Best film of a war ever

Lightwizard,

In your opinion, was Tolkien (or Jackson) making any statement about war?

Other than the side the reader is (hopefully!) rooting for, no I don't believe Tolkien was making any earthshaking anti- or pro- war statements. It's an epic fantasy with a fascinating complexity, espcially in the inidivdual main characters. Saruman, for instance, wasn't revealed as a turncoat until book two but Jackson believed that should take place in the first film. It robbed a lot of the suspense and intrigue from the story but I kind of see why he did it. It's the one change for cinematic construction that I could still question, however. But then filmmakers have to make decisions and go on with it despite what others might think -- that's the mark of a true auteur.

(When I was a member of the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society basically helmed by Forry Ackerman in my early high school and college days, there was always a constant debate about the "meanings" of LOTR).

This week I saw both DOWNFALL and A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT. DOWNFALL is a german film about Hitler's last days and A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT is a french film about a girl searching for her boyfriend who disappeared during WW1. Both films are great war films.

The Day After (1983)
Director, Nicholas Meyer. Cast: Jason Robards, Jobeth Williams, Steven Guttenberg, John Cullum, John Lithgow. "The Day After" takes as its premise the ultimate what-if, portraying with stark realism the catastrophe of a nuclear confrontation and its devastating effect on a group of average American citizens. 122 min. 999:4000
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Dr. Strangelove: or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1963)
Director: Stanley Kubrick. Black comedy about a group of war-eager military men who plan a nuclear apocalypse. 93 min. DVD 61; VHS 999:43
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Fail-Safe (1964)
Director: Sidney Lumet. A computer malfunction causes nuclear equiped American bombers to destroy Moscow and the president of the United States has to take terrible measures to appease the Soviets and prevent all-out nuclear war. 111 min. 999:734 (CC)
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On the Beach (1959)
Director: Stanley Kramer. Radioactive fallout from a nuclear war has wiped out the entire northern hemisphere, with the exception of Australia. With fallout expected momentarily, the Australians review their lives, establish new relationships and prepare for their tragic demise. 135 min. 999:717
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The Peacemaker (1997)
Directed by Mimi Leder. Cast: George Clooney, Nicole Kidman, Armin Mueller-Stahl. When a nuclear bomb goes missing in the former Soviet Union, a U.S. nuclear specialist and a Special Forces Colonel join forces to avert disaster. Putting aside their personal differences they track the last remaining warhead to the steps of the United Nations in this taut apocalyptic thriller. 124 min. DVD 1200
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Red Dawn (1984)
Director: John Milius; featuring Patrick Swayze, C. Thomas Howell, Lea Thompson, Ben Johnson, Harry Dean Stanton, Ron O'Neal, William Smith, Powers Boothe. A film depicting the invasion of the United States by communist forces from Nicaragua and Russia and the efforts of midwestern high school students turned refugees, to turn back the invasion. This film is one of the basis of the beliefs of the citizens militias and patriot groups about the possibility of a U.N. takeover of the U.S. The movie and the theory of the New World Order proposed by the militias are similar; invasion by a foreign force, arrest of gun owners, re-education facilities (concentration camps), and a citizen force that strikes back. 114 min. 999:3229
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Testament (1983)
Directed by Lynne Littman. Cast: Jane Alexander, William Devane, Ross Harris, Roxana Zal, Lukas Haas, Philip Anglim. A nuclear strike has occurred. No one knows who did it. No one knows why. A mother must hold her family together and helplessly watch as her loved ones become victims of radiation. 90 min. 999:3599
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Time of the Wolf (Le Temps du Loup) (2003)
Directed by Michael Haneke. Cast: Isabelle Huppert, Maurice Benichou, Anais Demoustier, Lucas Biscombe, Hakim Taleb, Beatrice Dalle, Patrice Chereau. Immediately after a global catyclysm, Anna and her family arrive at their holiday home in the countryside only to find it is occupied by a group of strangers. When a shot rings out, a life is taken, and the only hope for a band of desperate refugees lies in a nearby train station and a locomotive that may never actually arrive. "Haneke never tells us what happened, but instead puts the viewer directly into the terrifying aftermath, with all of its confusion, uncertainty, and danger." 109 min. DVD 3369
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I wen looking for movies that fir the categories, and found a site with some interesting choices.

A disparate group here--Red Dawn with On the Beach... But, I thought I'd bring them for consideration.

(What is the one I saw...about Bosnia...? With the guys all standing there, not knowing if they should shoot...don't they befriend one another...but have to shoot...?)
More on the way.

The Korean War

The Bridges at Toko-ri (1954)

The Brotherhood of War (Tae guk gi) (2004)
Directed by Kang Je-Gyu. Cast: Jang Dong-Gun, Won Bin, Lee Eun-Joo. After independence, Korea is full of hope for the future. However, everything changes when the Korean War breaks out. Two Korean brothers are immediately drafted and sent to the front lines, where their bond is put to the test and their fate is uncertain. 148 min. DVD 3594
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Manchurian Candidate (2004)

Manchurian Candidate (1962)

M*A*S*H (1970)

Pork Chop Hill (1959)

Spring in my Hometown (Arumdaun sijol) (1998)
Directed by Kwangmo Lee. A heart-warming story examining the turbulent period of the Korean War through the eyes of a little boy who lives in a backwater village. Set in the early 1950s when the US military presence was predominant in Korea, the film depicts the life of an older generation from a child's perspective. Two children peep through the hole in the fence of an abandoned mill and chance upon the scene of one child's mother having sex with an American soldier and now their world can never be the same. 120 min. DVD 1487
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Related (film) news:


Summary:


See article for information about individual films.

It's hard for me to choose just one, but here are my top 5 of....


....the Vietnam war:


5. Full Metal Jacket

4. The Deer Hunter

3. Apocalypse Now: Redux

2. Platoon

1. The Killing Fields

.... WW ll:


5. Tora Tora Tora

4. The Guns Of Navarone

3. Saving Private Ryan

2. Letters From Iwo Jima

1. The Longest Day

Catch 22 for WWII.
I don't watch films about Vietnam anymore, but, of the ones I've seen, Good Morning Vietnam.

Films about the military?

"Tunes of Glory".

If you are interested in the subject of soldiering and the way the military is composed, and used, the play "The Black Watch" is coming back to New York.
Beg, borrow or steal to get a ticket.

http://www.nationaltheatrescotland.com/content/default.asp?page=home_showblackwatch

anybody mention King Of Hearts with Alan Bates?

A great WWI flick about the lunacy of war

The Young Lions for WWII. Great film.

Not to also mention it has to be one of a best satires ever committed to film. Brilliant.

i love it when you concur LW

i love apocalypse now! one of the best movies ever!

Hi,
I remember a film called "UNCONQUERED" starred Gary Cooper, It may have been the french Indian war??.

Evilc

Strictly speaking, the film deals with Pontiac's War, which took place immediately after the French and Indian war.