Some interesting WW II films include Armando crispino's _Commandos_ (1968,
Lee van Cleef, Jack Kelly) and Umberto Lenzi's _La Legione dei Dannati_
(Battle of the Commandos, 1969, Jack Palance, Curt Jurgens). These are
cynical anti-war films co-written by Dario Argento.
Scott
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Scott Andrew Hutchins
http://php.iupui.edu/~sahutchi
Oz, Monsters, Kamillions, and More!
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by THE PEOPLE."--Tom Lehrer
On Thu, 22 Apr 1999, Peter Warren wrote:
> Re World War Two films, it's not my intention to get into a "best list"
> situation, but to offer some ideas. It's important to discriminate among
> films made during the war, many of which were patriotic/propaganda pieces
> for the home front, and those made after the war with hindsight and usually
> with the box office in mind. THE LONGEST DAY is a good example of this.
> These days there is a longer historical perspective, leading to German
> movies such as STALINGRAD and DAS BOOT which show Nazi defeats rather than
> victories. Re American films, it's also necessary to compare those made by
> Hollywood between the start of the War in Europe and the bombing of Pearl
> Harbour (eg: BUCK PRIVATES in 1941 versus GUADALCANAL DIARY in 1943). On a
> personal note, I lived in London, England during World War Two, and I can
> remember how important and influential the cinema was during that period.
> This led to my setting up a course at Sheridan College in Oakville on The
> Cinema of World War Two, and I'd be pleased to enter into a dialogue on
> this subject if you so wish.
>
> ----------
> > From: American Cotton Museum <[log in to unmask]>
> > To: [log in to unmask]
> > Subject: World War II Films
> > Date: Wednesday, April 21, 1999 11:52 PM
> >
> > List members:
> >
> >
> > A year or so ago, AFI came out with their list of the best 100 films of
> > all time. Earlier this year, Forbes American Heritage Magazine came out
> > with a list of the ten best movies of World War II. Recently, while
> doing
> > some searching on the WOrld Wide Web, I located a site that listed at
> > least 150 World War II films.
> >
> > I am curious as to what our list members think makes a good World War II
> > film? Certianly, Saving Private Ryan and The THin Red Line are far
> > advanced in many areas over their earlier counterparts like Sands of Iwo
> > Jima, To Hell and Back, and The Naked and The Dead, but are they
> > necessarily better? Sure, Saving Private Ryan depicts scenes more like
> > they should have been in To Hell and Back, (which Audie Murphy himself
> > felt was too sanatized) but other modern war films such as Memphis Belle
> > have actually taken history and changed it on screen.
> >
> > What part does an accurate depiction of violence in a World War II film
> > play in how he film is viewed by the public. Are "James Ryan" and the
> > other characters in SPR more beliavible, heroic, or real than Audie
> Murphy
> > (who played himself), characters played by John Wayne, etc. and other
> > earlier WW II film stars/characters, simply because
> > their films were made in eras of great difference in technology and taste
> > (with regards to violence, etc.?
> >
> > Thoughts?
> >
> > Vince Leibowitz,
> > Executive Director
> > American Cotton Museum
> > "Where Cotton Is Still King"
> > http://www.cottonmuseum.com
> > 600 Interstate 30 East
> > P.O. Box 347
> > Greenville, Texas 75403
> > (903) 454-1990
> > (903) 450-4502
> > President
> > Northeast Texas Museum Association
> > http://www.cottonmuseum.com/ntma.htm
> >
> > ----
> > Screen-L is sponsored by the Telecommunication & Film Dept., the
> > University of Alabama: http://www.tcf.ua.edu
----
Screen-L is sponsored by the Telecommunication & Film Dept., the
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