Best War film ever

Ran, yes, I liked Ran. Haven't even gotten started on Japanese movies. Am still trying to remember a Russian one, older, and somehow I don't think it was Alexander Nevsky.

Wertmuller's Seven Beauties was interesting, over the top in many ways. I can't come out with a favorite since I've seen many movies about war that got to me, mostly quite a while ago.

Could be the war romance, "The Cranes Are Flying."

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050634/

Or,

"The End of St. Petersburg" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0018066/

Or, another, a war of politics around WWI:

"October: Ten Days That Shook the World" (also Eisenstein with a co-director) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0018217/

'Fires on the Plain' and 'The Burmese Harp' are powerful anti-war films as well.
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http://www.waggish.org/2004/11/fires_on_the_plain.html
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http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Bungalow/1204/burmese.htm

In another thread I mentioned some other Finnish war films that I repeat here (in a desire to share our cultural and historical heritage )

- Rukajärven tie (Ambush, 1999, IMDB listing), a Finnish film set during the second war with the Soviet Union (1941-1944), about a group of bicycle scouts who get behind enemy lines. A few Lottas are also featured in the movie.

- Talvisota (Winter War, 1989, IMDB listing), at the time the most expensive Finnish movie ever made. It aims to give a realistic account of the trials and tribulations of a group of Finnish common soldiers during the Winter War (when the Soviet Union invaded Finland in 1939). The films takes a long time to build up (total length over 3 hours), but it is all part of the intent to show it like it really was. Lots of attention was paid to details, like historically accurate clothing and equipment (including the original molotov cocktails), Russian war planes and tanks (T-26) were reconstructed from museum pieces to figure on the battle field.

- The seminal Finnish war film is Tuntematon Sotilas (The Unknown Soldier, 1955, IMDB listing), based on a gripping novel from a veteran of the Continuation War between Finland and the Soviet Union (1941-1944). There are two versions of this film. The newer version is from 1985 and is darker and focuses more on the action, of which there is plenty; this film too is well over three hours in length (well, you try and fit a whole war in 90 minutes!).

- Not so riveting, but with a documentary feel to it is the film Framom främsta Linjen (Beyond Enemy Lines, 2004, [/I]IMDD listing), which depicts the Continuation War as experienced by the soldiers of a Swedish-speaking unit of the Finnsh army (my people in other words). As in the above two films, the unit is almost obliterated in the huge battles in Karelia in 1944, but they succeeded in holding off the Soviets long enough and thus to save the country. The story is built up around the (actual) pictures taken by the protagonist.

- A very moving war film is Äideista parhain (Mother of Mine, 2005, IMDB listing) that deals with another little known side to the war: Over 70 000 Finnish children were sent to Sweden during the war were there was more food and security from Russian terror bombings. The uprooting of these children first from their Finnish families, then from their Swedish foster families is heartbreaking.

I guess all that would be needed to make the cinematographic coverage of the Second World War in Finland complete would be a film about the Lapland War between Finland and Germany (1944-1945) in which my town played a small role. Lapland War in Wikipedia

I saw Cranes are Flying... remember appreciating it. I'm probably remembering A. Nevsky though, just as a mote in my eye.

I suppose I should mention Twelve O'Clock High. I haven't seen it for, oh, hey, a half century, and then probably once. My dad did the obtaining of the film and editing of the flight combat sequences.

Thanx for your input on the Winter War films, Paaskynen. Most Americans hardly know anything about that little pre-WW II action when our "ally," the USSR, invaded the Kola Peninsula and lost half its ill-prepared troops while trying to cross the ice of Lake Ladoga. I didn't know of the existence of these films. Now that I know, it probably won't do me any good -- I doubt that they're available on either DVD or VCR in the USA.

Angels in America
Liightwizard. I strongly agree with you about "Angels in America>"

It is, I believe, of epic proportion. Is about Aids, yes, but it is also
a bitter denunciation of our value system, our corrupted political system and corrupted legal system. Tony Kushner, the playwright, has given us an exercise in self-flagellation, undaunted by both those who are easily or not so easily shocked.

The brilliance of Mike Nickols' directing is a tribute the the strength
of a good story line.
And the acting is superb! The opening scene is of a Jewish funeral being
conducted by an old, very, old rabbi. The rabbi is charmingly devout.
And the actor playing him is - Meryl Streep, in an incredible tour de force.
Emma Thompson plays several role, also tour de forces.
Al Pacino is brilliant in the role of an aids Roy Cohn, the infamous attorney in the Joe McCarthy hearings. Pacino is nothing short of geniius in his scathing portrayal of the disintegration of Cohn.

Angels in America is available in some video stores. It's a raw guts, no holds barred film that grabs you by the shoulders and shakes the s--t out of you.

- Tali-Ihantala 1944 (2007), Finnish war movie in docudrama style attempts to give an impression of the battle that saved Finland's independence from the Soviet Union. This is a film for those interested in battle scenes and authentic hardware.

Wasn't that movie with James Stewart?

No, with Gregory Peck.