after thinking about it, insanity was very much the wrong word. My apologies.

DJ - I know you said, let's move on, but I missed this whole discussion. I have to agree with you on Platoon. It has some hot action, but is made to put the US soldier in the worst possible light. I missed Vietnam by a high draft number (year 1971) and being too young to go if I had been drafted, however as a lieutenant I served with many NCOs and officers who were Vietnam Veterans, and the only person they resembled from the "Platoon" was the company commander.

Now to the basic subject, best war films: I have a long list, many have already been discussed:

Zulu - Rorke's drift
Zulu Dawn - the Zulu's win battle of Islandawana, day prior to Rorke's Drift
Battleground - A little hokey in places, but great small unit flick
Stalingrad - Great German movie of this gruesome battle
The Bridge - Another German movie about a bunch of school kids and life in a German village at end of WW2
Das Boot - I will never go to war in a sub!!!!
Saving Private Ryan
A Bridge too Far
Z-Force - Australian small boat service fights the Japanese
Pork Chop Hil - One of final battles of Korean War - stars Gregory Peck (I was about 10 when my Dad took me to see at the base theater, I wondered when do soldiers go to the bathroom Now I know )
Blackhawk Down
To Hell and Back - Audie Murphy's autobiography
12 O-clock High - Gregory Peck as Bomber Group CO - Best air war flick
Lawrence of Arabia - Again saw this on big screen at Edwards AFB (For $.10 each) in early '60s)
DI - Great movie about training Marines for Vietnam - stars "Mr' Dragnet" forget his name.
Hornblower (Series) - A&E masterpiece - great adaptation of the original series of books, and example of 1700-1800 life in any Navy, but particularly yhr Royal Navy
Sharp's Rifles - Was another A&E series - only got to see one of three movies and have read one book. Great stories of Napolean's War in Spain (though Sharp is in 96th Rifles, one of three British regiments equipped with rifled muskets- Napolean placed a bounty on the heads of the Green-jacketed soldiers)
Once an Eagle - good story of life in between-wars US Army and the politics - book was better than movie - as usual


That's my list for now - there are more, but my "hard drive" (my old decrepiet brain that is) is full and I am having trouble accessing the info

HOOAH!!

Jeff

Hrm.. no one like "We Were Soldiers" ? Great film.

Here are some of my other favs...

Saving Private Ryan
Glory
The Final Countdown (well its not actually a war film..but... USS Nimitz.. time travel.. Dec. 6 1941.. the face of the Jap pilot when a Tomcat screams past his Zero... awesome film.

The Longest Day. A perfect adjunct to Private Ryan....Excellent movie.... though the nitpickers will have a field day.... Jim

Seems like I'm always with you, D.J. Did I serve under you in our previous lives? 2nd AD (Fwd) in 78-79 maybe?

Or maybe we just had similar experiences at different times and places. It really doesn't matter ... we're right and everyone else is misinformed.

Thin Red Line -- artsy-fartsy crap. If you like this, watch Apocolypse Now. Great film-making, lousy history.

Platoon -- Please give me a break. Hamburger Hill was better, The Boys in Company C was a low-budge movie that was better, 84 Charlie Mopic was a much much better low-budget film that was even better, Full Metal Jacket is an outstanding profile of the Vietnam War draft-basic-action story, We Were Soldiers was awesome.

Saving Private Ryan -- good (first 20 minutes are outstanding!), but furthers several war cliches. Band of Brothers is much better -- read the book! then watch the mini-series. I liked SPR, but LOVED BoB.

I love most of the other recommendations ...

DJ --

I think the Current Events Forum went the way of the do-do because it degenerated into a mudslinging, name-calling display of immaturity instead of a forum for semi-civilized discussion. I'm not sure of the specific incident (nor would I repeat it, even if I did know), but apparently it got ugly.

On a good note, did you see that Rick Atkinson won a Pulitzer Prize for "An Army At Dawn"?? Check it out: http://www.pulitzer.org/year/2003/history/ Now there's a book they should try to make into a movie -- or better yet, a miniseries like Band of Brothers.