February 22, 2006
Bang, Bang, Boom
I caught most of A Bridge Too Far on AMC this evening.
As I recall, one of the critics (perhaps it was Pauline Kael?) labelled this flick "A Movie Too Long" when it came out.
What rot. An all-star cast shooting it out with the Nazis? How can this go wrong?
Besides, where else are you going to find Robert Redford and Cliff Clavin under arms together?
The only big-budget WWII movie I've ever seen that I thoroughly disliked was Midway. The reason I didn't like this movie was that it used any old airel footage it could get its hands on in an extremely haphazard manner - stock clips of fighters labeled as torpedo-bombers, and the like - to dramatize the battle. I'm sure there are plenty of similar inconsistencies regarding movie depictions of tank battles, but I don't know enough to spot 'em. Carrier-based aircract - that's a different matter. I think this may be a function of the craft. It is much easier to recreate WWII land-based infantry and armor than it is aircraft.
(And no, I did not see Pearl Harbor. Furthermore, I have no intention of doing so. On the other hand, I've always thought Tora! Tora! Tora! to be one of the best and most faithful WWII action epics ever produced. To me, this movie proves that if you try hard enough, you can get things right.)
You aren't missing anything by not watching Pearl Harbor.
Posted by: GroovyVic at February 23, 2006 06:27 AMIf you want to see jarring inconsistencies in a war movie, try "Battle of the Bulge". Tank battle scenes were obviously miniatures, and the German army was supposedly hellbent to capture Allied gasoline supplies so that their tanks could continue on to Normandy & drive the Allies back into the sea.
That's all fine and dandy, until you remember that German tanks ran on diesel, as opposed to our gasoline powered Shermans (Allied troops rather disliked the fact that their tanks would burst into flames much sooner than their German counterparts). As far as the panzers were concerned, they might as well have captured hydrogen fuel cells.
Posted by: Russ from Winterset at February 23, 2006 09:20 AMAdd to that the fact that every WWII land battle movie for 30 years or more used M24 Chaffees and M41 Walker Bulldogs and M48 Pattons to represent Panzers (and sometimes even Shermans). Screw Science Fiction coolness, the thing I like best about CGI is that now, Panzers and kampfwagens LOOK like freaking panzers and kampfwagens!!!!!
Posted by: Brian B at February 23, 2006 09:43 AMI'd say that Band of Brothers was an excellent adaptation of Stephen Ambrose's book. A much better realistic telling of the Battle of the Bulge in that miniseries.
Posted by: jen at February 23, 2006 10:55 AMAgreed, except I could never get past Buck Compton's weirdo peroxided hair - he reminded me too much of Billy Idol.
Also, I once remarked that Captain Winters looked like a constipated cat. I stand by that assessment.
Posted by: Robbo the LB at February 23, 2006 11:03 AMHeh.
That's why Damien Lewis was well suited to play Soames Forsyte.
Posted by: jen at February 23, 2006 12:27 PMDamien Lewis always looks like he's about to kiss someone...always with the pucker!!
Brian, you and my husband should get together. He's always spotting inconsistencies or inaccuracies in military movies. He's all like "look at that plane! That's not a blahblahblabh..."
Posted by: GroovyVic at February 23, 2006 12:32 PMGroovyVic,
Your husband is what is known as a "Guy". More of us have this trait than you suspect....
Posted by: Brian B at February 23, 2006 12:41 PMYeah, well, still....his habit of quizzing me on artillery, tanks, planes, gets damn annoying.
Posted by: GroovyVic at February 23, 2006 03:33 PMHeh. If they're not pop quizzes, send me the questions and I'll help you cheat on them.
Posted by: Brian B at February 23, 2006 04:18 PMDamien Lewis makes me swoon. It's the red hair.
Posted by: jen at February 23, 2006 04:18 PMHey Brian B---that sounds like a money making endeavor! I'm smelling traffic and blogads city! And of course since it was floated in out comments section, it's proprietary to the LLamas now...
Posted by: Steve the LLamabutcher at February 23, 2006 09:17 PMHeh.
Posted by: Brian B at February 24, 2006 12:50 PMRe: Midway
The gratuitous romance between Chuck Heston's wimpy kid and the Nisei girl, right?
I agree totally.
Posted by: mojo at February 27, 2006 12:41 PM
Image courtesy of the lovely and talented 