# What is the war movie (historical) you'd like to see made? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [May 15, 2021, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-war-movie-historical-youd-like-to-see-made/942152 "2021-05-15T11:42:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2021, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-war-movie-historical-youd-like-to-see-made/942152/41 "2021-05-17T04:34:37Z")
I have seen the first , and Burgess Meredith does a pretty good job. Pyle Oked him, and they talked. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2021, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-war-movie-historical-youd-like-to-see-made/942152/42 "2021-05-17T07:04:38Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > I was going to add the Battle of the Little Bighorn, but then I remembered _ **Little Big Man.** _ Could it be done better? Well, it _could_ be not centered around a White man, and told entirely from the NA perspective. ---
**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:** [May 17, 2021, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-war-movie-historical-youd-like-to-see-made/942152/43 "2021-05-17T07:12:34Z")
It’s been a while since I saw the movie, but wasn’t Dustin Hoffman the sole Indian scout who managed to get away? If you’re interested, there’s a thorough description of the battle and the hours leading up to it in John Keegan’s _ **Fields of Battle: The Wars for North America** _. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2021, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-war-movie-historical-youd-like-to-see-made/942152/44 "2021-05-17T07:17:31Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > It’s been a while since I saw the movie, but wasn’t Dustin Hoffman the sole Indian scout who managed to get away? Dustin Hoffman was playing a White man. ---
**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:** [May 17, 2021, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-war-movie-historical-youd-like-to-see-made/942152/45 "2021-05-17T09:35:10Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Make some of the fictional exploits of Otto Prohaska: > > - The Emperor’s Coloured Coat: In Which Otto Prohaska, Hero of the Habsburg Empire, Has an Interesting Time While Not Quite Managing to Avert the First World War (The Otto Prohaska Novels)\* Those were a fun read, but any hard-headed Hollywood shot-caller would point to the disappointing results of the one attempt at a [Flashman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Flash_(film)) movie, and kill any ventures of its perceived imitators. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2021, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-war-movie-historical-youd-like-to-see-made/942152/46 "2021-05-17T10:08:18Z")
The Union occupation of Northern Alabama sounds like some pretty wild stuff… started out with the intention of being benevolent conquerors restoring order, and devolved into a vicious guerilla war with sabotage, terrorism, family-on-family conflict. Also quite consequential… it convinced Sherman that the south couldn’t be defeated by normal conquest, it would require total war. He actually mustered a military unit from that area, assembled it with his other forces, and marched them through Georgia where he applied the hard lessons he’d learnt in Alabama. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2021, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-war-movie-historical-youd-like-to-see-made/942152/47 "2021-05-17T10:58:22Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Well, it _could_ be not centered around a White man, and told entirely from the NA perspective. IDK. I think there could be a strong, even prescient message in the story of a young white soldier, joined up with the Army due to circumstances, being mislead to his fate by other, more well-off white men seeking greater glory and power for themselves. Too late, the young soldier realizes the error of his ways, and is cut down along with his commanding officer in righteous retribution for what they have all done in the service of an ignoble cause. One might draw inspiration from the castle siege in _Ran_, arrows flying every which way, fire all around, the atmosphere punctuated by volleys of gun fire as a lingering number of defenders realize how truly hopeless their position is, one of them uttering the words, “We truly are in hell.” ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2021, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-war-movie-historical-youd-like-to-see-made/942152/48 "2021-05-17T11:05:53Z")
> [@ASL\_v2.0](#): > > IDK. I think there could be a strong, even prescient message in the story of a young white soldier, joined up with the Army due to circumstances, being mislead to his fate by other, more well-off white men seeking greater glory and power for themselves. Too late, the young soldier realizes the error of his ways, and is cut down along with his commanding officer in righteous retribution for what they have all done in the service of an ignoble cause. No, thanks, I’d prefer a depiction of what the _ **Native Americans** _ were thinking and feeling, rather than _Dances With The Last Samurai II: BigHorn Boogaloo_. ---
**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:** [May 17, 2021, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-war-movie-historical-youd-like-to-see-made/942152/49 "2021-05-17T11:12:42Z")
> [@"ASL\_v2.0](#): > > > [@MrDibble](#): > > > > Well, it _could_ be not centered around a White man, and told entirely from the NA perspective. > > IDK. I think there could be a strong, even prescient message in the story of a young white soldier, joined up with the Army due to circumstances, being mislead to his fate by other, more well-off white men seeking greater glory and power for themselves. In particular, a baby born during the Potato Famine shot full of arrows in Montana 27 years later. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2021, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-war-movie-historical-youd-like-to-see-made/942152/50 "2021-05-17T11:16:51Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > No, thanks, I’d prefer a depiction of what the _ **Native Americans** _ were thinking and feeling, rather than _Dances With The Last Samurai II: BigHorn Boogaloo_ . I understand why you might have that point of view. But I would rather see emphasis placed on defeat than victory. “The paths of glory lead but to the grave,” and all that. > [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > In particular, a baby born during the Potato Famine shot full of arrows in Montana 27 years later. That’d do it. And the theme song could be Garry Owen. Not the March used by the 7th cavalry, but the folk song of the same name. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2021, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-war-movie-historical-youd-like-to-see-made/942152/51 "2021-05-17T11:19:47Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > No, thanks, I’d prefer a depiction of what the _ **Native Americans** _ were thinking and feeling That’s a tough sell unless the Battle of the Little Big Horn is just presented as a small part of the bigger story. In isolation, the battle is just brutal revenge against a scared and outnumbered attacker. It’s going to be real hard for the audience to sympathize with anybody. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2021, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-war-movie-historical-youd-like-to-see-made/942152/52 "2021-05-17T11:24:29Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > In isolation, the battle is just brutal revenge against a scared and outnumbered attacker. That depends entirely on how monstrously you depict the losers. If they’re not painted as sympathetic, there won’t be any sympathy for them. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2021, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-war-movie-historical-youd-like-to-see-made/942152/53 "2021-05-17T11:41:08Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > The East Africa campaign in World War I I think the story of Lettow-Vorbeck is ripe for Hollywoodization. Maybe because all the action would take place in the first half, you might start off with his support for far-right politics in the immediate post-Armistice period with him reminiscing about his exploits with flashbacks. Then continue to do so when he turns down the Nazis, and Hollywoodize it by flashing back to his good relations and understanding of his colonial troops, implying that there is some connection, even if untrue, between this and the fact that he has some empathy for people not like him. And then toward the end, show the end of the story for everyone involved, both the end of the WW1 campaign, his death, and the final granting of pensions to the surviving askaris. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2021, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-war-movie-historical-youd-like-to-see-made/942152/54 "2021-05-17T15:12:27Z")
I think I’d like to see an 8th Air Force movie or miniseries about the strategic bombing of Germany that focuses on the toughest part of the war- the summer 1943-early 1944 stretch when the USAAF started mounting large-scale raids into Germany without fighter cover. There were so many lost bombers and crews that they actually had to suspend missions for a while to recover. Prior to then, the USAAF hadn’t mounted raids into Germany itself, and after that stretch, they had P-51 fighter cover all the way to the target and back. But from the Summer of 1943 through January or so of 1944, it was only the bombers, by the hundreds, going into the teeth of German flak and fighters to bomb German targets during the daytime. All of the horrifically bloody missions of the war were during that time frame- Ploesti, Schweinfurt-Regensburg, 2nd Schweinfurt (bloodiest mission of the war), Munster, I think there’s a lot of fertile ground there for a good war movie or miniseries with the relentless casualties and the weird contrast between being in England and on the raids, it seems like there’s plenty of room for action and character development there. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2021, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-war-movie-historical-youd-like-to-see-made/942152/55 "2021-05-17T15:58:34Z")
> [@bump](#): > > I think there’s a lot of fertile ground there for a good war movie or miniseries with the relentless casualties and the weird contrast between being in England and on the raids, it seems like there’s plenty of room for action and character development there. Definitely a mini-series, with a running body count not unlike the remake of **Battlestar Galactica**. End with any survivors going on the first mission with escort and living to fly again. ---
**Author:** ![Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mundane_super_hero/32/6304_2.png) [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mundane_Super_Hero)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2021, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-war-movie-historical-youd-like-to-see-made/942152/56 "2021-05-17T16:25:18Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > The China-Burma-India theater of World War II Excellent choice. With the exception of “River Kwai” and one propaganda Errol Flynn movie, this entire theater of WW2 of was has been ignored. It’s also relevant, given the horrors and the loss of democracy in Myanmar today. ---
**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:** [May 17, 2021, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-war-movie-historical-youd-like-to-see-made/942152/57 "2021-05-17T16:55:10Z")
Sam Fuller made a Merrill’s Marauders about the CBI Theater. Not a great war film (I always thought Fuller somewhat cartoonish, despite all the praise heaped upon him by the indie crowd). Adding injury to insult, Jeff Chandler broke his back while filming and later died on the operating table. Adding insult to injury, this allowed Ester Williams to outlive him and attack his reputation by claiming he was a transvestite, without collaboration from anyone else who knew him intimately. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2021, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-war-movie-historical-youd-like-to-see-made/942152/58 "2021-05-17T17:32:55Z")
I have high hopes for [Masters of the Air](https://deadline.com/2021/02/masters-of-air-austin-butler-callum-turner-band-of-brothers-sequel-apple-amblin-playtone-1234694573/), which is apparently the final third of Spielberg and Hanks’ WWII trilogy, with _Band of Brothers_ and _The Pacific_ being the other thirds. (full disclosure; my grandfather was a B-17 flight engineer/gunner in the 8th AF in 1943, so I’m intensely curious about his experiences) ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2021, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-war-movie-historical-youd-like-to-see-made/942152/59 "2021-05-17T18:00:38Z")
> [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](#): > > > [@mbh](#): > > > > The China-Burma-India theater of World War II > > Excellent choice. With the exception of “River Kwai” and one propaganda Errol Flynn movie, this entire theater of WW2 of was has been ignored. There’s [The Long and The Short and the Tall](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Long_and_the_Short_and_the_Tall_(film)), some 50s British films, a whole lot of Chinese films and some Indian ones. ---
**Author:** ![Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mundane_super_hero/32/6304_2.png) [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mundane_Super_Hero)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2021, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-war-movie-historical-youd-like-to-see-made/942152/60 "2021-05-17T19:09:49Z")
Those hadn’t been broadcast by me. Also, besides the British there were American units fighting there. I can’t think of a movie made about them, even when Hollywood remakes the same 10 movies 3x over each. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-war-movie-historical-youd-like-to-see-made/942152.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-war-movie-historical-youd-like-to-see-made/942152.md?page=4)