RE: OT: WWII Pacific theater films

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Randy Stead -> RE: OT: WWII Pacific theater films (12/28/2020 6:13:00 PM)
quote: Until later in the war training in plane being used and tactics was something you learned on the job, if you survived long enough. It was like that for me when I became a trucker. Took a two week course at some fly by night operation and then landed my first job. The school taught me how to move the truck, the job taught me how to be a trucker. Even after doing it for 25 years there was still always something else you could learn.

Ambassador -> RE: OT: WWII Pacific theater films (12/28/2020 10:53:06 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: RhinoDad Based on some of the recommendations thought I would give the new Midway movie a go. It is said they aimed for realism but wonder how well a technical advisor in a very different military with very different training and experience will be able to capture the way of life, attitudes, and outlook of a completely different time and place. Will be very interested in how they handle Spruance's launching of an uncoordinated attack on the Japanese fleet, and other tidbits of the battle and lead up that I find interesting. But looking forward to it. Very much enjoyed “Flags of Our Fathers”, and “Letters from Iwo Jima” (may have gotten the names wrong) I have just finished watching Midway. There are a couple of mistakes off course, but extraordinarily less than its ‘70s namesake or that 2001 BS movie. The acting was a bit cliché, or downright bad for some recycled singer, and I found Harrelson’s act to be slightly wooden too (pardon the pun, I won’t do it again). What really put me off was the raid on the Marshalls-Gilberts - while I was happy to see it depicted (it’s quite rare), the landscape was ... let’s not dwell too much on that, I don’t want to make a mountain out of a molehill (sorry, couldn’t resist). But, why ? However, let’s say I still learnt some things, mainly about Best and the Gaido guy’s action during the early battle. And at least there was no romantic plot tumor, with only minor scenes to show Layton’s and Best’s mindsets. So, overall I wouldn’t rate it equal to Greyhound, which I watched recently, but way better than what Hollywood has showed us.

Randy Stead -> RE: OT: WWII Pacific theater films (12/28/2020 11:24:08 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Sardaukar https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097334/ Farewell to the King (1989) Borneo, 1942: An American soldier escapes WWII and becomes the king of the headhunters in the jungle. Two British soldiers are parachuted into the area to find local support for the battle against the Japanese. I had forgotten about this one. Nick Nolte, one of my favourite "old time" actors. I enjoyed his acting in "Who'll Stop the Rain." He often portrays the sad, doomed character type. I liked him in "Warrior" with Tom Hardy as the old, former alcoholic father of two MMA fighters.

RangerJoe -> RE: OT: WWII Pacific theater films (12/29/2020 12:29:31 AM)
All of the people on the Doolittle raid were volunteers.

BBfanboy -> RE: OT: WWII Pacific theater films (12/29/2020 2:56:27 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Randy Stead quote: ORIGINAL: Sardaukar https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097334/ Farewell to the King (1989) Borneo, 1942: An American soldier escapes WWII and becomes the king of the headhunters in the jungle. Two British soldiers are parachuted into the area to find local support for the battle against the Japanese. I had forgotten about this one. Nick Nolte, one of my favourite "old time" actors. I enjoyed his acting in "Who'll Stop the Rain." He often portrays the sad, doomed character type. I liked him in "Warrior" with Tom Hardy as the old, former alcoholic of two MMA fighters. Unfortunately, his real life seems to be that way too... [sm=nono.gif]

Sardaukar -> RE: OT: WWII Pacific theater films (12/29/2020 10:08:44 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Randy Stead quote: ORIGINAL: Sardaukar https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097334/ Farewell to the King (1989) Borneo, 1942: An American soldier escapes WWII and becomes the king of the headhunters in the jungle. Two British soldiers are parachuted into the area to find local support for the battle against the Japanese. I had forgotten about this one. Nick Nolte, one of my favourite "old time" actors. I enjoyed his acting in "Who'll Stop the Rain." He often portrays the sad, doomed character type. I liked him in "Warrior" with Tom Hardy as the old, former alcoholic of two MMA fighters. One scene I still remember was with headhunters and Nolte's character singing "The Rising of the Moon" in the jungle and Japanese wondering what the hell was going on. Nolte's character was obviously Irish-American [:D]

Macclan5 -> RE: OT: WWII Pacific theater films (12/29/2020 2:26:51 PM)
Not too much to add. Midway verses Midway ( 1970s) Ironically for all the fault of the Charleton Heston Midway Flick of the 1970s - there is one aspect of it that clearly superior to me than its recent name sake. The older movie in my opinion more realistically portrays the 'doubt' of success. It portrays the uncertainty about HYPO intel, backlash from Washington, Nimitz having to gamble on the odds, and even the doubts of Spruance and others on the fateful 5 minutes. The newer movie seems to portray an American Confidence that I do not believe existed... at that time... and clearly in my opinion only as I was not there. Emperor Not specifically a war flick - nor 'operational war' flick - but Tommy Lee Jones portrayal of MacArthur. Some critic it - some say is misses 'fully portraying' a number of persons or character flaws. However I find TLJ performance very credible and the overall accuracy high. I cannot off the top of my head recall any gapping historical accuracies.

RhinoDad -> RE: OT: WWII Pacific theater films (12/30/2020 4:20:56 PM)
Saw Midway last night. Thank you for the recommendation. Found it to tell a decent historical story. Did feel that they just passed over one of the keys to the victory, Spruance’s controversial decision to launch an uncoordinated attack on the Japanese fleet. At least for a war movie it seemed to be more historical regarding events than many I have seen. It had its comic book moments with the Pearl Harbor attack. Especially the forward magazine explosion of Arizona. The computer graphics were fun, it would have been nice though to have had them use one of the capital ships shown close up. Had to surmise the carrier at odd angle with spots of flame coming out at Corral Sea, shown in a short clip, was supposed to be the Lexington; but the carrier island was nowhere near correct. Seemed to have a one size fits all for carrier graphics. Almost like from a computer game. Was interesting that of all the Pearl Harbor distant shots none had the California which was the Fleet Flagship. Showing military life at the time was pretty much nonexistent. Not knowledgeable of current military life, but seemed to be more of a current military life with some historical flavor, like women’s hairstyles. Very few were ever in uniform, at least by standards at time, and people wearing different uniforms at the same time in what would be defiance of uniform of the day. It was like they told the actor, “Put this on”, but did not show them how to wear it. They looked more along the line of McHale’s navy comedy show from ’62; but that was supposed to be a comedy. Uniforms seemed more in line with current uniforms. Guess the budget did not call for using other than what was available from prop rooms. Given their attire historical scenes would have been full of SPs removing and citing pretty much everyone on set. These were not service men but comedy set actors in costumes on break. Officers and enlisted men shown on same premises together not on duty. Things that would have resulted in the arrest of the enlisted men or at very least removal and citation. The list goes on and on. Does not take away from historical events but throws historical flavor of times out the window. But Hollywood seems to always want to make something that is eye catching and appeals to current viewers, not something that somewhat portrays reality or facts at the time.

Randy Stead -> RE: OT: WWII Pacific theater films (12/30/2020 4:57:20 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: RhinoDad Saw Midway last night. Thank you for the recommendation. Found it to tell a decent historical story. Did feel that they just passed over one of the keys to the victory, Spruance’s controversial decision to launch an uncoordinated attack on the Japanese fleet. At least for a war movie it seemed to be more historical regarding events than many I have seen. It had its comic book moments with the Pearl Harbor attack. Especially the forward magazine explosion of Arizona. The computer graphics were fun, it would have been nice though to have had them use one of the capital ships shown close up. Had to surmise the carrier at odd angle with spots of flame coming out at Corral Sea, shown in a short clip, was supposed to be the Lexington; but the carrier island was nowhere near correct. Seemed to have a one size fits all for carrier graphics. Almost like from a computer game. Was interesting that of all the Pearl Harbor distant shots none had the California which was the Fleet Flagship. Showing military life at the time was pretty much nonexistent. Not knowledgeable of current military life, but seemed to be more of a current military life with some historical flavor, like women’s hairstyles. Very few were ever in uniform, at least by standards at time, and people wearing different uniforms at the same time in what would be defiance of uniform of the day. It was like they told the actor, “Put this on”, but did not show them how to wear it. They looked more along the line of McHale’s navy comedy show from ’62; but that was supposed to be a comedy. Uniforms seemed more in line with current uniforms. Guess the budget did not call for using other than what was available from prop rooms. Given their attire historical scenes would have been full of SPs removing and citing pretty much everyone on set. These were not service men but comedy set actors in costumes on break. Officers and enlisted men shown on same premises together not on duty. Things that would have resulted in the arrest of the enlisted men or at very least removal and citation. The list goes on and on. Does not take away from historical events but throws historical flavor of times out the window. But Hollywood seems to always want to make something that is eye catching and appeals to current viewers, not something that somewhat portrays reality or facts at the time. My wife gets tired of me saying something similar about so many modern films, "This one was made for the "ADD-ADHD" generation; has to have a car chase, gunfight or explosion every five minutes and a barrage of short duration scenes one after the other, all overlaid with a frenzied sound track. Where are you guys seeing the newer version of Midway? On Netflix, or somewhere else? Being as I am in Canada I am offered a different menu than those on Netflix in other countries.

RhinoDad -> RE: OT: WWII Pacific theater films (12/30/2020 6:19:31 PM)
Picked mine up in a Walmart in Maine for a few bucks. Can also stream on VUDU, Google Play, etc. Can own for same price or less, that is if you want to see it more than once.

Alpha77 -> RE: OT: WWII Pacific theater films (1/1/2021 7:49:24 PM)
I have seen a Japanese sub movie at Youtube which was moddeled I guess from Das Boot - not reaching it but doing a quite good job I also liked the captain caracter, as being some kind of melancholic or even sad. Also sad I forgot the name. EDIT; I have found the Japanese movie, it is here in GERMAN for FREE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Apu-zR1K0jU Also Indianapolis which was decent I think, could be worse really... Thin Red Line is one of my faves (perhaps in top20) movies, but not for war movies. The amount of memorable quotes or "one liners" in this one almost reach Blade Runner or Dirty Harry levels. [:D] I forgot Apocalypse Now in a simmilar vein, but using other methods to deliver the "memorable quotes" You will find this here interesting: Lies of Heroism – Redefining the Anti-War Film https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yf0G2MPBEYM In-depth examination of the potential for and meaning of anti-war films. Chapter list: 0:00 Introduction: A Cinema of (Anti-)War 6:30 Part 1: Cultures of Heroism 14:01 Part 2: The Nature of Evil 21:28 Part 3: Glorious Suffering 27:21 Part 4: Holy Wars 33:44 Part 5: Sacrificial Lambs 40:21 Part 6: Hero Worship 45:13 Part 7: Comfortable Icons 52:38 Conclusion: A True Christ Btw. I see some praise in the comments for "Come And See" - I watched this years ago and it left me cold or indifferent. Not in my top war films at all perhaps in the mid range. Still better than some of the "heroic" ones... Btw2, here another German sub movie, which is decent imo: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100012/?ref_=kw_li_i

Emperor_Meiji -> RE: OT: WWII Pacific theater films (1/3/2021 4:02:15 AM)
Although not Pacific War Theater but occupied China, Lust Caution is a very good movie.

spence -> RE: OT: WWII Pacific theater films (1/4/2021 2:12:53 AM)
If one can find a copy of it YESTERDAY'S ENEMY is a pretty good flick that probably smashes every single movie cliche. It concerns itself with a retreating British unit in the Burmese jungle. It stars the guy who (with Micheal Caine commanded the British at Roark's Drift in "Zulu" and the CO of the Compass Rose in "The Cruel Sea") whose name escapes me at this time. Another good one would be THE FLOWERS OF WAR. It concerns itself with the Japanese capture of Nanking in 1937 and stars Christian Bale.

warspite1 -> RE: OT: WWII Pacific theater films (1/4/2021 5:42:21 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: spence If one can find a copy of it YESTERDAY'S ENEMY is a pretty good flick that probably smashes every single movie cliche. It concerns itself with a retreating British unit in the Burmese jungle. It stars the guy who (with Micheal Caine commanded the British at Roark's Drift in "Zulu" and the CO of the Compass Rose in "The Cruel Sea") whose name escapes me at this time. Another good one would be THE FLOWERS OF WAR. It concerns itself with the Japanese capture of Nanking in 1937 and stars Christian Bale. warspite1 Stanley Baker

spence -> RE: OT: WWII Pacific theater films (1/4/2021 1:52:10 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: spence If one can find a copy of it YESTERDAY'S ENEMY is a pretty good flick that probably smashes every single movie cliche. It concerns itself with a retreating British unit in the Burmese jungle. It stars the guy who (with Micheal Caine commanded the British at Roark's Drift in "Zulu" and the CO of the Compass Rose in "The Cruel Sea") whose name escapes me at this time. Another good one would be THE FLOWERS OF WAR. It concerns itself with the Japanese capture of Nanking in 1937 and stars Christian Bale. warspite1 Stanley Baker Warspite is correct - but the CO of Compass Rose in "The Cruel Sea" was Jack Hawkins (sorry about that). "Yesterday's Enemy" was still a great flick though as was "The Cruel Sea" Found this video (a trailer): https://vimeo.com/126038522

fcooke -> RE: OT: WWII Pacific theater films (1/4/2021 4:50:51 PM)
There's some Soviet and German films about the East front that are not always translated into English but are IMO, gripping. Cannot recall the names of any (maybe one was called 'Stalingrad', but not the popularish one). Not movies, and already mentioned by some, but I think 'Band of Brothers' and 'The Pacific' are worth the time investment. 'The Pacific' in particular really highlights some American heroes.

warspite1 -> RE: OT: WWII Pacific theater films (1/4/2021 6:23:14 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: spence quote: ORIGINAL: spence If one can find a copy of it YESTERDAY'S ENEMY is a pretty good flick that probably smashes every single movie cliche. It concerns itself with a retreating British unit in the Burmese jungle. It stars the guy who (with Micheal Caine commanded the British at Roark's Drift in "Zulu" and the CO of the Compass Rose in "The Cruel Sea") whose name escapes me at this time. Another good one would be THE FLOWERS OF WAR. It concerns itself with the Japanese capture of Nanking in 1937 and stars Christian Bale. warspite1 Stanley Baker Warspite is correct - but the CO of Compass Rose in "The Cruel Sea" was Jack Hawkins (sorry about that). "Yesterday's Enemy" was still a great flick though as was "The Cruel Sea" Found this video (a trailer): https://vimeo.com/126038522 warspite1 But Stanley Baker was also in The Cruel Sea so you weren't wrong [:)]

Randy Stead -> RE: OT: WWII Pacific theater films (1/8/2021 2:02:21 PM)
I watched "USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage" yesterday on Netflix. Nicolas Cage stars as Charles McVay III, commander of the ill fated cruiser. Not a rubbish movie [your mileage, as your opinion, may vary] but overall it was alright; I did not expect great things of it. However, I was amused at some of the errors that inevitably creep in when Hollywood depicts history. My wife keeps telling me, "It's just a movie" but I can't help it. A few goofs that I noticed. Feel free to chime in with your own: When Indy showed up at Tinian to deliver the innards for the Bomb, there were some B-29s in the background. Indy delivered the components, what, about six days before the Hiroshima drop? Yet there on the apron is a plane with the nose art of "Enola Gay." Anybody care to take a guess why that was wrong?...... The name "Enola Gay' was only put on the plane a few hours before takeoff. Also in the Tinian scene there is an MP or SP carrying an M-14 on sentry duty. That rifle was developed in the 1950s and issued in 1959. "Let's do the time warp again!" In the sinking scene, the lights of the ship remain on almost until the final plunge. Perhaps possible but not likely. What baffled me was seeing screws turning right until the stern went under. I thought at first how did the engines suck in air but then realize perhaps there may have been enough steam to keep them going? I am not a ship guy; I presume Indy used some form of steam turbines to turn the prop shafts, or did she burn oil? Were oil burning ships in service in that era? Then I think of Bismarck. Were her engines directly driven by combustion of oil, or did she also burn oil to produce steam? My knowledge of ship propulsion is not as good it could be. One last thing. The IJN sub that sank Indy, I-58, in the film is always making sonar pinging sounds in every scene. I thought subs were supposed to be in the "silent" service.

BBfanboy -> RE: OT: WWII Pacific theater films (1/8/2021 2:23:13 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Randy Stead I watched "USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage" yesterday on Netflix. Nicolas Cage stars as Charles McVay III, commander of the ill fated cruiser. Not a rubbish movie [your mileage, as your opinion, may vary] but overall it was alright; I did not expect great things of it. However, I was amused at some of the errors that inevitably creep in when Hollywood depicts history. My wife keeps telling me, "It's just a movie" but I can't help it. A few goofs that I noticed. Feel free to chime in with your own: When Indy showed up at Tinian to deliver the innards for the Bomb, there were some B-29s in the background. Indy delivered the components, what, about six days before the Hiroshima drop? Yet there on the apron is a plane with the nose art of "Enola Gay." Anybody care to take a guess why that was wrong?...... The name "Enola Gay' was only put on the plane a few hours before takeoff. Also in the Tinian scene there is an MP or SP carrying an M-14 on sentry duty. That rifle was developed in the 1950s and issued in 1959. "Let's do the time warp again!" In the sinking scene, the lights of the ship remain on almost until the final plunge. Perhaps possible but not likely. What baffled me was seeing screws turning right until the stern went under. I thought at first how did the engines suck in air but then realize perhaps there may have been enough steam to keep them going? I am not a ship guy; I presume Indy used some form of steam turbines to turn the prop shafts, or did she burn oil? Were oil burning ships in service in that era? Then I think of Bismarck. Were her engines directly driven by combustion of oil, or did she also burn oil to produce steam? My knowledge of ship propulsion is not as good it could be. One last thing. The IJN sub that sank Indy, I-58, in the film is always making sonar pinging sounds in every scene. I thought subs were supposed to be in the "silent" service. Ships of that era burned oil to make the steam in boilers, in a space called the "Boiler Room" for some reason.[:'(] The steam line went to the engines (turbine or piston) in a space called an "Engine Room". [8\|] These rooms were isolated from each other by watertight hatches and fittings, but on the night of her demise the Captain was so confident that no subs were present that hatches were open to let the heat of day out and bring in cool night air. I don't know if that applied to the hatches between engine and boiler rooms. I think there were 3 torpedo hits? That would cause a huge amount of flooding and probably kept some hatches from being closed to contain it. Also, hot boilers full of steam tend to explode when they come in contact with lots of cold water. That is why damaged ships sometimes vent their steam out a pipe on the funnel to prevent the explosion. I doubt Indianapolis crew had time to do this so the steam in the boilers could have kept going to the turbines.

RangerJoe -> RE: OT: WWII Pacific theater films (1/8/2021 2:28:36 PM)
Ship would burn oil to produce steam unless they had diesel engines.

Randy Stead -> RE: OT: WWII Pacific theater films (1/8/2021 2:29:27 PM)
That point was indirectly addressed in the film. A gung-ho newly minted officer from Annapolis on his first deployment was hacked off about men sleeping on deck. The captain said let them be as their racks were too hot. When the Titanic was sinking the captain ordered the steam was vented. It took about 15 minutes, during which time it was extremely difficult for verbal orders to be passed. This is depicted in the James Cameron film. Yeah, steam is a nasty thing. I shudder when I hear stories of men caught in spaces with ruptured lines. Horrible.

Schani59 -> RE: OT: WWII Pacific theater films (1/8/2021 2:53:10 PM)
Although actually a mini-series. Surprised no one mentioned 'The Pacific'. Superb. Four Stars.

BBfanboy -> RE: OT: WWII Pacific theater films (1/8/2021 3:00:14 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Schani59 Although actually a mini-series. Surprised no one mentioned 'The Pacific'. Superb. Four Stars. It was mentioned a couple of times. Very good on most counts, sometimes too "over the top" and a few historic inaccuracies. Much better than most Hollywood depictions.

Randy Stead -> RE: OT: WWII Pacific theater films (1/8/2021 3:05:05 PM)
I felt sorry for Leckie, the way that Aussie-Greek girl broke his heart. If you're a fan of "The Pacific" there are two books that are recommended: "With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Tarawa" by Eugene Sledge and "Helmet for My Pillow" by Robert Leckie, both of whom are depicted in the series.

Randy Stead -> RE: OT: WWII Pacific theater films (1/8/2021 3:06:33 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: BBfanboy quote: ORIGINAL: Schani59 Although actually a mini-series. Surprised no one mentioned 'The Pacific'. Superb. Four Stars. It was mentioned a couple of times. Very good on most counts, sometimes too "over the top" and a few historic inaccuracies. Much better than most Hollywood depictions. If you wouldn't mind taking the time to share, I'd like to hear which parts you believe were over the top and the historical inaccuracies.

BBfanboy -> RE: OT: WWII Pacific theater films (1/8/2021 3:23:32 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Randy Stead quote: ORIGINAL: BBfanboy quote: ORIGINAL: Schani59 Although actually a mini-series. Surprised no one mentioned 'The Pacific'. Superb. Four Stars. It was mentioned a couple of times. Very good on most counts, sometimes too "over the top" and a few historic inaccuracies. Much better than most Hollywood depictions. If you wouldn't mind taking the time to share, I'd like to hear which parts you believe were over the top and the historical inaccuracies. The part on Peleliu where one of the marines entertains himself by casually throwing pebbles into the open top of the skull of a Japanese soldier was pretty grim. I get that they wanted to show how the soldiers were becoming inured to the horrors of war, but I thought that a bit too much. At Iwo Jima, they show an Iowa class BB offshore bombarding and getting hit by shore fire. I have never heard of such an incident, although BB Missouri took a shell hit during the Korean war.

RangerJoe -> RE: OT: WWII Pacific theater films (1/8/2021 4:00:17 PM)
Some US military personnel would carry pliers to remove the gold teeth from the dead Japanese. Others made ashtrays from the skull, some of the bones were carved into knick knacks for family - long bones into letter openers I do believe was one of those things.

Ambassador -> RE: OT: WWII Pacific theater films (1/8/2021 5:33:51 PM)
War makes you do horrible things...

RangerJoe -> RE: OT: WWII Pacific theater films (1/8/2021 10:22:37 PM)
If the enemy is de-humanized, it is easier to kill them.

Lokasenna -> RE: OT: WWII Pacific theater films (1/8/2021 11:37:21 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: RangerJoe Some US military personnel would carry pliers to remove the gold teeth from the dead Japanese. Others made ashtrays from the skull, some of the bones were carved into knick knacks for family - long bones into letter openers I do believe was one of those things. A letter opener carved from a Japanese soldier's arm was sent to President Roosevelt. He returned it and asked that it be buried.

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