or war films?
Just list one but if you have a few good please list them too, thanks.

I think that 'The Fog of War' (2003) is the best documentary I have ever seen.
"Hamburger Hill" isn't really a documentary, but it's highly accurate and very realistic. Then again, some of our more "reality-challenged" citizens still think Michael "Blob" Moore's film 9/11 is a documentary, so I guess it's ok to call this one a documentary as well. :D

Got to be Band of Brothers.
yeah, Band of Brothers is best. it just rocks and is like 10 hours long (series). every ep is great, writing & characterisation is brilliant, its based on fact (events of Paramiliatary "Easy" Company in WW2) and has interviews with the real survivors too. definatley worth getting - one of the best dvds i own :)

My favorite war film has got to be Glory. Its about the first all-black company during the US civil war.

Adding to Zeppistan's earlier list:

From Here to Eternity (1953)
To Have and Have Not (1944)
The Caine Mutiny (1954)
Barry Lyndon (1975)
The Killing Fields (1984)
'Breaker' Morant (1980)
No Man's Land (2001)
Letjat zhuravli (1957)
Sergeant York (1941)
Aleksandr Nevsky (1938)
Roma, citta aperta (1945)
The Pianist (2002)
Apocalypse Now (1979)
The General (1927)
Stalag 17 (1953)
Braveheart (1995)
Kumonosu jo (1957)
Der 25 Untergang (2004)
Hotaru no haka (1988)
Full Metal Jacket (1987)
La Battaglia di Algeri (1965)
Taegukgi hwinalrimyeo (2004)
To Be or Not to Be (1942)
La Vita e bella (1997)
La Grande illusion (1937)
Bronenosets Potyomkin (1925)
The African Queen (1951)
Andrei Rublyov (1969)
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943)
Gone with the Wind (1939)
Platoon (1986)
Spartacus (1960)
Napoleon (1927)

Never see the following war movies:

Casablanca Express (1988)
Dondi (1961)
Inchon (1981)
Mata Hari (1985)
Best Defense (1984)
Carry On England (1976)
Once Before I Die (1965)
Raza (1942)
Night Train to Mundo Fine (1966)

My favorite war film has got to be Glory. Its about the first all-black company during the US civil war.

Actually, it was a Regiment. And it wasn't the first; it was the first Union unit that had blacks in it. The officers and some senior enlisted were white. And the South had black soldiers serving in the line for over a year previous to the creation of the first Union regiment of blacks.

Just one of those things that makes you go, "huh?" when stdying the Civil War. If it was really all about slavery, why did blacks fight for the South, and in greater numbers than they did for the north?

Back on topic, though, best war movies:

Patton
Saving Private Ryan
Das Boot
Hamburger Hill
Full Metal Jacket
84 Charlie Mopic
The Longest Day
The Story of GI Joe (look it up, trust me.)
Tora! Tora! Tora!
Midway
Glory (yeah, I know you might think I knocked it up above, but it is great.)
Stalingrad
Battleship Potemkin
Alexander Nevsky
Oktober (Ten Days that Shook the world) <- Not really a war film, but find it :)

On the war movie front, I'd give votes (in no particluar order) to:

Saving Private Ryan
Das Boot
All Quiet on the Western Front
Shooting Party
An Occurance at Owl Creek Bridge
Bridge on the River Kwai
Ride with the devil
The Man Who Would Be King
Zulu
Laurence of Arabia
Twelve O'clock High
Hail the Conquering Hero
The Wind and the Lion
Patton
the Great escape
Schindlers List
The Train
Mr Roberts
Ran
PAths of Glory
Pork Chop Hill
Platoon
The Longest Day




Plus A bridge to far & Cross of Iron

"Little Dieter learned to fly" or something like that. Its about a US pilot shot down in vietnam. More of a story about the psychological consequences of war.

"Leningrad" Its a german movie, about the siege of that city. Quite gory, but very accurate about the horrors of war, the bravery of german soldiers and the sheer stupidity and "whatever insult you want to add" of their leaders.
Little Deiter Needs to Fly (http://imdb.com/title/tt0145046/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0yMHxzZz0xfGxtPTIwMHx0dD1vbnxwbj0wfHE9bGl0dGxlIGRpZWRlcnxodG1sPTF8bm09b24_;fc=1;ft =20;fm=1)
And hooray for the first Herzog refrence I've seen here!!

A Very Long Engagement is pretty quality, but it's not a 'big bang boom, grit 'n men' war movie.

Catch 22, though thanks to my buddy who is a college lit teacher I can't help but consider that an anti-corperate story.

Gallipolli, a friend had me watch it-pretty quality.

oooh ooh-suddenly relivant to todays times-Breaker Morant. Watch that and consider the Abu Garib trials...

Just a few movies off thew top of my head..

Platoon
Full Metal Jacket
The Beast <---About Soviet invasion of Afghanistan
Gallipoli <------ Only Gibson movie I like
Dawns Early Light
Enemy at the Gates
Tora Tora Tora
All Quiet on the Western Front <---- both versions are good
Das Boot
Patton
The Green Berets <---- good for a John Wayne movie
Iwo Jima <--- same as above

And that's all I can list without looking at my movie collection. There are others I forgot the names of.

If you're looking for a doco, The World At War is an excellent series. It's getting old now (it was made by the Brits in the 70s/80s I believe), but it's a very comprehensive look at WWII.

Just one of those things that makes you go, "huh?" when stdying the Civil War. If it was really all about slavery, why did blacks fight for the South, and in greater numbers than they did for the north?'

Thats becuase it wasnt about slavery.

It was fought to prevent the secession of half the Union.
The issue of slavery didnt become an issue until 1863 with the Emancipation Proclamation.

The war started in 1861.

If you're looking for a doco, The World At War is an excellent series. It's getting old now (it was made by the Brits in the 70s/80s I believe), but it's a very comprehensive look at WWII.


I could not agree more. It is a fantastic series!

I think that 'The Fog of War' (2003) is the best documentary I have ever seen.

Definately. A excellent movie.

I´d like to add "Nothing new on the Western Front", "Stalingrad", "Cross of Iron", "Platoon" and "Das Boot" to the list. "Galipoli" is pretty good as well. "Memphis Belle" was also excellent. "0815" is pretty mean as well and leaves you with a bad taste in the mouth, as well as "Die Brücke". "Tora Tora Tora!" is quite decent as well. "Conspiracy" is quite nice as well.

Most other movies mentioned, including BoB don´t really float my boat, too much flag-waving and all (especially "Saving Private Ryan" is pretty awful on that account).

EDIT: Three more movies I´d like to add:

1. Savior
2. Warriors - Mission in Bosnia
3. The Beast