# Recommend me a series of movies about WWII **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** vacation-travel\ **Created:** [June 11, 2024, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-series-of-movies-about-wwii/1002721 "2024-06-11T02:06:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2024, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-series-of-movies-about-wwii/1002721/81 "2024-06-12T16:06:01Z")
I saw it at the Illuzion Cinema in Moscow, with Russian overdubbing. ---
**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:** [June 12, 2024, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-series-of-movies-about-wwii/1002721/82 "2024-06-12T23:16:55Z")
**Twelve O’Clock High,** whenever the general says “build yourself a drink!” Someone should insert a b&w shot of a pair of hands making a poo-poo parfait drink in a hurricane glass with a umbrella and an orchid in the top. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2024, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-series-of-movies-about-wwii/1002721/83 "2024-06-14T22:26:50Z")
> [@bump](#): > > _The Pacific_ was adapted from two books- “Helmet for My Pillow” by Robert Leckie, and “With the Old Breed” by Dr. Eugene Sledge, both of the 1st Marine Division, albeit from different regiments There is a third book, _Red Blood, Black Sand_ by Chuck Tatum that covered Basilone’s request to be sent back into the war zone as opposed to selling Bonds, and his subsequent death on Iwo Jima. If you saw the series, Tatum was in that one episode, one of the two marines Basilone was training while waiting for the rest of the company to show up at Pendleton (?) ---
**Author:** ![Fortyfold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7c8e57/32.png) [@Fortyfold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fortyfold)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2024, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-series-of-movies-about-wwii/1002721/84 "2024-06-14T23:59:47Z")
_Die Brücke_, 1959. German movie _The Cruel Sea_, 1953, British, convoy escort _Battle of the River Plate_, 1956, British _The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp_, 1943, a WW2 movie with flashbacks. _Ice Cold in Alex_, 1958 British, North Africa ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2024, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-series-of-movies-about-wwii/1002721/85 "2024-06-15T00:09:59Z")
Upvoting: **Flags of Our fathers/Letters from Iwo Jima** , recommended as a double feature. **Downfall** and adding **Conspiracy** , they’re skin crawlingly good. **Tea with Mussolini** and **Life is Beautiful** , off the beaten path. For extra credit: Review the stories of **Operation cowboy** , and the **battle of castle Itter** , and **Priest’s Grotto** (there’s a documentary). It’s a crazy world, man. They’re not movies, but I happen to love historical stories down little-known side streets. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2024, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-series-of-movies-about-wwii/1002721/86 "2024-06-15T15:34:19Z")
_ **Foyle’s War** _ is being aired again on PBS. If you missed it last time around, it’s about a DCS investigating crimes on Britain’s home front during and shortly after the war. The first six seasons are followed by another two in which he works for the UK’s postwar intelligence services. If you like _ **Danger: UXB** _, you’ll want to watch _ **Foyle’s War** _. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2024, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-series-of-movies-about-wwii/1002721/87 "2024-06-15T17:59:27Z")
I just want to say that the recent movie is more accurate, in the sense that some _Operation Mincemeat_ detail has come to light that wasn’t publicly known in 1956. Plus the scene when they’re trying to take pictures of the corpse was hilarious and awful! ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2024, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-series-of-movies-about-wwii/1002721/88 "2024-06-15T18:14:12Z")
If you want a real (albeit fictional) war story, I recommend _ **Hell Is for Heroes** _ starring Steve McQueen, who for some reason constantly fiddles with the ejector port on his submachine gun. Bob Newhart is in it too, confusing the Germans with a fake field phone conversation. I saw this when I was six or seven years old, and the scenes in the minefield had me on the edge of my seat. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2024, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-series-of-movies-about-wwii/1002721/89 "2024-06-15T18:32:30Z")
**Midway** Either version; the older one has a lot of big stars **The Guns of Navarone** Another of those war movies that every unemployed movie star wanted to be in **Letters From Iwo Jima** **The Execution of Private Slovak** (YouTube) Eddie Slovik was the only American executed for treason in WWII as “an example” to other soldiers. Stars a young Martin Sheen **A Midnight Clear** A squad of army soldiers have an unusual encounter with a German squad of soldiers. Excellent cast and movie. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2024, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-series-of-movies-about-wwii/1002721/90 "2024-06-15T23:16:29Z")
_Inglourious Basterds_ ---
**Author:** ![saucywench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@saucywench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saucywench)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2024, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-series-of-movies-about-wwii/1002721/91 "2024-06-16T02:00:11Z")
Great choice! ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2024, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-series-of-movies-about-wwii/1002721/92 "2024-06-16T05:18:08Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > I saw this when I was six or seven years old, and the scenes in the minefield had me on the edge of my seat. I’ve seen only the TV-censored version where virtually the whole minefield scene was clipped out. So long as we’re on the subject of Steve McQueen and WWII, _The War Lover_, focusing more on the man than the war. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2024, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-series-of-movies-about-wwii/1002721/93 "2024-06-17T16:25:33Z")
It seems like no one mentioned _To Hell and Back._ Audie Murphy isn’t a great actor but he’s playing himself. Everything that seems like Hollywood bullshit he actually did 10 years before the movie was filmed. After seeing the film I would suggest reading the book. Although the movie portrays the actions relatively accurately, it does have a Hollywood tone. In the book Murphy pulls no punches so it’s much more dark and gritty. To his credit Murphy was not afraid of talking about how war affects soldiers and about what would later be called PTSD. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2024, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-series-of-movies-about-wwii/1002721/94 "2024-06-17T16:28:43Z")
Absolutely! I can’t believe I didn’t think of this one. And yes, the book is a great read! Murphy joined the Army because no other service wanted him (he was too small and scrawny), and he became one of the most decorated combat veterans ever. The guy led a charmed life until it was cut short in a plane crash in 1971. > [OIP.queFfxLFlUeJiViwP\_SA-AHaJC (474×578) (bing.com)](https://th.bing.com/th/id/OIP.queFfxLFlUeJiViwP_SA-AHaJC?rs=1&pid=ImgDetMain) ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2024, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-series-of-movies-about-wwii/1002721/95 "2024-06-17T16:41:31Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > And let us not forget _ **Stalag 17** _, with William Holden as another American hustler disliked by his fellow POWs for trading with the enemy. Set in December 1944 (the Battle of the Bulge is raging), this is a great movie with an unforgettable ending. > > **Fun Fact:** Producer Bernard Rudd moved his rejected idea for a TV sitcom about a contemporary American prison to Germany in 1942 after learning about the novel _ **Stalag 17** _ on his flight home from California. He returned the next day to pitch the series again, and it sold immediately. We know it today as _ **Hogan’s Heroes** _. The producers of _Stalag 17_ sued for infringement. They lost. The producers of HH were Bernard Fein and the recently deceased Al Ruddy. Not sure how you combined those names. Al Ruddy went on to produce a little movie called _The Godfather._ > [@terentii](#): > > _ **Foyle’s War** _ is being aired again on PBS. If you missed it last time around, it’s about a DCS investigating crimes on Britain’s home front during and shortly after the war. The first six seasons are followed by another two in which he works for the UK’s postwar intelligence services. > > If you like _ **Danger: UXB** _, you’ll want to watch _ **Foyle’s War** _. Loved Foyle’s War although it did suffer in tone by a bit by the gaps of time between seasons. Foyle was fantastic throughout. “Look out, he raised his eyebrow!” It’s fun to see some of the guests in early seasons who later became stars. > [@Jack\_Burden](#): > > **In Harms Way** - great Pacific theater film starring John Wayne and Kirk Douglas with stellar supporting cast, beginning with Pearl Harbor and carrying on through the next year. I loved _In Harm’s Way_ although I recognize its flaws and unevenness. Brandon De Wilde was a natural in his portrayal of a large block of wood. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2024, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-series-of-movies-about-wwii/1002721/96 "2024-06-17T16:46:36Z")
You’re right about Fein and Ruddy. I stand corrected. The producers of _ **Stalag 17** _ sued for infringement because the working title of the TV series was _ **Stalag 13** _. It was changed to _ **Hogan’s Heroes** _ to avoid further conflict, and it was a better title anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2024, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-series-of-movies-about-wwii/1002721/97 "2024-06-17T21:55:43Z")
There was a hell of a lot more similarities than that. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2024, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-series-of-movies-about-wwii/1002721/98 "2024-06-17T22:10:23Z")
I’d hardly call it charmed. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2024, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-series-of-movies-about-wwii/1002721/99 "2024-06-17T23:06:29Z")
Alcoholism, financial trouble, bad decisions and violent outbursts from a bad temper all probably related to severe PTSD. Not exactly charmed. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2024, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-series-of-movies-about-wwii/1002721/100 "2024-06-18T00:18:17Z")
Anybody who can hold off fifty German soldiers while firing an M2 on top of a burning tank destroyer without getting killed himself has to have something going for him. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-series-of-movies-about-wwii/1002721.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-series-of-movies-about-wwii/1002721.md?page=6)