The ramblings, meanderings and personal opinions about war, politics, adventure and anything else that strikes my fancy.
03 December 2008
MY TOP 10 WAR MOVIES
In order:
Blackhawk Down We Were Soldiers Once ... and Young Hamburger Hill Kelly's Heroes She Wore a Yellow Ribbon Beau Geste Bridge Over Toko Ri Apocalypse Now Heroes Platoon
*Honorable Mention: MASH
7 comments:
Anonymous
said...
In the creative minds of Francis Ford Coppola and John Milius, the errant Colonel Kurtz character in “Apocalypse Now” may have been loosely based on Colonel David Hackworth. Hackworth objected, understandably, to any reference to the Kurtz character and his life. With an incredible military career in the army spanning from post WWII duty to command in Korea and then, finally, in Vietnam, Ward Just summed up Hackworth’s life neatly in a forward for Hackworth’s book, "About Face" - a good read. Hackworth died a short while back from bladder cancer. Slick
How about "The Patriot". By the way, Kurtz is based on the character Kurtz in Joseph Conrad's short story "Heart of Darkness". Hackworth was a brave, highly decorated soldier who had a strong sense of right and wrong. Kurtz, on the other hand, ends up being more savage than the savages he is sent to civilize. To prove the point, "Apocalypse Now" graphically shows primitive natives butchering a buffalo, while the CIA character (I think he was played by Martin Sheen) sent to get the colonel is hacking (excuse the pun)Kurtz to pieces. They kill an animal; he butchers a man in the saame brutal way. Kind'a neat, huh? Spider
Platoon was so loved in Hanoi that they use it to teach their children about America's 'Imperialist War' and it has had much influence in shaping and for some, confirming American opinion on the myths of all things Viet Nam, including atrocity, fratricide, toxic NCO's, crazy GI's who presumably return home to fulfill the country's expectations that they will eat the babies...and I could go on but why bother...
Apocalypse Now is Francis Ford Coppola's wet dream starring a bizarrely corpulent Marlon Brando as a Special Forces officer and Mr. Left Wing himself, Martin Sheen. Fratricide was it’s hypothesis, premise, and focus, it was tortuously long, about 2 hours and thirty minutes too long, and bullshit, but unlike innocent and meaningless bullshit, it carries as much as follows a pattern of Hollywood mind-bending concerning the war.
My book, 'Viet Nam and Hollywood,' is out. Anybody who wants one contact me and I will get it to you. It's on 8 X 11 stock with big, color pictures...
The impact Hollywood has had on shaping American opinion of the Vietnam War and the veteran cannot be downplayed. It is significant, corrosive, beyond truth, shameful, insulting, and not accidental.
I didn't say the "My Top 10 Politically Correct War Movies," John.
Platoon got most of it right as a war movie. I didn't agree wi;th the right and wrong moralizing, but other than that, it was Nam.
Apocalypse was the best caricature of Viet Nam ever done, and like any great cartoon, it didn't have a lot to do with reality, but did get the point across about what Nam was like. I did everything in that movie myself, just not to such ridiculous lengths ...
Can "Star Wars" be included? 1. Braveheart 2. Kelly's Heroes 3. Saving Private Ryan 4. The Great Escape 5. Glory 6. The Longest Day 7. Bridge on the River Kwai 8. Full Metal Jacket 9. Tora! Tora! Tora! 10. Gone with the Wind
7 comments:
In the creative minds of Francis Ford Coppola and John Milius, the errant Colonel Kurtz character in “Apocalypse Now” may have been loosely based on Colonel David Hackworth. Hackworth objected, understandably, to any reference to the Kurtz character and his life. With an incredible military career in the army spanning from post WWII duty to command in Korea and then, finally, in Vietnam, Ward Just summed up Hackworth’s life neatly in a forward for Hackworth’s book, "About Face" - a good read. Hackworth died a short while back from bladder cancer.
Slick
Gary:
How about "The Patriot".
By the way, Kurtz is based on the character Kurtz in Joseph Conrad's short story "Heart of Darkness". Hackworth was a brave, highly decorated soldier who had a strong sense of right and wrong. Kurtz, on the other hand, ends up being more savage than the savages he is sent to civilize. To prove the point, "Apocalypse Now" graphically shows primitive natives butchering a buffalo, while the CIA character (I think he was played by Martin Sheen) sent to get the colonel is hacking (excuse the pun)Kurtz to pieces. They kill an animal; he butchers a man in the saame brutal way.
Kind'a neat, huh?
Spider
Whoa, too many left out...
Patton
The Longest Day
To Hell and Back
The War Lover (McQueen!)
A Bridge Too Far
Battle of the Bulge
Platoon was so loved in Hanoi that they use it to teach their children about America's 'Imperialist War' and it has had much influence in shaping and for some, confirming American opinion on the myths of all things Viet Nam, including atrocity, fratricide, toxic NCO's, crazy GI's who presumably return home to fulfill the country's expectations that they will eat the babies...and I could go on but why bother...
Apocalypse Now is Francis Ford Coppola's wet dream starring a bizarrely corpulent Marlon Brando as a Special Forces officer and Mr. Left Wing himself, Martin Sheen. Fratricide was it’s hypothesis, premise, and focus, it was tortuously long, about 2 hours and thirty minutes too long, and bullshit, but unlike innocent and meaningless bullshit, it carries as much as follows a pattern of Hollywood mind-bending concerning the war.
My book, 'Viet Nam and Hollywood,' is out. Anybody who wants one contact me and I will get it to you. It's on 8 X 11 stock with big, color pictures...
The impact Hollywood has had on shaping American opinion of the Vietnam War and the veteran cannot be downplayed. It is significant, corrosive, beyond truth, shameful, insulting, and not accidental.
Veritas et Paratus
John Puzzo
I didn't say the "My Top 10 Politically Correct War Movies," John.
Platoon got most of it right as a war movie. I didn't agree wi;th the right and wrong moralizing, but other than that, it was Nam.
Apocalypse was the best caricature of Viet Nam ever done, and like any great cartoon, it didn't have a lot to do with reality, but did get the point across about what Nam was like. I did everything in that movie myself, just not to such ridiculous lengths ...
Gary Joyce
Can "Star Wars" be included?
1. Braveheart
2. Kelly's Heroes
3. Saving Private Ryan
4. The Great Escape
5. Glory
6. The Longest Day
7. Bridge on the River Kwai
8. Full Metal Jacket
9. Tora! Tora! Tora!
10. Gone with the Wind
Kelly's Hero's is one of the best, Band of Brothers too.
Flags of Our Fathers wasn't bad...
Jarhead, the book and the movie, sucked an egg.
The book "Once A Marine" by Gunny Nick Popaditch is a riot;
http://www.onceamarine.com
The guy soaked up an RPG to the head...
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