# British Empire War Movies? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 4, 2011, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-empire-war-movies/601833 "2011-11-04T10:10:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-empire-war-movies/601833/41 "2011-11-05T00:43:59Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > Or the 1921, 1929 or 1939 versions. None of which I have seen. Nor have I seen the 2002 one. I have read the book though. ---
**Author:** ![mack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mack)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-empire-war-movies/601833/42 "2011-11-05T00:56:14Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Charge of the Light Brigade was one of Dad’s favorite movies; he wasn’t much into realism, but epic, dashing going-ons oh yeah. Sounds like it might be the Errol Flynn version. There’s another take in the [1968 version](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062790/) which is worth a viewing. Does WWI count? How about [Gallipoli](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082432/)? ANZAC troops as cannon fodder, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-empire-war-movies/601833/43 "2011-11-05T01:32:58Z")
You can’t beat _The Life And Death Of Col. Blimp_ ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-empire-war-movies/601833/44 "2011-11-05T02:20:56Z")
> [@Dave\_Hartwick](#): > > …The Empire was still around for World War II, for one thing, and that has to be one of the most popular settings for movies. Yes, I suppose _Sink the Bismarck!, The Cruel Sea, In Which We Serve_ and _The Bridge on the River Kwai_ would qualify, to say nothing of _Gandhi_, although those probably aren’t what the OP has in mind. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-empire-war-movies/601833/45 "2011-11-05T11:55:50Z")
I like the ones made in the UK over the Hollwood ones, which gives the impression that a great and noble effort was put into maintaining the Mojave Desert. OT, but the Russians have a similar genre to these, about their conquest of Central Asia in the 19th C. called “easterns.” ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-empire-war-movies/601833/46 "2011-11-05T12:44:53Z")
Regarding _Four Feathers_: The 1939 version gets the best reviews from the critics. The 1978 TV version is more faithful to the book than any of the film versions I have seen. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Chicago](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Dr\_Chicago](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Chicago)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-empire-war-movies/601833/47 "2011-11-05T17:46:54Z")
I was sort of wondering if there were any epics on the scale of Lawrence of Arabia or what I think Khartoum was shooting for, but all of them sound interesting, I’ll check out as many as I have time for (with thesis done, I may have a lot more time soon). I’ve been to South Africa, so anything involving there would be great, or anywhere in Africa. I had no idea that A Passage to India had been made into a film, and…by David Lean? _Swoon_ This is going into a giant list, thanks again everyone! ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-empire-war-movies/601833/48 "2011-11-05T19:02:16Z")
Post-colonial biopic? I enjoyed Richard E. Grant’s [Wah-Wah](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0419256/). ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-empire-war-movies/601833/49 "2011-11-05T21:13:45Z")
I think The African Queen could qualify. ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-empire-war-movies/601833/50 "2011-11-05T23:24:52Z")
I’m surprised \*\*Martini Enfield \*\*hasn’t been along with a long list of recommendations… Totally support _Breaker Morant_. It’s a great movie, set in South Africa during the Boer War. I liked the 2002 _Four Feathers_, but haven’t seen any of the other versions to compare it with. One no one’s mentioned yet is [Utu](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086497/). It’s set in New Zealand during the Maori wars, and is probably one of the few instances where the ‘natives’ aren’t mere ciphers. Well worth a look in my opinion. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-empire-war-movies/601833/51 "2011-11-05T23:37:41Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > The 1978 TV version is more faithful to the book than any of the film versions I have seen. It also has one of the best battle scenes I’ve ever seen in a movie. A British unit is on patrol and walks into an ambush. The British soldiers form a square to defend themselves. The movie shows clearly how the square formation worked and how it was overcome. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-empire-war-movies/601833/52 "2011-11-06T02:47:46Z")
> [@lisiate](#): > > I’m surprised \*\*Martini Enfield \*\*hasn’t been along with a long list of recommendations… > > Totally support _Breaker Morant_. It’s a great movie, set in South Africa during the Boer War… I’ve PM’d **Martini Enfield**. And of course I totally agree about _Breaker Morant_. Love it. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-empire-war-movies/601833/53 "2011-11-06T04:08:27Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > I’ve PM’d **Martini Enfield**. > > And of course I totally agree about _Breaker Morant_. Love it. “Shoot straight you bastards, don’t make a mess of it!” One of the best. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-empire-war-movies/601833/54 "2011-11-06T08:34:18Z")
> [@lisiate](#): > > I’m surprised \*\*Martini Enfield \*\*hasn’t been along with a long list of recommendations… They’ve all been mentioned, so I didn’t see much to add. 😃 > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > None of which I have seen. Nor have I seen the 2002 one. > > I have read the book though. I hated the book but thought the 1939 film (It’s in colour!) was excellent. My personal favourites are _Lawrence of Arabia, Zulu/Zulu Dawn, North-West Frontier,_ and _The Four Feathers (1939)_ Things like _Gallipoli_, _Breaker Morant_ and _The Lighthorsemen_ are also excellent. I’m still waiting for a proper, modern film version of _King Solomon’s Mines_… ---
**Author:** ![Bizzie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/46a35a/32.png) [@Bizzie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bizzie)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-empire-war-movies/601833/55 "2011-11-06T11:58:26Z")
> [@Dr\_Chicago](#): > > A significant part of a thesis I just wrote was on colonialism. Which is bad… Not necessarily. ---
**Author:** ![Dave\_Hartwick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@Dave\_Hartwick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dave_Hartwick)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-empire-war-movies/601833/56 "2011-11-06T13:39:33Z")
> [@Dr\_Chicago](#): > > I was sort of wondering if there were any epics on the scale of Lawrence of Arabia or what I think Khartoum was shooting for… I’ve been to South Africa, so anything involving there would be great, or anywhere in Africa. Wrong setting but an epic: _The Last of the Mohicans_ (1992). ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-empire-war-movies/601833/57 "2011-11-06T23:25:27Z")
> [@](#): > > Teacher: [jabbing at a map of the world, with the British Empire lands in pink] **Pink. Pink. Pink. Pink. What are all the pink bits? Rowan**. > > Bill Rowen: **They’re ours, Miss.** > > Teacher: **Yes. The British Empire. Arthur… what fraction of the earth’s surface is British?** > > Arthur in Roger’s Gang: **Don’t know, Miss.** > > Teacher: **Anyone? Jennifer Baker?** > > Jennifer Baker: **Two-fifths, Miss.** > > Teacher: **“Yes, two-fifths! Ours. That’s what this war is all about. Men are fighting and dying to save all the pink bits for you ungrateful little twerps.”** Come on, someone had to [quote that] ([Hope and Glory (1987) - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093209/)). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-empire-war-movies/601833.md?page=2)