The trailer is now out for Masters of the Air… looks most promising!
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Is the one HBO started, got bogged down with that went to Apple? Same folks that did Band of Brothers & The Pacific?
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Yes, it went to Apple after HBO lost interest for whatever reason. This one was in gestation longer than Band of Brothers or The Pacific.
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Looking forward to it! Should be fantastic!
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I have high hopes for this series. They are supposed to focus on the 100th Bomb Group, but it looks like from the trailer that they have also worked the storyline to include the 332nd Fighter Group Red Tails
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Speaking of Red Tails, there was a documentary on today about Ramitelli airbase in Italy, where they had been stationed. Interspersed in it were old war time propaganda clips about the red tails. I told my wife, the voice sounded very much like Ronald Reagan’s, so I looked it up and of course it was.
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I never thought that the Red Tails movie was that bad. Not great, but far better than say Windtalkers or Pearl Harbor. In my mind, it was written and acted in the same vein as say an old John Wayne movie like Flying Tigers or Flying Leathernecks… just with modern CGI effects. The HBO movie Tuskegee Airmen was better in story but obviously done on a HBO movie budget and not Lucasfilm budget.
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I have seen a video from Gods&Generals on YouTube and was surprised it was the battle of antietam, the fight in the cornfield. I have a DVD from the movie, but there was bull run, fredericksburg and chancellorsville. Are there different versions from the movie, for any reason? Anyone know the version with antietam and how to get it?
There might be an extended “director’s cut”. My wife gave me a box set some years back that has Gettysburg along with Gods & Generals. I haven’t watched the discs of Gods & Generals yet, but the Gettysburg discs offer the original theatrical release plus an extended edition with many scenes cut from the original to add something like another 30 minutes total viewing time.
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I never watched Operation Petticoat because I thought it would be silly. I few weeks ago I was working on my 1/72 Gato when it came and I thought, what the heck, maybe I’ll learn something about Gato class submarines. It turns out that almost every scene in the movie actually happened, just not all to the same submarine and crew. And it turned out to be somewhat entertaining. The movie comes on a few times a week on the same Pluto channel, and I might have it on for background noise. May not my favorite submarine movie of all time, but it kind of grows on you. And I do have to laugh every time the Sea Wolf growls and backfires.
Conversely In Harm’s Way comes on quite a bit as well. Once was enough, although I did see it as a kid. Okay, maybe you can’t help using modern ships, but M151’s? And the use of Paramarines was absolutely fictitious. Yes, many were trained, but NO Marine paratroopers were used during WWII. A tedious movie for me. My first clue (and I had to look it up) was the 60’s style hairdos the women were sporting in the dance scene.
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Lot’s of my favorites covered here already but here’s a couple obscure but great ones
The Beast/The Beast Of War - Soviet tank in Afghanistan
The Lighthorsemen - Australian lighthorse cavalry charge at Beersheba WW1
Looking forward to Masters Of The Air - the bloody 100th.
Some films have an unknown military content which comes as a pleasant surprise – well – at least to me.
The other day whilst channel hopping I came across a film called The Intruder (1953) starring Jack Hawkins (well known Brit actor – amongst several others) which contained several flashbacks to the Second World War; this included remarkable footage of Cromwells and Comets, all on the move – ostensibly set in Normandy but clearly Salisbury Plain. It was just refreshing to see the stuff we all know so well from modelling on the move, but not grainy WW2 footage.
Hawkins was also in the film Guns at Batasi, another understated film depicting the closing-down-sale of the British Empire, this time in Africa. Richard Attenborough stars as a Regimental Sergeant Major and the story really focuses on the Sergeants’ Mess during an African premature takeover.
Attenborough’s riposte to a female left-wing politician is priceless. As is his exhortation to clean some weapons and pull them through – a detail hardly every shown in any film that I can recall. Anyway, a little gem depending on one’s outlook; a shame that Aldershot training area had to double for Africa, but this was 1963.
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A quick postscript; I found a piece on YouTube. I can’t seem to get much sound on my laptop but others may not have this problem:
I will see if I can find the " complete " movie(s) too, thanks
The Paramarines saw plenty of combat, often fighting alongside Marine Raider battalions… starting on August 7, 1942… they just never jumped into combat. Two of the Iwo Jima Marines from the famous flag raising photos had been with the Paramarines on Bougainville. But yeah, In Harms Way is not one of those movies that I care for either.
You’re right. I meant to say used in the paratrooper role, as shown in the movie.
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There is a directors cut,Amazon offers it on disc or download probably going to get it myself.
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Brian, I’ve watched Guns of Batasi on a few occasions and really enjoyed. Richard Attenborough was excellent yes.
Incidentally, I’m a big fan of British TV / movies. I was watching New Tricks with Amanda Redmon last year and realized that Alun Armstrong who I’ve seen on other movies , played a Para in A Bridge Too Far- the flame thrower scene on the bridge! Also, I think he was holding a rooster on the plane just before the jump? Great stuff
Well Richard, I’m glad you enjoyed it; as I said, he destroys the leftie MP! But martinet though he doubtlessly is, and not necessarily wide-thinking, when the chips are down one needs an utter bastard perhaps?
Alun Armstrong was/is quite an accomplished actor; I think I first recall him when he still had hair (didn’t we all back then?) in “Get Carter”, a somewhat bleak film but hugely entertaining.
God - I miss the 70s/80s; flares, stupid shirt collars, bloody Abba, but oh! The optimism! Notwithstanding the Cold War and the threat of nuclear incineration of course.
Nice to hear you’re a fan of Brit stuff, but dear God, there’s also some considerable dross out there!
OH My Many of you have already named many of my favorites.
Blue Max
Zeppelin
Big Red One
Anzio
The Longest Day
The Bridge over Raemaggen
The Battle of Britain
A Bridge too Far, (I just watched it last night)
The Sand Pebbles
Fly Boys
In Harms way
Tora Tora Tora.
Almost Forgot…12 O’clock High, ( the movie) though the T.V. series was great as well.
That’s just to name a few that comes to mind. I have a box full of favorites, that I watch when Im not doing anything else.