Favorite War Movie

I think we've done this before, but....

Favorite war movie and why?

Please... no lists... no #1, #2, #3... no "top 10"...

One and only one answer....

Me: "Battle of Britain"... Why? Great cast... great story.

Not much of a film buff myself. Sorry, no particular favorite. I just youtubed the first 7 minutes of "The Battle of Britain" and it looks good. Obviously a good basic story line (and true) and in 1969 the computerised "special effects" couldnt yet spoil anything.

Apocalypse Now

... because I haven't seen many others

My dad was into all those old war movies

Tora! Tora! Tora!
Midway
Battle of the Bulge
(he actually fought in it)

I got the impression he didn't care for Patton (the movie) too much.

Sorry for the list, boot me if you want

I don't do 'the glorification of war'. That isn't to say I won't watch war films. There are some that teach us a lesson about armed conflict that we all need to learn.

I won't call the film a 'favourite', but it is the film that told such a story its message couldn't be ignored.

Schindler's List.

There were times during that film that I really was very close to tears and the thing that I noticed the most was that when it was over and everybody was leaving, everybody did so in utter silence. Most people had their heads bowed, unable, or just not wanting, to look up.

I don't think anybody could find words to describe what we'd just seen.

Usually Amanda and I go for a meal or a drink after seeing a movie, but neither of us wanted to after that.

No jutting-jawed 'heroes'. No exciting action sequences. No "us and them", with 'us' coming out victorious in the end.

Just War, in all its appalling horror and awfulness, inflicted on the innocent for no apparent reason that would make sense to anybody, in the most callous, brutal and sadistic way.

And the real horror of it is that the mentality behind what happened hasn't gone away. It still exists in pockets of our society today.

The human race never learns.

Speaking of the "glorification of war" I think it is becoming more and more difficult to pull the wool over people's eyes. Maybe not.

I did see "Inglourious Basterds" by Quentin Tarantino, which I suppose could be called a "war" film. After the first few minutes of quite gripping and dramatic events, for me it degenerated into nonsense. I remember many in the audience whooping with apparent delight when some guy, bound, was clubbed to death. Pretty sickening. Possibly the film had "meaning" but it passed me by.

I'd just say that, from reading a few books of personal memories of combatants in various wars, "glory" is rarely if ever alluded to. Comradeship and sacrifice beyond anything I have experienced is another matter. There are many dimensions.

these four war movies represents four different wars. probably, in many best war movies ever.

platoon
glory
braveheart
the longest day

if you think about that most war movies blend so much, it hard choose one. most war movies go back to round table to present, or even, the future: star wars.